The demon turned her attention to the necklaces with the healing charms. She plucked one from the counter, the motion incongruously delicate with the sharp-clawed hand performing it. She held in a closed fist in front of her mouth and sang a wordless note of song. The charm activated with a note of its own, resonating in harmony with the demon's voice. She then looped the cord around the angel's neck and adjusted the pendant so it hung above their left wing. The demon repeated the process with a second charm, placing it above their right wing. She regarded them for a moment, made a face, then activated a third charm.
"I'm using up my good charms on you," she said sourly. Despite the tone, her hands were gentle as she hung the charm around their neck and adjusted it until it lay on their sternum. "These are expensive, you know."
"Mea culpa," they apologized quietly.
The demon snorted. "It's only 'your fault' as far as whatever it is you did to get yourself kicked out, dove. And I suppose this is what healing charms are for, after all. I'll just have to make more."
"You made these?" they asked.
"Try not to sound so surprised there," the demon said dryly.
As rude as it was, they were surprised. Demonic magic and healing weren't things that went hand in hand. That the demon had made such strong healing charms, bending her magic to something it was utterly unsuited for, was impressive.
How powerful was she, to manage such a feat?
The demon sang a few notes; the charms hummed in response.
"Charms are working," she said. "But just to be safe… do you feel this?"
"No," the angel said. The action was an uncomfortable echo of the demon's painfully proven point about the necessity of this operation.
She poked several more spots, asking each time if the angel felt it. They answered truthfully that they didn't.
The demon arranged her tools on a rolling tray. When the angel turned to look, she moved the tray out of their line of sight.
"Keep facing forward," she ordered.
They did, despite how much they wanted to see what was happening.
The demon began to sing as she started her work. The wordless tune was a continuation of the notes she'd sung to activate the charms. It was soft and melancholic, a comfort and a lament at once.
She stopped her song only once, when the angel tried again to turn and see what was happening.
"Turn around," she said. The near-snarl was so different than the soft song that the angel froze instinctively. "Do not look back here."
They obeyed. Having their back to a demon was already frightening. The idea of having their back to an angry demon was terrifying.
"Good," she said, as though praising a hound.
The angel began to weep in fear and frustration as the demon went back to her work. With her song resumed, they couldn't even hear any hints at what might be happening. She could be doing anything to them, and they would have no idea.
Even if they did know, it wasn't as if they would be able to stop her. What did she gain by keeping them unaware? Was it just for her own sick amusement, to see how much she could make them do?
The demon's song ended.
"It's over," she said.
The angel turned slowly, half-expecting another rebuke. None came. Behind them, the demon stood by her rolling tray, now covered with black towels.
"Don't twist too much, or you'll undo my nice work," she ordered. "If you're trying to see what's there, I can show you in a mirror later, but I can just tell you now: it's a whole lot of nothing."
They swallowed hard against a sudden surge of nausea. Nothing, where there used to be…
"I adjusted the charms, so the numbness will wear off soon. Then all the magic can focus on patching you up."
Patched up, as if they were a piece of cloth to mend.
If only it were that easy.
---
"Mea culpa": Literal translation "my fault", used as an apology
For everyone who tagged me in the WIP ask game: the working title of this was "hey hey ho ho those broken wings have got to go". I think I'm funny.
I'll be in Mexico City next week, first time since 2006. To mark the occasion I'll be curating and gathering into a liitle plaquette the poems I have written about Mexico. Here is the title poem. Stay tuned.
"Exploring Uncommon Vocabulary: 12 Words to Add to Your Word Bank"?
Vocabulary is an important aspect of language learning, and it can be fun to explore new and unusual words. In this blog post, we'll take a look at 12 interesting and uncommon vocabulary words, along with example sentences to help you understand how they can be used.
Tonitruous: (adjective) characterized by a loud or thundering sound Example sentence: "I was trying to sneak out of the house early in the morning, but my tonitruous sneezing gave me away and woke up the entire neighborhood."
Funambulist: (noun) a tightrope walker Example sentence: "I've always dreamed of running away and joining the circus, but the only job they had available was for a funambulist, and I'm terrified of heights."
Minimus: (noun) the smallest or least significant member of a group Example sentence: "I was trying to impress the judges in the hot dog eating contest, but I'm such a minimus that I could barely finish one frankfurter, let alone the whole plate."
Lickspittle: (noun) a person who behaves obsequiously in order to gain favor or advantage Example sentence: "I was going to ask my boss for a raise, but I chickened out at the last minute and turned into a lickspittle, showering him with compliments instead."
Leptodactylous: (adjective) having slender fingers or toes Example sentence: "I was trying to fix the broken shelf, but my leptodactylous fingers kept dropping the screws and making everything worse."
Acroamatic: (adjective) intended for or likely to be understood by only a small number of people with a specialized knowledge or interest Example sentence: "I tried to join the secret society, but I was rejected because I couldn't understand their acroamatic handshakes and code words."
Lingua: (noun) a language, especially one used for communication between people of different nations or regions Example sentence: "As a lingua franca, English is spoken by millions of people as a second language."
Odontalgia: (noun) toothache Example sentence: "I was trying to enjoy the amusement park, but the odontalgia from my cavities ruined everything, especially the cotton candy and funnel cakes."
Luculent: (adjective) shining or glowing Example sentence: "I was trying to sneak into the movie theater without paying, but the lucent glow of my phone gave me away and the security guard kicked me out."
Transpicuous: (adjective) easily seen through or understood Example sentence: "I was trying to hide my love for romantic comedies from my friends, but my transpicuous ogling at the posters and trailers gave me away."
Viator: (noun) a traveler, especially one on a journey Example sentence: "I was trying to be a savvy viator and save money on my vacation by booking a cheap hostel, but I ended up sharing a room with snoring wrestlers and a parrot that wouldn't stop squawking."
Viaticum: (noun) provisions or supplies for a journey, especially food and drink Example sentence: "I packed enough viaticum for the road trip to last us a month, but my travel partner managed to eat it all within the first three hours."
Because of the coronavirus, the Church has found it difficult to practice its normal sacramental ministry to the sick and the dying. Quarantine rules have made it hard for priests to anoint the sick and hear their confessions. The Church has reacted in several interesting ways, including giving a plenary indulgence to those affected by the virus, and allowing general absolution rather than individual confession. This talk explains some of the theology behind these moves, and answers the question of why we need priests at all if so much can be done to reconcile us to God through these alternative means?
Slides and audio available here.
A taste: One slide towards the end gives a summary of the various ways our sins can be forgiven:
Contents: female caretaker, female whumpee, gruff caretaker, non-sexual nudity, major injury, discussion of amputations, religious themes, begging
My characters are multi-lingual; I am not. I'm doing my best with online translations, but those aren't necessarily the most accurate. Translations are at the end of the chapter.
Masterlist
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"And those remnants can't stay. They need to be amputated."
—
"No!"
The word escaped the angel's mouth before she could think better of it. This demon couldn't seriously be… no, just no!
Not her wings.
"This is not optional," the demon said, tone cold and hard as a frozen lake.
"You can't!"
The demon had no pity for her plight. "I can, and I will. You can't keep them."
"But…" she began, feeling tears begin to well up once again. "Please. Don't do this."
The demon was visibly losing patience. Her lips had gone thin, her nostrils flared; a muscle in her cheek jumped as she clenched her jaw.
"What do you think will happen?" she snapped. "Say I don't amputate those tattered stumps. What then, hm?"
The angel didn't have an answer. One tear escaped and began to slowly make its way down her cheek.
The demon shook her head in disbelief and bared her teeth in the mockery of a smile. "You don't have a clue. Well then, allow me to enlighten you."
She grabbed the angel's shoulder and pulled her around, then began poking at her back. "Do you feel this? Or this?"
"No," the angel admitted.
"Uh huh. And what about this?"
They let out a shriek as their back erupted in agony. They tried to get away from the demon's touch, but she held them firm. She had enough strength in a single hand to overcome all of their frantic struggles.
"That is an exposed nerve," she said with dark satisfaction. "The numbness around it? Nerve damage."
She let go and stepped back into their line of sight. "You don't know what will happen; I do. If you try to keep what's left of your feather-dusters, they won't heal. They can't. They are too damaged. Instead, all that remains of your celestial shine will go to keeping them as they are now: not worsening, but not improving, either. And since you're cut off from Our Father Who Art Not Listening, that is a finite resource. Do you really want to use it up on fighting the inevitable?"
They were weeping openly now. Was there truly no other way?
"Obsecro," they managed between sobs.
The demon ruthlessly continued. "You no longer have wings, dove. You have splinters of bone and shreds of muscle and skin that you cannot keep."
"Obsecro, misericordia," they begged. "Obsecro te, miserere, daemon."
She glared at them a moment longer before she sighed and knelt in front of them. She forced them to meet her gaze with one hand on their chin, her expression no longer holding the hard edge it had gained at their refusal.
"I know you won't believe me, but this is mercy, dove." She wiped away a tear with the back of a finger, keeping the points of her claws away from the angel's face. "It would be far crueler to let you keep hoping, when what you want is impossible. Κύριε, ἐλέησον doesn't mean anything when the Lord can't hear you."
"Estne vere nulla alia via?" they asked.
"Truly," she confirmed.
She let go of the angel's chin as they turned their face away to bury it in their hands.
They prayed silently as they wept. Κύριε, ἐλέησον, Χριστέ, ἐλέησον, Κύριε, ἐλέησον. Just as the demon had predicted, there was no answer.
Finally, after long moments of silence broken only by their choked sobs, they managed to stop crying. They wiped away the tears, feeling the salt crust their cheeks like Lot's wife.
"Okay," they whispered, not looking up.
They couldn't return. Insisting on looking back would only cause them pain.
They met the demon's gaze once more.
"Obsecro te: adiuva me."
---
Translations:
"Obsecro" — Please
"Obsecro, misericordia," they begged. "Obsecro te, miserere, daemon." — Please, mercy. I beg of you, have mercy, demon.
Κύριε, ἐλέησον (Kyrie eleison) — Lord, have mercy. (Greek, traditional Christian prayer)
"Estne vere nulla alia via?" — There is truly no other way?
Κύριε, ἐλέησον, Χριστέ, ἐλέησον, Κύριε, ἐλέησον. (Kyrie eleison, Christe eleison, Kyrie eleison.) — Lord have mercy, Christ have mercy, Lord have mercy. (Greek, traditional Christian prayer)
"Obsecro te: adiuva me." — I beg/beseech you: help me.
