The Devil All The Time

In the theme of spooky season, and having just watched the pretty harrowing Netflix movie of the same title, I was compelled to write about one scene that continues to live in my mind. The cinematography is gorgeous and visually haunting (the old sedan driving through the woods). There are no spoilers, the inspiration of this image is pretty much it. I deviate from there, only inspired by symbolic misdoings from the titular film.

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A pale blue sedan meandering through a weaving path, travelling through the woods.

From a distance, the trees blur into each other - a hazy arrangement of evergreen spines and hardened trunks. The song is crackling on the radio. The signal is weak but the occasional pauses and skips give a pleasant refuge of silence from the noise. It’s a little bit haunting to him.

He flicks the last stub of his cigarette out the window. How dastardly evil he felt to be imparting his toxic gift against the backdrop of the pure wilderness air. The motor chugs along steadily. It’s an old car, from the 70s. The paint has been coated with the age of sunlight. It doesn’t sound great, but all parts were in working order.

He knew he wasn’t as crazy as they thought he was. He thought of her white sundress, standing in front of the tracks, barefoot on the asphalt. No concern in her eyes and he didn’t waver his steadiness on the gas. He pressed down on the pedal with concentration, no regret.

He thought of her red sundress as she lay on the ground. He continued on his way. Still, he couldn’t shake the lushness of the green and the calm of the grey skies. It seemed to signal that absolution was made ready to him. The birds sang from the tops of the trees, unflinched and undisturbed.

Nature is forgiving but man is relentless.