The Father of Liars

 

A terrified young man in a dark candlelit throne room, surrounded by sinister figures in black robes with red armbands, as a ghostly demonic claw squeezes his heart. Horror illustration for 'The Father of Liars' short story."

What would you gain by lying? What would you even gain by lying in that moment and then getting caught in your lies the next moment? It may take a day, weeks, or months, but you would definitely be caught.

Jackie is the modern master of liars. He could lie his way out of the toughest situations. He had been lying since a tender age, when he first started understanding things, and now that he was twenty-five, he grinned as he talked his way out of another situation. As he rounded the corner of the street, he whooped in joy. "That was close," he muttered as he walked away, not even daring to look back. As long as you're not caught, they can do nothing about it, and as long as there's no evidence, you will walk a free man. He smiled as he whistled a tune while walking like a man who had won the lottery.

He had stolen from a shop, and when he was confronted by the owner—who had been suspicious of him right from the moment he entered—Jackie had always had a way out in such situations, and it had helped him. Even the cops they had called had blamed the owner for accusing him, claiming the owner had already found him guilty in his heart, so they believed Jackie. He smiled as he walked on, wondering where he would get his next cash from. He dared not go back—according to his rules, never take from the same place twice.

He was about to reach the end of the street when he felt a little cold. "What the hell? This is June. What's this cold for at this hour?" It was about 2 PM in the afternoon. He shivered and tried to hurry, but he noticed no matter how fast he walked, he was still in the same place. He started running, but in the end, he would look back from where he started and notice he hadn't moved even a bit, yet he was tired from running for a few minutes. He bent over with hands on his knees, panting like a dog, and that was when a very cold hand touched him on the back of his neck. He shivered violently and fell to the ground groaning. "I have noticed you," a strange mystic voice said. "I have seen how you can lie, and I like it. I want you to serve me."

"Who are you?" he stammered as steam came out of his mouth.

"I'm the father of liars."

"The devil?" he asked as he started shaking. "Please don't hurt me."

The voice laughed. "Fool, how can I not hurt you when you've been lying in my name?"

"I will stop," Jackie said, covering his eyes. "I will never lie again."

"But I can see your heart. I can read what is in your head, and I can hear your thoughts. How dare you try to lie to the father of all liars?" The voice snarled, and a mist in the form of a claw appeared right in front of Jackie and passed into his chest. His eyes bulged as the claw-like hand started squeezing his heart. He tried to hold the claw, but his hand just passed through it, and he knew he had had it coming this time. He had met his match, and to cap it all, it was the father of liars. He stood no chance, and so he lay there helpless as his life started fleeing from him. He closed his eyes, welcoming death, when he heard the voice again: "Will you serve me?"

And with his last strength, he answered in a small voice, "Yes."

And just like that, he could breathe again, and the pain in his chest had vanished. He sat up, breathing and coughing hard. "What have I done?" he muttered as he stood up. He saw a chair in the alley where he had been lying down, and he felt compelled to sit on it. As he did, a strong wind blew his way, and he found himself in a dark room. With a frightened moan, he stood up from the chair, backing away, and then a light came on. He noticed it was a throne room, and there were men standing all in black clothes with red stripes on their arms as armbands. "Welcome, Jackie," the man at the head table said with a grin.

"Who are you?"

"Wrong question. You should ask what am I."

"What are you?" he asked as he backed away, but he could see no door or window.

"You want to know?" the man asked with a sly grin.

Jackie could tell that if he said yes, he would be in a situation where he would never come out again.

"No," he said. "What do you want?" he asked.

"Your oath. You are now part of the LIARS IN HELL CYCLE."

"But... I..." He was cut off by the man, who raised his hand. "You are here to be initiated, and you are not to ask any questions. You will have to provide the necessary things we will need from your own store."

"Hmmm, I have no store," Jackie said, now knowing he was doomed.

"Oh, but you do."

"Where?"

The man paused and looked around, then sighed. He pointed at Jackie. "Your body is the store, and you can give us any part you desire. That would be the price you pay for the father of liars."

"My body part?"

"Yes. Choose what to give—from your eye, ear, nose, feet, hand, and so on. Just choose."

Jackie stood there stunned. How can he just point at his own body for someone to cut off? No way. That is not going to happen, he thought as he stood there thinking of how to escape, but the voice appeared in his head again: "I can read your mind, fool."

"What will I gain if I serve you?" Jackie dared to ask.

"It is good you asked, but you will not be gaining anything for now. You have been using my name to lie for countless years, so I need payment first before we can talk of your benefits," the man said with a grin.

"I was told never to make any deal with the devil, or it would be my end," Jackie said with a shrug of his shoulders.

"You have been using his name, so don't pretend you're a saint. You dare delay? Now choose what to part with, or I will ask my minions to take as much as they want."

Jackie stood there thinking about what to lose. He couldn't part with his hands or feet—no, not his eyes or ears either. He wondered what he should do. This was not what he had expected when he started lying. He remembered his grandma saying there was always a consequence for our actions. He had scoffed at her then and said old age had cracked her brain. He had been proud, lying his way out of trouble. He thought no one could match his lies, and now the devil was demanding payment—and in body parts, too.

"Don't forget I can hear your thoughts, fool," the voice said. This just confirmed how he had used my name to lie and get out of trouble. "Now your lies have landed you in trouble, eh? Choose, or time will choose for you. Choose, or the minions will choose for you. Choose what you would love to lose among your anatomy. Choose what irritates you most. You should punish your tongue—it has been the head of liars. Why not cut it off and be done with it?"

"No," he said. "I don't want to lose my voice."

"That may be. How about your eyes? They have seen so many things that have made you lie. Why not pluck them out so you can't see things that would make you lie?"

"No, I can't lose my vision, or I would be useless."

"How about your hearing? Your ears have heard stuff that made you lie. Why not block them?"

"No, I want to hear laughter and the beauty of a melody."

"Hmmm, seems like my minions would have a field day plucking and cutting stuff off you."

"I will give a toe," he said, looking at his leg.

"I don't take just a toe. I collect the whole feet—and it would be both feet."

"That would make me unable to walk."

The devil shrugged. "I don't care. What matters is the payment."

"Then how do I serve you if I can't walk?"

"Now that you mention it, I thought we would be collecting parts bit by bit until you cease to exist."

Jackie shuddered at that. "No," he said. "I will give half a hand and half a leg."

The devil thought about that for a while and grinned a wicked grin that made Jackie pick out his morning breakfast. "Don't worry, I will be gentle—like a lover's kiss."

"You lie," Jackie said with a snarl.

"Of course I lie. What am I if not the father of liars? And you, as my son, have been doing bad things and deserve to be punished. But first, let me get the tools."

"What tools?"

"You think I will use magic?" The devil laughed. "Oh no—how then will I enjoy your melody? See, your screams would be the best music I have ever heard in a thousand years. It would give me power, joy, and it would boost my ego—and those of my minions. And don't think I will go easy on you. No way, not a bit. I will make sure you scream until you lose your voice. I will make sure you never lie again except if I give you permission. And yes, you should have listened very well when they told you never to make a deal with the devil, because you will lose—and it would be very catastrophic." Then he laughed hard as he saw the shock on Jackie's face. He smiled and then wondered how much fun it would be to toy with him—slowly, but very painfully.

Jackie just sat there and vowed that he would never tell any lie again. And if he was to marry and have kids, there would be no lies in his house. He would educate his kids about the danger of lying and what lay ahead if they continued. He would use his story as a point to explain to them that lies led him to the devil—and the devil takes and takes without end.