I wrote this letter on behalf of Screwtape to Wormwood for an online class ‘The Literatures of C.S. Lewis.’ and later published it in my blog.

My dear Wormwood,

I was very disappointed after I went through some lines of your last letter. You seemed to be wasting precious time in vain. Now is the time to strike the Patient’s mind when he is focused on the Enemy. Having said that, I also strictly caution you not to make any hasty move either. Watch out for his every thought and action and discern his motives. Be careful in your excitement. As I have mentioned early that the gradual degradation of human animals’ spirituality is good for us and it best works in our favor.

Your Patient certainly knows how to use modern technologies in the market. The Enemy’s two-legged animals have proved how much gifted they are from the Enemy by setting their feet on the moon. Their intelligence is not always good for them too. Some of these have already demonstrated that they also could be our helpful agents to wage war against their race. At present, some are posing a threat to the world due to weapons of mass destruction. But then people are developing new concepts and tools to promote an invisible web on the air called the “World Wide Web” or generally the internet.

We want more confusion so that doubt will rule over the ninny Patient. But there is also a great risk too that might open his eyes to see his inward spiritual state and outward response to his action.

The latter tool is accessible to even children worldwide. No other tool will be more effective than that. Your Patient is very familiar with it. However, he has learned to handle it properly recently. Thus, the Enemy has sidelined us from the Patient’s interest.

You, however, ought to change the strategy of your manipulation of your Patient. Otherwise, he could be a grave threat to our plan. Then, you know the consequence that you’ll have to bear. First, make him stop reading Enemy’s book called the “BIBLE.” Rather, help him to do more research online for his spirituality than reading the Word and obeying the Enemy. By doing this, he’ll find more complicated and unreliable resources that some of our agents have championed. We want more confusion so that doubt will rule over the ninny Patient. But there is also a great risk too that might open his eyes to see his inward spiritual state and outward response to his action. So, you must divert his attention from that kind of resource, and lure him to fix his eyes on the conspicuous advertising banners. Do not get freaked out when you see gorgeous young women on the internet, lest; he will know your purpose and cease to be a wishy-washy man.

Second, influence him and take him into your confidence before you make another move. Make him believe that browsing the internet to watch beautiful women is not a sin, since he meets dashing and charming women every day. Keep in mind that these revolting creatures of the Enemy can be easily attracted by the skin-deep beauty of their opposite sex. Now, use every coherent argument, if needed, as a weapon to persuade him to watch semi-nude pictures of women. Remind him of his past heydays and how much he enjoyed going to the beach and basking his back in the sun glaring at those beautiful women in bikinis. Find out if he finds any difference between those women in bikinis on the beach and other women in bikinis on the internet. If he feels comfortable with it, you are half done.

Finally, know the weakness of these stubborn animals. Now, hit the spot! Persuade him to visit the forbidden sites that contain exclusive pictures and videos. You must not retreat until you make sure that his mind is absorbed in whatever he is watching on the sites. You have to treat your Patient very well and be very cooperative at this point until he moves toward the slippery slope of any form of addiction whether it be porn or whatever. The open gate of our Father Below in the Hell will be wide for him if you can guide him to now other levels – a dark pit of adultery or fornication from where he can never come out.

Your affectionate uncle

SCREWTAPE

 Characters' Guide

Screwtape – Senior devil

Wormwood – Screwtape’s cousin, a protege

Enemy – God of the Bible

Patient – a new believer

Two-legged animals – humankind

Father Below – Satan; ruler of the hell