Practical Demonkeeping

avarice, but far above the blue-collar demons like Arrrgg , who was responsible for leeching the styrofoam taste into take-out coffee.
    Catch had been created as a servant and a destroyer and endowed with a simplemindedness that suited those roles. His distinction in hell was that he had spent more time on Earth than any other demon, where, in the company of men, he had learned to be devious and ambitious.
    His ambition took the form of looking for a master who would allow him to indulge himself in destruction and terror. Of all the masters that Catch had served since Solomon, Travis had been the worst. Travis had an irritating streak of righteousness that grated on Catch’s nerves. In the past, Catch had been called up by devious men who limited the demon’s destruction only to keep his presence secret from other men. Most of the time this was accomplished by the death of all witnesses. Catch always made sure that there were witnesses.
    With Travis, Catch’s need for destruction was controlled and allowed to build inside him until Travis was forced to unleash him. Always it was someone Travis had chosen. Always it was in private. And it was never enough for Catch’s appetite.
    Serving under Travis, his mind always seemed foggy and the fire inside him confined to a smolder. Only when Travis directed him toward a victim did he feel crispness in his thoughts and a blazing in his nature. The times were too few. The demon longed again for a master with enemies, but his thoughts were never clear enough to devise a plan to find one. Travis’s will was overpowering.
    But today the demon had felt a release. It had started when Travis met the woman in the cafe. When they went to the old man’s house, he felt a power surge through him unlike anything he had felt in years. Again, when Travis called the girl, the power had increased.
    He began to remember what he was: a creature who had brought kings and popes to power and in turn had usurped others. Satan himself, sitting on his throne in the great city of Pandemonium, had spoken to a multitude of hellish hosts, “In our exile, we must be beholden unto Jehovah for two things: one, that we exist, and two, that Catch has no ambition.” The fallen angels laughed with Catch at the joke, for that was a time before Catch had walked among men. Men had been a bad influence on Catch.
    He would have a new master; one who could be corrupted by his power. He had seen her that afternoon in the saloon and sensed her hunger for control over others. Together they would rule the world. The key was near; he felt it. If Travis found it, Catch would be sent back to hell. He had to find it first and get it into the hands of the witch. After all, it was better to rule on Earth than to serve in hell.

14
DINNER
    Travis parked the Chevy on the street in front of Jenny’s house. He turned off the engine and turned to Catch.
    “You stay here, you understand. I’ll be back in a little while to check on you.”
    “Thanks, Dad.”
    “Don’t play the radio and don’t beep the horn. Just wait.”
    “I promise. I’ll be good.” The demon attempted an innocent grin and failed.
    “Keep an eye on that.” Travis pointed to an aluminum suitcase on the backseat.
    “Enjoy your date. The car will be fine.”
    “What’s wrong with you?”
    “Nothing,” Catch grinned.
    “Why are you being so nice?”
    “It’s good to see you getting out.”
    “You’re lying.”
    “Travis, I’m crushed.”
    “That would be nice,” Travis said. “Now, don’t eat anybody.”
    “I just ate last night. I don’t even feel hungry. I’ll just sit here and meditate.”
    Travis reached into the inside pocket of his sport coat and pulled out a comic book. “I got this for you.” He held it out to the demon. “You can look at it while you wait.”
    The demon fumbled the comic book away from Travis and spread it out on the seat. “Cookie Monster! My favorite! Thanks, Travis.”
    “See you later.”
    Travis got out of the car and slammed the door. Catch watched him walk across the yard. “I already looked at this one, asshole,” he hissed to himself. “When I get a new master, I will tear your arms off and eat them while you watch.”
    Travis looked back over his shoulder. Catch waved him on with his best effort at a smile.
     
    The doorbell rang precisely at seven. Jenny’s reactions went like this: don’t answer it, change clothes, answer it and feign sickness, clean the house, redecorate, schedule