THE DEMON was waiting for him.

     Father Jessup stared at his sister's house as his black sedan pulled up to the front. The Mission Revival mansion was dark. Brooding.

     Father Jessup, wearing his cassock, took the valise sitting on the passenger seat and stepped out of the car.

     Father Jessup's brother-in-law, Daniel, opened the door. He was in his late thirties, gentle, kind, and refined. But his anxious gaze carried cares that seemed to linger even when he smiled. Father Jessup entered.

     A crushing stillness haunted the house.

     "Where is everybody?" Father Jessup said. "The nurses? Your house helpers?"

     "They all quit."

     Father Jessup, sighed, nodded in understanding. He placed his valise on a living room table, opened it and extracted his tools for exorcism. Brought out a surplice and slipped it over his cassock. Took a purple stole from the bag and put it around his shoulders.

     "Paul, are you sure about this? Daniel said. "The Church did not approve your request for exorcism and..."

     "Daniel, that thing in your wife is evil. I have to drive it out."

     Father Jessup heard the sibilant whisper of the demon: "It's so nice to see you again, big brother."

     Father Jessup winced. He got a copy of The Roman Ritual and a vial of holy water.

     "I'll go with you," Daniel said.

     Father Jessup shook his head. "No. Let the responsibility be mine alone."

    Father Jessup walked down the hall to the basement door. Daniel watched him with deep concern.

     At the door, Father Jessup stopped, almost hesitating, feeling the wicked atmosphere beyond it.

     He opened it.

     He recoiled at the onslaught of icy fog.

     His gaze flicked downward towards the spiral staircase leading to a strange and damp place lit only by a few hanging light bulbs.

     Waist-deep water flooded the floor made more eerie by swirling fog that seemed to veil the atrocious scene of submersed furniture and floating objects: old books, a stuffed lion head, several framed pictures, a golf trophy, and other memorabilia of a boisterous past.

     Father Jessup made the sign of the cross and descended the staircase. At the tread right above the water, he traced the sign of the cross toward all corners of the basement.

     Then he waded through the murky water, searching the place. He waddled with measured steps to the center of the room, avoiding the floating things.

     He got a glimpse of one of the framed pictures: a childhood picture of him with his sister Marian.

     A scale model of a sailboat glided toward Father Jessup. He heard a young girl's voice reciting a rhyme.

          Sail away sleepy sailboat.

          Drift out into the sea.

          Dream of home sailboat.

          Soon come back to me.

     He gazed at the sailboat with nostalgic eyes. He murmured the name hand-painted on its hull, "Sleeper."

     Distracted, he didn't see the figure emerging from the water behind him: his younger sister, Dr. Marian Jessup-Curien.

     The same doctor who delivered Burny at the hospital eleven years ago.

     Marian, now in her late thirties, was stark naked, face pale as death. Baleful eyes. Mouth twisted in malevolent smile. Her body covered with snake scales.

     Sensing the presence, Father Jessup turned around and saw Marian climbing up and squirming side-to-side on the water, like a cobra poised to strike. Her tongue flicked in and out her mouth.

     "Hello, Paul," she hissed as she spoke.

     Father Jessup refused to converse with the demon. He traced the sign of the cross toward Marian.

     "So my big brother is an exorcist now. C'mon, Paul, let's talk about this, okay? We could always talk about everything. I even made my confessions right here in the basement, remember?"

     The demon played with the water.

     "Oh, well, I redecorated it...gave it a water world motif. It's cool and eclectic, don't you think?"

     Father Jessup just stared at her.

     The demon moved closer to Father Jessup. "Besides, would you rather I used a fire motif and burned down the house?"

     Father Jessup plucked the cap from the vial of holy water.

     The demon backed away. "What's with the holy piss? You'll hurt your little sister now? I'll tell Mom and Dad on you."

     Father Jessup sprinkled. The demon jerked her head back and let out a grating, furious shriek of pain that echoed all over the basement. Her body twisted, arms flailing as she sank and disappeared in the water.

     Father Jessup prayed the Lord's Prayer.

     He saw a violent upheaval of the water's surface as if a miniature underwater volcano just erupted.

     Dark ridges shot up to the ceiling and punctuated the turbulence.

     Marian surged up. She floated on her back.

     "Marian," Father Jessup exclaimed.

     Marian's real face was back. It now had the color of life. The snake scales on her body vanished. The demon had left her.

     Marian stared at the ceiling, disoriented.

     "Where am I?" she said. "What happened?"

     To make sure, Father Jessup sprinkled her with holy water. No reaction. The demon was gone.

     He held her hand and helped her up.

     "Marian, you're in your house. In the basement."

     "Paul? Why are we here? Is this a dream?"

     She looked at herself, her eyes growing wide. "My God, I'm naked. And the floor...it's flooded. Paul, are you playing tricks on me again? Where's Daniel?"

     Father Jessup embraced her. "Marian, everything is all right. Daniel is waiting for you."

     He saw the toy sailboat circling them like it had a life of its own.

     His head trailed its movement.

     Marian followed his gaze.

     "The Sleeper," Marian said. "I thought we lost it in the ocean when we were kids."

     Father Jessup moved around and put himself between Marian and the sailboat. He lifted his hand holding the holy water vial, ready to sprinkle again. "Stay close, Marian."

     "It's just our old toy. I have the fondest memories of the two of us playing with the Sleeper."

     Father Jessup's eyes fixed on the toy sailboat.

     "Remember why we called it Sleeper?" Marian said. "Watching it sail for hours would always make us feel so easy and so happy and yes, so sleepy."

     Father Jessup blinked several times.

     "We fell asleep on the beach," Marian said, "and when we woke up, it was gone. But now it's back."

     Marian's eyes darkened; her face turned livid. Snake scales grew all over her body again.

     The demon was back.

     "Marian?"

     "And it's making you feel so easy and so happy and so sleepy again," the demon said. "It's taking you far, far away...to that beach on a lazy summer afternoon...and you're drifting little by little by little to sleep."

     Father Jessup's eyes drooped until he closed his eyes.

     "Paul, you're deep asleep now," the demon said, "but you'll do everything I tell you."

     Father Jessup remained motionless.

     "Open your eyes," the demon said.

     Father Jessup's eyes opened: a tranced stare.

     The demon smiled a wicked smile and brushed her fingers on Father Jessup's eyes.

     "Your eyes are heating up like they're slowly burning," the demon said. "They're getting hotter and hotter as I speak. Can you feel it?"

     "Yes."

     "Now they don't feel like eyes anymore," the demon said. "They feel like they're made of burning coal."

     Father Jessup screamed in pain.

     "They're so hot that you must cool them in the water," the demon said. "Can you do that?"

     "Yes."

     "Now, Paul, I want you to gouge your eyeballs out and immerse them in the water. And you will feel better. Do you understand?"

     "Yes."

     "Good. All right...do it. Now."

     Father Jessup plucked out his eyeballs with his bare hands, blood spurting everywhere.

     He dipped them in the water, and smiled in relief.

     The demon's vile laughter filled the basement.