The Whisperer

by Donato Carrisi

He wanted to strip them of any hope of overcoming their grief, of trying to forget their loss. They will have to remember what he did to them for the rest of their days. He has amplified their grief by taking away their future. He has deprived them of the possibility of passing on a memory of themselves to the years to come, of surviving their own death . . . and he has fed on that.

The scent of death is both nauseating and sweet. It’s a contradiction in terms. First it hits you like a blow to the stomach, then you discover that there is something deep within it that you can’t help liking.

‘God is silent. The devil whispers . . .’

The parasite had withdrawn into his cocoon, at the top of the hill of refuse.

‘Evil generates only more evil. That has always been its chief characteristic.’

‘Once I heard someone say that evil can always be demonstrated. Good can’t. Because evil leaves traces of its passing. While you can only bear witness to good.’

Good is clean, evil is dirty .

‘Because when I lower myself into the darkness to pull someone out, I always have to find a motive, a strong reason to bring myself back into the light. It’s a kind of safety rope to bring me back. Because, if there’s one thing I’ve learned it’s that the darkness calls to you, it seduces you with its pull. And it’s hard to resist the temptation . . . When I come out with the person I’ve rescued, I’m aware that we’re not alone. There’s always something else that comes with us out of that black hole, stuck to our shoes. And it’s hard to get rid of.’

The hole in the tool-shed behind Steve’s house had not been left empty. Her ability to feel empathy had ended up in there.