of the church, towards the altar. Carlos followed him instinctively.
“Possessed... possessed... How do you know that? How do you know that she was possessed?”
“Well... I don’t actually know. But her eyes, the restlessness in her body, her voice...”
“Your father wants me to help you, but what he doesn’t know is that this is something completely new for me. It’s unknown territory, although I do plan to help you.”
“But you yourself told me that in the past...”
“I told you that in the past I’ve performed exorcisms, yes, but not long-distance. I’ve always had the person in front of me; I’ve always been able to supervise them. I’ve always been able to see if it was genuine or they were just faking it, because I had the possessed person before my eyes. Your case is very different...”
That man made Carlos see, for the first time, a truth that until that moment, he hadn’t even bothered to uncover. The man was, at the same time, demonstrating that he had taken his case very seriously and he was going to fight with him to the very limits of his capabilities.
“And does anything come to mind?”
“Like I said, I’ll help you. Firstly, I need to do some studying, make a few calls, prepare myself and take precautions. Then I’ll visit your house.”
“Precautions?”
Padre Salas looked once more towards the altar before responding, only differently this time, and when he turned his face back towards Carlos, his expression was firmly serious and frank.
“Was your daughter bad?”
“I don’t understand you...”
“I mean, what sort of things did she used to do? Did she like hurting others?”
“I... I hardly knew her, but no, please, my daughter was a child... she was precious... and good... Although the more I learn, the less I know what to think...”
“Look, the Devil doesn’t choose his neighbours by chance. If someone is in Hell, it’s because something’s happened to make them deserve it, do you understand? Forgive my candour. I believe that if your daughter really is in Hell, it’s because she was bad: bad in the fullest sense of the word, and cruel. Now we have to find out if she was so by choice, or if it was because she had been taken over by a demon.”
XXXIV
He didn’t know Ana all that well, although they had met on more than one occasion at either his house or hers, for some party or dinner. It was for that reason that it was such a terrible effort to call her and find some excuse to have coffee together, under the very superficial proviso of wishing to talk about Alicia and her relationship with Laura. The woman, albeit somewhat bewildered, had accepted, most surely obliged by her friend’s memory and, in all the time she had known him, Carlos had never bothered her all that much.
He waited for her, seated on a central terrace to a café where they had agreed to meet. While he waited, Carlos entertained himself by contemplating the people: everyday people, running around like he himself had been doing not all that long ago, until his whole life had taken an inexplicable turn.
“Hello, Carlos...”
Ana brought him back from his reverie with a nervous smile. She was a young woman, jovial, intelligent, and professional, with whom Alicia had struck up a unique and unusual friendship.
“Ana! Please, take a seat... I’m so pleased to see you. You look wonderful.”
“Oh... thank you very much.”
“How’s the studying going?”
“Well, you know. A lot of work, and all that.”
Carlos asked her a few more questions, as if wishing to put off getting to the real reason for their discussion: as if trying to make that afternoon just a pleasant meeting between two friends. Just an everyday meeting between two everyday people. Although in the end, he made his decision.
“Look, I’ve called you because a series of strange things has happened since Alicia and Laura’s death.”
Ana looked fixedly at him, and he got the feeling that she had been waiting
“Possessed... possessed... How do you know that? How do you know that she was possessed?”
“Well... I don’t actually know. But her eyes, the restlessness in her body, her voice...”
“Your father wants me to help you, but what he doesn’t know is that this is something completely new for me. It’s unknown territory, although I do plan to help you.”
“But you yourself told me that in the past...”
“I told you that in the past I’ve performed exorcisms, yes, but not long-distance. I’ve always had the person in front of me; I’ve always been able to supervise them. I’ve always been able to see if it was genuine or they were just faking it, because I had the possessed person before my eyes. Your case is very different...”
That man made Carlos see, for the first time, a truth that until that moment, he hadn’t even bothered to uncover. The man was, at the same time, demonstrating that he had taken his case very seriously and he was going to fight with him to the very limits of his capabilities.
“And does anything come to mind?”
“Like I said, I’ll help you. Firstly, I need to do some studying, make a few calls, prepare myself and take precautions. Then I’ll visit your house.”
“Precautions?”
Padre Salas looked once more towards the altar before responding, only differently this time, and when he turned his face back towards Carlos, his expression was firmly serious and frank.
“Was your daughter bad?”
“I don’t understand you...”
“I mean, what sort of things did she used to do? Did she like hurting others?”
“I... I hardly knew her, but no, please, my daughter was a child... she was precious... and good... Although the more I learn, the less I know what to think...”
“Look, the Devil doesn’t choose his neighbours by chance. If someone is in Hell, it’s because something’s happened to make them deserve it, do you understand? Forgive my candour. I believe that if your daughter really is in Hell, it’s because she was bad: bad in the fullest sense of the word, and cruel. Now we have to find out if she was so by choice, or if it was because she had been taken over by a demon.”
XXXIV
He didn’t know Ana all that well, although they had met on more than one occasion at either his house or hers, for some party or dinner. It was for that reason that it was such a terrible effort to call her and find some excuse to have coffee together, under the very superficial proviso of wishing to talk about Alicia and her relationship with Laura. The woman, albeit somewhat bewildered, had accepted, most surely obliged by her friend’s memory and, in all the time she had known him, Carlos had never bothered her all that much.
He waited for her, seated on a central terrace to a café where they had agreed to meet. While he waited, Carlos entertained himself by contemplating the people: everyday people, running around like he himself had been doing not all that long ago, until his whole life had taken an inexplicable turn.
“Hello, Carlos...”
Ana brought him back from his reverie with a nervous smile. She was a young woman, jovial, intelligent, and professional, with whom Alicia had struck up a unique and unusual friendship.
“Ana! Please, take a seat... I’m so pleased to see you. You look wonderful.”
“Oh... thank you very much.”
“How’s the studying going?”
“Well, you know. A lot of work, and all that.”
Carlos asked her a few more questions, as if wishing to put off getting to the real reason for their discussion: as if trying to make that afternoon just a pleasant meeting between two friends. Just an everyday meeting between two everyday people. Although in the end, he made his decision.
“Look, I’ve called you because a series of strange things has happened since Alicia and Laura’s death.”
Ana looked fixedly at him, and he got the feeling that she had been waiting
Similar Books
