I am going to lose my job. 

The boss has summoned me to his office and he never does so unless someone is getting the ax. I knew this would happen the very day I received the assignment. It had only been a few centuries Earth Time that I had been working in the Life Annoyance Department, but this newest client proved to be problematic from day one. My first foray into her mind revealed to me a college student pouring over pamphlets, trying to decided which choice to make, a decision that will affect her for the rest of her life. The first time I ventured into the decision making cortex I could feel the pull of free will as is inevitable when possessing any human. Some are stronger than others, and I had experienced this feeling before. This one had felt stronger than I had been used to. Her eyes scanned the page before her. 

"Arts," I whispered. "Go with the arts." I envisioned a slew of rejections, one by one breaking down her will. Like water wearing away the sharp edge of a boulder, she would loose her resolve, her self worth diminishing over the years to come, culminating in full depression, addiction and self harm. My demon eyes could see the path stretched out before her ending in a fetal curl in the dirty bathtub of a broken down motel room with unknown amounts of life-taking chemicals coursing through her veins. 

Her hand hovered momentarily over the "Business" segment, but as I watched with gleeful victory she settled on the arts, checking the box with firm resolution. It had gone all down hill from there. Over the years of her life, I pushed her towards destructive choices, going as far as finding a way to sabotage the her art, no small feat for a mid level demon such as myself. But each time she found a way to make it work. I pushed her to a gallery where I knew the owners were struggling to pay their artists. I could see the path in which she dropped a large investment to get her work into a showing, gallery fees, cost of production, and so on which would result in little benefit to her. Not only did her show spur her into the spotlight of the arts community, but she used her new found fame to bring attention to the struggling gallery turning around the economic status and reinvigorating the whole neighborhood arts district.  

I approached the boss' office with trepidation, willing myself to put one hoof in front of the other. The door opened and I stepped into the inner sanctum, wincing at the ever present aroma of brimstone. One never does get used to that. He motioned me forward gesturing for me to have a seat. As he shuffled some papers as I settled onto the boulder closest to his desk. 

"I wanted to talk to you about your client," he began. I lowered my eyes and awaited his judgement.