Authors: A. Griffin
The Demon Rolmar (8 page)
.
N
ightfall had come and Rolmar wandered the streets near the college campus. His new incarnation was a twenty-year-old, Asian—American man. “At least this body doesn’t ache like the last one did,” he sighed. A drop fell on his head and he looked up. The rain began to come down lightly at first, but then steadily picked up. Rolmar walked down the street and conjured a hooded sweatshirt, which he quickly put on.
Why did I spare that mother and child? This makes no sense. I’m going to destroy this world in a week. I spared their lives, yet if the planet is destroyed they’ll die anyway.
Rolmar slammed his fist against a brick wall.
Why is this happening to me?
I’m not myself anymore. Something inside of me has changed. Was it pity that I felt before? Did I actually experience compassion? Maybe this has something to do with Linda.
As he walked, he came to an abandoned street and heard raised voices.
“Give me your money!” a stocky man said to an older gentleman.
“I don’t have anything on me,” the old man replied.
“You’re lying old man.”
“I’m not. Please let me go.”
“What should we do, Lloyd?” the man said to his skinny accomplice.
“I don’t know, Rick. I guess the usual.” “Right,” Rick replied.
Rick pulled a gun from his back pocket. “On your knees, old man!”
“Please! I don’t have anything.” Rolmar paused for a moment.
Why are they tormenting this elderly man? The elderly are treated with respect on Pentar. Should I intercede?
Rolmar turned the corner.
The two criminals looked up.
Rick said, “Oh great, now we’ll have to kill this loser too. Can’t have any witnesses.”
Rick raised his gun to Rolmar. The demon smiled and laughed a little. Then he made time stop. The two thugs stood frozen, but the old man was unaffected.
Rolmar addressed the old man, “You should go now.”
The old man was a little stunned, “What happened to them?”
“I stopped time for them.”
“How could you?”
“Don’t worry about that. You should run away now.”
“Thank you, whoever you are.” The man took off down the street.
After several minutes Rolmar started time again, and his eyes began to glow. He faced the two criminals.
I should kill them. But Linda wouldn’t like it if I did.
He decided to make them pass out. They crumpled to the ground.
Immediately Rolmar doubled over in pain.
I must be ill from residing in human form for too long.
He changed back into his demonic form and bent down on one knee. He still suffered from some pain.
I think there’s compassion inside of me now. Perhaps I won’t find the change so disagreeable in time. This change may not encompass my entire being. If it does, my mission will be compromised.
He shielded his head from the rain with his great wings and thought,
I wish Linda were here.
.
R
ain buffeted the cold streets of New York City. A girl who was ten and a boy who couldn’t have been more than six stood under a poorly constructed awning with little more than train fare in their threadbare pockets. The boy had unruly, corn-silk locks and wore an oversized turtleneck and jeans. The girl was African American and wore denim overalls with a pink shirt. The turtleneck stretched a little above the boy’s nose and was a good garment to possess in this kind of weather.
“What do we do now?” the boy said.
“I don’t know. Running away is harder than it sounds.”
“Hey look, the sun is out,” he said. His large, azure eyes stared up at her.
“Let’s start walking again.”
The boy began hopping over puddles. “Hey, haven’t you ever played this game before? It’s like that game where you try to avoid the cracks in the sidewalk. See, I’m a leapfrog.” The boy paused and made a
ribbit
sound.
“Hey, maybe I have enough money to buy us a treat.” She let her hand rustle through the loose change in her pocket. “Two-fifty,” she said.
“How do you do that? Count the change like that in your pocket?”
“I just feel the different coins in my pocket and add them up that way. Haven’t you ever done that?”
“Not really. I just count them in my palm,” he said.
The bakery was a veritable beacon on a rainy day. In the failing daylight, its softly lit windows gave the promise of a warm escape from a world that seemed interminably dreary. The aroma of its freshly made confections traveled for much longer than expected—or at least the children thought so.
The door swung open, and a small bell announced the arrival of the wet pair. The shop—redolent with the scent of dozens of sugary treats—made the children forget about the wet weather, which immediately became a dim memory.
“Wow, so much to choose from!” The boy immediately ran to the display case and pressed his nose against the glass. Hailey stood admiring the display and rubbing her hands together. The boy pointed silently to the cookie he wanted, an oversized variety with randomly placed candies. The attendant removed the cookie from the display case, wrapped it in paper, and handed it to the boy.
“There you go. That’ll be a dollar,” she said.
Hailey handed her four quarters.
“What about you?” he said in between bites.
“I think we should save the rest for later,” she answered. The boy shrugged, broke off a large piece, and handed it to Hailey.
“Thanks,” she said.
“Hey, let’s sit at the table by the window,” Nat said.
“Sure, why not?” Hailey sat down on the wrought iron-filigree chair and scooted herself up to the table.
Nat climbed into a chair, and after situating himself said, “What’s wrong?”
“I’m trying to think of a plan. We can’t go back to the foster home.”
Nat shook his head furiously.
“They were always arguing. I guess they tried to be good parents. It just wasn’t a good fit for us,” Hailey said.
Nat nodded while he munched.
“Sometimes a kid has to take matters into her own hands.” She looked out the window at the dreary city. “I’m never going back,” she said.
Nat finished his treat and stood. He shrugged his shoulders. “What now?”
“I guess we’ll just keep walking for a while. Let’s hit the road, soldier.”
“You bet.”
The store’s bell chimed as they exited.
.
O
nce Nat and Hailey stepped outside the bakery, they saw the storm had abated. It was getting late; the sun had started to set. Hailey wondered where they would sleep that night. She hadn’t planned that far ahead. The sun streamed down the empty streets, making them appear golden.
Hailey looked around. “Where did everybody go?” she asked.
Nat clung to her side. “I don’t know.”
They didn’t see a soul anywhere. The cars were still and looked as if all the people had just abandoned them in the streets. The storefronts appeared to be vacant. Frozen was an appropriate word—the whole scene was reminiscent of an old photograph. After a while the tenseness in the air became palpable—a feeling that both children found very disagreeable. How could anyone feel real in this frozen world—a world devoid of people? The children felt this way for the entirety of sixteen minutes until a golden eagle flew by.
Finally, movement!
Life was back again, at least the life that they had come to understand.
The bird alighted in front of them and stretched its wings before speaking.
“I am Rolmar, high demon of Pentar,” he said. Hearing these words from a bird almost made them fall backward. Hailey’s light-brown eyes grew wide, and Nat moved behind her.
Nat was shocked by the creature; after all, the children had never seen a talking bird before. He decided, however, that perhaps they should listen to the bird because there was no one else around. The eagle looked up at them. “Why are you running away?” he asked.
Hailey spoke up: “We can’t go back to foster care. It was horrible there. They didn’t hurt us or anything, but they were always yelling and fighting. We wanted to escape. How did you know that we were running away?”
“I flew above you as you walked in the rain.”
“So you spied on us!” Nat said.
“In a manner of speaking.”
Hailey said, “I hope I’m not imagining this whole thing.”
Rolmar replied, “I can assure you this is no joke. Follow me if you want to live.”
Nat looked up at Hailey. “I’m scared,” he said. Then the children asked, “Where are we going?”
Rolmar took to the air and replied, “You’ll just have to wait and see.”
.
I
takir perched on a telephone pole in the rain in front of Adam’s apartment. He briefly sniffed the rain-scented air and then cast a dome spell to keep himself dry. Itakir had been secretly following Rolmar and so he was aware of Adam’s whereabouts. He smiled to himself as he entertained thoughts of wreaking havoc on Adam.
This reconnaissance is so much fun. If only Pentar was as much fun as Earth.
Adam and John slept peacefully in their beds. Itakir made himself invisible and slipped through the front door of Adam’s apartment. He found his way to the kitchen and immediately began searching through the cupboards.
There must be something in here that I can use to create disorder.
He almost giggled with delight, but stifled it quickly.
After all, why ruin my fun by waking them up too soon. These things mustn’t be rushed
.
Ah, the refrigerator, there must be something in there.
He peered into the fridge and removed a carton of milk.
This will do nicely
. Itakir began to pour the milk all over the floor. Once the entire contents of the container had been emptied, he tossed it aside. Then he carefully took every pot, pan, dish, and the like and placed them on the floor.
This is perfect
. He did this very quietly and meticulously, as if there were a method to creating the mess. After dusting his hands off, he said: “Well, my work is pretty much done here. There’s only one thing left to do.” With that, he promptly breathed fire on the floor. The fire spread quickly to the cabinets and a wooden table.
Itakir found a perfect vantage point on a tall cabinet in the dining room so he could watch everything unfold. “Now, I just have to wait.” He didn’t have to wait very long, because the fire alarm sounded off shortly after he perched.
Adam sat straight up in bed, and John actually fell out of his bed. After shaking his groggy head a few times, Adam ran through the apartment to find the source of the fire. When he saw smoke coming from the kitchen he immediately rushed in, slipped, and fell onto the floor. He thought briefly,
why is everything on the floor?
His mind quickly pushed the thought away. As it turned out, he fell next to a large bowl. He picked it up, ran to the sink, and filled it hastily. Adam threw the water onto the fire hoping it would be enough. Just then, John ran into the kitchen with a fire extinguisher and put an end to the fire. Itakir laughed silently as he watched the two react to the smoke and flames.
“Well, time to fly,” he said. Making himself visible as he passed Adam and John, Itakir exited through the window. On his way through the kitchen, he made a few more pots hit the floor. Adam and John turned to look and were shocked at what they saw. They ran to the window to get a better look at the creature that had flown past. But when they reached the window, nothing was outside—although they did hear laughter coming from an unknown source.
“What was that?” John asked.
“I don’t know, but I’m glad it’s gone,” Adam replied.
“Well, at least the fire is out,” John said sleepily. “But the place is a wreck.”
“Yeah, I’ll start with the dishes. Why don’t you grab a mop,” Adam suggested.
John began to mop up the milk-covered floor. “This is going to be a long night.”
.
T
he bird flapped its wings hastily, and the children followed it up the upward-sloping sidewalk. Hailey and Nat paused at the top of the hill.
“I don’t believe it. What’s going on, Hailey…is this real?” Nat whispered.
Before them stood fifty acres of lush grass, just waiting for someone to run across it—and of course the children wished to do just that. But this beautiful scene had to be an illusion, which gave them pause.
“This place is beautiful, but what is it?” Hailey asked.
The bird almost appeared to smile and said, “Your new reality. Isn’t it true that reality is no more than your brain’s interpretation of electrical impulses? Reality is subjective.”
“What does that mean?” Nat said, and scratched his head.
“You make your own reality.”
“I don’t quite understand. But as long as it’s real enough to run on, then I’m all for this new reality, as you like to call it,” Hailey said.
“It’s perfectly safe,” Rolmar said.
Nat seemed worried. “What about the city?”
“There’s nothing to worry about,” Rolmar assured them.
“But the people?” Hailey asked.
“They’re safe for the time being. I returned them to their respective positions.”
“Why did you take them away?” Nat inquired.
“I wanted to get your attention.”
“Well, the talking-eagle bit certainly worked,” Hailey replied.
“I thought it might,” Rolmar said as he chuckled.
Nat turned around and watched as the last vestiges of the city—a bit of concrete sidewalk and the fender of an Oldsmobile—turned into a rural landscape.
“Amazing,” was the only word that came to mind as Nat looked upon the scene. “How is this possible?”
“We’ve slipped into another dimension,” Rolmar explained.
“And, what about the city?” Hailey asked.
“It exists simultaneously with this dimension. In other words, it will be fine.”
“If you say so,” Nat said. He still seemed skeptical.
“Well, what are we waiting for?” Hailey looked at Nat, and he knew exactly what she had in mind. They bolted off together, running as fast as their legs could carry them.
The children ran and played for an interval that seemed to defy normal space and time. All the while Rolmar perched in an olive tree, studying their movements and behaviors. Rolmar sat in the tree, ruminating.
I’ve had a hundred incarnations on this planet. Through those incarnations I’ve experienced the best and the worst of humanity. I experienced hatred in all its forms, religion, love, community, friendship, war, compassion, and rejection. Through these incarnations I’ve grown to understand that life is sacred to humans. On this journey, I have seen the fear in someone’s eyes as death comes and the light in an infant’s eyes when life begins, but none of my incarnations affected me as profoundly as being Ian. The compassion and kindness that Linda showed me has taught me the most about humanity. However, I believe that I need to experience one more incarnation before I can make my decision.
I’m not sure why, but I’m starting to feel something for these children. At first it was pity, and now it’s growing into something more. These feelings are so strange and encompassing. They’re similar to the feelings I experienced for Linda. Perhaps I’m starting to lose my former self. This feels strange to me. These incarnations have changed me fundamentally. I have emotions now and don’t think that they’re going to leave me. Having these different forms has softened me. I never thought of sparing anyone before. But things are different now. I want Linda and these children to live.
Rolmar watched as Nat ran toward him. “If you’re a demon, why do you look like an eagle?” the boy asked.
“This guise is for your sole benefit. I don’t think you would find my demon form very pleasing.”
“I guess not,” Nat replied.
“But still, it feels as if you’re hiding from us,” Hailey said.
“One day I may show you, but not now,” Rolmar said. “These matters are all trivial. Enjoy your playtime.”
“What will we eat in this new place?” Hailey asked.
“Whatever you like,” replied the demon. “I can conjure food, water, and shelter for you if you need them.”
“What danger are we in? You said earlier that we should follow you if we wanted to live. We did as you said.”
“You are not in any danger. You will most certainly live. But as for Earth, I cannot say.”
“What do you mean?” Nat asked, starting to get upset.
“I’ll let you know my decision shortly. But remember…even if the Earth dies, you will remain unharmed.”
“Why have you spared us?” Nat asked.
“Because I can see that you have good hearts and that you wanted to escape to a new life anyway,” Rolmar answered.
“We never dreamed that this life wouldn’t be on Earth,” Hailey said.
“I don’t like this,” Nat said, and crossed his arms.
“You’ll grow accustomed to your new life in time. Do not worry.”
“It will be all right,” Hailey said. She put her arm around Nat and looked into his eyes. “Things will be OK from now on.”
Looking at Rolmar again, Hailey asked, “How long can we play?”
“For as long as you wish…maybe forever.”