“Cacodemonomania is the pathological belief that one is inhabited, or possessed, by an evil spirit or entity.”- Wikipedia
The old couple sat together in the doctor’s waiting room.
They huddled as one. Their arms wrapped round themselves as if needing protection from the cold and what ever was around them.
They faced into each other as if wanting to be unnoticed.
They looked occasionally around the room to make sure no one was watching. Every so often they would look at each other and the old man would nod subtly to his wife.
There was a slight commotion, the old man moved, looked about, wrapped his arms tighter around himself.
‘He’s here,’ he said to his wife.
‘What? No he can’t be. You promised he’d stay at home.’
‘I thought he would. I asked him I said stay home I don’t want you with us today.’
‘What did he say?’
‘He laughed. Said he’d go anywhere he wanted.’
The old man then farted loudly, belched and shuffled uncomfortably in his seat.
His wife was looking more and more concerned. She was nervous, reached into her handbag and took out a tissue and held it to her nose as if wanting to mask her identity.
The old couple sat still.
Then the old man stood. He walked across the waiting room, he grabbed a magazine a man was reading and threw it to the floor. He then turned off the waiting room TV, he went to the brochure rack and began pulling out the brochures and dropping them on the floor.
The old lady fearfully crossed the room and took the old man’s arm. He shook it off, cursed her, pushed her away whereupon she fell back onto the chairs behind her.
The old man laughed but not the laugh of an old man but the maniacal laugh of a man possessed.
It was then the Doctor walked in, came up behind the old man and injected him with a needle.
The old man screamed, flayed his arms before slowly sinking to the floor.
The doctor’s nurses came and picked up the old man and carried him into the surgery.
Laying on the surgery bed the old man slept peacefully, occasionally his body rippled as if something was trying to escape, but his body was soundly unconscious.
The doctor listened to the old lady making notes as she told her tale.
‘He’s getting worse isn’t he,’ said the doctor.
‘He doesn’t have much control,’ said the old lady looking lovingly at the man who had been her partner in life these past fifty years. ‘The drugs only last so long. I’m afraid he is going to hurt either himself or me. The demon is getting stronger and is in so much control. He’s convinced there is nothing he can do to control it like he used to. I think its time.’
The doctor looked at the old woman and saw the tears in her eyes. He knew that over the years of treating her husband that this day would come.
‘I’ll make the arrangements,’ said the doctor looking over at the old man whose brow was now furrowed as if aware what was being planned while he slept.
But, thought the old lady, he knows what must happen. They had discussed it so many times over the years.
They both knew this day would come.
And now, it was time.
The doctor passed a form across the table.
‘You sure?’ he asked.
‘Yes,’ she said her voice trembling, her wrinkled hand shaky as she scrawled her signature for the last time.
Written for: https://mindlovemiserysmenagerie.wordpress.com/2015/03/01/writing-prompt-96-cacodemonomania-march-1-2015/
Morpethroad 