All families have their problems, but when you throw in an ancient evil. a father who never told his wife or daughter about it, and a grandmother who was never spoken about, you’ve got a fine mess that is up to the dad to sort out.
How?
The next day, Casey and Georgia were busy trying to find anything that could help them translate the contents of the book. Casey was on a step ladder turning the yellowed pages of a manuscript.
“Gran, how did he write it in those languages if no one can teach them to you?”
Georgia was pouring over a tomb with ancient symbols and references, “The rumor is that he was communing with a demon before the book was written.”
“Okay, but how did our ancestors do the ritual if they couldn’t understand the words and stuff to do it.”
Georgia stopped looking through the page she was on, sat sideways in the chair with her right arm on the back, and looked up, “I don’t really know. I have yet to find a diary that explained how they did it.”
Casey climbed down from the step ladder and stretched out her hand, “Can I see the demon book?”
Georgia hesitated, “I think this is what your dad was scared would happen.”
Casey tilted her head to one side and rolled her eyes, “And how are we supposed to get rid of this thing that’s after me if I can’t help? You guys gonna stick me in a convent or something?”
Her father entered the study with bowls of oatmeal, “Don’t think I hadn’t ruled that out as an option, Spunky. I’ve seen how the boys look at you now.”
“Dad, this is serious.”
“So am I. This is one of the reasons I thought keeping you away from this would help. I was wrong.”
Casey nodded, “Right like being the chosen to save the world and no one wants to teach you how.”
“Leave it to you to relate it to one of your books.”
“At least I read.”
Robert laughed and shook his head as he walked out of the study.
Georgia could only shake her head and smile, “I see you and your father get along despite what is happening.”
Casey looked at her grandma, “I am still mad at him for not letting me visit you and get to know you. Not telling me about the demon thing really aggravates me. I know why he did it, but I don’t have to like it, and I don’t.”
“Fair enough. You’re still joking with him. I was thinking you’d be too angry for that.”
“It’s how I cope.” Casey pointed to the book, “Can I, or are you going to take dad’s side in this one?”
Georgia slid the book across the desk, “I would like to protect you as well, but I know you need to be up to speed. You look through that, and I will keep looking through diaries to see if ANYone can give us clues. Someone had to have been able to translate the incantation to summon the demon.”
“Right, and if my eyes go black, and I start speaking in weird languages, find a priest.”
“Casey Ann…” Georgia’s voice had an unamused tone.
Robert was in the kitchen when he heard a whisper. He turned around expecting to see Casey standing behind him with a smile on his, but she was not there. He let his eyes drift down to the floor before turning back to the sink. He was wiping out the oatmeal pot when he the whisper again.
He took a deep breath with his eyes closed, “Bonny, is that you? Are you trying to say something?”
He got a chill from the response, “No. It’s not your wife. Bring me your daughter. I hunger.”
“How can I hear you? You are not here.”
“It’s because a piece of him is in the cellar, and he’s not happy about it.”
Robert’s eyes flew open, and standing there was the misty visage of his wife, ”We’ve been here trying to keep him in check, but he has grown too strong, and he’s only getting worse.”
“Bonny, I-”
She shook her head, “I will not discuss what you never told me. I have been spending the last ten years thinking, seething, and trying to reason why you would send me to my death by not telling me about the horror you kept locked away. Now, I just want to leave this plain, and I find I can’t because of you. I still love you Robert, but if I was still living, I would hit you.”
“And I would let you. I have been an idiot.”
“I could think of many other names, but I have to go to the cellar now before he realizes I am not there.”
Robert reached out to her as she melted into the floor. He punched the counter and his shoulders shook. He forgot about the rest of the dishes.
Casey looked up from her book, “Did dad just punch something.”
Georgia looked toward the door, “His choices are catching up to him, dear. He has to deal with them and doesn’t like it. He’s never been good at accepting consequences.”
“I thought I heard mom, but I’ve never heard dead people before.”
“It’s because you don’t have any in your home, and the demon keeps our ancestors from going to their final resting places.”
“That includes mom?”
Georgia, “Yes, that includes your mother.”
“She must be seven levels of pissed.”
“I’d say it’s more like ten.”
House of Geek 