Night １ . Devil of the Evening
Night １ . Devil of the Evening
From the purple cumulonimbus clouds, sharp raindrops like four-eyed cones pierce the earth. Numerous beehives are drawn on the surfaces of rocks and trees. They suddenly gather, and now a great, magnificent tree crumbles. Wood dust rises up like smoke, and even it is beaten down by the pouring rain. It is as if to say, "Keep hanging your head. Rocks are crushed into pebbles, pebbles into sand. A gust of wind scoops up the sand and turns it into an iron wind, passing right by the girl and the sheep.
When the evening demon appears, the sky turns scarlet and every object on earth turns to particles. By the time it leaves, the water pushes away the bits of life and there is nothing left.
The clouds are supple and pointed. Corneas the color of gold threads and pupils the color of fresh blood. As if to point at the one and only eye, Sally pointed her stone poke at the evening devil and opened her shabby black umbrella. The sound of the umbrella opening, amidst the single sound of heavy rain, is the alternative to a conch.
Can you get by with this stuff?" Sally said.
'No problem at all,' said the sheep at her feet.
The unreliable fabric caught the raindrops that had just knocked down a large tree. The bone creaked, and the vibration transmitted from the middle bar was felt in the small palm that gripped the handle.
It's all right," the sheep said.
The rain, like machine gunfire, never penetrated the umbrella. The umbrella seemed to be a space disconnected from its surroundings, Sally thought.
The evening demon was aware of resistance. It changed the directionality of the wind.
Turn your umbrella to the front," the sheep quickly said.
Sally was a little puzzled, but did as she was told and turned the umbrella around. The bones were spread out in concentric circles around the potter's wheel. She thought the regularity of the arrangement was beautiful. The next moment, I felt a violent shock that shook my whole body.
Don't let up," the sheep said.
Sally quickly retracted her left foot, using it as a support rod, and adjusted her right foot as a pivot point. Her right thumb tightened. The ball of the thumb pushed into the ground through the shoe. The weight was on.
The evening demon thought that he had to fundamentally change his way of doing things. He could not kill the human being as it was. The hatred naturally grew, and blood flowed into the circuit that had been abandoned in the beast for a long time.
Perhaps next time," the sheep said, "you'll bring out the whole thing.
What do you mean, "all of it?" Sally said.
When I say all of it, I mean all of it.
You'll just have to experience it for yourself.
The sound of the rain began to diminish, the wind stopped, and finally the rain stopped. Of course, nothing was over. For the first time, Sally felt dread. This was preparation. The messy thinning was over. The real rampage is coming. The beast's fury seeps through the stillness.
Soon, something hard slams against the fabric of the umbrella. It struck again and again, as if knocking on a door that would not open. And yet the tone was still quiet. A determined knocking, as if declaring to the shut-in girl that she would surely gut the locked room. I'm coming," someone said.
Don't disappear into the wind," said the sheep.
Hail began to fall.
After the evening devil had passed, as promised, there was no nature or homes left on the land. There was only a great deal of water and icy debris, the ground pitted and brittle, and Sally and the sheep were the only ones there. Sally felt refreshed by the lonely landscape.
The town we were heading for has been obliterated," the sheep said.
Yeah, but it feels good," Sally said.
'Good?'
'Yes, like after a festival, I can't quite put my finger on it, but there's something liberating about it.
'Your sensibilities are hard to pin down,' Sally said. I'm glad you weren't struck by lightning.'
The calamity was supposed to take everything as it always does. It didn't happen. So, she let her vengeance drift away in the clouds. Sally felt pleasantly fatigued.
