Gargoyles - The Demon Folks

“Redemption is not reserved for humans alone.” Sarlaqs was trying to drill some sense into the newly captured demon soul but it was in vain. “What do people call you?”

“I am Valak and I don’t care about redemption.”

“I know that because that is how I was too.” Being a Gargoyle was not an easy job and Sarlaqs had the most difficult job of them all. To capture and bring the demon soul back to the fold. Capturing was easy but to hold them till Michael came around was the most difficult part. 

Throughout history, this had been happening and Sarlaqs, who was a good 1500 years old, knew of it. During the dark ages, when demon-possessed individuals were brought to the chapel or church for exorcism, the released demons were captured by stones protruding from the sides of the building with holy water in it.  The stones then took the shape of the demon and they remained stuck there by the holiness of the church and the holy water. Not everyone was Jesus and hence not everyone knew how to release demons into another live body, like the swine’s, in the Bible. 

Of course, over a period of time the space for stones that could be constructed on the sides of churches and chapels kept running out and therefore it became a practice to build such stones on other building structures too. That’s where history started to get distorted. These stone structures with demons in them came to be known as gargoyles but people forgot what they were and as generations passed, they started using them as an aqueduct to release water from the higher levels of the building to the ground. Not that Sarlaqs was too unhappy about that. 

“You are a fool. Why hold me here and why should you be stuck here when we can easily get into any of those humans down there?” Valak’s protests were nothing new for Sarlaqs and he had heard more than million of them in the one and half millennia of his new existence.

“I don’t need the humans nor do I need you to believe that you do either.” Sarlaqs was curt in his reply. The usual thing after the capture was cleansing by an angel and who better than the mighty warrior of them all, Michael. Over a period of time, the cleansing led to gargoyles finding a purpose and many, like Sarlaqs, took over the role of capturing other demons. That is why the practice of exorcism declined around the dark ages. With more and more demons being captured by the gargoyles there was hardly any need for exorcism; there were not many demon-possessed individuals in the first place. Churches then lost this art with every passing generation. Sarlaqs didn’t believe that the priests would be knowing how to do it now, but then again, with the gargoyles in action, they didn’t have to.  

“What happens now?” Valak asked. Sarlaqs knew that this was the usual behavior of the demons once the early round of protests subsided. The demons usually gave up and that is also where Sarlaqs’ second role started.

“Cleansing. You will be cleansed.”

“Killed you mean.” 

“Which part of what I said sounded like killed?”

“Oh come on, we both know what I am talking about.” Valak was dismissive of Sarlaqs’ response.

“Only I know what I am talking about. You, on the other hand, are conjecturing. Sarlaqs said. “Anyway, not that you would be interested but here’s what will happen. Michael will be here just after midnight and I will release you along with the others. Thereafter, Michael does his job.”

“The last I heard of Michael was when he was beating the s**t out of Lucifer, so I don’t know how his job is going to be any different this time. I think….”

“Where do you think Lucifer is now?” Sarlaqs interrupted Valak.

“I really don’t care.” Valak said and was quiet thereafter. Sarlaqs knew what the silence meant – plotting an escape. Valak, on the other hand, could not believe that he would be released. He saw it as his opportunity to escape before Michael was anywhere close to him.

‘There are many more here. I don’t see how Michael can manage us all,’ Valak thought to himself. ‘The bar, yes, the bar. That’s my chance. That bar does not close till 5 a.m. At midnight, I am sure to find someone to hop onto. Not even the Angel of the Lord can do anything about it. When has an angel killed a human? Valak was suddenly excited about the whole thing. His essence was stuck to the building somehow with something Sarlaqs put on him. He did not know what that was but was really wanting to know the sequence of things in the evening so that he could plan out his escape even better.’

“So, what did you put on me that’s holding me here,” Valak asked.

Sarlaqs already knew that this was just a discussion starter and knew very well where this discussion was headed. “That was holy water.” 

“What, you can touch holy water? Doesn’t it burn your essence?” 

“After tonight it won’t burn yours either," Sarlaqs said. Valak saw the conversation heading in the right direction.

“So, tonight I become holy?”

“In more ways than you can appreciate.”

“I would like to see that. Holy Valak!”

“Let me explain,” Sarlaqs wanted to because he knew that this was the only thing that Valak would really want to know, “As Michael comes down, the holy water will retreat and you will be released. You will float down to the pavement and then Michael will bring you back to the fold.”

“What is bringing back to the fold mean?” Not that Valak was too interested at the response. All that he was thinking was that his escape seems more easier than before. Getting down on the pavement is good enough to enter the bar which was just 10 feet from there.

“You will see,” Sarlaqs said.

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As the clock tower saw the two hands join, as though in prayer, the midnight chime began to sing. The evening was still bright because of the lights everywhere and noisy, thanks to the bar. Valak had run through his escape plan a million times already. And then there was the flash of light. It was so bright and blinding that Valak could hardly look in the direction. Valak noticed that Sarlaqs had no difficulty looking at the light and even before he knew, he was released and could feel himself floating down to the pavement. Valak did not wait to reach the pavement and flew at blinding pace into the bar and was ready to hop on to the bartender.

“What is this?” Valak did not find the urge to hop anymore. It was as if his urge had evaporated. He noticed that the light was gone. There was nothing outside except for the less-than-exciting street lights. All this in just fractions of a second. 

As Valak came out, he felt no animosity, no rebelling within him and there was complete peace. He looked up and saw Sarlaqs beaming at him.

“So, how did your escape go?” Sarlaqs asked with a naughty grin.

“Why am I this way? What has happened to me?”

“This is what I promised you - Redemption. I told you – redemption is not just for humans but for demons too.” 

 “I love this, Sarlaqs. Why did I not seek redemption sooner?”

“Because you did not know and there are many more out there who do not know. That’s why I took over doing what I do. Capturing demons and presenting them to the power that can redeem them. Anyway, you are free now. You need not plot anything anymore and definitely not your escape,” they both started laughing. “You can choose to stay here in this world or in the next. Your choice.”

“I want to stay here, Sarlaqs and I want to do what you do,” Valak said.

Sarlaqs smiled. “Well then, welcome to the gargoyle world!!!”

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Epilogue

“Okay, just one question. Where is Lucifer?” Valak remembered their conversation from before.

Sarlaqs grinned, “come, let me show you,” and they both flew into the dark!!

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This story is written in response to @mctiller's short story contest which can be found here. 

Image Courtesy: darksouls1 at Pixabay