Demons often appear in a most comely form. Such was Kim Sach. He’d forgotten the name of the fool who once owned his body, but that didn’t matter; the fool was no more so he did not need his name.
Kim Sach sang of wine and the joy of conquest at the end of a hunt as he strode over the mountainside. Just as he felt the first pangs of hunger, he smelled something on the wind. He smelled sorrow and despair. He lifted his nose so he could breathe deeper of the sweet scent. He began to follow his nose.
The sweet scent of grief led him to a naked young girl in a field. Her clothes where torn and thrown about. He sniffed the scent of her blood. Kim Sach held no interest in the girl, but he considered that she might lead him to worthy pray. “My dear child, you have been used most greiviously. Come, let me wrap you in my cloak. I shall gather your things. Do you know who set upon you so savagely?”
The girl hung her head and said, “Moshe. He said he was going to be my new friend but he did things to me. I said I didn’t want to do those things, but he did them anyway, and when he went away, he stole the chickens I was to take home to Gran for her to make pies.”
Kim Sach opened his mouth and sniffed again savoring the taste of her despair on the tip of his tongue.
The girl was only an innocent and not just innocent but one of those simple souls who cannot understand cruelty. He shook his head. Such pure innocence turned his stomach so he almost lost his appetite.
The scent of her despair caressed the air as only the slightest of perfumes. One cannot dine on faint perfume, but that perfume can lead one to the full robust meal of the despair of one who has long fed on the pain of others. Like a wine well-aged is the despair of one who has nurtured and honed his cruelty among those weaker than himself.
So Kim Sach wrapped the girl in his cloak and followed her to her home and spoke to her Grandmother who saw not a demon, but a gentleman of honor who rescued her poor witless granddaughter. The sainted man even gave her coins to buy more chickens and hire a lad from the village to fetch them for her. “Oh thank you good sir. I pray that your business may prosper because of your generosity.”
Kim Sach smiled a very hungry smile. “My first business will be to find this Moshe and settle with him.”
The old woman clutched her hands to her heart and thanked the man again for avenging her granddaughter’s honor when the girl had nobody to protect her. Kim Sach left the woman and went to the inn to settle himself like a jackal waiting for his prey to come to the water to drink.
Of course, the old woman immediately whispered to the neighbor about the fine young man who rescued her granddaughter and who intended to fight Moshe.
The girl still weeping trotted off to the abbey to confess to Mother Superior all that had happened. Mother Superior listened to the young girl and sent her to the apothecary for medicine for her injuries.
Thus, from these few people the news spread about Moshe and his vile treatment of a defenseless girl and the stranger who came to avenger her. Before Kim Sach had time to order his dinner, the news had spread across the village. The innkeeper bowed low before Kim Sach and offered him the best ale. The blacksmith asked to share a cup with Mr. Sach and refused to let the stranger pay for his dinner.
Kim Sach asked where he might find this Moshe.
The blacksmith answered, “I know not. He wanders here and there sleeping among the goats and sheep. Violates them, he does. He steals from the children and the elderly. This business today was the worst. That poor girl cannot defend herself, but she comes from a respectable family, she does. I wish I could help you find him. I’ve seen how he picks at the young girls, touching them where he should not. I tried to take him under my wing and teach him a skill and how to get along with others, but he spit on me, stole money from me and finally killed my daughter’s kitten so I ran him off.”
Kim Sach struggled to contain his glee over finding such a delightful specimen. His eyes rolled back in his head as he thought of the sweet spicy flavor of this village bully. His mouth watered so that he almost drooled over the prospect before him. “Do not trouble yourself over this cursed lad. I shall find him before dawn and he shall trouble this village no more. I think perhaps he shall accompany me for a while and learn the value of hard work and service.
The villagers went to sleep soundly in their beds thinking that a saint had come to protect them, and were unaware of the dark filthy shadow that slunk out of the inn and stood with his nose in the air to catch the scent of fear and despair.
There! He found it—just the briefest scent of animal fear. No longer in the pleasing shape of a man, Kim Sach swept like an oily shadow through the town and into the hills, crawling and oozing among trees and through gullies. A sheep gave out a cry of fear and pain as Kim Sach hurried toward the sound and scent—already tasting the dainties laid out in the feast before him.
Within minutes Kim Sach, in the pleasing shape of a man once more, stood over Moshe and his wooly victim. “Come my pretty boy, you are too pretty for that sheep. Let me show you the ways of real men.”
Startled, Moshe let go of the sheep as Kim Sach dropped to his knees in the hay. Kim Sach opened his mouth and took in a deep breath sucking in the sweet spicy wicked soul before him. Moshe’s eyes bulged white from their sockets. He tried to call out, but his cries carried no further than the open mouth of the demon before him where they tasted like salt upon Kim Sach’s tongue.
There in the field Kim Sach leaned close to his meal and whispered as a man to his darling, “I shall have you.” He opened his great jaws wide and wider, and spittle dripped from his sharp teeth. Then his head shot forward like the strike of a snake and he bit a great chunk out of Moshe’s neck. The blood began to flow.
Moshe tried many times to scream as Kim Sach licked up the blood tasting the misery of Moshe’s victims in the salty flow. Kim Sach suckled on the blood and grew drunk on the screams of Moshe, and all the while, he chuckled and whispered foul endearments to his swooning prey. Soon Kim Sach entered Moshe the way Moshe had entered unwilling maidens.
Ah, what fear and terror and shame this act released for Kim Sach to feed upon. He gurgled as he tore more flesh and thought the pain and horror were like fine sauce upon his meat. He rent Moshe inside and out-teasing and tormenting his food but careful never to eat too much. He must not kill his meat too soon. A quick death does not ripen to its richest flavor the misery a demon needs to feed upon. Moshe’s despair grew until it filled the night air and poured over the demon like a river of finest wine in which Kim Sach bathed himself and cried out in drunken ecstasy.
As the morning sky grew light, Kim Sach raised his head toward the dawn and rolled off of what was left of his prey and stood. He looked upon the blood and picked up a bone to suck more of the sweet anguish it held. He smiled, “Moshe, I have loved you well. You made and excellent feast. So excellent, that I am quite full. Ah but I see I have not eaten your heart. Alas, I am too full.” Kim Sach pointed at the heart and it turned black, then started to disintegrate with rot as maggots crawled out of what had once been flesh. Finally, Kim Sach waved his hand to dispel any lingering essence that might still belong to Moshe and send it to his own former home, a pool deep in the wood
Kim Sach kicked his boots among the few remaining bits of Moshe dislodging a handful of coins. The coins he picked up and put in his own pocket as he strode off happily over the hills to walk in the wind until he grew hungry again.
Kim Sach sang of wine and the joy of conquest at the end of a hunt as he strode over the mountainside. Just as he felt the first pangs of hunger, he smelled something on the wind. He smelled sorrow and despair. He lifted his nose so he could breathe deeper of the sweet scent. He began to follow his nose.
The sweet scent of grief led him to a naked young girl in a field. Her clothes where torn and thrown about. He sniffed the scent of her blood. Kim Sach held no interest in the girl, but he considered that she might lead him to worthy pray. “My dear child, you have been used most greiviously. Come, let me wrap you in my cloak. I shall gather your things. Do you know who set upon you so savagely?”
The girl hung her head and said, “Moshe. He said he was going to be my new friend but he did things to me. I said I didn’t want to do those things, but he did them anyway, and when he went away, he stole the chickens I was to take home to Gran for her to make pies.”
Kim Sach opened his mouth and sniffed again savoring the taste of her despair on the tip of his tongue.
The girl was only an innocent and not just innocent but one of those simple souls who cannot understand cruelty. He shook his head. Such pure innocence turned his stomach so he almost lost his appetite.
The scent of her despair caressed the air as only the slightest of perfumes. One cannot dine on faint perfume, but that perfume can lead one to the full robust meal of the despair of one who has long fed on the pain of others. Like a wine well-aged is the despair of one who has nurtured and honed his cruelty among those weaker than himself.
So Kim Sach wrapped the girl in his cloak and followed her to her home and spoke to her Grandmother who saw not a demon, but a gentleman of honor who rescued her poor witless granddaughter. The sainted man even gave her coins to buy more chickens and hire a lad from the village to fetch them for her. “Oh thank you good sir. I pray that your business may prosper because of your generosity.”
Kim Sach smiled a very hungry smile. “My first business will be to find this Moshe and settle with him.”
The old woman clutched her hands to her heart and thanked the man again for avenging her granddaughter’s honor when the girl had nobody to protect her. Kim Sach left the woman and went to the inn to settle himself like a jackal waiting for his prey to come to the water to drink.
Of course, the old woman immediately whispered to the neighbor about the fine young man who rescued her granddaughter and who intended to fight Moshe.
The girl still weeping trotted off to the abbey to confess to Mother Superior all that had happened. Mother Superior listened to the young girl and sent her to the apothecary for medicine for her injuries.
Thus, from these few people the news spread about Moshe and his vile treatment of a defenseless girl and the stranger who came to avenger her. Before Kim Sach had time to order his dinner, the news had spread across the village. The innkeeper bowed low before Kim Sach and offered him the best ale. The blacksmith asked to share a cup with Mr. Sach and refused to let the stranger pay for his dinner.
Kim Sach asked where he might find this Moshe.
The blacksmith answered, “I know not. He wanders here and there sleeping among the goats and sheep. Violates them, he does. He steals from the children and the elderly. This business today was the worst. That poor girl cannot defend herself, but she comes from a respectable family, she does. I wish I could help you find him. I’ve seen how he picks at the young girls, touching them where he should not. I tried to take him under my wing and teach him a skill and how to get along with others, but he spit on me, stole money from me and finally killed my daughter’s kitten so I ran him off.”
Kim Sach struggled to contain his glee over finding such a delightful specimen. His eyes rolled back in his head as he thought of the sweet spicy flavor of this village bully. His mouth watered so that he almost drooled over the prospect before him. “Do not trouble yourself over this cursed lad. I shall find him before dawn and he shall trouble this village no more. I think perhaps he shall accompany me for a while and learn the value of hard work and service.
The villagers went to sleep soundly in their beds thinking that a saint had come to protect them, and were unaware of the dark filthy shadow that slunk out of the inn and stood with his nose in the air to catch the scent of fear and despair.
There! He found it—just the briefest scent of animal fear. No longer in the pleasing shape of a man, Kim Sach swept like an oily shadow through the town and into the hills, crawling and oozing among trees and through gullies. A sheep gave out a cry of fear and pain as Kim Sach hurried toward the sound and scent—already tasting the dainties laid out in the feast before him.
Within minutes Kim Sach, in the pleasing shape of a man once more, stood over Moshe and his wooly victim. “Come my pretty boy, you are too pretty for that sheep. Let me show you the ways of real men.”
Startled, Moshe let go of the sheep as Kim Sach dropped to his knees in the hay. Kim Sach opened his mouth and took in a deep breath sucking in the sweet spicy wicked soul before him. Moshe’s eyes bulged white from their sockets. He tried to call out, but his cries carried no further than the open mouth of the demon before him where they tasted like salt upon Kim Sach’s tongue.
There in the field Kim Sach leaned close to his meal and whispered as a man to his darling, “I shall have you.” He opened his great jaws wide and wider, and spittle dripped from his sharp teeth. Then his head shot forward like the strike of a snake and he bit a great chunk out of Moshe’s neck. The blood began to flow.
Moshe tried many times to scream as Kim Sach licked up the blood tasting the misery of Moshe’s victims in the salty flow. Kim Sach suckled on the blood and grew drunk on the screams of Moshe, and all the while, he chuckled and whispered foul endearments to his swooning prey. Soon Kim Sach entered Moshe the way Moshe had entered unwilling maidens.
Ah, what fear and terror and shame this act released for Kim Sach to feed upon. He gurgled as he tore more flesh and thought the pain and horror were like fine sauce upon his meat. He rent Moshe inside and out-teasing and tormenting his food but careful never to eat too much. He must not kill his meat too soon. A quick death does not ripen to its richest flavor the misery a demon needs to feed upon. Moshe’s despair grew until it filled the night air and poured over the demon like a river of finest wine in which Kim Sach bathed himself and cried out in drunken ecstasy.
As the morning sky grew light, Kim Sach raised his head toward the dawn and rolled off of what was left of his prey and stood. He looked upon the blood and picked up a bone to suck more of the sweet anguish it held. He smiled, “Moshe, I have loved you well. You made and excellent feast. So excellent, that I am quite full. Ah but I see I have not eaten your heart. Alas, I am too full.” Kim Sach pointed at the heart and it turned black, then started to disintegrate with rot as maggots crawled out of what had once been flesh. Finally, Kim Sach waved his hand to dispel any lingering essence that might still belong to Moshe and send it to his own former home, a pool deep in the wood
Kim Sach kicked his boots among the few remaining bits of Moshe dislodging a handful of coins. The coins he picked up and put in his own pocket as he strode off happily over the hills to walk in the wind until he grew hungry again.
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