Choice of Heart

Brad watched It light a cigarette with the ground.

"Why am I here?" Brad asked.

It raised what might have been an eyebrow. "Isn't that obvious? You didn't--"

"I was a good person." Brad interrupted. "I never cheated on my wife, I gave to the poor, I went to church..."

It scoffed, half chuckling. "You were a good boy, eh? That act is easy enough. Even we got a bunch of our own down there doing good deeds for show."

"I didn't do it for show. I genuinely cared! I'm telling you, I don't belong here!"

It smiled then burst into a rolling fit of laughter. "The old 'Good hearts go to Heaven' bit. I can't believe how many humans we screw over with that one!"

Brad looked confused. He waited for It to collect itself.

"_Good_ hearts don't go to Heaven, Brad. _Pure_ hearts do. The ones purified by the Spirit. You went to church; you knew that. But don't worry. I had a pure heart once. They're quite over-rated."

"You mean you _chose_ Hell?" Brad asked, surprised.

It grinned. "Yes. And truth is, Brad, so did you."