Caroline sat at the table with her father and the priests. She barely touched her meal. Hunched over, her hands clasped on her knees, she stared blankly at her feet. An awkward silence filled the room, interrupted only by the sounds of utensils and swallowing. Despite their own struggles, Caroline’s father and the priest tried to lighten her mood. They indulged in the delicious dinner, hoping to evoke even the slightest smile from her.
However, Caroline didn’t notice these small gestures of closeness. Her mind was completely shut off. She thought of nothing, heard nothing, and paid no attention to anything around her. Exhausted and overwhelmed by the recent intense stress, her mind felt numb. Her eyelids were heavy, and she felt a strong drowsiness.
Caroline’s father, William, watched his daughter’s suffering with a heavy heart. He sat at the table mechanically eating the meal prepared by Caroline and her mother. The taste of the food escaped him; his thoughts were consumed by his daughter and the recent events. It was difficult for him to comprehend how his wife’s sister could commit such a crime.
“I can’t wrap my head around hiding a dead child in the wall… I never thought I’d live to see something like this,” William thought to himself.
The parish priest interrupted his thoughts.
“This meal is delicious, Caroline. Thank you for your hospitality,” said the elder priest, rising from the table and taking his empty plate to the kitchen sink. William watched him leave.
Caroline felt her eyes betraying her, growing heavier. Rising awkwardly from her chair and stumbling against the table leg, she made her way towards the stairs, heading to her bedroom. Desiring only to lie down next to her mother in bed and fall asleep, she departed without saying goodbye to anyone, leaving her worried father and bewildered priests alone.
William looked to Henry, as if seeking an answer from him. Henry, an experienced demonologist, saw more than just a tired woman. He feared that the forces haunting Caroline’s house had entered a new phase. However, he didn’t want to reveal his suspicions to William, who was already troubled. First, he needed to visit the police station to secure permission for further investigation into Caroline’s apartment, which would allow him to prove to the Vatican that this was a genuine haunting, thereby gaining authorization for exorcisms.
Henry adjusted himself in his chair, took a deep breath, trying to calm down. He understood the family’s tragedy but knew quick action was necessary in such cases.
“William, could you drive me to the police station?” Henry asked, adjusting his collar.
Caught up in worries about his wife and daughter, William didn’t respond immediately. The priest had to repeat the question. Only then did William shake himself out of his thoughts and quickly nodded, indicating he was ready to get into the car whenever needed. William asked the parish priest to stay and watch over the house and family while he went with the demonologist to talk to the police.
The parish priest gladly agreed, having eyed the sofa for some time as a comfortable resting place. With no one else at home, he could nap and watch television without fearing accusations of laziness, which, after all, is one of the seven deadly sins.
William put on his vest, grabbed the car keys, and invited Henry to join him in the car. Standing at the door, William warned the parish priest that they might be gone for a while, as they needed to drive all the way into town to visit the police officers. This only heightened the priest’s excitement, prompting him to start searching for a soft blanket under which he could lie down and watch TV.
Before leaving, Henry quickly blessed the house and its occupants. During the drive, he planned to recite the rosary, asking for God’s protection over William’s family and Caroline’s home. However, William dashed the priest’s hopes for a peaceful prayer as the radio blared loudly throughout the journey. It wasn’t because William wanted to make the demonologist’s trip unpleasant but because he feared he might fall asleep at the wheel. He, too, was immensely tired but struggled to stay alert. His sole desire was to protect his loved ones.
Due to the loud radio music, the priest decided to look around the area a bit. He had been here for a few days but hadn’t had a chance to stroll around this beautiful village or meet any locals outside of William’s family. As they sped along the rural roads, the priest smiled at the locals, who worked hard to ensure their livelihoods. He admired the vast, empty fields, still impressive despite being fallow. Cats hunted mice, buzzards soared high in the sky in search of food. People chatted happily or prepared their gardens for this year’s planting season.
The air was filled with the scent of dinners being prepared in the colorful, small cottages around. Occasionally, the natural scent of the countryside drifted from the barns. Henry contrasted the joy of these strangers with the tragedy unfolding in Caroline’s home. These people had no idea that such macabre events were happening nearby.
He turned towards William and noticed dark circles under his eyes, a gaunt body, and wrinkles on his face. William furrowed his brows, deeply focused on the road. The demonologist’s heart broke every time he saw how evil forces affected innocent people, especially Caroline’s family. It wasn’t they who invited the entity into their home. It was likely Nicole, but the priest didn’t want to jump to conclusions prematurely. He wanted to conduct the investigation thoroughly before making any judgments.
For the remainder of the journey, Henry looked around the area. As they approached the town, he didn’t notice much difference; he didn’t realize they had just crossed the boundary between the village and the town. The new locality resembled William’s village greatly. The driver’s announcement that they were nearing the police station surprised the priest, as he hadn’t expected the town to look like this.
“Are you sure, William? It feels like we’re just leaving your village,” the surprised priest asked.
William chuckled. “Yes, I’m sure,” he replied, still smiling. “Our little town got city status just because so many people live here and we needed to have the police, fire department, and hospital close by. People were persistent, petition after petition, until they got what they wanted.”
Henry nodded understandingly and smiled to himself. “Persistent people,” cheerful Henry thought. They drove for a few more minutes. During this time, William turned off the radio and shared various funny stories about the villagers’ and townsfolk’s lives with Henry. At times, Henry laughed so hard that his stomach hurt. They were approaching the station when William finished telling the “cow war” story.
“Years ago, when my maternal grandfather was still a child, his neighbor wanted to go to the city for work. Back then, such a trip wasn’t trivial. Nowadays, people don’t hop into a car, fire up the GPS on their phone, and drive wherever they want without fear of getting lost.People had to figure things out. From our village to the nearest big city was about 70 kilometers.”
Henry listened intently to the story. He found old times, the times of their grandparents and great grandparents, fascinating. He believed they were intriguing in how people nowadays have so many conveniences. Back then, people had to do without hot water in the tap, or water in the tap at all. Without electricity, cars. He wondered how people spent their free time.
“And this neighbor, for the winter, that is, when there was no work in the field, wanted to work as a servant in the city. His family was the poorest in the village, and every penny counted for them. Only he didn’t have money for a train ticket. They didn’t want to see him go 70 kilometers, so they decided with his wife to put a cow on the pawn and borrow money from the rich host, from the village next to it, that is, the town we are currently in.
Then it was still a village, not a town. He managed to agree with the rich host, took the money and gave the cow on the pawn. Only the rich farmer was smart and said that the cow could die while the neighbor was in service, so he was asked to give two eiderdowns.
William told the story that had been passed down to him by his grandfather with great skill. Despite focusing on presenting the story as best he could, he also paid attention to the road. At this time of day, city traffic jams were common, so he tried his best to keep the car moving smoothly, without sudden braking.
“Why did he ask for the pillows?” asked Henry, intrigued.
Henry sat gazing at William as if he were a child listening to his father tell interesting tales from life.
“Because back then, a feather pillow in the village was considered wealth. Young girls would bring them as part of their dowry for marriage, so you can imagine that for people, a feather pillow was sometimes a lifetime achievement. Anyway, they gave him those two pillows and a cow. The neighbor went to the city for the winter to earn something, and when he returned in the spring, the first thing he did was go to the farmer for the cow and the pillows. And the farmer handed him the pillows and announced that the cow had died over the winter.”
Henry sighed in amazement. He guessed that in the past, cows were the main source of livelihood for the whole family. The loss of an animal must have greatly affected the well-being of parents and children.
“The neighbor was surprised because it wasn’t an old animal, quite the opposite. He asked if it got sick or if they didn’t feed it, because it was impossible for it to just die on its own. The farmer brushed him off and started shouting that there was such abundance at his place that it was impossible for anyone, even the animals, to go hungry. He pretended to be offended and slammed the door in the poor neighbor’s face. He went home and told his wife and neighbors what had happened. Our village is still very close-knit today; people have been living here for generations, so you could say we’re a big family. It was the same back then.”
William paused at the intersection after finishing that sentence and briefly halted his story. He had to look around to see if he could enter the main road from the subordinate one. Once he did, he continued. During this time, Henry imagined what such a village might have looked like in the past. What were the houses like, the clothes of all those people, how they lived, and whether they were happy.
“As it turned out, not only did this situation happen to him. More and more neighbors began to complain that this farmer would first take animals as collateral, a few pillows or quilts, and only return the pillows and quilts, while strangely enough, the animals would die during their time there. Both men and women argued over what animals the farmer had stolen from them.”
Henry thought for a moment and concluded that it was indeed impossible for every animal to have died during their stay with the wealthy farmer.
“He might not have fed them, or left them outside in winter, not sheltering them in the barn, and the poor things froze to death?” the demonologist pondered aloud.
“Maybe,” William replied. “Or maybe he simply appropriated them for himself. He was the richest and wanted to stay that way. And he didn’t want to part with his money. So instead of buying, he stole from the poor. He exploited his position,” he enlightened the priest.
“What happened next?” Henry asked, adjusting himself in the passenger seat.
William smiled, pleased that the priest enjoyed the story, and continued:
“The people from our village were very upset. They decided they would all go together to confront the farmer. On his own, against the whole village, he wouldn’t stand a chance. They agreed on Sunday at noon and headed towards him. The men knew it might lead to a fight, so they prepared and took scythes, sickles, and other tools to defend themselves.”
“That’s terrible!” the priest exclaimed.
He was outraged that people were so quick to judge a man. William just looked at the priest and smiled.
“Imagine suddenly there’s no store. That these big supermarkets and little shops don’t exist. Suddenly they’re gone. The only food is what you grow yourself. And imagine you have two cows. They give five liters of milk every day. For us now, that seems like a lot. But that milk is the only food you have, and you have to divide it among five people. And someone who can afford to buy such a cow steals one from you. Suddenly you’re faced with the specter of terrible hunger. Wouldn’t you be upset?” William provocatively asked the priest.
Henry, being a clergyman, didn’t want to admit to William that indeed, he would be upset. He just nodded to show that he understood the villagers’ motivations.
“I understand them,” he said quietly. “But that doesn’t mean I condone their actions!” he quickly added, wagging a finger at William.
The men laughed. William noticed that the station was very close and informed the demonologist of this.
“Too bad, I really wanted to find out how that story ends,” the priest said.
William smiled warmly at the priest and said that after they finished their business at the police station, he would gladly finish the story on the way back.
William parked the car. It was difficult for him because the street where the station was located was very narrow, and it also housed the city office, causing many people to come here to handle their affairs. This resulted in many cars and only a few parking spaces. Specifically, there were seven. William tried not to curse because the only available space was so tight that he barely managed to park. Getting out was also problematic, but fortunately, both men were slim, so they managed to squeeze out of the car and walk to the police station.
While William and Henry were sorting out matters at the police station, the priest lay on the couch and rested. He was very pleased that after the recent events, he had a chance for a proper rest.
“I can’t remember the last time I relaxed like this,” he thought happily.
The TV remote lay on the couch armrest. The priest took it and turned on a channel. A nature program was on. They were showing beautiful, colorful birds that lived in even more beautiful rainforests. For the priest, it was the perfect moment to doze off. He settled comfortably, adjusted the blanket covering him, and completely surrendered to relaxation.
In the background, the nature program continued, and outside the window, the priest heard the sounds of tractors and farm animals. The priest nearly fell asleep when he heard the TV crackling, just like when the signal lost the image and showed gray dots jumping on the screen. He didn’t find it too bothersome, considering it normal for the countryside.
After some time, the signal returned, but then the light on the stairs began to flicker. The priest felt a chill run down his spine as the light started flickering. Despite being tired, he felt a growing unease. That’s when the priest realized something was wrong and reluctantly got up from the couch.
“They won’t let a man rest,” he thought sadly.
He shuffled to the stairs and looked at the lamp. It was indeed flickering. He thought of calling the demonologist to pick up a light bulb on the way, but at that moment, Caroline’s mother, Laura, rushed out of her daughter’s bedroom and asked the priest to come to her daughter as quickly as possible.
This quickly woke up the priest. He no longer felt sleepy or tired. Scared, he ran as fast as he could to Caroline’s room. His mind was flooded with thoughts. He felt his heart beating faster with each step he took towards Caroline’s room. Each step seemed like an eternity to him, and the fear of what he might see paralyzed him. In a matter of seconds, he was in the bedroom, and there he saw the girl lying in bed as if tormented by a nightmare.
Her eyes were closed, and she murmured something under her breath. Every now and then, she furrowed her brows as if worried about something. She made strange movements with her hands, as if trying to push something away from herself. Sweat was visible on her forehead, and her breathing was deep and rapid. Clearly, she was afraid of something.
Laura ran in just behind the priest and stood in the corner of the room. She folded her hands across her chest and looked at her daughter with concern.
“Please, Father, normally I wouldn’t worry. I would think that my daughter is simply having a nightmare, but in our situation, even that scares me,” she said softly.
With her eyes, she sought solace from the priest.
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