i knew i was possessed by a pain demon. the strange nights i could not recall and the deaths in the village, as well as the oftentimes blood on my skin and clothes, were all good clues. i believe it all started with the death of my brother; we had been very close and i missed him greatly, often spending entire evenings weeping for him. lately, i can barely recall the evenings between now and his passing, several moons gone. fearing for my own safety as well as those of the villagers, i called on the local priest to help me. he listened gravely to my confession, nodding solemnly, a look of great concern on his face. after much discussion we determined to rid my body of its offending occupant, by means of an exorcism to be performed by my priest and a couple of his fellow brothers from neighbouring parishes. the ritual would be painful, he warned me, as the demon would only show itself in times of torment. i agreed readily, the short term discomfort was worth any future hellish incidences. the day came quickly. i had tried to calm my soul and prepare myself physically for the ordeal which awaited me. the priest came to my home early, introducing me to the two others that would help him in the exorcism. we exchanged pleasantries, but it was obvious we were all nervous. my priest led us to the dark basement below his church, where i was shackled to a stone in an old dungeon. the reasons for doing so were twofold: so that the demon could not force me to escape, and so that i could not harm the priests during the ritual. a small cauldron of wood was lit and a sweet incense of frankincense, rosemary and sandalwood thrown upon the hot coals. for several hours i lay there, unable to move, while the priests said many words, chanted and swathed me in holy waters and herbs. i was drifting into a fitless sleep when my jaws were suddenly forced open. something hard was shoved into my mouth between my teeth so that i could not close them. i looked up wildly, but the priests said nothing besides more chanting. my lips were peeled back from my gums and held there with wire clips. my priest nodded calmly at me, i knew it was time for action. it is not a common fact, but the gums around one's teeth are very tender and have many nerves. to bring the pain demon forth, it was necessary to inflict pain upon my own body and mind. one of the fellows had grasped a short poker i had not noticed resting in the cauldron of hot coals. my eyes widened and i broke out into a sweat as the poker was quickly touched to my gums. searing pain shot into my brain as i felt the flesh bubbling and roasting. through the waves of agony, i was surprised that the demon did not show itself. more drastic measures were needed. near-boiling vinegar was poured on the wound, then a bout of salt. i was close to passing out, when my body started writhing uncontrollably. my arms and legs whipped at the shackles, the rattling chains echoing around the dungeon. the priests stepped back, holding out crucifixes, splashing my body with a foul-smelling brew. a scream built up from the pit of my stomach finally breaking through, a high-pitched howl that pierced the rattling silence like a knife. my body was shrieking, pulsating on the stone, convulsing, finally releasing the abomination that had haunted me so long. an unnatural wind sprung up from nowhere, blowing violently around the room, then slowly dying at last with the lingering echoes of the demon's accursed cry. i was never quite the same after that. and when a villager gave me condolances for my brother, i said, what brother?