#samuel oldham

The Master Demon (1991)

“Demons are tricky mother fuckers. It would seem everyone's demon has a particular set of rules or requirements to be dealt with. It could be a special necklace, some bloodletting or a fucking priest spouting gibberish. You never know, so you have to have to ride it out till it makes a little sense and you can try out some cures. That’s if it ever reveals a weakness. It's always possible the demon cannot be defeated at all or will keep coming back for sequel after sequel until your character dies off and beyond. Worse still, each of the beasts comes packing a unique technique or instrument of torment, with varying degrees of discomfort. Your demon could be the kind that runs around wearing your persona to mess with your folks, a surprise scary face in the mirror at night or the simple version that sticks to pointy metal and violent disfigurement. There are no real rules to how and why you end up with one, but It's not entirely random, because the negative power is personalized by case. It's always perfectly crafted to prove a point. While at the same time, there isn't a predictable merit system or anything to look for. Of course, some people go searching for cursed objects or will invoke an evil presence willingly. But you don't have to do something stupid to summon one or two into your life. If there is some science to it, I can't figure it out. While one person can get a demon that looks like Scott Valentine with a mullet and a tail (possibly annoying but not fatal), others get completely screwed. You could just as easily end up on the wrong side of an evil Kung Fu entity, who only possesses large bald men and calls himself The Master Demon...”

It was a bright night, the stars shining over the party that frankly, Percival Graves did not want to be at. The punishment for belonging to a prestigious family. His only relief was that Jade was at his side, the red and gold dress she had worn for the occasion so stunning he had been silenced.

“Come on my love, you can’t just stand here all day, it is a party, a dance!” Jade said, tugging on his arm a little as she looked up at him, pulling him with her eyes as well as her hands.

He couldn’t help the small smirk that crossed his lips. “You know I can’t dance Jade.” He said, patting her hand lightly with his as he shook his head, “Find your brother, I’m sure he’ll dance with you.” He looked around the crowd, trying to look for the same shade of red as Jade’s hair.

Percival felt a tug on his arm again “You know I won’t take no for an answer. I want to dance with you.” She said, leaning into him, “Please Percy.” She added and he knew there was no way of getting out of this.

“Fine but only if we stay to the side.”

A short kiss was planted on his lips and then he was being dragged to the middle of the dance floor as his fiancée sang the words “No chance”

He found himself being pulled into a waltz and he moved with the music, at least managing to stay on time as they moved, dancing. Jade laughed into his shoulder. “You can dance! It’s a Christmas miracle.” She said, letting Percival lift her off the ground, spinning around. 

This time he couldn’t help the grin. “You’re doing most of it.” He said, knowing it was partially a lie but fully aware he couldn’t dance like this with anyone else. The music helped but feeling the way Jade moved helped him almost instinctively move in a complimentary way that felt like it could be dancing. He found himself closing his eyes to try and drown out their surroundings so he could focus solely on Jade, letting the moment take him slightly. 

The moment ended with Jade’s lips on his and he pulled back, smiling at her, eyes now open, taking in everything about her as the song concluded. 

There was a tap on his shoulder and the second moment ended, much more abruptly. He turned to see Samuel, Jade’s older brother. “May I?” The taller man asked and he nodded, gladly moving aside. 

“Until Later.” He said, smiling at Jade.