The reverend walked up to the front door and gave a steady knock. he adjusted his collar and made sure he appeared as prim and as solemn as he could. He would be on his best so he could snag another family flock into his congregation. Smiling to himself, he thought of how his ’skills’ had been garnering more fame around town. These people were simple-minded, and any small disturbance was seen as a demonic possession to them. It didn’t hurt that they brought the cases to him, and he could fire up the congregation into tricking them that they were indeed demonic possessions.
Well, not trick per se. More like guide them towards the belief.
He never said they were possessions. He just left the pieces for the townsfolk to put together. If their two and two equaled possession, who was he to get in the way of their beliefs? Plus, it was helping his pockets. He surely couldn’t turn down any exorcising gig they brought his way, even if all that could help the situation was a couple of painkillers and some rest. Soft footsteps sounded on the other side and then stopped. Then a weak voice said; “Who is it?” “It’s the reverend, ma’am. You asked me to come.”
Immediately the locks and chains rattled as the person on the other side fought to open the door.
As soon as it was open, the reverend saw poor Mrs. Boots looking all shaken and terrified. Her eyes were swollen and her face had evidence of tear streaks. He actually felt bad for her.
“Oh bless me, Father. Thank you for coming,” Mrs. Boots said as she all but dragged the reverend into her home before working on the locks and chains. The reverend used the opportunity to scope the house and found the place to be rather quaint. The furniture, though old looking, was well taken care of. The curtains looked good, and the wooden floors had a small shine to It looked like the Boots family didn’t have much, but at least they maintained what they had really well. There was no TV in sight though, and he didn’t know what to make of this.
“So… Mrs. Boots. Where—”
“She’s upstairs, reverend. She’s always upstairs,” the poor woman sobbed as she led the way to the stairwell. “You’re the only one who can help her. Please! Please heal her, Father!”
The reverend looked at her with pity in his eyes, but his mind was slowly calculating how much he could get for himself through his… services. Depending on what ailed the girl, he’d be able to ’recommend’ certain demon repelling items for the family.
“It’s alright, Mrs. Boots. The Lord has guided me here, and I will do His work and free your child from the satanic grips of hell.” Boy, he sounded so sure of himself when he said that. And Mrs. Boots smiled through tears at his words. “Wait here for me. It’s best I do this with no one else in the room.” Mrs. Boots nodded as the reverend took one step at a time before he reached the upper floor landing.
“It’s the last door down the hall, reverend!” she called from below, and he gave her a wave of thanks.
When he got to the door, he suddenly felt different. He felt… uneasy, and cold. The temperature had really dropped. Wasn’t it warm when he got in? Or did upstairs have a different heating system? Maybe there was a… whatever causing the dive in temperature. It didn’t matter. He had a job to do, so he knocked on the door before opening it. The room he entered was wonderfully done. The wallpaper was adorned with ponies and teddy bears. There were fluffy dolls here and there. The billowing curtains were a soft orange, and there were— wait. Billowing curtains? The windows were closed. Where was the draft coming in from?
“Hello… are you the reverend that is here to save me?”
The reverend jumped as the little voice spoke. He hadn’t noticed the sweet little girl sitting cross-legged on her bed and he scolded himself for jumping at her voice.
“Hello,” the reverend wore a smile as he walked in to stand in front of her, “what is your name?” “I’ll tell if you tell me yours,” she said, with a sweet smile.
The reverend tried to sit on the bed with her but something stopped him. He didn’t know what or why, but what he did know is that he suddenly felt hot. Like, very hot inside. He looked around for a heating unit. How did the little girl not feel it? He was starting to sweat. Rather than go for the bed, he opted to take a chair and sit down at the foot of the bed. When he did that, he started feeling hot and cold. What the heck was going on?
“How old are you, dear?” the reverend asked as he tried to be comfortable. The little girl shrugged. “Maybe 4, 6, 9, 10, 200. Who knows?” another shrug. The reverend squinted. Did she just say two hundred? “What is your name?”
In a split second, her sweet smile suddenly turned dark, “Why would you want to know that, charlatan?” “Wh–wh–what?”
Her head tilted to the side. “Aren’t you a charlatan? I heard you were.”
The reverend frowned. Something was definitely wrong. “By the power of Jesus Christ I command you to tell me your name!” he said sternly.
The little girl giggled. “Oh, reverend. You surely don’t believe that works, do you?” Her head tilted the other way. “I see your heart is rife with fear. Are you not a reverend? Why do you fear a little girl?”
The reverend was indeed afraid. The temperature drops and spikes weren’t normal, and there was a little girl saying things she shouldn’t be able to. Was she truly possessed? If she was, then he needed to do something. He took out his beads and opened his Bible and was about to start reading when she giggled out of control.
“So now you think you can cast and bind? Oh, reverend. Didn’t they ever tell you not to go beyond
your means?” The reverend wasn’t sure, but he could swear that her eyes had a glint of green. Not the normal green, evil green. He confirmed things were not as they seemed when she said; “Want to see a magic trick?” in a sweet voice, and then, “You must surely watch...” in a deep voice.
Without prompt, the little girl tilted her head until it rotated so much her eyes were chin level and her chin was eye level. If things weren’t as terrifying as they were, one could joke she had an upside-down face. When the little girl smiled, what the reverend saw weren’t normal teeth anymore…
“Ta-da!” she said, shining her sharp incisors.
The reverend screamed and ran out of the room, feeling the temperatures fluctuate as he raced down the stairs. Fervently, he tried to remove the locks and chains from the front door when a hand slammed into the door.
“Father, what is going on? Where are you going?” Mrs. Boots asked, shocked and confused.
“I-I-I-I eh… I eh...” the reverend racked his brain for a plausible excuse, “I eh… have to get stronger tools. The Lord’s work needs more power to save your little girl!”
“Oh...” Mrs. Boots said, and her countenance suddenly changed. “Don’t go just yet, reverend. We haven’t had dessert yet.”
“Dessert?” he asked, before seeing the little girl walk down the stairs. One look at Mrs. Boots and he understood. Fear gripped him like never before. Her eyes were a maleficent shade of green.
“Yes Father, dessert. Surely, you must stay,” she smiled, the wicked sharp incisors also present in her mouth. She gripped his throat with unprecedented strength as she opened her mouth and readied her teeth. The little girl had grabbed his thigh and had readied her own teeth.
“Please… please...” the reverend tried to beg for his life.
Sadly, the Boots residence was isolated enough that no one heard the anguished screams of the reverend as he was eaten alive.
end
Did you hear the one about the couch potato? Me neither. I was too lazy to listen.
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