A Meeting With a Demon

If you've ever ducttaped a hand-held mirror to your car after removing the orginals in your carport, laced one shoe with wire when the string broke, or covered the blinking 12:00 on your VCR with black permanent marker, you won't find anything strange with this story.

At one point in time I might have, until a cold day in November that changed my eight-year- old life forever. I met a demon in the woods, out by the creek and my favorite little waterfall.

He was an ugly thing, and from the moment I saw him, I knew exactly what he was. He had great horns coming from behind his ears, with a large chip oozing pus from one of them. I hoped he had had a rough journey coming to me. His fur was pitch black with bits of dirt, leaves, and blood stuck in it. His grinned at me an evil smile, with pointed fangs protruding from his crooked black lips. I noticed they were a dark shade of yellow. They almost reminded me of my Aunt Thelma's teeth. Aunt Thelma smoked, and my ma told me that if I ever smoked my teeth would turn yellow just like hers. I figured this demon smoked too, like my aunt. He stood up tall on his hind legs, arching his back and bristling the hair on his chest.

"So, kid," he said. I stared, so afraid I thought I was going to pee myself right there. I didn't respond, but my feet were rooted to the ground. "I hear you're afraid of animals. I hear you're afraid of BIG animals. Are you afraid of horses?" He laughed a goatish laugh.

I nodded. My pa used to try to teach me how to ride, but I could never seem to figure out how to put on a bridle or reins or even the saddle. I couldn't stand being near the beasts.

"See, I bet you can't see what I am, but I'll tell you, because I rather enjoy frightening small human children, especially little girls. The Devil gave me this here horse," he grumbled, pulling a large horse out from seemingly nowhere. The horse's hooves crashed right over my little waterfall in the creek, destroying it. The water pooled in the imprints and spilled thorugh the new, more open channel. The sound of falling water was now reduced to a trickle. He continued,"because I'm a demon and I'm supposed to do whatever he asks. I'm supposed to deliver this damn creature to the farmer across the way so as to kill him with it. The horse was told to trample the old man to death, and I was happy to do his bidding because then I'd get to watch. Only problem is, I'm sick of walking. See, I can't ride him myself." He turned his hooves over in an almost apologetic way. I still was unable to speak, and stood there, clutching my jump rope.

"So here's what you're going to do, little human girl. Either you ride this horse over to the farmer's house next door to yours, or I take your soul back to hell with me." He grinned, and I smelled burning flesh rise from his gullet.

I really didn't want to go to hell; I'd heard all about it in church. I looked over at the horse. It had a halter and a sadle on, but no reins. I did the only thing I could think of doing. I gnawed through my little jump rope, tied the two pieces onto the halter, jumped on the horse's back, and galloped like hell. I heard the demon laughing as I sped away. I swear I could hear him laughing even as I slowed to a halt outside of old Farmer Ed's house, and even as I tied the sweating beast to his front porch. Then I ran as fast as my little legs could carry me into my house and into my mother's arms.

I don't know what happened to the demon after this, but he never came after me again. My parents were astounded when they heard about Farmer Ed's horrible end, and nobody figured out how the horse came about having a little jump rope tied to its halter. All I know is that I was never afraid of horses ever again.

Now I hate goats.

Approximate word count: 700