The Devil Aspect

by Craig Russell

“You doubt me,” said Hobbs. “I can see that. So let me explain myself a little more clearly. You wonder when I first came into being. When did Skála invent me in the turbid depths of his unconscious? What dark event in his past formed me? Am I the child of Skála’s unholy union with a holy man? I am none of these things. My existence stretches far beyond the span of any one man or woman.” He paused. Viktor again became aware of the all-enclosing walls of the tower room, of the sound of the Magnetophon’s reels turning; of his own breathing. “I am he who is constant and eternal,” said Hobbs. “When the first men lit fires to keep the darkness at bay, I was there, because I am that darkness. From me comes all fear, all hatred, all violence—but also all creativity, all passion, all ambition. I have been known by countless names in countless languages throughout the ages. You say that I dwell in the unconscious: well, here am I and I here stay, for this is where evil resides. Here am I and I here stay, for this is where the Devil hides. You see, dear Viktor, you really do know who I am. You already know my names.”