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 Posted: Sat Mar 27, 2010 5:07 pm
Part I: The Call
The Sister gets a call from a certain someone. “Sister,” came the voice of a fellow nun, “you have a phone call.”
When Sister Maria, a kind-hearted woman about six or so years Sidonia’s senior, popped her head in the woman’s room to tell her she had a phone call, Sidonia had been praying. She was currently kneeling in front of her bedroom window, a string of rosary beads in hand. Forgiveness from the Blessed Mother, that’s what she was asking for. Her prayer was interrupted halfway through, so that couldn’t have been a good sign. So much for forgiveness, huh? Those in the Heavens above wanted to toy with her, or so it seemed. Perhaps to punish her for the pact she made with a certain demon. No matter. The nun wouldn’t let a simple interruption in her prayer get the better of her, so she did what any normal woman would do: she stood and nodded to Sister Maria.
“Thank you, Sister,” she replied with a gracious smile. “I’ll take it right away.”
There was only one phone in the entire convent for all the nuns to share. How many more did the women need? With about thirty or so women living in that section of the church, anything over that was rather unnecessary. Besides -- all of them swore vows of poverty. Personal items such as cell phones and iPods weren’t exactly allowed. Despite only one phone for the convent and a considerable amount of women living within it, few of the sisters rarely got called. Most of the calls made to the nuns were personal in nature: mothers announcing the upcoming weddings of relatives, or a close friend calling to deliver news of the death of a loved one. They were that sort of thing. Sidonia’s calls, however, were another deal entirely. Before the young nun even picked up the phone, she knew who had called. Her calls came from one man, and one man alone.
Doctor Bennet.
Sister Sidonia smiled to Maria when she picked up the telephone. This was not only a thank-you, but also a subtle hint for one nun to say to the other, ‘Alright, I can handle this, now give me some privacy.’ Sister Maria only nodded to Sidonia’s smile and then walked out of the phone room without another word. It was only polite to give her some privacy, after all. Considering how the older nun had interrupted her junior’s prayer time, it was the least she could do. Now that Sidonia was alone she put the phone to her ear without hesitation.
“Hello? This is Sister Sidonia speaking.”
“Sidonia,” Doctor Bennet responded. There was a hint of desperation within the man’s voice – enough for the nun to tell that something was definitely on his mind. “I-…” His words then trailed off into silence as he paused, and Sidonia knew he was trying to think of the right words to say. That was one thing that was unique about the doctor: he was always so careful with his words. Not just with her, but with everyone. A sigh escaped the doctor’s throat before he continued on saying, “I-…I need your help.” He then paused again, this time to give his spiritual confidant a chance to say something. The Sister didn’t respond right away, so Bennet continued on in his speech. “Could you please come to my house? I’ve been…I just need some advice.” Although he couldn’t see her, on the other end of the line, Sidonia nodded her head.
“Don’t worry, Doctor. I’ll be right there.”
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Posted: Sat Mar 27, 2010 8:08 pm
Part II: Dark and Twisted Thoughts
Sister Sidonia visits Doctor Bennet to figure out what is bothering him, only to find out a little too much.
It didn’t take long for Sister Sidonia to reach the Bennet household.
As to be expected, Doctor Bennet’s home was in the upscale section of La’To. All those of the high first class were assumed to live here: doctors like Mr. Bennet, lawyers, politicians, and even those involved in the Church, perhaps. The high-class area of La’To seemed like a secluded world all its own. A world within a world. One in which only a privileged few were allowed to enter. These people were the lucky ones, the ones that everyone else in town seemed just a little bit jealous of. But not Sidonia. She didn’t long for a nice home in an area like this. The woman wanted something else entirely, though what exactly and why was best saved for another time.
Tonight wasn’t about her. It was about Doctor Bennet, and she was going to help him to the best of her ability.
“I appreciate you coming to see me like this,” the Doctor said immediately to the nun as he opened the door. Mister Bennet wasted no time in his meeting with Sidonia, and when she walked up the stairs to the front door of his home, she was promptly ushered inside. She had to admit; the whole situation was a bit odd. Sidonia wasn’t used to making house calls. It was normally Bennet who came to her and not the other way around. In any case, there was no point in questioning the doctor now. Best to just go along and try to find out what was worrying the man so much.
As the doctor led the sister into his home, she couldn’t help but notice how nice it was. From the entryway Sidonia noticed a set of stairs just a few feet from the front door. Those must have lead to the private bedrooms. If one were to turn to the right of the stairs, they would be taken to the family room. This room was finely furnished with imported furniture and handcrafted rugs, not to mention a sleek grand piano. Who knew that Mr. Bennet was into music? Or perhaps he wasn’t – maybe it was his wife. Turning to the left of the stairs took one into the library in which Mr. and Mrs. Bennet kept their private collection of tomes. Books of varying subject and language could be seen, and this was all Sidonia needed to see in order to pick up on the fact that both the Bennets were avid readers. The doctor led her through the library, and from there they walked through yet another door. This was a room that appeared to be Mr. Bennet’s private study, and from the looks of things, the room where the two of them would be having their conversation.
With a hand extended out, the doctor motioned for her to sit in one of the plush chairs in front of his desk. “Please, sit down, Sister. Make yourself comfortable.” Sidonia obliged by doing as he asked, but blinked when Bennet sat in the chair directly across from her and not the even nicer one behind his desk. “Again, thank you for coming. You don’t know how much I treasure your advice.”
“It’s no problem, Doctor Bennet,” Sidonia replied to him simply. “You know I’m always here for spiritual advice, should you need it.”
“Please, Sidonia,” the doctor said quickly. He almost interrupted her last statement, but luckily she finished a beat or so beforehand. “Call me Clayton.”
The nun shifted a bit at this request, but then shrugged off the natural feeling of uneasiness that followed. “Alright,” she murmured hesitantly a moment after, “tell me: what has been bothering you, Clayton?”
Where he had been hesitant on the phone to speak of what was bothering him, the doctor seemed to have gathered his thoughts this time. “Demons,” he said right off the bat. “Demons have been plaguing my mind.” His facial expression alone gave away how troubled the man was at the moment. The man’s complexion was pale and his expression was grim. His eyes, too, gave wariness away. There were bags under them, perhaps due to a lack of sleep within the past few days? Immediately, the sister couldn’t help but feel sorry for her physician friend, but instead of saying anything she just waited for him to continue. It was better for her to wait until he got out everything he needed to say. Wait until that was done, and then she could figure out which way was best to help him.
“They've…” he paused, a hand running through his chestnut brown hair, “they’ve been causing me to have these thoughts.” With a frown, Sister Sidonia tilted her veiled-covered head. “What kind of thoughts, Doc-…Clayton?” It was at this the man cast his gaze downward. He was too ashamed to look at the young woman right now. That much was clear. “…They are wrong, Sister. So wrong…” he murmured. After this, his head lifted up again, to which he looked the nun directly in her eyes. “I haven’t been truthful with you,” he explained with a heavy sigh. “Not completely.”
“Go on…” Sidonia whispered, fully intrigued by what he had to say now.
Clayton frowned, stood from his chair, and then continued on with what he was saying. “Originally I started coming to visit you because I claimed I needed spiritual guidance.” The man then paused near the left side of his desk and then shook his head. “That was a lie. I didn’t need spiritual guidance. I just wanted to talk to you more.” Now it was the sister’s turn to frown at the man’s words. Just where exactly was he going with this? “My marriage…it isn’t going well, you see. Alexandria and I-..well, it’s rocky at best. But you caught my eye and got my thoughts off of all that.” The doctor’s frown was replaced with a gentle smile now, as if a smile would make what he was telling her okay.
“The demons fill my mind with thoughts, Sister,” Clayton told her. By now he had moved again and was standing directly behind her chair. He then leaned down in close to her; close enough to whisper in her ear that was hidden behind her veil. “Thoughts about you…”
Whoa, whoa, whoa! Too much information! That was all Sister Sidonia needed to hear before she immediately stood up in her chair. “Doctor Bennet,” she said, not caring that she was cutting off his explanation of what was bothering him, “I’m sorry you have been thinking as you have, but I doubt there’s much I can do…” The nun had been in the doctor’s home long enough now. It was time for her to leave, and because of that she made her way to the door.
“Wait,” the doctor called out, clearly distressed at how fast the nun was leaving. She had just gotten there, after all. “You just got here, Sidonia. I thought you were going to help me?” Sidonia shook her head at this and gazed at her male companion with a uncomfortable look. “Clayton, this isn’t something I can help you with. You-…you’re just going to have to pray. Pray, go to confessional, and ask God to take those thoughts away from you. Demons and their nature aren’t exactly my area of expertise.”
Oh, what a lie that was.
Sidonia was familiar with demons. All too familiar. So familiar, in fact, that one followed in her wake whenever she left the Church grounds. But there’s no way she was about to tell them that.
“I have to go.”
And that was that. The nun made her way to the front door of the Bennet home without another word, and Clayton was polite enough to show her there. Neither of them spoke, not until the holy sister reached the sidewalk in front of the steps of his home. “I’m sorry you couldn’t be of more help, Sister,” Doctor Bennet explained. “Usually you are ever so helpful, and if the images flashing in my mind are correct…you would be enjoying yourself even more than I would.”
Demons. They were torturing the doctor all right. Torturing him with sick, pleasurable fantasies. Well, she had enough! This was ridiculous. It was time to leave and go back to the convent, so leave she did.
Halfway down the road from the Bennet household, however, something caught Sidonia’s eye. A sight, truth be told, that she knew all too well. Desdemona lingered in the shadows of an alley. Waiting. Just waiting. Yet something was different this time. The imp was glowing on and off, on and off. A gurgle resonated from her mouth as the sister passed, and Sidonia couldn’t help but think: Desdemona…did she have something to do with all of this?
The nun wouldn’t doubt it. She wouldn’t doubt it in the slightest.
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Posted: Sun Mar 28, 2010 1:48 pm
Part III: From the Mouth of a Hellion
A creepy imp we all know and love finally says her first words. “I can’t believed that happened,” Sidonia muttered to herself as she made her way back to the grounds of the Church.
About halfway back, the woman stopped at a park and allowed for Desdemona to catch up. The little imp often took to following behind the nun a few feet back. Never did she walk side-by-side with Sidonia; it was something she had yet to do. Maybe, however, given time, she would? The nun’s demon had stopped glowing by this time, and silently waited for the woman to start walking again and make her next move.
And make her next move, the Sister did. With her thoughts and mind racing, she turned into the park instead of heading directly back to the convent. There were things on her mind, and by the Lord above, she definitely wasn’t leaving the imp’s side until she got them off of her chest. Sister Sidonia was going to give Desdemona a piece of her mind, even if the hellish fiend didn’t listen to a word she had to say.
“I can’t believe you,” she snapped at the demon as she took a seat on one of the many park benches. “How could you make that poor man think things like that?!” The poor sister. She had no earthly idea on how to deal with men viewing her in such a way. No one ever had before, so how did they expect her to react? “He has a wife, you know! A loving wife,” the nun explained, hugging her knees to her chest on the bench. “Besides, I’m a nun! A chaste woman of God; men shouldn’t think about me like that. It isn’t right. Those sorts of thoughts can only lead to darkness…” As Sidonia said this, her words trailed off. Her eyes also fell on Desdemona, who by now, at this point, was standing directly in front of where she sat.
Being lead into darkness and tempted into sin. That was just what Desdemona wanted.
Although she had stopped glowing before, the imp was glowing again. An eerie shade of blood red illuminated the surrounding area of the park in which Desdemona stood. Yet even so, the little demon remained silent and just stared at her contractor. This alone was enough to aggravate the nun even more. “Answer me,” Sidonia exclaimed in anger, resting her head in her hands in frustration. Clearly, she was at her wits end for the evening. Luckily for her, however, little Desdemona was feeling gracious today, so she decided to oblige her contractor. What she said was this:
“…Your…light….is…fading…Emanuele..”
Sister Sidonia’s head shot straight up after the imp had spoken. She couldn’t believe her ears! Desdemona’s voice…it sounded like that of a girl’s, but one who was a bit gravely and rough from being sick. Talking in the imp stage – it was probably hard for Desdemona, but still…The hellion’s words had sent chills down the nun’s spine. That was it! She had heard enough for the day!
Fed up, Sidonia got up and out of her seat without a word, only to walk past Desdemona and back toward the safe-haven of the Church. Everything that happened that evening, it was a bit too much. Doctor Bennet’s unclean thoughts and Desdemona’s comment. What did that mean for her? If he thought such things, would she be capable of having such thoughts. Sidonia didn’t know. Yet in the back of her mind the Sister couldn’t help but think:
‘...It’s only a matter of time now….then the Darkness will consume me..’
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