Chapter 36

Stern words for the goblins. Confessions from Etienne.

As soon as I got into bed, I felt a goblin stretched out behind me, and then a demon that roamed up and down the length of my body. I tried to stay silent, wondering where this was going, but quickly broke out into laughter and tried to catch one of these invisible creatures and punch the other. Unfortunately, both had vanished. But I could hear the noise of the two imps who had fled my anger. 

“You complete asses! Is this how you keep your word? Are you never going to change? Are you going to keep bothering poor, unhappy people, night and day, no matter how they try to escape your infernal power? What harvest do you reap from your dark work? Someday, your reward will be being locked up by the Holy Inquisition, they were created to punish sorcerers and spirits and magicians and anyone who doubts in God.”

“Someday, I’m going to finally read the names of all the folks who torment me, written up for the church’s tribunal. So tremble, in your role as spirits. The more you convert to your cause, the more you fill the Inquisition’s dungeons.”

My anger grew cool after giving them that little lecture, and I fell asleep for a time. In the morning, I went to find Prieur, who was, typically for him, still in bed. He sniped at me for being too early for him. “Dear god! If you’d just let me rest you’d be rid of me!”

“Why did you come last night? You, your cousins, your friends, all of you, to torment me again? All your nocturnal travels must make it difficult for you to wake up in the morning.” I was angry with him, but tried not to show it. “Come on, get up. Shouldn’t you have written that letter already?”

“Jesus. We’ll have time during the day.”

“No, once again, someone’s going to show up, you’ll be distracted, we’ll accomplish nothing, and you’ll put me off another day. If you’d taken me to see Cazin already, you wouldn’t have to write, or wake up at all. If you wanted to get rid of me, you shouldn’t string me along like this.” But he wouldn’t hear me. And then, of course, there was a knock at the door. “See? Right again.” 

The young man at the door, like me, seemed surprised that Prieur was still in bed. I regaled him with my efforts to get Prieur to introduce me to Father Cazin. This fellow had heard some of my story and had been asking Prieur to deliver on his promises, but Prieur wasn’t one to listen to other people’s advice. And once again, he spent so much time considering his plans for the day that other people arrived. I greeted them in a foul mood. Their business, whatever it was, was delaying mine. If I wasn’t tied up with this I could at least go to a church service. 

One of the lot who knew me better than the rest said, “Rest assured, Mr. Berbiguier, if they finish their business before you return from church, I won’t let them leave until that letter for you is written.” I was grateful, and thanked him profusely.

As I left, I had a moment of smug good humor, deceiving Prieur even while he thought he was still leading me along. I had given up on his help long ago, by now, was simply curious as to what his letter would accomplish, and what the next part of this play was to be. It was hard not to laugh. 

At church, I kept myself occupied with my prayers, but those wretched goblins’ curses kept me unsettled, chasing my old worries and asking myself the same questions, again and again. How could they get into a holy place like this? Don’t they know that churches are sanctified, to keep their powers and temptations away? Every sorrow and evil suffered by the race of man can be lifted by the love of God. 

At Prieur’s house, the fellow who promised to send me the letter to Cazin had left, so I went home. Etienne came to visit later. I asked if I could write the letter myself, or we could do it here at my house. But no, he wanted to do it at his house.

And, at long last, he wrote the letter. I took it straight to the post office, after making a copy for myself. When I returned, Prieur had left. At home, I thought about the letter, and what sort of response Cazin would give to his friend. Eventually, Prieur knocked again. 

“Well, finally, sir, the letter is written and sent!” I said. “And you’re the chief cause of all this delay.” 

“Calm down, we’ll have your answer soon. And whatever the letter says, we’ll do. I can’t take your fate from you without passing it along to some other person. Cazin may have someone in his flock that would deserve it, or maybe he can point to someone in my circle that could take it in your place. Obviously, if he’s too slow, I can cure you myself. Maybe send him another letter if it would help. But before we come to that,” said Prieur, “I want to know if he is truly concerned with your healing.” 

“That’s all well and good,” I said. “But tell me, what would you do with that knowledge? You’d told me I would no longer be pestered by you and yours at church, but once I get there, it’s like I feel a rabbit running between my shirt and my frock-coat, across my body and through it every direction.” 

“I am the rabbit,” he said. “And don’t let it bother you. These visions and sensations are a part of the work of your healing, secrets that the power we use depends on to free you from your visions and strange sensations. I promise you, everything will end soon, and Lomini will stop persecuting you. You are our friend, we wouldn’t want to torment you further, though I can’t stop my cousin without help. There’s another person I’d like to team up with, though it will cost as much money again as we’ve already spent, but together, we could bring some relief from your curse.”

While he made these promises while we were playing cards, as we did almost every night, until one or two in the morning, and he finally wished me a good night and a peaceful night’s sleep, and he’d see me in the morning…or at least when he woke up. 

The night passed like the others…agitation, meditation, prayers, and the torments inflicted on me by my enemies, without an hour of real sleep, though I had certainly paid enough to buy one.