Norman didn't really seem himself after that incident. Who could blame him? He really wasn't himself.
I wasn't absolutely positive, but I had a pretty good hunch about what happened to him, but who really wants to hear that they may have been possessed by a demon?
My question was, and still remains: why?
Nothing the church had mentioned possession of adults or general poltergeist activities. They made it seem like he just followed the kids around, then ate them. Do not pass go, do not collect $200.
So what happened to make Harly decide to mix things up? Has being confined made him think of new plans?
I asked Norman to text me when he got home so I know he made it safely. After that incident I was concerned for him. If he was that easily taken over, it made me nervous that he would be possessed again and made to do something a lot worse than fasten an iron grip on my arm.
My mind went through terrible scenarios.
Norman, his body taken over and made to jerk the wheel of his car off of a bridge to the plunging depths below.
Or pulled over, climbing out of his car and over the safety features of the bridge so that his frail, human body would take the brunt of the landing.
I shook my head to clear my thoughts, surprised when I heard the door open and a bunch of lively voices making their way inside. I had forgotten El took the kids to pick up some food.
I had also forgotten about the china cabinet until I heard El's distressed voice call out, "Emma?!"
I dashed into the kitchen, my arms raised in innocence. "I'm fine. Norman is.. Okay. There was just an... Issue." I cast eyes to the kids, Lilly oblivious, Lacey's face hard, and Lance scared. I didn't want to give away too many details and ruin the evening.
We ushered the kids away from the calamity of the china cabinet and went into the living room to eat, making plans to clean up the mess (and talk) later that evening when the kids were asleep.
El was disappointed to find that Norman had left. She had even bought extra food so he could join us for dinner.
I couldn't help but feel like she expected he and I to actually form a relationship, despite the thing that brought us together. A literal demon.
I can't imagine a functional relationship based off exorcism. I could only imagine what we'd tell our kids one day about how we met. "Oh, mommy had a demon haunting her family and your daddy came to get rid of it!"
That'd go over real smooth.
No, I had no intentions of dating Norman outside or inside the extermination of our ghoulish pest. My love life would remain as dead as it has always been.
We ate quickly, there not being much conversation between us besides Lilly's rambling. I couldn't help but notice that a lot of the time the entire family tuned her out. She didn't seem to notice or particularly care who she was talking to, as I assumed Harly knew everything. But it was odd to me that she was talking out loud about what they all just did.
I assumed she was talking to me. I was the only one here who hadn't gone out to get Chick-Fil-A. Who else would she be talking to besides me, I thought.
But sometimes she'd pause, as if she was listening to someone, and she'd strike up a new description of something.
And then I realized.
She wasn't talking to me at all.
"Lil," I asked, dipping a nugget into some buffalo sauce. "Did Harly not go with you to get food?" El looked up surprised, and I cast her a look that equated to just listen.
"No," she answered, swinging her chubby little legs back and forth as they dully slapped the couch behind them. "Harly said he wanted to stay behind with you and Norman." Of course he did. I chewed for a minute, thinking of my next question.
"Harly chose to stay with me even though I can't see him?" Lilly was quiet as she focused, listening to something only she could hear. I strained to hear it too. Anything. And for a brief moment, I thought I did.
A deep, raspy voice. Something that sounded cold and dark. Not necessarily evil, per say, but just hidden away from the world. Listening to it gave me goosebumps, a shudder ran through my body. I couldn't make out individual words, but the overall tone and sound was making itself familiar to me.
"Harly says you know he's there so that's all that matters." She chirped back, pleased, as if she were happy about it herself. How could I not know he was there? He made every second count in scaring the hell out of me.
"I saw him the other day," I began, watching her face to see if it changed. It did, but to sadness. Maybe even guilt. "In the shower." She fidgeted, stuffing a chicken nugget in her mouth.
Talking around the food, she mumbled, "He says he's sorry he scared you." I almost snorted. I'm sure he's real sorry he scared me.
"Harly," I said, addressing the entity that had made himself so attached to us the last few weeks. I didn't like him using Lilly as a go-between. "You can't do things like that." I tried to remember the little boy's face from the bathroom. I'm assuming if a demon was taking on the roll of a little kid... I should treat him like one?
The table was silent for a while. I thought maybe what I did was a bad move and things were about to get hairy, but then I heard it again. That wobble of a voice. Something I couldn't make out, but I could hear nonetheless.
Lilly, again, translated. "Harly's sorry. He said he won't do it again."
There was a collective sigh of relief from the table. We were all tense, wondering what would happen after this, but it seemed to play out well.
We broke from dinner to do our own thing until the kids were sent to bed. I spent most of that time trying to dig up any research on Ilkasepth besides what we knew from the church. He was a relatively unheard of demon, and the church must have kept a close eye on anything pertaining to him.
I was about to give up my search for information when my phone chimed. I looked at the screen and saw Norman finally replied. It had been several hours since he left and I was beginning to fear the worst, but he was texting as if nothing had happened.
Norman: Got another email from the church. They're sending some clergymen to us to investigate personally. They didn't like hearing that we think the demon is targeting you. It contrasts his original M.O. too much. He's changing things and that's dangerous.
He could say that again. We all knew Harly's attachment to me wasn't normal, or wanted. For a demon who preys on little kids, I don't think I fit the bill anymore. Maybe when I was seven, tinkering with the box myself, but as an adult now? What could he want from me?
Me: Glad to hear you made it home safe.
I was a little bitter he didn't text me like I asked him to. It's like he didn't understand the severity of our situation. We were literally under attack from a child eating demon. We were at death's bend every step of the way. And he couldn't shoot a girl a text letting me know he didn't die in a fiery wreck on the way home?
But I came down another line and continued the message.
I guess we'll just wait until they get here for more information. Hopefully Harly behaves. I gave him a lecture tonight. It actually went well. He apologized. How weird is that?
I stayed up for a few more hours, waiting for Norman's reply, but it never came. Just like that, the conversation ended and I fell into a restless sleep about salt and little dead boys.