Confessions of Failure From a Demon to his Psychologist

The inner turmoil he faces after unsuccessfully possessing a writer

Sitting in the waiting room, Nybbas places his hands on his shaking knees while bouncing his foot up and down. Fidgeting, he grabs a nearby magazine of Better Homes and Gardens. Rapidly flipping through it, he glances at the articles and finds that he’s looking at the chic Halloween home decorations fit for any pin on Pinterest.

Hearing the door open to his psychologist’s office turns his attention to her. With her spiral notebook in hand and pen tucked behind her ear, she stands tall. “Good Morning, Nybbas. I am ready for you,” she stands off to the side, holding the door open for him.

Tossing the magazine onto the coffee table, he pulls his shirt down to smooth it out, avoiding eye contact. Walking past her, he smells her sweet perfume. “Thank you, Dr. Teresa.”

“You’re welcome,” she softly closes the door flipping the sign on the frosted glass to ‘In Session’. Sitting in her powder blue wingback chair, she examines Nybbas sit on the edge of the suede couch. “You appear a little unnerved. What’s troubling you?”

“I tried to possess someone, and it didn’t go well.”

Pushing up her thick-framed glasses, she starts scribbling on her notepad. “Have you ever had this problem before?”

“No. Never,” he runs his fingers through his messy hair. “This one was different.”

“How so?”

“I tried to possess a writer who was also a redhead. I heard gingers were soulless, and now I understand. They are evil. I was warned to stay away from them, and now I understand why. I thought I was ready, but nothing could have prepared me — or any veteran demon — for what it was like.”

Slowly lifting her eyes, Dr. Teresa puts her pin down. “What was it like?”

“Horrible. I heard so many voices and was like, ‘What the fuck? Let me out! It was as though everything amazing in this world was already gone inside that human.”

“You’re a demon, Nybbas. Isn’t it your job to suck out everything good in this world?”

“Yes! The boss is gonna be pissed!” he jumps to his feet, pacing the room. “I didn’t meet my possession quota this Halloween. What if he demotes me to a Golgathan? You know, An Excremental…A Shit Demon! I’ll be the laughing stock of all of my demonic friends!”

Pouring him a glass of water, she hands it to him. “Take a drink and tell me more about her. You said she was a writer? Could that factor into why you had trouble possessing this one?”

“It might be. I never attempted to control a writer before. Holy shit, the voices in their head! It was like listening to Alvin and the Chipmunks rocking at a Rob Zombie concert. The voices wouldn’t stop! One moment I heard questions about why coffee stains your teeth yellow but milk doesn’t stain them white. Then it jumped to questioning why there isn’t a reality show of flat earth theorists trying to find the edge of the world. Once I started hearing thoughts about how to shave or wax a butthole for bikini season, I knew I couldn’t be there anymore. The thoughts had no rhyme or reason to them. Just insanity! I had to get out and fast.”

Sitting back at her chair, Dr. Teresa crosses her legs, chews on the tip of the pen, and gently rocks herself, pondering her next question.

“You think that I am crazy?”

“That would not be how I would label one of my patients, especially one who has gone through trauma. Why don’t you lay down on the sofa and calm yourself? This is a safe area,” she gestures in front of her.

Unbuttoning his top button, he makes three enormous strides to the couch. Placing his head on the pillow, he tucks his hands between this knees. “What am I going to do? Ever since the run-in with the writer, I’ve been too scared to try to possess anyone else. What kind of demon is ‘scared?’ A bad one!”

Returning to jotting down her notes, “Perhaps this not your calling. You cannot be the first demon who has failed. Maybe this is a wake-up call that you need to change career fields.”

Starring at the popcorn ceiling, his nerves suddenly ease. “You might be right. I have thought it would be cool to be a poltergeist, a shadow person, or a zombie. Ever since COVID, the recruitment of paranormal creatures has been low. It might be the perfect time to ask to lateral over.”

“That’s the spirit! You won’t know unless you ask,” Dr. Teresa reassures.

Sitting up, “Thanks, doc! I feel much better.”

“How about we meet again in two weeks, and you can update me on how it goes.” Pulling out her calendar, “How about November 14th? It’s after Halloween is behind us, but it puts us in a good spot before a long holiday break. 11:00?”

“Sounds good,” he takes the appointment card from her and stuffs it into his breast pocket. “You’re a lifesaver, doc. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” she escorts Nybbas to the door. “It’s important to get on the right path and live a healthy lifestyle.” Patting him on the shoulder, she sees him out. Watching his exit, she looks at her notepad to see the name of her next patient. Looking around the waiting room, her eyes fall to a goblin swinging his feet from the armchair reading an article from People magazine. “You must be Dutz. Come on in….”

Disclaimer: This article in no way endorses a belief in the occult. I am simply trying to be a creative writer, get into the Halloween spirit, and make you fucking smile or laugh. Chill out.

Looking for more holiday articles on Medium? Check these out ⬇️

Interested in becoming a Medium member? Start your membership today to support other aspiring writers on Medium. You’ll also receive full access to all of my stories published and access to everything on Medium. Note: this is an affiliate link, and I will receive a portion of your membership fees.