Free Come Closer by Sara Gran Page B

married—unless a man made love to his wife regularly, what he thought was a simple nocturnal emission could really be a demon making love to him, impregnating herself with his seed. In Genesis, we see Naamah yet again. In this story she’s the daughter of Lamach and Zillah. This Naamah wasn’t a demon, just a human. But oddly enough, this Naamah married her brother, Tubal Cain, and then gave birth to a demon—Asmodeus, who we still know today. Hence her reputation as a fierce and proud mother, whose secondary goal—after seduction—is to eliminate any children that are not her own. In Kings 3:16, she appears again (along with Lilith), as one of the two harlots sent to test the wisdom of Solomon. Posing as two mothers arguing over the maternity of a child, the demons attempt to trick Solomon into making a foolish decision; instead, Solomon offers to cut the child in half, knowing the true mother will give up her claim. Defeated, the two demons go back to whence they came. As with all stories concerning Solomon, this myth figures in Freemasonry legend as well.
    In addition to these, there are far more instances of Naamah’s unfortunate influence throughout Christian and Jewish history.
     
    The next morning I told Edward I didn’t feel well—sun poisoning—and that I ought to stay home while he went to the beach. Once he was gone I read some more from the book:
    If only the average person knew the early warning signs of possession, much heartbreak could be averted. The most common first sign is an unusual noise in the household, perhaps a scratching, a tapping, or footsteps ... Once inside its victim the demon will usually start off with small mischief—petty theft, arguments, and the like. Its usual MO is to slowly work its way to a stronghold over the victim before revealing its true nature, thus insuring it will not be recognized and exorcised while its grip is still weak. Unfortunately, we see and hear of too many cases where, by the time the demon is discovered, the victim is so far under its control that he or she cannot be brought in for a voluntary exorcism. The chances of recovery from possession in these cases are small.
     
    Ed came back from the beach that afternoon in a wonderful mood. He wanted us to drive out to a seafood restaurant on the bay that he had seen the day before.
    “I still don’t feel well,” I told him. “I want to stay in bed.” He pouted. “Hon, come on, this is supposed to be our vacation.”
    “I don’t want to,” I said. “I feel like shit. Ed, I think I—”
    Ed, I think I’m going crazy, I was going to say. I think I’m possessed. But he cut me off.
    “Christ!” he said. “Can’t we ever have any fun anymore? Can’t we even have one fucking nice weekend at the beach?”
    He scowled. The demon’s voice screamed in my head, and the next thing I knew I was screaming at Ed.
    “You want to have fun!” I shouted. “LOOK at me!”
    “I just wanted—”
    “YOU wanted! All you think about is yourself! Can’t you see I’m sick, can’t you see there’s something WRONG WITH ME? YOU’RE SO FUCKING SELFISH!”
    By now I was standing on top of the bed, and I caught sight of myself in the mirror on top of the bureau across the room. My arms were flailing like an animal’s, my eyes were wide, my lips dark pink, and my hair in knots, almost dreadlocks.
    I looked just like her.
    Ed stood in the doorway, disgusted. He turned and walked out of the house.
    I collapsed on the bed and started to sob. You see, the satiny voice told me, this is how much he cares. This is the huge love you were so proud of. The one you thought would last forever.
    Ed, however, suffered from no confusion whatsoever. He came back late that night, hours after I had been pretending to be asleep, and went to bed on the sofa without even checking the bedroom to see if I was alive.
    When I woke up the next morning he was already awake, sheepishly drinking a cup of coffee at the kitchen table. I