Adventures of Jacko the Conjurer Read online

  Chapter 5

  The next morning Jacko woke to the smell of pancakes aerating through the house. Jacko went downstairs to see several of the children were having lessons in a large drawing room at the foot of the stairs.

  Curiously, he poked his head in and saw they were not typical lessons for average children. There were massive math equations which covered the chalk board because Manlo was teaching them quantum physics. Impressed, he moved along and found Sissy in the front room watching television while studying from her, own, set of books.

  Upon seeing Jacko and Dog, Sissy said, “Good morning. I was waiting for you to wake up.”

  “Mornin’,” said Jacko.

  “Come on,” said Sissy with a familiar bossy air that reminded Jacko of when they were younger.

  He followed her out of the living into the dining room in which there was a large buffet of food.

  “After you’re done, wash your items and put them away.”

  “Okay,”

  “I’ll take Dog out back to eat where the other dogs do. I called your dad this morning.”

  “You what?”

  “I had to because Manlo said you needed permission to stay here. Don’t worry, I talked sense to him and he said you can stay here for a while.”

  “A while? How about forever? I don’t ever want to go back there.”

  “Well, we can work on a plan later, but, for now, you need to learn the house rules.”

  “Okay, but can I eat first? I’m starving.”

  “Yeah, sure.”

 

  After a healthy sized breakfast, Jacko washed up and went to meet Sissy in the garden where she was tending tomatoes the size of large cantaloupes.

  “Those are humungous tomatoes!” exclaimed Jacko.

  “Yep!” she smiled, “they’re my specialty.”

  “But, how did you get them to grow so big?”

  “I talked to them.”

  “You mean you’re one of those crazy garden ladies?”

  “NO! Punk!” she laughed, “Oh, I don’t know. It’s hard to explain. So, anyway, the house rules…” Sissy went over all the basics about cleaning up after himself and going to school.

  After which, Jacko agreed to live by all the house rules. But when she said he would go back to school, he said, “Can I just go to school here? With all the other children? I don’t want to go back to dealing with idiot kids who are my age. I can tell the kids, here, are way more advanced in school than I am, so I think I could benefit.”

  Sissy laughed slightly, “All kids go to school once they look old enough to.”

  “What do you mean by that?”

  “You’ll find out later. For now, I need to ask you something,” she put down her pruning shears, removed her gloves, and turned to him. “Did our mother, or your father, ever tell you anything about your real heritage?”

  “Heritage?” What a bizarre question.

  “I mean about the kind of people we are descended from.”

  “No, they never liked talking about that stuff, you know that.”

  “Okay. Well, anyway, I need to change. Afterward, we can go and get you registered with school.”

  Sissy went to wash up while Jacko wandered around the back yard, which turned out to be much bigger than he thought. The garden was enormously packed with herbs and vines, and various fruit trees were planted throughout the yard. He walked over to the large kennel that housed a dozen dogs or so; it was there that he saw Dog who jumped up and down at the sight of Jacko. He walked over and pet Dog over the fence.

  After spending a few minutes with Dog, he went back inside to get his wallet and check his email. Once again, he passed by the classroom in which the kids were having their lessons. Several of the kids looked at him with such interest and several others waved at him. Jacko smiled, waved back, and went upstairs feeling relieved that his arrival was not disdained.

  Later, after Jacko was registered for school, they went into town to hang out for a bit. They had a nice long talk. Sissy told Jacko about the kids and how she went about finding Manlo, then, Jacko told Sissy more about Anna and his father, the night he ran away.

  According to Sissy, Manlo was a family man who loved raising kids. All the children were apparently his, which meant that they were Sissy’s siblings, too. When Jacko asked if he were related to any of them through their mother, Sissy looked away and didn’t speak for a moment. Looking sour in the face, she turned back to him and explained that their mother died, but that they were all fortunate enough to spend a good many years with her. For some reason, however, she wouldn’t tell him how their mother died. Jacko wondered if she was keeping information from him for the benefit of the children, or to conceal something from him.

  A week went by, during which, Jacko became more familiar with the house and its inhabitants. As it turned out, Manlo only looked majestically frightening, but he was really quite warm and friendly. Yes, he was a little weird to look at, but Jacko looked forward to his company. Whenever Manlo entered a room, he sought his attention because he made him feel calm, and, for so long, Jacko felt jarred and unnerved. Manlo had a healing way about him that could not be explained with words. The more time he spent with him, the better his soul was repaired from his damaging old life.

  Manlo was smart and always had something interesting to say. What really tripped Jacko out was how intuitive he could be. In fact, he wondered if Manlo could read his mind! He just seemed to know what he was thinking all the time, even before Jacko would say anything, yet there was a little ambiguity to his words and actions that made him unsure if he really was reading his mind, or not.

  Over the next few days, Jacko spent much time with the kids, several, of whom, warmed up to Jacko right away. They first bonded when they all sat in the living room determined to help him remember all their names. For Jacko, this was easily accomplished when remembering them in alphabetical as well as numerical age order.

  From oldest to youngest, the girls were Anle, Alica, Bordra, Dienla, and Forsi. They were all smart, tall, and pretty with each varying in hair colors from blonde to brown, to red. Anle was the oldest and the wisest, of the boys and girls, at seventeen while Alica was wise, too, but more reserved. Bordra was warm and boisterous, and she along with Anle would play basketball just as hard as the boys whereas Alica didn’t like sports as much. Lastly, Dienla was an excitable busy-body type, and Forsi was, by far, the most girlish of them all.

  The boys were much easier to learn because they were all named after Manlo. The family, however, had developed nicknames for them all. Bouncy was, naturally, hyperactive as well as the second oldest just under Anle. Grill was arrogant on account of his good looks while Machine was totally macho because of his excellent physique and strength. Icy was a laid back loner type who spent much time “just hangin’” with Alica. Bull was stubborn; Brain was nerdy-smart; Truth was known for his honesty.

  Of the girls in the house, Jacko especially liked Anle who was smart and clever. Whenever there was a dispute, Anle would call for peace while Truth would lay down the facts. The siblings gave her much respect and treated her like a second-in-command to Manlo; even Sissy respected her as authoritative. She was always calm, yet driven, and Jacko thought she’d make a great mother one day; either that, or a conquer-ess.

  Throughout the initial week, Jacko could be found surrounded by all the kids as well as Manlo. They asked him questions about his life, like why he was there, and very specific questions about his mother. The kids wanted to know much about what she was like. Did she like California? What were her favorite foods? Did they spend much time together when he was young? The younger ones were especially loaded with questions.

  Normally, those kinds of questions would have angered Jacko, but there was something genuine about their inquisitiveness. They were very respectful, and Jacko liked remembering his mother in a good way. Plus, the way they looked so sad, when asking about her, made Jacko p
ity them. He knew what they must have been going through, seeing as they had lost their mother too.

  Just like Sissy promised, school wasn’t so bad; in fact, Jacko felt he actually liked going to school. Every morning, he, Bouncy, Grill, and Machine would walk to school together. The girls had school too, but they preferred to walk on their own.

  What Jacko really loved about school is the way people looked at them with much respect. He also loved that, physically, they were an intimidating group of guys. Not that Jacko was a bully, or anything, but with him as the shortest at six foot, and Machine the tallest at seven foot five, people would be crazy to mess with them.

  When they walked down the street, people stared. A group of tall, gangly boys walking three times faster than an average man, due to the length of their legs, was quite a sight. For the first time, in Jacko’s life, he had a hard time keeping up a walking pace; usually, it was the other way around, but after a few walks to school, he was able to keep up just fine.

  At school, kids were really friendly, but the boys liked keeping to themselves. During the first few classes of the morning, Jacko felt self-conscious about being the new kid without friends. He didn’t want to be lame and tag along with the boys from his house because he had none, but he was embarrassed to sit alone without any. Luckily, he didn’t have to worry so much about the stigma of being new and without friends because, at break, Bouncy and the boys found Jacko and insisted they hang out.

  Bouncy and the boys introduced Jacko to different people all over the school. Most of them seemed genuinely pleased to meet him, but Jacko got the feeling it was just a way of sucking up to his sister’s siblings, for they, despite their exclusivity, were extremely popular.

  The only downer part of the day was when they introduced Jacko to a girl named Bea. She was cute but annoyed Jacko by following him around campus, and repeatedly trying to invite him over to her house to study. Bouncy, Machine, and Grill liked to tease Jacko about her in the evenings. Grill seemed to want to take Jacko under his wing and teach him a thing or two about women. Apparently, Grill often liked to pretend that he was excellent at scoring, but, in fact, had never hit it off with a girl in his life.

  In the hours after school, the boys would do homework in the dining room, and the girls would do theirs in the kitchen. Usually, toward the end of their studies, Anle, Alica, and Bordra would join the boys, who would goof off and try to distract them. The girls were much smarter than the boys and loved to rub in their faces that they were always finished with their work first. When they all were done with homework, they would go out back and play basketball until dinner; sometimes the younger siblings would join them.

  Dinner was always a huge affair that Jacko looked forward to! He was used to eating dinner alone, even on holidays, so it was something else to dine with a big family. He loved how everyone talked about their day, and how everyone was supportive of each other; be it feelings, challenges with their studies, or other personal dilemmas. Jacko loved how, even in the face of problems, they were a highly positive and upbeat attitudinal family.

  After dinner, they’d clean their dishes and do evening chores. If daylight was still available, they would go back out and play another game of basketball, and, if it was dark, they would mess around in the game room.

  During the days, and often, the evenings, Sissy was hardly to be seen. Her absence made Jacko feel awkward, at first. He was never good at making acquaintances or friends, so he was hoping she’d help ease his transition into the house. Jacko, soon, realized that he worried for nothing. The kids made him feel extremely welcome.

  Sissy was off at school most of the time. Manlo told Jacko that she was busy trying to catch up with her studies because she lost school time when she left home, after their mother died. Before she found Manlo, she struggled in an apartment in New York City where she could barely pay her rent, though she worked around the clock.

  Manlo always kind of looked funny to Jacko whenever he’d mention his mother, and he mentioned her a lot. Jacko wondered if he was really over her after so many years; maybe he was really angry with her, too. Perhaps he was angry the way that Jacko was for so long. To him, his mother taking her own life was as good as purposely abandoning him, and it was really hard for him to forgive her for that.

  Everything was bliss for a few weeks. Sissy kept telling Jacko that they needed to sit down and have a heart-to-heart conversation. About what, Jacko didn’t know, but she promised it wasn’t to send him away. Yet, she never had time in her tight schedule to have that heart-to-heart.

  Overall, he was very happy and could have remained where he was forever. Everything was going so well that Jacko never had a moment of sadness. He even convinced himself that the demon he had on his trail was just his depression pushing him into a schizotypal episode. Jacko never considered that he might bring danger into the house that he, now, loved. While he was in the home with Manlo and the others, he thought he was safe but, unfortunately, he was wrong.

  Jacko lay down to rest one evening. He had another great day at school, studying, and sports with the boys. After he drifted off to sleep, he immediately started dreaming of nonsense. Stuff like blue skies, red skies, then nine foot men and women, a loud barking that turned into an ear shattering dinosaur wail. Only, the barking part was for real and it was right outside the house. When the noise woke him, he simply muttered “Oh Jeez,” and rolled over. The barking continued, Jacko said “Please, shut up,” and slammed a pillow onto his head.

  Unfortunately, the barking did not stop, instead, it got louder and then there really was a crazy screeching-wailing noise.

  Sissy burst into his room and told him to get dressed and to go downstairs. Jacko arose and dressed, all the while barking and screeching noises emanated from somewhere below. He stood, fearful, for a moment before opening his door. Intuitively, he knew he was about to face something dreadful.

  When he finally made it downstairs, it was to see everyone in the house was already gathered in the living room. They all turned and looked at him,

  “Hey, genius,” said Bouncy sounding sarcastic.

  “Be quiet,” Anle shot with authority.

  “What’s going on?” asked Jacko.

  “We were hoping you could tell us,” said Manlo from behind him.

  Jacko moved over to allow Manlo into the room.

  “Dog!” exclaimed Jacko who was mauled by the loving yellow fur.

  They hugged for a few moments before Sissy cut in and said, “Jacko, there are two wild dogs out there who seem intent on destroying the house. Now, we’ve got them caught in the pens and we are prepared to return them but we need to know why they are here.”

  “How would I know how wild dogs get into the neighborhood?”

  “We think you brought them here, is how.”

  “What are you on about?”

  “In this world, they are wild dogs but in the red lands, they are demon hounds. When on Earth, they are seen as mangy, gray dogs, a modern day chupacabra; when they break the veil in their wild form, they are seen as the mythical iguana-like version of the chupacabra.”

  For a moment, Jacko wondered if he should feign ignorance, so they didn’t think him crazy.

  “We won’t think you’re, crazy,” said Manlo. “We already know about the demons.”

  “So, you know?”

  “Yes, we all know about it,” said Manlo.

  “How do you know about them?”

  “Well, we don’t know, exactly, what happened to you,” said Sissy, “but I know that you were attacked a few times, on your way here. I tried to check in on you a few times, but you had gone somewhere I couldn’t see.”

  Jacko had a realization, “Wait! It was you that I was seeing in the wind!”

  “You saw me?”

  “Yeah, your big white head in the wind, on my bike, and in the sky. I thought I was losing my mind!”

  “Okay, enough,” said Manlo, “we don’t have time for this. I
f we’ve got more hounds coming, we’ve got to be prepared. Now, Jacko, we don’t have time to ease you into truths. I need you to trust your sister, and I, and do exactly as we ask.” He paused a moment to make sure Jacko was listening, and then continued, “First, tell us everything that happened to you, on your way here. Include the dreams, and leave not a single thing out – no matter how crazy.”

  Jacko told them everything; about how he fought with his father and ran off; how he was attacked near Reno; about the way the man’s foot stuck in mid-air, “That was me,” said Sissy. “Right, Well, I heard you whisper to me…” and Jacko continued on, telling them how he nearly ran over Dog, who jumped up and down at the mention of his name. Just as he mentioned waking up some ways away from the road with two dogs trying to carry him off, “Now, Jacko,” said Manlo, “tell us about your dream.”

  Jacko back tracked to when he crashed off the road and described the strange dream. “Wow!” one of the kids said. Manlo just nodded his head as though what Jacko was saying made sense. When he talked about strange plant life, swimming with green goldfish, jumping through heavens, and dinner with Althenio, the children got very excited.

  “Wow!” said Machine! “You dined with an ancient one! I want to meet him! Will you take me with you next time?”

  Relieved that they believed him, he replied “I can’t because I don’t understand how I ended up there. Until now, I thought I was schizo.”

  “So, basically, you’ve been leaping worlds in your sleep; that is why you have been tired, because you aren’t really sleeping,” figured Manlo.

  “Yeah, I sort of figured out that I wasn’t really sleeping, but how am I doing it?”

  “Projection, you see, you’re sending your spirit outward while you sleep.”

  “Like an astral projection?”

  “Sort of, but not quite.”

  “What? How can this be? He is not even as pure as we are! How come I can’t go fishing in heaven!” asked Dienla jealously.

  “Don’t be such a brat, Dienla. We are not that pure. Besides, he’s obviously of strong will. As we’ve studied in the past, strength of power cannot be predicted because it is tied in with strength of character,” said Brain, yet Dienla continued to brood.

  “Stop causing drama, Dienla. Act your age or you can leave. This is a serious matter,” scolded Manlo.

  “It’s okay; she’s just a kid. I am not offended,” whispered Jacko.

  “Well you should be because she is not a child,” said Manlo.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Well, you wondered what Sissy meant by ‘everyone goes to school when they look old enough.’”

  Jacko just looked at him in amazement. How much did Manlo really know?

  “What your sister meant, was that we don’t age the same as humans do. Our cells are resistant to the rapidity of degeneration that humans may experience. Brain has it figured out that a person born with more dominant genes of a god will age on average 1.5 to five years more slowly than a mortal.”

  “Back up, a second. Who’s got the genes of a god?”

  “Use your brain, Jacko. You’re so smart at some times, yet dull at others.”

  “So, wait, you’re saying that you all have god genes?”

  “We are descendants of, and not nearly as powerful as Althenio…”

  “Wait, Althenio?”

  “Yes.”

  “Okay, but everyone here looks to be of normal age, to me.”

  “Everyone, except Forsi, Brain, and Truth, has hit puberty. Dienla is going through puberty now. She is eleven, in Earth years, but has the mind of a sixteen year old girl, yet she looks like a budding child. Once Forsi, Brain, and Truth hit puberty, as Dienla has, they will grow at an astonishing rate, like the rest of my children, here.”

  He still had doubt, so Manlo continued, “Think about it, Jacko. You, yourself, noticed I have similar skin to Althentio’s. Look at our height. We are all over six feet tall, and some of us are still growing. How many teenage girls, have you met, who were over six foot? Does that seem human to you? Forsi, Brain, and Truth, if they were normal humans, would be in high school, by now. Do they even look like they could pass for middle school children, to you?”

  Jacko considered the fact that he, himself, was already six foot when he entered the middle grades. He considered how extremely precocious little Forsi, Brain, and Truth were for children.

  “Do you know how old you are Jacko?”

  “Me? I know how old I am, thank you.”

  “Well, Sissy says you were kept home for an extra two years before going to school yourself. Do you recall ever spending lengthy amounts of time at home? Have you not ever wondered why your childhood is vividly remembered by you? When others cannot even remember the first time they’ve tied their shoes?”

  Jacko thought hard about what he was saying and realized that Manlo was right. He did remember tying his shoes at a young age. His mother told everyone he was two, but Jacko had never met a two year old who could tie their own shoe before. Next, there was swimming, and school, where he always felt a little out of place because he was clearly advanced. People thought him a genius, naturally gifted or just plain weird, but his mother would refuse any attempt to test him to see if he really was a prodigy.

  Manlo watched Jacko, and then continued with “Yes, I see you are starting to understand why we need to keep our children home a bit longer. Now it is time for me to explain to you some basics. First, Althenio is a demigod. I am a quartergod, as was your mother, and that makes our children quartergods. You are an octigod, which is why it is amazing to see you are as gifted as you are, for although strength of power is tied to character, there are typically limitations to the lesser ends of bloodlines. As a bloodline weakens, so will the strengths; although, every so often, we’ll hear of a powerful witch who is a distant descendant, but they are not the norm. Still, they are not witches, for there is no such thing; they are merely the descendants of gods, angels, and demons. Somehow, after decades, and even centuries, a dormant gene will awaken, giving the host strength. With that said, perhaps it isn’t so strange that you should be as capable as our children.”

  “You’re saying I’m part god too?”

  “What do you think? After all the evidence I present you and after all you have been through?”

  “What do you mean by ‘our children’? You mean child, Sissy, right?”

  “No, I mean everyone in this room, except myself, of course.”

  Jacko was stunned into silence. Was he saying what he thought he was saying? Were all these kids his half brothers and sisters? Sissy did ignore him when he asked if he was related to any of them through their mother.

  “Yes, you are all related. Why do you think everyone was so excited to receive you? Why do you think I received you? Our number one concern, here, is exposure. If you were entirely human, I would never have allowed you into this house. We are family here and, although you and I are not technically related, I feel obligated to father you as I would my own. I cannot let a child as powerful as you wander off, alone, in the world.”

  Manlo stopped for a moment and watched Jacko’s expression, which was extorted in anger at the idea of being kept in the dark while everyone else knew what was really going on.

  “How is it you keep answering my thoughts? I hate that.”

  “I’m a telepath. I can sense thoughts and images from your mind.”

  “So why didn’t you reveal yourselves to me before?”

  “Because I wasn’t sure you were ready. I wanted for you, Sissy, and myself, to have a heart-to-heart, but we didn’t have time. I may be a telepath, but I am not all-knowing. If you don’t think something, I won’t sense it; if you think too many things, it makes no sense. I did not know, for sure, if I could, or should, approach you, so I did not rush to enlighten you.”

  Manlo must’ve sensed Jacko wishing he had never come because he said, “I hope you can forgive us for not being for
thright with you, but do not be angry with Sissy; she wanted to tell you from the start, but it was I who held her back. I know you are emotionally confused, but we haven’t time for it. The demons who own the hounds are strong and they will be back – they never leave their hounds behind. Fortunately, you, too, are powerful. I can see from Dog’s mind that you are also a conjurer, a most valuable and coveted gift among the gods; to be able to call things to you at will, and to make reality as you want it. We need you to use your power to help us, and to save you.”

  Jacko was confused but was having a hard time speaking because he was still upset about being lied to.

  “What is a conjurer?” Manlo read from Jacko’s thoughts, “I had a chat with Dog this morning and, I was wondering, do you recognize Dog from anywhere?”

  “Uh, yes,” Jacko said honestly, “I brought him back with me from heaven.”

  “Not exactly, Jacko. Think. Where do you know Dog from? Does he, not, look more familiar to you?”

  Aaaaa WOOF! The dog barked and Jacko’s mind raced. Manlo sat back and watched him. He looked up at Manlo with understanding, then down at Dog with recognition, “He belongs to a family who lives down the street from my home. I guess I made him appear on that highway, but I don’t know how.”

  “The way I see it,” Manlo looked at Dog, “you must’ve been feeling lonely or scared and accidentally called him to you.”

  “So that’s what conjuring is? Calling things?”

  “No, not all, though that is what the name implies. A conjurer, by literal definition, is a word for a nonspecific sorcerer. Sorcerers have power that comes from within, and need no spells to make supernatural effect. That’s what you are, a conjurer.” Dog was turning around and walking back and forth between Jacko and Manlo as they kept saying his name.

  “How did you know that?”

  “I can sometimes commune with dogs; we have a special bond. But, as you will see, we all have our own talents, even Sissy.”

  “Why is it he could talk to me that day on the side of the road, but not now?”

  “I don’t know why he no longer talks, but I think it has something to do with your abilities; you must’ve made him capable of speech, but then taken it away. In heaven, however, every living thing is capable because mind rules matter there. If Dog wanted to talk, he’d talk.”

  “I’m so sorry, boy! Come here!” he banged his lap and Dog ran up to him. After a moment, Jack said, “Do you want me to continue with my story?”

  “No. I know what Althenio meant. You have a demon on your trail, and he’s followed you here; it’s just as I suspected.”

  “Yes, but I still don’t understand how.”

  “When the gods retired millenniums ago, they were given a spot for heavenly rest. On one side of the horizon is a peaceful and calm utopia while, on the other side, there is a heaven for hunters, and it’s sometimes known as hell. But hell is a slander from the gods, on our side, because the fact is their hell is their resting place; to them, it is utopia. We are just different. The hunters are the gods of evil, war, and destruction, and, to be alive, is to understand other beings ways of living. Somehow, when you wandered in the red lands, you attracted a demon; it’s the only thing I can think. Why do they want you? I couldn’t possibly know.”

  “So there is no such thing as biblical hell?”

  Manlo shook his head.

  “So if those black things are demons, and the men in heaven are gods, then what are angels?”

  “Angels are other species, and they do tend to have wings. It’s just that man got used to seeing them with the gods, and so they blended the mythology, giving the gods wings.”

  “Is there a way to kill the demons?”

  “Yes but only after we are granted permission by the elders.”

  “Elders?”

  “Yes, the eldest Gods are the ones who protect the heavens; they are often purebloods or the sons of purebloods; they are the planets in the sky. We must get permission to strike down any of these creatures, or else the elders may strike us down in return. Long ago, there was an agreement that heaven wouldn’t disturb the red lands as long as they didn’t disturb our side. In times past, when these agreements were broken by civilians, permission was sought from the elders who, in turn, would seek permission from the demon gods. It won’t be easy to get permission from them either, but it’s our only hope. We will talk to them and they will talk to their dark godly counterparts. If we are lucky, the dark gods will pluck the demon who seeks you; if not, we will have to destroy him ourselves. The hunters have a right to life and they are important to the balance of nature. Still, it is very peculiar that one should want to hunt a human child, and I’m sure this will create a ruckus.”

  “So how do we do this?”

  “We cannot do this. The gods would never suffer the sight of someone impure, like you or I, and would kill us on the spot. We will have to go to Althenio for help.”

  “You know Althenio?”

  “Yes, and we’ll have to go to him, now. We must go before it is too late, for demons are ruthless by nature and only respond to force. We’ll go tonight and we’ll take the hounds with us; they’ll be like a peace offering.”

  Just as Althenio said they would go that night, there was loud, high pitched ringing noise in their ears; it was like the high pitch of a dog whistle only magnified to unbearable levels. The ringing became gradually louder and everyone put their hands up to their ears, except Manlo and Jacko who stared knowingly at each other. Suddenly, the window shattered inward and everyone hit the floor. The wind whirled around in the room, and then something landed in the living room. Although Jacko couldn’t see the demon, it was easy to guess that it was he who picked him up off the floor because he felt a something sharp pierce his butt cheek as he was lifted into the air.

  Jacko closed his eyes real tight as glass slid out from his hair. When he opened them again, he saw the demon clearly who was examining him on the edge of his trident. He looked the demon straight in the eyes who said something in a weird language. Its voice was deep and electronic sounding, as though it came from an out of tune radio station.

  Manlo tried to rescue Jacko, but the demon threw a red bolt from his trident that hit his chest and sent him flying back toward the wall. Next, Dog ran at the demon’s steed of many eyes and it went crazy like an elephant with a rat. The demon wailed, terribly, as its steed jumped up and down in the living room, almost bucking him right off, as it tried to stomp poor Dog.

  The black cherub almost got Dog a few times, but Jacko blinked and suddenly Dog was as big as the steed. When he barked, it made everyone grab their ears, once more, and all the windows in the house shattered; even Manlo was hunched on the ground. The black cherub squealed, flailed its front legs high up in the air. The pants, through which the trident pierced, ripped straight through, and Jacko fell to the ground. Dog made to rush the cherub that turned around and ran cowardly back out of the window, and into the night right as neighborhood security pulled into their driveway.

  Return to Heaven