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Acolyte, vol 1, issue 3, whole 3, Spring 1943
Page 23
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this world which had turned against me. I decided to call Frankl and make a contract with him." "What was your contract?" I asked. "First, that since he was to have my soul, he would treat this village just as if it had a Keeper of the Gate, save for what concerned me." "Why did you ask that? I thought you were angry at the village." "I was. I don't know why. It came to me then, as if it had been told to me, and he agreed." "Then what?" "That he would help me in all my sorcery. I could make myself rich and great; I could become burgomaster of the village. I could take that woman, and as many others as I chose. I could wither my enemies." It was quite dark now. I looked around in the firelight, putting on some sticks of fat pine. I thought to myself that if he had not completed that evil bargain, he would always have gone on trying after evil, nursing his anger. The pine sticks flared up, showing the room's bareness and disorder. "Have you chests of gold hidden?" I said. "This house is poorer than when you moved into it." He said, "When will you let me die? People mentioned my name--they came to me. I became a Shower of the Road, a Samaritan. No, I couldn't be called a "good" Samaritan because of my evil pact. I waited for time enough to myself to get rid of the smell of incense, and set down that burden. Then when I did have a space of time, all I felt was pity for my village, for its people whose troubles I knew so well, who needed me. Some day, I thought, I shall do a few things for myself; but I have been too busy, year after year. And now I am finished. You cannot have any more foolish questions. Go away. Frankl has to come." Sandor rolled his head off the folded robe I had put under it, and closed his eyes. He was exhausted, but he had confessed. He lay there in that pain and the fear to which he had resigned himself, his face gaunt and hollow. I warmed my hands again. "Good," I said. "Now let him come, he who is Frankl." I saw Sandor's eyelids flicker, but he was past speaking. "Come now," I said. "We are ready for you. We bid you come." Frankl came....came with the high rushing sound of great winds--the house itself seemed to tremble under the impact of tremendous forces from without--and yet I knew, since I had just come in from the outside, that the air was quiet, that now wind blew. The fire lost force. And now there arose from the seemingly empty air of the room a growing ululation, accompanied by a ghastly gibbering from among which certain words were audible--certain horrible words only too familiar to me from sight of them in the books of the Master, which all of the family of Zara must study. It was like a glimpse of Hell to hear the evil mouthings of beings long ago banished to outer spaces, to remote places of earth and universe by the Master. As I listened with growing horror, a black, dim, shadowy shape formed by Sandor's bed. I saw nothing specific, but afterwards I seemed to remember having seen a face and shoulders. There was power there. It seemed as though the greatness of my cousin's fear overflowed from him to materialize Frankl. Sandor turned his head slightly and opened his eyes. They were filmy. He tried to speak, and made a moaning sound. His breath rasped, I assembled my power; I became fully what I am. I was excited and afraid of failure, and glad that the end of this long struggle had come---all this I subdued within myself. "What are you doing here?" I asked. "There is an altar and a four-pointed cross in this house. How come you within the boundaries -- 23 --
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this world which had turned against me. I decided to call Frankl and make a contract with him." "What was your contract?" I asked. "First, that since he was to have my soul, he would treat this village just as if it had a Keeper of the Gate, save for what concerned me." "Why did you ask that? I thought you were angry at the village." "I was. I don't know why. It came to me then, as if it had been told to me, and he agreed." "Then what?" "That he would help me in all my sorcery. I could make myself rich and great; I could become burgomaster of the village. I could take that woman, and as many others as I chose. I could wither my enemies." It was quite dark now. I looked around in the firelight, putting on some sticks of fat pine. I thought to myself that if he had not completed that evil bargain, he would always have gone on trying after evil, nursing his anger. The pine sticks flared up, showing the room's bareness and disorder. "Have you chests of gold hidden?" I said. "This house is poorer than when you moved into it." He said, "When will you let me die? People mentioned my name--they came to me. I became a Shower of the Road, a Samaritan. No, I couldn't be called a "good" Samaritan because of my evil pact. I waited for time enough to myself to get rid of the smell of incense, and set down that burden. Then when I did have a space of time, all I felt was pity for my village, for its people whose troubles I knew so well, who needed me. Some day, I thought, I shall do a few things for myself; but I have been too busy, year after year. And now I am finished. You cannot have any more foolish questions. Go away. Frankl has to come." Sandor rolled his head off the folded robe I had put under it, and closed his eyes. He was exhausted, but he had confessed. He lay there in that pain and the fear to which he had resigned himself, his face gaunt and hollow. I warmed my hands again. "Good," I said. "Now let him come, he who is Frankl." I saw Sandor's eyelids flicker, but he was past speaking. "Come now," I said. "We are ready for you. We bid you come." Frankl came....came with the high rushing sound of great winds--the house itself seemed to tremble under the impact of tremendous forces from without--and yet I knew, since I had just come in from the outside, that the air was quiet, that now wind blew. The fire lost force. And now there arose from the seemingly empty air of the room a growing ululation, accompanied by a ghastly gibbering from among which certain words were audible--certain horrible words only too familiar to me from sight of them in the books of the Master, which all of the family of Zara must study. It was like a glimpse of Hell to hear the evil mouthings of beings long ago banished to outer spaces, to remote places of earth and universe by the Master. As I listened with growing horror, a black, dim, shadowy shape formed by Sandor's bed. I saw nothing specific, but afterwards I seemed to remember having seen a face and shoulders. There was power there. It seemed as though the greatness of my cousin's fear overflowed from him to materialize Frankl. Sandor turned his head slightly and opened his eyes. They were filmy. He tried to speak, and made a moaning sound. His breath rasped, I assembled my power; I became fully what I am. I was excited and afraid of failure, and glad that the end of this long struggle had come---all this I subdued within myself. "What are you doing here?" I asked. "There is an altar and a four-pointed cross in this house. How come you within the boundaries -- 23 --
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