The October Music: Fourth Verse - Day 16

Thank You For the Demon

            Alan thanked his grandmother through clenched teeth as he opened his birthday present. It was a small wooden box with some carvings on the top. He had expected something nicer. A video game, maybe. Money. Hell, even socks would have been useful. Still, it was the thought that counted, he reminded himself. His grandmother smiled at him, nodded, and told him that it is a wonderful display piece but to never open it. That got his attention.

            He asked why and she hemmed and hawed and eventually mentioned that it contained a minor demon she had accidentally plucked from the other side when she was doing her nightly rituals last month. Nana made no secret of her investment in spiritual warfare. If what she was saying was true, Alan essentially held a prisoner of war in the box. Of course, it was almost certainly untrue and he looked to his mom who shared the same thought: it was time for Nana to go to a home.

            That night, Alan sat on his bed and stared at the homework sitting uncompleted on his desk. He didn’t want to do it. Not on his birthday. That had to be some sort of crime, right? As he glared at it, he idly played with the box Nana had given him. Accidentally, he slid the top open and a fine black mist poured out and onto the floor. Before he could run and get the vacuum, the mist coalesced into a two-foot-tall creature with multiple limbs, a gnashing mouth, and three blazing red eyes. Nana had been right.

            Alan wanted to run and get help, but something stopped him. The creature looked…relieved, if that was possible. Cautiously, Alan asked if it was okay. It responded with garbled, broken sounds that he assumed were demon speak. Soon, though, it was speaking English, albeit haltingly. It told him its name – something he could still not pronounce – and that it had been imprisoned in that box unlawfully. It thanked him and asked what it needed to do to repay him.

            Alan thought for a moment, then asked if it could do his homework. The creature – Alan called it Blurg – blinked and then slithered to the chair and began to work. Within minutes, it was complete. He had the night free to do as he wanted. But what did he want to do? All his friends were tied up and who was he kidding, he had no friends. That’s why his party was so small. He asked Blurg if it wanted to play video games and, yes, it did.

            Throughout the night, Alan shared his feelings and worries with Blurg, the creature listening with patience and understanding. Finally, when he got to talking about Brad, the bully at school, the creature perked up and asked more questions. Alan indulged it and the gnashing maw seemed to smile. It asked if it could have a snack tomorrow. A Brad snack.
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            Alan could not find any reason to say ‘no’.