It's Called: Freefall (An Interpretation)

*Tw* suicide, self-harm all mentioned and heavily implied *Tw*

Her day began with a phone call. Not a normal one begging your pardon. Tani sighed down at the air beneath her. It was a long way down.

She pulled out her phone and scrolled onto the contact's screen. It was despicably empty. A little contact for her dad, her sister that lived a couple blocks downtown with her own family, living her own life, and the nameless number Tani had just punched in.

Suicide prevention line? Nah.

Self-harm hot line? Nah, Tani glanced at her arm. Yeah- bit too late for that one. Instead, she stared hopelessly at the devil's number. Or what the homeless dude in a bucket hat and ‘I heart hot moms’ shirt down by Fran’s bakery said was the devils number. She seriously doubted it. Right?

The fact that the number was literally 813- 666- 1134 wasn’t helping. Tani had almost laughed when she flipped it upside down and realized 1134 spelt hell. Really, she needed help.

Shrugging, she clicked the call number and listened as it rang. She looked down while she waited, her legs dangling over the bridge. she almost had to stop herself from grinning at the commotion below. Police screaming for people to move their cars and helpless bystanders squinting up at her, tears glistening on a few of their eyes.

Tani giggled at the mom struggling to cover her little girl's eyes down below. Maybe one day that little girl would be her and once upon a time, Tani had been her.

Childhood was innocence until it wasn’t.

The phone stopped ringing abruptly and Tani’s eyes widened, hearing a peppery voice echo out. Crap- she had left it on speaker.

“Sorry, can’t hear you- one sec- “she sputtered out narrowing her eyes at the phone trying to find the speaker button. Would be no good for only wind to be heard on the other end.

Finally finding it Tani lifted the phone to her ear. The voice was back.

“Hello?”

“Uhm, sorry, it was on speaker.” Tani said nervously. God. scratch that, hell- that was were she was gonna end up anyways. Why was she nervous?

“It’s alright hon,” the voice replied cheerily. Tani swallowed down her fear and attempted to talk, her voice coming out hoarse.

“Is... is this the devil?” the voice sighed audibly.

“Come on now dear, speak up. Where are you? The Eiffel tower? Jesus, I swear the wind keeps getting louder these days.” she said. (When did she realize it was a girl?)

Tani cleared her throat.

“Is this the devil?”

“No hon-”

Tani let out a breath she didn’t realize she was holding. Stupid hobo- giving her a wack number of probably some therapist- God knows she needs one.

“- it's just his receptionist.” Tani’s thoughts stopped.

“Oh-… uh. uhm. ok then.”

The faint sound of a pen clicking sounded through the phone.

“You doing alright hon? You sound a bit frazzled.” Tani looked around at the open air. “yeah, I’m ok.” The receptionist clucked her tongue, “Mhm, ok hon- you need to talk to the big man then?” Tani stuttered a bit but managed a yes. The receptionist dialed her in, and then Tani was left alone again, a cheery little hold tune ringing at her ear. She took in a breath. Tani blinked trying to not be shocked. She was on hold for the devil himself. Her phone buzzed and she pulled away to see what it was doing. Tani scowled seeing the caller id. She was not talking to that person again, not after what they did to her. She ignored it not giving them the finality of declining it. The hold music came back Tani almost laughed hearing the tune of Umbrella by Rhianna. Who would have guessed.

“Hello?” a gruff voice said suddenly and Tani nearly jumped in surprise but managed to stop herself; grinning at a shriek of fright that echoed below her. The firefighters had their microphones out now and were causing a big commotion calling for her to get down.

“Hi?”

“Why are you questioning me? You’re the one who called right?” Tani cleared her throat surprised at the bluntness of the devil.

“Uh yeah, sorry are you busy?” A sigh echoed out and the shuffling of paper could be heard.

“Nah, you’re cool. Here- this might make it a bit easier for us both to converse, the wind is very distracting.” Tani blinked and suddenly she felt like throwing up. She let out a small shriek as the air around her seemed to warp turning a dark maroon then it stopped. She was keeled over on a carpet and a bucket was offered to her the moment she looked up. She was quickly grateful as the world tipped and spun under her and the contents of her stomach appeared.

A soft hand patted her back and Tani could faintly hear kind comforting words as she retched in the bucket. Eventually the world stopped moving at speeds too fast for her to comprehend and she looked up, setting the bucket aside. She couldn’t believe her eyes when it blinked out of existence. Searching her surroundings trying to curl up in shock at everything.

If one thing was true, she was not on a the top of a bridge wire anymore. Instead, what looked like a very fancy office. A clawed hand rapped impatiently on the desk before her as two other pairs of hands scribbled on several different pieces of paper. The other of the first pair was lifting a cup to the things (devils?) mouth. Or as much of a mouth as Tani could decipher. The put it down and smiled down at Tani, everything but one pair went still, the one pair still scribbling.

“Welcome to hell.”

Tani blinked. Then she cursed.

“Language.” the devil said with wide eyes. Then it added a please. Tani blinked again.

“Sorry, just wasn’t expecting this so quickly.” she mumbled. The devil blinked right back, or well, it three pairs of eyes did.

“What?”

Tani barked out a laugh. “Sorry, just jeez.” The devil looked on in confusion only serving to make Tani laugh harder.

“Did I do something wrong?” The devil asked hesitantly. Tani shook her head. The devil apparently wouldn’t take that as an answer as he stood and surprised her once more- was it even a surprise anymore that he had three pairs of everything?- as he walked over to her, the pen left to sit on the desk as he crouched by her, one of his hands hovering over her head, hesitant to touch her.

She stayed still, not moving an inch. The devil shook his (its?) head and backed up.

“Sorry- been awhile since a human visitor called that number.”

Tani huffed and tried shaking out her fear at being in the presence of the devil.

“So uh, you like bad things, right?” she said trying for small talk. The devil let out a chuckle and sat down on a poufy chair that must have been from the Victorian ages. He rubbed his forehead and shook his head. Then he snapped his fingers and another chair similar to his own appeared. A ghost sat in it.

Tani gaped.

The devil sighed good naturedly (could it be good nature if it was the devil?).

The ghost shrieked before apologizing and flickering away as the devil waved his hand, clearing the ghost like smoke.

“Again, sorry about that- please sit down.”

Tani gulped down her fear and stood, trying and failing to stand without falling. The devil didn’t move just waited. Tani took her time and was able to after some trial and error make it to the chair.

“So, cigarettes? Rum?” Tani said with a half chuckle. The devil smiled back, his teeth all a little too sharp- it really ruined the gesture.

“Sundays, sunsets, maybe even Christmas you know.” Tani nodded unsure of how to respond.

The devil cackled a bit out of the blue. “Enough about me- why’d you call?” Tani clasped her hands deciding to be honest.

“I have no friends.”

The devil narrowed his gaze, and a book popped into the air and flopped in his lap, an unseen and unfelt breeze flipping the pages until it landed on one it liked. He lifted it and a sharp claw pointed at a small list.

“Chuck?”

“My ex, he cheated on me.”

“Jesse?”

“Never should have hooked up with him.”

“Lidia?”

“Left me for a friend.”

The devil stuttered a bit on the next one, “Carmen?”

Tani grinned and leaned forward a vicious smirk on her face as she whispered it like a foreign secret.

“Told me she was gay, three whole years with her you know. Turns out she was with a guy- A GUY! The whole dam time.”

The devil gasped and his hands went to his chest clutching it, the book disappeared. Tani cackled. The devil laughed right with her and waved his hand sporadically. “That was good, really good.”

Tani stopped and went dead serious. “It’s true.” The devil blinked. “I’m sorry.” Tani shrugged, “It’s ok dude, you’re better than them.” the devil had a small smile on his face, “We- were friends?”

Tani nodded nonchalantly. “I suppose.”

“Forever?”

Tani bit a lip. “I’m mortal you know.”

The devil grinned. “And I’m immortal.” Tani nodded slowly like she would to a stupid child. “yesss. That means. Forever. Won’t. Like- work.”

The devil leaned back.

“You could let it all go.”

“How?” Tani asked hesitantly.

“It’s called, Freefall.” he grinned. Tani blinked. She wasn’t expecting that one. She should have. The devil would want another soul under his control. It didn’t not, make sense. Tani had no one else, so who cared. Tani held out a hand. The devil stared at it.

“What?”

“Shake on it.” Tani said in all seriousness. The devil shrugged and took her hand. Tani never saw his smile. The devil really works in mysterious ways. When Tani opened her eyes, she was back where she started.

A phone call, and a freefall.

This time she had her answer.

It’s called: Freefall.

Tani fell.

and fell.

and fell.

Far past her lonely body and terrified humans.

All the way down to where she was sure the devil would be waiting for her.

She was wrong.

She called to the devil and the devil said quit. She called to the devil, and he told her to handle her own shit. Really, what was she expecting out of a deal with the devil.

Yeah, it’s called: Freefall.