You just rest now, sugar, and I will sit here by your side. There is no one here apart from us. It is only the wind playing with the curtains. Night breathes scented coolness to this stuffy grandeur. Saline sourness cuts through the lavender perfume. Listen. Can you hear the sea whispering? It is so faint behind the chirring crickets. But you are shivering; I will shut the balcony doors. The stars are growing weaker already.
   Let me tell you a story. I read this poem ages ago, centuries it seems. It tells of a demon, a spirit banished for all eternity. The demon roams the earth, restless, tired of himself and of evil. One evening he is flying through snow capped mountains of the south and sees a celebration in a towering castle. It is a wedding party; they are awaiting the groom’s arrival. The bride to be is the most beautiful maiden in creation, but melancholy enfolds her. Her dance, so graceful and innocent, stirs forgotten feelings in the demon. He thinks of his lost heavenly brothers and longs to feel love and be good again. Tragedy strikes and the girl’s fiancé is killed. The demon appears to her, but she is scared and seeks shelter in a monastery.
   Let me brush your hair, honey, while you fall asleep. How peaceful you look now. I cannot take my eyes of you. The pale precision of your face reminds me of a marble statue.
   Where was I? Ok. So, the girl becomes a nun but she still hears the demon’s gentle words and sees him in her dreams. Having lost herself, she feels compassion and believes his love. She is ready to fly away with him to his realm and gives in to his deadly embrace The demon hopes his love will redeem him. But it is not meant to be, you see. The purity of the girl’s soul protects her. She is saved and the demon is turned away from the light. It is his punishment. He will never know pure love and happiness again. The demon denounces heaven and plunges back to hatred and evil.
   But look how bright the morning star is. Venus, the bringer of light. The sun will be up soon and ringing bells will spook pigeons from the tower. I should be on my way. I am waiting for you to wake and open your eyes. I would give all the treasures of the world to see your eyes look up at me with a sparkle again. But this is no fairytale. Your eyelashes do not move, and my kisses cannot wake you.
   The demon has no choice, you see, but be what he is… He cannot change, condemned forever.