The Demon Rolmar

by A. Griffin

  “This place is beautiful, but what is it?” Hailey asked.

  The bird almost appeared to smile and said, “Your new reality. Isn’t it true that reality is no more than your brain’s interpretation of electrical impulses? Reality is subjective.”

  “What does that mean?” Nat said, and scratched his head.

  “You make your own reality.”

  “I don’t quite understand. But as long as it’s real enough to run on, then I’m all for this new reality, as you like to call it,” Hailey said.

  “It’s perfectly safe,” Rolmar said.

  Nat seemed worried. “What about the city?”

  “There’s nothing to worry about,” Rolmar assured them.

  “But the people?” Hailey asked.

  “They’re safe for the time being. I returned them to their respective positions.”

  “Why did you take them away?” Nat inquired.

  “I wanted to get your attention.”

  “Well, the talking-eagle bit certainly worked,” Hailey replied.

  “I thought it might,” Rolmar said as he chuckled.

  Nat turned around and watched as the last vestiges of the city—a bit of concrete sidewalk and the fender of an Oldsmobile—turned into a rural landscape.

  “Amazing,” was the only word that came to mind as Nat looked upon the scene. “How is this possible?”

  “We’ve slipped into another dimension,” Rolmar explained.

  “And, what about the city?” Hailey asked.

  “It exists simultaneously with this dimension. In other words, it will be fine.”

  “If you say so,” Nat said. He still seemed skeptical.

  “Well, what are we waiting for?” Hailey looked at Nat, and he knew exactly what she had in mind. They bolted off together, running as fast as their legs could carry them.

  The children ran and played for an interval that seemed to defy normal space and time. All the while Rolmar perched in an olive tree, studying their movements and behaviors. Rolmar sat in the tree, ruminating.

  I’ve had a hundred incarnations on this planet. Through those incarnations I’ve experienced the best and the worst of humanity. I experienced hatred in all its forms, religion, love, community, friendship, war, compassion, and rejection. Through these incarnations I’ve grown to understand that life is sacred to humans. On this journey, I have seen the fear in someone’s eyes as death comes and the light in an infant’s eyes when life begins, but none of my incarnations affected me as profoundly as being Ian. The compassion and kindness that Linda showed me has taught me the most about humanity. However, I believe that I need to experience one more incarnation before I can make my decision.

  I’m not sure why, but I’m starting to feel something for these children. At first it was pity, and now it’s growing into something more. These feelings are so strange and encompassing. They’re similar to the feelings I experienced for Linda. Perhaps I’m starting to lose my former self. This feels strange to me. These incarnations have changed me fundamentally. I have emotions now and don’t think that they’re going to leave me. Having these different forms has softened me. I never thought of sparing anyone before. But things are different now. I want Linda and these children to live.

  Rolmar watched as Nat ran toward him. “If you’re a demon, why do you look like an eagle?” the boy asked.

  “This guise is for your sole benefit. I don’t think you would find my demon form very pleasing.”

  “I guess not,” Nat replied.

  “But still, it feels as if you’re hiding from us,” Hailey said.

  “One day I may show you, but not now,” Rolmar said. “These matters are all trivial. Enjoy your playtime.”

  “What will we eat in this new place?” Hailey asked.

  “Whatever you like,” replied the demon. “I can conjure food, water, and shelter for you if you need them.”

  “What danger are we in? You said earlier that we should follow you if we wanted to live. We did as you said.”

  “You are not in any danger. You will most certainly live. But as for Earth, I cannot say.”

  “What do you mean?” Nat asked, starting to get upset.

  “I’ll let you know my decision shortly. But remember…even if the Earth dies, you will remain unharmed.”

  “Why have you spared us?” Nat asked.

  “Because I can see that you have good hearts and that you wanted to escape to a new life anyway,” Rolmar answered.

  “We never dreamed that this life wouldn’t be on Earth,” Hailey said.

  “I don’t like this,” Nat said, and crossed his arms.

  “You’ll grow accustomed to your new life in time. Do not worry.”

  “It will be all right,” Hailey said. She put her arm around Nat and looked into his eyes. “Things will be OK from now on.”

  Looking at Rolmar again, Hailey asked, “How long can we play?”

  “For as long as you wish…maybe forever.”

  CHAPTER 17

  Death will be upon your people. The statement resonated in Adam’s consciousness as his nightmare ended. He woke with a start and rubbed his forehead. How long am I going to suffer from these nightmares? Every time I go to sleep I dream of that night when I first encountered him. That was the worst night of my life. I wish that I could get it out of my head, but I just keep reliving those events. When will this be over? Is this another one of the demon’s tricks? I hope not.

  Adam stretched and got out of bed. He remembered that he was meeting John and Zelia for lunch at noon. It’s nearly twelve o’clock now. He took a shower and dressed quickly.

  Zelia and John were sitting at the table in the corner of the campus café. The three companions always sat at the same table. The café was mostly empty.

  “What took you so long, sleeping beauty?” John asked. He was his usual self.

  “You’re late again,” Zelia said in an agitated voice.

  “Sorry guys,” Adam responded.

  “Well, never mind that, just grab a seat,” Zelia said.

  “Did you see anything on the news about any other strange incidents?” Zelia asked.

  “I haven’t,” Adam replied. “Rolmar has made it so that we are the only ones who remember his misdeeds.”

  “So we can’t even rely on the police or any other authority?”

  No, we can’t. We’re in this one alone,” Adam said.

  Adam pulled out a wooden chair, sat down, and immediately sprang back up.

  “There’s something on my chair,” Adam yelled. Zelia and John looked at the chair and then at each other. There was nothing on the chair.

  “I’m telling you that there is definitely something on my chair.” Adam backed away when he heard a cheerful whistling emanating from the chair.

  Itakir made himself visible to Zelia, John, and Adam. “Greetings,” he said.

  John could barely breathe. “Adam, what are you? A magnet for these things? Whenever you’re around, these creatures show up,” he said. Zelia and John stood and slowly backed away from the table, keeping their eyes fixed on the lesser demon.

  Zelia said, “Don’t blame Adam. It’s not his fault.”

  “Finally, a voice of reason,” Adam sighed. “Who are you?” he said hesitantly to the creature.

  “The name’s Itakir.”

  “Are you a demon like Rolmar?” Zelia asked.

  “Yes and no,” was the demon’s strange reply. “I’m from Pentar just like Rolmar, but I’m a lesser demon. I’m here to help you.”

  “How can we trust you?” John asked.

  “I’m your only link to Rolmar, so you’ll have to try.”

  John shook his head. “Looks like we don’t have much of a choice,” he said.

  Itakir leaned in. “Listen, we don’t have much time. Do you want a chance to save your planet?”

  “Save the planet? There’s a chance?” Adam was incredulous.

  “A very small one. It requires having an audience with
Rolmar. You must convince him that Earth is worth saving.”

  John was unconvinced. “If that’s the only chance, then I don’t know about this.”

  Adam looked doubtful as well. “I tried reasoning with him before,” he said. “The task you ask of us is nearly impossible.” But then Adam remembered the act of clemency Rolmar had granted him at the amusement park. He chose to spare me that day. Maybe he can be reasoned with. “I think it’s worth a try, guys. I’m not giving up.”

  “What do we have to lose?” John said.

  Zelia nodded in agreement. “I’m in. Just one question though… why are you helping us?”

  “I’ve visited the Earth many times and would hate to see it destroyed. I’ve grown fond of this planet. Rolmar thinks I followed him on this mission so that I could cause havoc. But I really had intentions of protecting the Earth. By the way, sorry about the incident in the kitchen.”

  “That was you!” John said, livid.

  “Sorry, just having a little fun,” the demon said with a shrug.

  Then John said, “How do we know that this isn’t another one of your games?”

  Itakir replied, “You can choose to die along with all the other Earthlings or you could take a leap of faith and come with me.” The three friends traded glances.

  Adam spoke up: “Well, if this guy is willing to help us, we might as well give it a shot. Maybe I’ll be able to sleep again. How much do you love the Earth?”

  “Enough to try and save it,” John replied. “Let’s go, guys.”

  “The most important thing is that we have someone on our side now,” Adam said.

  “First I think we’ll pay a visit to one of Rolmar’s friends on Earth,” Itakir said.

  “And how will we be traveling to this supposed friend?” Zelia asked.

  Itakir winked. “Leave that to me.”

  CHAPTER 18

  “Where is your home?” the boy asked. He looked over at Rolmar, who still was perching on a branch. “It’s in another dimension. My home is called Pentar.”

  “You’re lucky to have a home,” Hailey said. “We’ve been in and out of foster care our entire lives. That’s why we decided to run away. Going from home to home is terrible. It makes you distrustful of others. Can we trust you?”

  The bird nodded solemnly.

  The boy clung to her side again. “Hey, cheer up, Nat. Didn’t I say that I’d take care of you from now on?” Hailey said.

  “Yeah,” came his soft reply.

  “Well, I meant it.” Hailey said. She looked back at Rolmar. “Don’t mind him, he’s a little shy. I think he clings to me because he’s always afraid that someone might take him away.” The two children sat together on the grass. “Tell us about your planet,” Hailey said.

  “Pentar is a planet unlike most. It is a little like Earth in that it has varied terrain—mountains, deserts, plains, and forests. But my people may be the most technologically advanced race in the universe—or so our sources have led us to believe. We are mainly a scholarly group intent on bettering ourselves. On Pentar there are no wars now, but we used to have wars many eons ago, before we evolved. Now we cannot tolerate warring peoples at all and have sworn to annihilate belligerent nations. Over the millennia, we Pentarians have watched as many civilizations annihilated each other because of the barbaric nature of their kind. I watched as many a friend died in the Great Pentarian Wars. The pain still resonates within me, and I have vowed to put an end to aggression in its various forms, including war.”

  Hailey grew thoughtful for a minute. “Don’t you think that you could introduce peaceful ideas and technologies to these civilizations?” she asked.

  “We tried that in the past, but most nations do not have the capability to adapt. Not every nation has the potential to change.”

  “Isn’t it hypocritical to profess a hatred for aggression but then to use aggression to eliminate less-advanced societies?” Hailey said.

  “We are aware of this. It may not be the most diplomatic way to solve things, but I assure you it’s the quickest and neatest way. As you must already know, your governments are far from eliminating wars. Your rulers have wasted your planet’s resources and continue to pollute your atmosphere, land, and oceans.”

  The boy said, “So this is why you wish to destroy Earth?”

  “In short, yes. I will destroy this planet before you destroy yourselves.”

  “But there is the green movement…the environmentalists,” Hailey offered.

  “Yes, I am aware of that. I think your movement came a little too late. And there is still the matter of unrelenting aggression and pursuit of war by many of your nations.

  Haley stood. “But not all nations are that way,” she said.

  “Enough talk for now. You shouldn’t worry about such things. You will be saved. By the way, where did you learn to talk like that? You’re just a little girl.”

  “I think we’re becoming more intelligent,” Hailey said.

  Itakir was right about emotions rubbing off on me, but perhaps it works both ways. Maybe some of my intelligence is being transferred to these children.

  “Can we go back to Earth for a little while?” Hailey asked.

  “Why would you want to do that?” Rolmar replied.

  “To say good-bye.”

  CHAPTER 19

  Adam and his crew stood in front of Linda’s home in the mid-day sun.

  “You could have warned us about the teleportation spell,” John complained.

  “Yeah, it sure wasn’t a picnic,” Zelia said, looking a little dazed.

  “Sorry, but I guess I never noticed those effects,” Itakir said. “Perhaps the spell isn’t meant for mortals.”

  “Now he tells us,” John said, starting to turn red.

  Adam turned to Itakir. “How exactly were you planning to approach this?”

  “I hadn’t thought that far ahead,” Itakir answered.

  John threw his arms up. “That’s great. Just great,” he said.

  “Why don’t we stop standing here and just ring the doorbell,” Zelia said.

  Itakir looked at Zelia, “Well, you’re very direct.”

  “Someone has to be, otherwise we’ll be standing here all day,” Zelia replied.

  Adam turned to Zelia. “It’s not that simple. What exactly are you going to say? Hi, the world’s ending. We think you can help.”

  “Let me try. I think I know what to say,” Zelia said, sounding very confident. “You guys fall back for now, though. And Itakir, make yourself invisible for the time being.”

  Zelia walked onto the porch. “Here goes nothing,” she said. She knocked tentatively on the door. Linda came to the door after a few moments.

  “Yes, can I help you dear?” Linda asked.

  “Yes, you can actually. I believe we have something in common— or rather someone. Someone named Rolmar.”

  Linda took a step back. “You’ve seen him too?”

  “Yes, and I believe that you can help us,” Zelia said.

  Linda looked around to see if anyone was watching. “Please come in,” she said in a hushed tone. Linda led Zelia to the dining room where they both sat down.

  “My friends and I didn’t know who else to go to.”

  “I understand. I’ll do my best,” Linda said. “How did Rolmar appear to you?”

  “As a twenty-foot-tall, deranged demon,” Zelia said. She laughed a little, although the circumstances were grim. “I think that’s the first time I’ve laughed since this whole thing started.”

  “Rolmar appeared to me as a small boy. I don’t really have the words. He is a remarkable being.”

  “Wow, I didn’t know that he could shape shift,” Zelia said.

  “Yes, it was very strange when he told me about it. I haven’t seen him in demon form and I don’t think I really want to.”

  “My friends are waiting outside. Would it be OK if they came in?” Zelia asked.

  “Yes it would,” Linda said.

 
“I must warn you, one of Rolmar’s associates has joined us. His name is Itakir, and he’s a small demon. Not much to worry about. At least, I don’t think so.”

  Linda nodded. “OK,” she said.

  After everyone was seated at the table—including Itakir—Adam spoke. “Thank you so much for inviting us into your home,” he said. “I believe we all know what’s at stake here. I’d like to brainstorm some ideas for persuading Rolmar. I wonder if this can be done at all, but I think we have to do this—otherwise we’re all goners, and every achievement that mankind has made will be lost forever.”

  “We have to convince him that our planet is worth saving,” Zelia said. “We must give him a sound reason for saving humanity. He has to believe that the contributions of our society are significant in history, and that we will continue to advance in the future.”

  Adam said, “We should do some research and make a list of our society’s most important contributions and inventions.”

  “How about the Internet?” John said. “It’s connected the whole world and revolutionized the way people communicate.”

  “That’s definitely a good one,” Zelia said. “And how about democracy? I feel that’s a significant contribution. And what about the light bulb, the printing press, or the introduction of mass production?”

  Adam started writing them down. “Those all sound great. Let’s keep working,” he said.

  After brainstorming for several hours they had constructed what they believed to be a comprehensive list.

  “Now for the matter of contacting Rolmar,” Adam said.

  “Easier said than done,” Itakir replied. “Who knows if he’ll even want to give us an audience? He may blast us to pieces for all we know.”

  “But what if he has a soft spot we could use against him?” Zelia ventured. “I got it! Linda, maybe Rolmar has a soft spot for you.”

  Linda touched the necklace Rolmar gave to her. She had been wearing it since the day he confessed that he was a demon and explained about the fate of the Earth.

  Linda addressed Itakir and asked, “Do you think that if we were to break the amulet, Rolmar would be alerted somehow?”