Aurora Magazine 2019

had happened – I told him all about Makanimit, and it freaked him right the hell out. He suggested I find myself some Jesus, “He’s the cure for demons, bro.” But my agnosticism was a road - block. That whole year I was plagued with horrible nightmares – the half-asleep, half-awake kind. I’d switched sides so that my head was under the top bunk and my feet on the open end. One night there was a low growl beside my head. I SAW it! Looked almost like Gmork from The Neverend - ing Story. Huge, slavering fangs, very lupine features, and exud - ing pure evil and hunger. I don’t think I slept a wink at home for weeks after, choosing instead to nod off in school. He was ruining my life. The horror culminated in a live, daylight encounter when I was 21. I lived on my own in a studio apartment, and I was drinking quite a lot. On one particularly slovenly afternoon in my messy bachelor pad I was lit up pretty good and watching Faces of Death II (I don’t recommend it), when I heard this hiss coming from behind the curtains covering my closet in lieu of a door. I knew exactly who/what it was, and I hightailed it right out of there. Down the stairs, out the front door, down the street, the thing following me the whole way…moving from curtain to curtain. I had a friend stop me and ask if I was okay. I was not okay, I told my buddy everything, and he suggested I turn myself in. The folks at the loony bin did their best to convince me that no demon dog shadow man was after me, but every time I saw a set of curtains in an unusual spot, I knew…after I got out I had no place to go. I made a pretty good homeless guy but a lousy employee. The best I could do was a gig at the adult video store. Sleeping in the alley behind the store after work and waking up to a mini-Makanimit sitting on my chest was the last straw. I had my dad come pick me up. I got some Jesus, I got my head out of

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