I folded my arms and tried to stare down the demon - not an easy feat when you are a condemned soul confronting your assigned tormentor for the next eternity. "I know my rights." My voice quavered. "I get one chance for redemption."

The demon snorted. Its breath was rotten, sulphurous. "You sure? You know what happens if you fail?" It licked its lips with a forked tongue. "There are punishments of which you cannot conceive." There was a note of sadistic glee to the demon's voice.

I tried to put on an air of bravado. "How much worse could it be? This is Hell."

"O, you'd be surprised," the demon replied. "Are you sure you want to take that chance?"

"I sat through all those orientation lectures," I began. The demon growled to silence me.

"As you wish. But I get to pick the challenge."

"Fine by me."

The demon grabbed a hot coal from a brazier, holding it between its claws. The ember was a hot cherry red. "All you have to do is guess where I'm holding this." It juggled the glowing coal from hand to hand then - with the speed of a striking snake - hid the coal behind its back. The demon wriggled, grimaced, then held out its hands. They were clenched into fists, concealing what was in them. "Guess," the demon growled, and smiled.

I looked at the creature's gnarled hands. They were the size of dinner plates, and the coal had been the size of a pebble. There was no way for me to determine which hand the demon was concealing my freedom in.

"Guess." The demon's voice rumbled, shaking my body with its force.

"I'm allowed a hint," I said. "Under the rules - ."

"Blah, blah, blah," the demon intoned.

I took a deep breath. "A hint!" I demanded, then smiled sweetly at my future tormentor. "I can wait. After all, I have all eternity."

The demon glared at me. Had I overplayed my hand? Would it turn on me? No. Even here in Hell there were rules that had to be obeyed; rules to prevent chaos. "Fine," the demon snarled petulantly. "A hint." It cleared its throat and furrowed its brow in thought. "You only get one guess. But, if you had three, the first two would not count."

"The first two wouldn't count ... ." I stared at the demon, trying to fathom the deeper meaning behind its words. Of course the demon would try to trick me, but it would have to tell me the truth.

"Where am I holding the coal, little man?" the demon rumbled at me. Its expression was unreadable.

"The first two ... ." My gaze moved from the creature's left hand to its right; from right to left. Then - !

I looked the demon in the eye and smiled seductively. "Turn around, big boy. There's something I want to check."