Demon
Chapter 42

Jonathan

I think I’m getting used to it. I know Demon is here, and I have really been feeling great all day long. I don’t think anything is happening that shouldn’t be. I’ve had a fantastic day, even though there wasn’t anybody to play with besides Socks. But we had fun throwing the ball, and Mom and Dad ordered pizza for dinner which tasted better than anything I’ve had before in my life. Now they’re letting me watch a movie with them that Dad picked up from Blockbuster, Men In Black. It’s totally fun, gross and hilarious. I’m laughing my head off.

Mom hands me another bowl of popcorn she made. “Want some more?”

“Yep!” I dig in. Awesome!

Jonathan’s

We both celebrate the delights brought to us by our reunification. He senses me here in the robust energy that he has felt since my return. I revel in the sensations that result from being in his presence, such a stark contrast from the dreadful nothingness of my exile. I am restored. He has recovered. We are reborn.

Natalie’s

It was an embarrassing lapse on my part. I failed to keep my beloved appropriately apprised of the activities around her, resulting in her being left behind as her family departed the church. This caused consternation and worry for her parents.

I felt especially disgraced when, once Natalie realized what had happened, she silently snapped, “Why didn’t you tell me?” I apologized, and I know that she does not hold a grudge, but she was right to ask.

Why didn’t I tell her?

The plain truth is that I was too caught up in her excitement at the discussion she was having with the pastor. She has seldom been this focused, this fervent, this purposeful. Her entire consciousness was immersed in the conversation, and my focus on the event was utter. Neither of us gave a moment’s thought to the activity of the others nearby. We both disregarded anything happening outside the room as mere background noise.

I am filled with remorse, and determined not to fail her again. I must always attend not only to her own actions, but to those of others which might affect her. I normally do so, but the time spent with the pastor was all-consuming.

I will endeavor to do better.

Of course, my dearest knows that I regret my negligence. She has regrets of her own. She blames herself for causing trouble, and also feels chagrin over her moment of impatience when she briefly chastised me for not having kept her informed.

We both feel we have let down the ones we love. And of course, we each attempt to comfort the other.

Thankfully, the moment of alarm passed quickly. Once she returned with her parents and Pastor Lyman to the restaurant, the family enjoyed a lively rehashing of the event. No doubt this exploit will become one of the cherished memories that will be related for many years, together with other juicy tidbits of family history. They will long remember the time that Natalie was so busy talking to the pastor that she was left behind at church after the wedding.

Despite being marred by the abrupt conclusion, the discussion was the most fulfilling of Natalie’s life. She and the pastor refrained from continuing their conversation during the family lunch, but as he was departing, Pastor Lyman handed her his business card. “Feel free to contact me any time, Natalie, I would very much love to hear from you again.”

She took his card with a happy smile, and already is making plans to write him a letter about additional questions that she did not have a chance to ask during their discussion.

She and Gabe are in bed, but not yet asleep. It is still fairly early in the evening. They each lie in one of the small beds placed within the spare bedroom in their grandparents’ home. They said goodbye to their parents at the restaurant, as had been planned. Ron and Brenda will spend the week at the hotel, enjoying a second honeymoon. The children will be staying here with their grandparents. After a day or two, their parents plan to pick them up during the day for outings, but they will return here each night.

Their grandmother just finished tucking them in, then turned off the light as she left the room. Although the children are remaining quiet, they have no intention of actually going to sleep this early. Gabe feels that it is somewhat unjust to be sent to bed as early as his younger sister, and certainly much earlier than his usual bedtime. He was ready to advocate for being allowed to stay up later, but Natalie interceded, imploring him to just do as they are told. She was concerned about causing any further trouble after the incident at the church.

He obliged her, and is somewhat grumpily lying in bed, although he is mollified by the fact that he can play with his Gameboy in the dark, using a modification his father had provided to illuminate the screen. Natalie assured him that I will warn them if an adult is coming to check on them, so that he can tuck it away without being detected. I am making sure to be diligent in this duty, carefully tracking what the children’s grandparents and aunt are doing elsewhere in the home. I will not let her down again.

Natalie leans over to retrieve her bible from the nightstand between the children’s beds, planning to re-examine the passages that she and the pastor had discussed earlier in the day.

Gabe looks up from his gaming device. He whispers, “I thought you didn’t want to get caught. She’ll see it when you turn the light on to read.”

“It’s okay,” Natalie assures him. “I don’t need to turn on the light.”

Gabe sets his Gameboy aside and leans up on one elbow. “Well, it’s not like you have a glow-in-the-dark bible. What are you going to do, just hold it and try to absorb the knowledge through the cover?” He snickers.

“What? No, I can read it all right.” She doesn’t know why he is making an issue out of this.

“No you can’t.” They stare at each other, their faces illuminated only by the soft glow coming from Gabe’s device. They share a moment of mutual confusion, neither understanding what on earth the other is talking about. To demonstrate that she is correct, Natalie opens the bible, replaces the chapter and verse she wishes to examine, and begins reading it to him in a very quiet whisper.

Gabe’s mouth falls open. “No way. Here, let me see that.” He reaches over and grabs the bible away from her, and peers at the page she has open. Even with the faint gleam coming from his Gameboy, he cannot make out the words on the page.

“My dearest, he is perplexed because he cannot see well enough to read in such a dim light. He does not understand why you can.”

Her brow wrinkles. She worriedly questions me. “Is there a problem with his eyes? Does he need glasses or something?”

“No, darling, his eyes are normal. You have not been aware of this, but it is your eyesight that is unusual. I have long known that you are able to see better at nighttime than other humans. That is why you are able to read without the light on. This is not possible for most other people.”

Gabe realizes that we are having a discussion. “What is he saying?” he whispers to her.

“He, uh… well, he says that apparently my eyes see better in the dark than other humans. I didn’t realize it was different from other people.”

Gabe sits all the way up. “Oh,” he whispers. He sits in silence and stares at his sister. After a moment he realizes he is still holding her book. “All right then, here,” he says, handing it back over to her.

I am relieved that although this new information about another unexpected aspect of her nature surprises Natalie, it does not disturb her. She quickly adapts to the knowledge. Taking back her book with a suppressed giggle, she says, “That’s pretty convenient, I guess. I read at night all the time.” She returns to her studies.

Gabe shakes his head. “Well, have at it then.” He lays back down and holds up his Gameboy again, but he does not focus on the game. Instead, he contemplates how he has just discovered another mind-blowing fact about his extraordinary sister.