Redemption of the Demoniac Ass
And as for the treacherous tunnel and back alley where the wicked gather to pollute and conspire, widen it with the ceaseless march of the righteous, that no deception or resistance to God's grace may remain therein.
--The Miracles of Jingles the Anchoress
The young woman glared at Father August with a visceral hatred. Even for the seasoned exorcist, the sight was hard to bear. When her devout mother had first brought her to church as a young girl, the father had been struck by her eyes, so dark, yet shining with curiosity. She had perhaps been a bit intense and assertive for a child, but her intelligence and keen observations had seemed to easily outweigh faults.
in Father August's sober judgment, those small faults had grown monstrous. Her intelligence was all turned towards escaping her her benefactors and thwarting the will of the church. Her observation skills were used to search out apparent flaws in everything, from doctrine and apologetics, to the prudent measures they'd taken to restrain her violent impulses.
Before she was delivered to Father August, she'd even managed to escape a less experienced custodian, giving him a black eye in the process. There was no denying it -- she was of the devil.
Whether she was directly possessed, or simply under the malign influence of human agents who sought to overthrow the divine order was of no concern. Let pedants and historians debate where free will gives way to possession -- to an experience exorcist like Father August, it was a distinction without a difference.
Even the wretch's appearance seemed to give credence to his interpretation. Not just the rage on her face, but the baldness of her head, which seemed to make her womanly curves seem exaggerated and obscene. True, it was the church itself who had shaved it (The practice aided hygiene, and tended to ease resistance in the more recalcitrant girls), but the church's job was to reveal the truth.
The Father signaled to his attendant to release the straps on Grace's arms and the gag, leaving her in a standing spreadeagle, with some modifications she would doubtless discover shortly.
"What did you do, you sick fuck?" she shouted petulantly, clenching her hands into fists, and straining against the restraints. Her eyes widened, as the choke collar around her neck tightened in response, and immediately ceased her struggle, gasping as the collar slowly loosened.
"I apologize for any discomfort, Grace," Father August said. "The restraints are for your safety as well as ours. Please refrain from struggling. If you keep trying to choke yourself, we may need to restrain you in a less comfortable position."
"Trying to choke myself?" she asked slowly, her voice trembling with disbelief. "You sadistic, disgusting hypocrigghhh!"
Father August turned momently and pretended to look for something on the desk behind his right shoulder. It would be unbecoming for the girl to see him smile. He picked up a book at random -- a generic-looking volume bound in maroon fabric -- and spun it in so that the cover and spine faced away from the girl.
It was a test, and he was gratified to see her green eyes follow the book as he walked behind her, trying to desperately to see what it was. That was progress. He'd had her under his aegis for less than 24 hours, and she already was beginning to associate church doctrine with correction. The devil in her was already on the run from holy scripture.
"A keen but independent intellect is like a rich house with an unlocked door, child," he said, reaching under his robe to palm a small injector. "The devil has come to plunder your gifts, and live high on your bounty. He takes great pleasure in corrupting a mind such as yours. Fear not: we will turn his pleasure to pain, and drive him from you."
Her round buttocks clenched as he injected her through the stylish wrap skirt, setting off a wave of outraged gagging and coughing. He reached for the key around his neck, and casually unlocked a large cupboard behind her.
"What did you do to me, asshole?" she gasped out over several breaths.
"What do you imagine I did to you, child?"
"There are only two of us in the room. Don't pretend you didn't just goose my ass, you sick fuck."
"You don't know how sad this makes me, Grace. Everything has become a coarse matter of flesh for you," he said, giving a large plastic bottle a pump before putting it on a table directly behind her.
"We try to save you from your worldly impulses, and you imagine we do it just to take advantage of you. That is what makes you such an easy mark for the devil," the father said, carefully working his right hand under the outer edge of the wrap..
"You want to talk to me about worldly impulses? My mother might have her head up her ass, but I can see right through your lies, and when I get ougghh!"
"When you pull forward you tighten the collar," he said.
The stubborn girl simply shook her rapidly reddening face, clenching her buttocks as she moved her hips as far forward as she could. Patiently, the father reached his left hand around her waist and pulled her backwards, persuading Grace to accept the first joint.
"Your.. your finger," she said in a hoarse whisper, squirming. "What are you-"
"Silence!" He commanded, and was gratified to hear nothing but gasping in response. She was still grasping too tightly at the tip of his middle finger, but he could see the drugs had already loosened her up somewhat. Even facilitated by worldly tools like pharmaceuticals, progress was still progress.
"It's a tragedy that you've become such a degraded creature who speaks and understands only vulgarity, but the church is adaptable. We answer the needy in their own language. Now, finished your thought,"
"My... uhhh," she grunted. "My thought?"
She sounded less certain than before, less angry and more disoriented. Father August pressed his advantage.
"Yes. Something about your devout mother and her posterior," he said, pressing his second knuckle inside her.
"Her... posterior?" she asked. "But your... your finger is-"
"Her 'ass,' in your crude language. Perhaps you aren't the educated young woman you seem to think you are."
"I know what the wuhh... word...." she trailed off as he began to flex his finger.
"The vulgarity of a demoniac. Everything is 'assholes,' or 'up the ass.' But demons are never quite as clever as they think they are. Your own words have shown me how to get through to you. To open the way to salvation," the father intoned piously, seating his finger fully inside her. He hooked it inside, moving his palm in a circle to test his control.
Her only response was a helpless little hissing squeak as she swiveled her hips in response. It was almost cute in a way, a trace of something likable and appealing in the poor, afflicted wretch. He repeated the gesture, as if idly stirring the ice in a tumbler.
"Now, am I correct that you have nothing to say for the moment, and are ready to get on with your cure?"
"Uhhh," she panted out. He waited for a moment, but she seemed incapable of speech, as if the devil had bound her tongue.
"Are you ready for your cure, child!" the father boomed, pulling back sharply to snap her out of her reverie.
"Yes," she said, her voice coming out in a sad little squeak.
"'Yes,' what, my child?"
He felt her clench around his finger as she forced the word out past her lips.
"Yes Ffffather."
"Very good," he said.
With his finger still inside her, he untied the wrap skirt, and watched her ass come into view, watching it clench and jiggle as he lightly curled his finger. Her skin was smooth and nearly free any blemish or mark, save for a tattoo of a butterfly on the left cheek.
He considered the creature she'd chosen to mark herself with. It began life as a loathsome caterpillar crawling and living by only its miserable wits. Then, it bound itself in a cocoon of its own creation and utterly destroyed itself, to be liberated as a beautiful symbol of God's grace.
It was a fitting symbol of her exorcism, eliminating any lingering doubt from the priest's mind. He pulled his finger out slowly and walked in front of her, delicately wiping it on the wrap skirt.
She stared at him. Her breathing was heavy but slow, eyes glazed, demeanor subdued. Her pale complexion was colored by a beautiful flush now. Another small sign, he thought, uttering a silent prayer of thanks. He'd expected the sex of such a profane creature to be bare, perhaps pierced. But the hair over her pink slit was merely trimmed.
Orderly
, he thought, momentarily pondering whether he should have it removed tomorrow.
"You seem calmer now, child. I believe the devil's hold is weakening. Don't worry, we will see this through together."
"I hope," she said slowly, quietly, "when you're in prison, every, uhh-" she scrunched up her forehead, losing her train of thought. The drug had that effect on the intellect, though it was usually only temporary. He was grudgingly impressed that she had even made it that far.
"You were saying you hoped something happens while I'm in prison?" he prompted.
She blinked.
"I hope every prisoner rapes your... your ass."