It has worked. Evelyn is not possessed by some demon. There is a voice on the air that commands her to do these things. To howl and hurt herself and those around her. I have heard it. Just tonight. My ears prick at its whisper. My pen scratches out its thoughts. I know now that someone has taken the reins of my beloved’s mind.
There is a verse on the tip of my tongue and the edges of my fingers. A verse that might allow me to break the voice’s hold, to usurp its command. But though I have the wordly skills to bend its voice to me, I do not have the strength to break its will.
I lack both skill and sufficient power to rid my love of this curse. Some demented force beyond these walls seeks to drive my wife to madness, to drag me tooth and nail behind her, and all that I am able to do is listen as it tears her apart. What I would be, or break, to have rid of it.
[Use a lantern with new oil and an unburned wick or an unlit candle to represent your untainted intentions. Find a dark and quiet place. It’s helpful to be near the person or thing you believe is being coerced. Light a new flame and repeat the incantation. If successful you will not only hear the disembodied voice but may also be driven to speak or write the words you hear spoken.]
The voice on waves of aether’s air
Be drawn upon the light
I call you from the nether’s lair
To bring you into sight
Whisper toward the lantern, mine
A fire burning clear
Your shadow thoughts are bending now
And turning to my ear
That sullen song is echoing
Black bell that has been rung
Your words are at my fingertips
And spilling from my tongue