A Demon's Story Omnibus by Michael Siemsen

Author:Michael Siemsen [Siemsen, Michael]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: A Warm Place to Call Home, The Many Lives of Samuel Beauchamp, Paranormal Suspense, Paranormal Romance, Literary Suspense
Publisher: Michael Siemsen
Published: 2015-03-23T00:00:00+00:00

Melanie hadn’t heard. She had begun a new painting by her sliding glass door. I sat on the back of the couch and watched as music streamed from her computer speakers. An acoustic song came on and she quietly sang along, her voice harmonizing perfectly with his.

“You said always and forever, now I believe you baby …” They crooned together, lyrics I would sing to her given the opportunity, or the slightest hint of vocal talent.

The painting began to take form. While I had hoped for a portrait of Joseph, it turned out to be an oil version of one of her waterfall photographs—the original picture taped to the easel. I tried not to read too much into it, but that is essentially what I do at all times and in all situations. It could mean that the night she spent with the old Joseph meant the most to her, or that the time we spent together thereafter had, in hindsight, highlighted that night as the beginning.

It reminded me of the day—a month after the waterfall—she got the news that her submission to the tourism board had won the top prize, and that it would be used in all of their new marketing materials for the park. She was elated and wanted to celebrate. I told her I knew she would win because “… not that many people submit entries.” She was, of course, deflated by this statement. This was, of course, all to protect my ego, and all at her cost.

See, I left that part out when I fast-forwarded in the middle of the story. But hey, I can be a jerk when hurt like anyone else. In the aforementioned case, I didn’t like the sudden visit from Old Joseph, the recipient of her gratitude. I apologized later that night, made up some bullshit story about being distracted about work. She felt better, but I had stolen the moment. See, this sort of thing occurs when one prioritizes their own needs ahead of others. According to James/Samuel, this behavior is the root of all evil. But I’ll be damned if James/Samuel hasn’t tilted toward that side of the scale himself. I doubt there are many who could honestly say they haven’t. So I suppose the trick is to aim for purity, be conscious of evil, and maybe you’ll end up floating around good with the best of us.

This sounded like a good moral with which to end my story. I did say that it would begin with my introduction to a man named Joseph Cling, and end with the death of said man. I could leave it there. We have all learned something, haven’t we? No? Well, all right …

I guess there is a little more to the story. But if you’re happy with what you’ve read—or, more importantly, I suppose—if you’re happy with me at this point, perhaps just close the book or set down the e-reader. Leave well enough alone, shall we? Still no?

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