Adam Smith

Adam knew from the outset there was no way the authorities would ever let him go unless he played the game and told them what they wanted to hear, not the truth, never the truth. The truth, he laughed. That your daughter was specifically conceived to be the receptacle for an ancient entity his gathering called Inanna. That had been the plan when he and Darlene conceived Anna, the girl was to be nothing more than a shell for a long formant deity. Of those in his gathering, he and Darlene were the ones rewarded with the privilege to provide the vessel for the goddess, the only problem was Adam fell in love with his little girl. He knew everything that made Anna who she was would be destroyed once the goddess took possession of her body and he realized he couldn’t do it, wouldn’t do it. When Darlene realized his reservations, she went on the offensive, starting legal action, restraining orders, and even divorce to keep him away from her. So many lies she told, he was left with no other option, so he stole her away. How do you explain to someone, anyone, that he did what he needed to do to save the most precious thing in his life from oblivion, that the cruel marks were the only way to prevent his daughter’s essence from being devoured by Inanna. Every single time he cut her, he would have willingly exchanged places with her and endured a thousand for every one he inflicted. She was so brave. Every cruel piece of flesh he removed, every line he carved made him scream and weep inside. Poor Anna.

Misfortune in the department store put him in the hands of the authorities. They didn’t understand, blind fools, calling him a monster and a fiend. They couldn’t see it, what she would become. They tried to rationalize his action, citing dissociate personality disorders and any other mental deviation they could apply to try and explain why he did what he did. He couldn’t explain that the ward and sigil was incomplete, that to save her, he still needed to finish the work before it was too late, before the winter solstice and the goddess permanently erased Anna. He hoped his efforts were enough to forestall Inanna’s awakening, but he didn’t know. He suspected Anna must know, must feel the goddess stirring within her. Time had grown very short. He wanted to know how she was, wanted to know if she was safe, but dare not make contact, dare not reveal his intent to save her, lest they deny his release and keep him imprisoned. Locked away, he knew he wasn’t insane, especially when surrounded by so many damaged minds and the influence of dark forces, the kind that preyed upon the lost and broken souls in places like these.

He had been very surprised not long after he was apprehended when the doctor who had treated Anna showed up one day to see him, an inner need wanting to know why Adam had hurt Anna, and seeking enlightenment, Dr. James Henry, Jim. Meeting the aged physician, Adam could tell at once, Jim cared for Anna, for the scarred and mutilated little girl who had been ‘rescued’ that day in the Walmart.

Adam knew he needed an ally, someone who might help, and Jim might be his best chance, so he decided to remove the veil from Jim’s eyes. He told Jim why, explained it, but Jim was a man of science and discounted the explanation as madness. Adam knew the doctor was blindfolded to the world around him and realized he needed to show Jim, telling the doctor was not enough. He directed the doctor, told him where to go, what to find, what to read, how to see. It was hard at first, Jim’s mind while strong was closed and he was reluctant to give credence to the things Adam was sharing.

There were people Adam knew, people that understood that there was a dark underbelly to the everyday world people took for granted, that there were things science could not yet explain. Adam instructed Jim to seek out a Wiccan priestess, a very special woman named Belle. He provided Jim with a drawing of a glyph and told the doctor to share that with the priestess.

Jim went to see the priestess, feeling like he was falling down the rabbit hole of Adam’s madness. He didn’t know what to expect, but finding Belle was fairly easy. The woman lived in a fairly modest suburban home, two kids. She appeared mid-thirties, moderately attractive, still carrying some baby weight. Jim explained who he was and why he was there to see her.

She was friendly and polite but immediately turned him away. As she was closing the door on him, Jim showed her the glyph. That changed everything, her demeanor became much more remote and icy but she brought him into her home, where she did something, what, Jim never said, but whatever it was, it altered his perception of reality and erased any doubt in his mind of the veracity of Adam’s tale. She offered her assistance as much as she could, but said because Adam had initiated the ward, only he could complete it, then she instructed Jim to leave and never come back.

Walking out through the double security glass doors of the facility, Adam stood there a moment, assaulted by a throng of reporters. Lights flashed and he was barraged by questions. Taking a long breath of air, he pushed through the crowd. In the parking lot, a car door opened and Jim Henry, now retired from practicing medicine stood up, smiling at Adam and motioning him over.

Adam smiled back and made his way to the passenger side of the car while several people followed still peppering him with questions.

“I know where they are living,” Jim said, nodding and sliding back into the driver’s seat

Adam returned the nod, opened the passenger door and got into the dark blue sedan. “There is no time to waste if we’re to save her,” he said, fastening his seatbelt.

Jim nodded. Putting the car into gear, “We’re headed directly for the airport.”