Remember Me

My rage was not that of an intense fire but over the years had become more subtle; somewhat like that of an ash-covered ember, small and producing little heat and light yet when disturbed, capable of 1000 degrees on its surface”, he began.

“Evidently, it is possible to maintain this level of rage for over 2000 years. It is also possible to hate all in Creation as I did.”

“According to legend, I and all of the Jinn had been created by The Most High at the same time as the Angels and mankind. The Angels were created from light, Mankind from clay and the Jinn from smokeless fire. I and my kind ruled the Earth from the Beginning even as the Angels ruled the heavens. I commanded the Jinn as a supreme Lord, taking tribute and delivering judgment for hundreds of thousands of years. Even my name meant Commander of the Multitudes. I had free will, unlike the Angels and could even question the Most High. The Arch Angels, Gabriel, Michael and Raphael dared not do this.”

“Early, in the Beginning, Luciel, the Morning Star, attempted to raise his mansions above those of the Most High in Heaven. During the subsequent war, Luciel was cast out of Heaven along with a number of allied angels and Jinn. His name became Lucifer and his legions were damned forever. I had no alliance with Lucifer and so remained neutral during the war. But the Most High was offended and gave dominion of all the Earth to the recently created Mankind and the Sons of Adam; relegating the remaining Jinn to a parallel existence. We could see mankind and Angels but could not interact with them or each other.”

“Mankind would now have the Most High’s attention and blessing. The Jinn would suffer neglect, absence of purpose and despair. We would be relegated to the realms of nightmares, bad luck and noxious vapors. What had been pleasing in the sight of the Most High was now invisible. So went the legend!”

“The reality was that next to the Creator, I was the most powerful creature in existence. I was neither pure good nor pure evil and actually regarded these labels as trivial. To the race of Jinn, I was their commander. There was no demon I feared. No angel was my equal. I could command the elements of air, fire, water and earth. I served no entity in the Universe and that, plus my arrogance toward the Creator, would be my undoing”, he concluded before launching into the story.

“This story begins in the year 1095. I was a powerless captive and had been a captive for over 2000 years; not that the passage of time was of much interest to me. My interest remained rage; pure, distilled, refined rage! Unlike some outcast Angels, I did not scream or rant. After all, I was made of smokeless fire. My rage made me burn brightly but did not consume me.”

“How do you describe a being such as me? In rare times, when I was visible to mankind, I was described as “vaporous”, from the ground to his waist but humanoid from my waist to head. This ratio of vapor to humanoid could change as I (like all Jinn) possessed shape-shifting abilities. I could take on the image of any object, animate or inanimate with just a thought.”

“Again, in rare times, when I wished to be visible to mankind, I was described as about 20 ft. tall, depending on the trail of vapor. I was not clothed except for a wide belt, separating the vaporous and humanoid sections. I was referred to as “he” but bore no male genitalia. However, the humanoid section (above my belt) was most definitely male. I was described as heavily- muscled, almost barrel-chested in the torso. My head was bald as the rest of me was totally hairless too. My face was oblong, with high, almost European cheek bones. My most prominent feature was my eyes. Eyes that were almond-shaped, blacker than any night sky, revealing no pupils and flaring an occasional round of sparks.”

“If one asked my opinion of these features I answered with one word”, he paused, smiled and said,
“Magnificent!”