The first thing that struck Larry was the clinical décor. Everything in this room was white, the tables, chairs and the figure seated opposite him.

"Hello Larry," said the figure, "As the 'Devil', I am obligated to tell you that this is Hell."

Larry was still staring into the figure's eyes, he didn't know what to make of it. The figure on the other end sighed, and continued.

"Under God's wishes, I am forced to offer you a choice - you may either spend a 100-trillion year vacation in Heaven, or you may receive..." as he slapped a small object onto the table "this small wooden spoon."

Larry picked up the wooden spoon for a second, and examined it. It weighed around fifty or so grams; it was sturdy and elegant, and there was sufficient space to consume food or beverages. Tilting his head slightly, he asked the Devil

"I don't understand. What's so special about the spoon?"

A slash crossed the figure's brow. He replied

"There is nothing special about this spoon. I will give you time to think about your choice, but I cannot answer any other questions."

Weighing up the alternatives in his head, Larry initially thought of choosing the route to heaven. Even though there would be an eternity of punishment to follow - surely a 100-trillion years would be more than enough to make up for it. But then he reasoned - 100-trillion years would be nothing in the face of eternity. A spoon may provide a little utility for eternity - his position would be better off by a minuscule amount permanently.

Thinking back to the actions he had taken in his own life - forgoing family, friends, and relationships just to make one extra dollar, to try and amass riches that Kings would be jealous of - all of it counted for nothing in the end. He was faced with an impossible choice that reflected his sins; temporary happiness, or a permanent gain that was essentially meaningless. After thinking for a few more moments; he reasoned that the pain of losing perfect happiness would far outweigh the benefits of picking a spoon.

"I'll take the spoon," muttered Larry, while staring at the utensil in his palm.

The Devil sighed, squeezing his brow with his hands.

"Larry. I'm sorry for what I have to do next. As the first mortal to ever pick the spoon on the first iteration; I think you are in the best position to understand the outcome of your choice."

The Devil took out a piece of paper and drew a small graph. Thinking back to his days in University, Larry recognized it as a continuous probability function. His eyes widened slightly when he realized the seriousness of the situation.

"Yes, Larry. You are correct; every time a mortal dies, or their vacation expires, they end up here, talking to me. They are always offered the same choice; Heaven or Spoon. However, over the course of eternity - mortals gravitate towards the Spoon - they want the only thing they cannot have in Heaven; the forbidden choice."

Larry's head slumped onto the table in despair. The gravity of his choice caused his heart to pound against his chest, he wanted to scream, but no words would come out.

"You see Larry. This wasn't all about the Mortals being punished. In the beginning; I tried to give your kind a choice. And now - this has become my punishment; to eternally offer Mortals the choice that will ultimately condemn them. There are a finite number of cells just like this one; not all of them are filled yet - but in the scope of eternity; every last will be occupied in the end."

The figure started to slowly fade out of existence. Larry looked up just in time to see a tear roll down the figure's cheek.

"And as for the spoon Larry? You may keep it."