The Conclusion of "Her Very Own Demons"

Hello Dear Readers!

Welcome to the exciting conclusion of "Her Very Own Demons!" Throughout the past three weeks you have been following the tale of the accursed Gwendolyn Queen and today the final segment in her short story has come. Enjoy!

"Her Very Own Demons"

Part 4

By S. Faxon

At the end of the work day, Malacoda continued his crusade to taunt and tease Miss Queen every step of the way home. He poked at her back and spat between her footfalls, but she simply did not notice. Her feet ached and her body was tired from working two people’s shifts, but that did not matter. She had spoken with her love once more and that was all that mattered. His presence left with her a strong bulwark protecting her from all physical or emotional abuses. During the conversation between the professor and the washerwoman, those sweet and brief hints that maybe something could splendidly take shape between them sprouted up numerous times. Miss Queen ran through every one of them over and over again in her head as she, nearly alone, walked back to her small flat off to the side of the campus. Night overtook the lands where the Northern was settled hours before Miss Queen was able to return to her drafty home. The day had been long and strenuous and even though Luci was there to meet her when she arrived Gwendolyn never felt so alive or free. 

Miss Queen practically bounced about the room with a lightness that neither of the demons had ever seen her wear before.

“And why, may I ask, does she look so happy?” Luci inquired of Malacoda with a great fury that only she and God could possess echoed in her voice.

Scratching the back of his dry, flaky neck, Malacoda answered timidly and out of the side of his crooked mouth, “She er, she spoke to him today.”

In between humming a delightful tune she once overheard emanating by a concerto of strings from one of the many classrooms in the Northern and preparing for bed, Gwendolyn answered sprightly, “Yes, yes, Malacoda I did. And I owe it all to you, dear.”

“What is she talking about?” Luci demanded from Malacoda, slamming her hand threateningly in a fist to her own lean thigh. “What does she mean by that?”

Seeing a trace of fear seething from Malacoda’s red eyes, Gwendolyn decided to take the opportunity to gain a step for herself forward in this game; “Oh yes,” she answered before Malacoda could, “If he had not attacked me while I was talking to Professor Leannán, he never would ‘ave taken me to his office to very kindly tend to my wound, and we never would have talked for hours before his class started. So, thank you, Malacoda, thank you very much for providing me with such a lovely morning.”

A dark, heavy, cold shadow fell over the room once more as Luci narrowed her gaze on Malacoda. The red demon’s wings shrunk behind him as he felt the terrifying trepidation of anger ebbing from his master. Luci did not even bother to play indifferent toward Malacoda’s infractions as she usually did, no. She was furious. “You dared to attack her before a man who may be able to see us?” she growled. “What did you do?”

“He took a chunk out of m’ neck,” Miss Queen quickly answered again before Malacoda could. “Right before the professor; I was bloody talking to the man when it happened.”

Malacoda seemed to be shrinking before Gwendolyn’s very eyes.

Luci looked furious. Miss Queen was not sure if she had actually ever seen the leader of all things wicked quite so upset before. “You did what?” Luci growled. (Miss Queen noticed that the room was growing very cold as Luci grew angrier.) “You know that the rules that bind us forbid us from touching her when other mortals are around, you fool!”

“‘Rules that bind you’?” Miss Queen asked, strongly asserting herself into this conversation now. “So you are not the only players in this game. Who set these rules? Obviously, it is someone stronger than even you, Luci, if you are so intimidated to not break those rules.” Luci’s fury and Malacoda’s fear did not at all faze our mortal as she found firm ground to stand upon. “Ha, then that must mean…God is real. And He is monitoring you all here. Is this some sort of test for my faith?”

“This does not concern you,” Luci said in a desperate attempt to turn the tables back towards Malacoda, a being that she could indeed destroy without worry for any sort of consequence.

“‘Doesn’t concern me?’” Gwendolyn exclaimed in disgust. “I would certainly think that a game between two powers over my soul as the prize is a great concern for me. Don’t think for a moment more, Luci and you too, Malacoda, that you will win this game. My heart is set on following God, even if the only purpose of my life is one epic trial to prove my love and loyalty to Him. You’re bloody wasting your time ‘ere.”

The demons stared blankly at this mere mortal, a being that only occupied a blink of time and produced not even so much as a ripple in the cosmos compared to either of them, that could muster from her being the courage to stand up to powers far greater than man. It was indeed quite plain that this game, for the time being was won by God, but neither demons could fully understand why or how.

As the demons continued to stare quietly in their fit of being flabbergasted, Gwendolyn smiled triumphantly as she crawled into her lumpy bed. She knew how she could stand up to these beasts of evil; ‘tis the little things that kept her head erect. Today she saw and interacted with the man she genuinely loved, and even though she did not yet know if he loved her, this contact with him was all that she needed. That man, that angel’s presence may not be a permanent barricade against the demons and their wicked ways, but for now, his love would do.

Your humble author,

S. Faxon

See you next week!

(Unless I do a special Halloween Edition, in which case, see you later this week!)