Demons Read Online Free PDF

his girlfriend to hold his
drink. Can you believe that? Sorry, sorry. Hello everybody, sorry I’m late. Really.
Evan, that’s good. Jackie couldn’t come. Go, go, she said; you go. I shouldn’t have
come, I know—don’t look at me like that, please—but she told me to, she didn’t want
me around. I won’t go into it, for God’s sake, please, don’t make me go into it.
But maybe I will. This is good. How have you guys been? Have you eaten? I’ve got
to tell you, before we start: things are not good between me and Jackie. I don’t
know if you know that. She didn’t tell me to go, that was a lie. I just did. There’s
no way I could be around that family while they cried their eyes out over that selfish
little prick. Sorry. And you know why he did it? Why? Because he’d asked Mummy and
Daddy for some money to start up a business—he wanted to do craft jewellery—but they
said he had to match them dollar for dollar. So he went to his sister and asked her
but she said the same: dollar for dollar or nothing, Rylan, even though she’d usually
hand over fistfuls, but she didn’t want to disagree with me this time because, well.
It’s been going on for months. A lazy little slug. Or was. Sorry. How are we all?
Have you eaten?
    Marshall had recently won a seat in state parliament, last week he was on the news,
but he looked like any ordinary person now. Clean-shaven, a boyish face, a few old-man
lines, his hair just starting to turn.
    You shouldn’t have come, mate, said Leon. I know, I know, said Marshall; did you
already start the stories? We did one, said Hannah. Maybe we should leave it, said
Lauren. No, no, don’t worry about me, said Marshall; I’ll have a couple of drinks
and I’ll be fine. I’ve already told mine, anyway, he said, smiling, about Rylan,
the little toad. But we’re doing more than one though, yeah?
    Megan turned the dimmer up. There was an uncomfortable feeling in the room.
    I’ve got one, said Hannah. No-one was sure what to say. I might get that other bottle,
said Evan. That’s weird, said Lauren. They all looked at her. My story had a jumper
too. Don’t worry, said Adam, people are doing it all the time. Evan came back with
the wine. Lauren wants us to score her story out of ten, said Adam. What? said Lauren.
Hannah? said Evan. Before you start? Hannah held out her glass.
    Marsh, are you okay? asked Adam. That’s the other Heathcote, said Evan. Tilly’s in
the car, said Marshall. What? said Megan, standing up.
    I had to bring her, he said. I told her it was just adults, she didn’t want to come
inside. Everyone was staring at him. No, she’ll be right, he said, she’s got her
phone, let’s leave her there, I’ll tell her to come in later, she can sleep in my
room. All good, all good.
    The story stick was on the table, still damp and smelling of the sea. Hannah picked
it up.
    Well, she said, my story is called Pan . Pan? said Marshall. Like dust pan? said Evan.
Pan like the Greek god Pan, said Hannah, protector of sheep and goats. He was associated
with wild places: forests, mountains. Pan means ‘all’, said Adam. That’s true, said
Hannah, and even though Pan was a playful god he could sometimes suddenly turn and
the vibe would change and everyone would get frightened and that’s where we get the
word ‘panic’. But anyway, to the story.
    This is good, said Marshall.
    Lauren’s story made me think of it, said Hannah, how Carly wanted to get away, how
we all want to get away somehow, somewhere. There’s always some dissatisfaction in
us, isn’t there?
    Speak for yourself, said Evan. (Everyone laughed.)
    It’s about a girl I knew when I was younger, said Hannah, she wasn’t really my friend,
just one of those girls who hung around on the edges of the group, hard to get to
know. We were in our last year of school. Then one day she disappeared. I say one
day because that’s what it felt like but actually what was happening was she was
hanging around with us less and