Raúl Sanz was what was politely called a speculative thinker. At this time, he was trying to fathom the connection between demonic possession and the tax information line. Little did he realise that he would pass through the intersection of these twin blights. Monday morning was brutal. He had taken the day off from work to settle his severe tax problem. At 9 AM he began his attempts to contact the tax office. No luck with the website, as he could not remember what the three secret questions were, let alone the answers. Then a half hour wait, only to be transferred from one operator, who had no idea, to an Indian lady who was charming but barely comprehensible. Then the battery in his phone gave out and he had to start all over, answering half a dozen questions to establish his identity again. This time, the operator told him he had the wrong department. She transferred him and then the line went dead. Three more wait and identify yourself sessions followed, extending well beyond lunch time. So he ate a late lunch. Then, feeling charged up, he rang one more time. When he eventually got back to square one, the lady told him she could do nothing over the phone. He would have to delete his old login on the website and create a new one. At this point, he lost the internet connection for reasons unknown. Enraged, he felt like breaking something, but what would be the point? He steeled himself for one more assault.
"Welcome to the ATO help line. Your call is important to us. Unfortunately, we are experiencing a higher than usual volume of calls."
"Please go instead to our website for an easy login."
"Dial one to hear our privacy message."
"Dial two if your call concerns an update of form #325."
"Dial three if you want to speak to an AI operator."
"Dial four to hear our policy regarding abusive or inappropriate language."
"Dial five to hear helpful information."
"Dial six if you need help paying your tax."
"Dial seven if you wish to wait indefinitely to speak to a person."
"Dial nine to hear these options again."
By this time, Raúl was seething. The worst part was that there was no-one to whom he could express his anger, since he was alone. There was little point swearing at the recorded messages or the witless AI operator. Accordingly, he decided to bury his frustration in his work.
This involved translating a medieval document called Sefer Yetzirah, belonging to the mystical Kabbalah. He reached a key point, where the possible translations contradicted each other. He opted for the boldest interpretation, pouring his frustrated energy into the Hebrew text. It dealt with demons - shedim, seirim and in particular Lillith, who was a succubus. He noted that a succubus is a beautiful but evil female spirit who seduces men. A succubus needs semen to survive and she will drain or harm the man with whom she has intercourse.
Words, it seems, have magic power, ever since the good Lord created all that is by means of utterance. Raúl sensed a feminine presence in the room, apparently behind him. He turned around sharply and thought he caught a glimpse of red, but there was nothing there, just his empty but over-decorated apartment. Now the presence seemed to be behind him again. He turned back, but saw nothing. Yet the alien presence was unmistakable. He was not an intuitive man, but this was something that no-one, not even a sceptic like him, could dismiss.
Half excited, half afraid, Raúl asked, "Who are you?". There was no answer, much like on the tax help line. He suddenly felt deeply lonely and abandoned. Work was the best distraction. He plunged back into the translation, which listed the names of prominent succubi: Eisheth, Lillith, Agrat, Naamah and Lilura. At this name, there was a cracking sound, like a large, dry twig breaking. At the same time, he smelt a floral scent with citrus overtones, similar to magnolia bloom. This happened to be his favourite scent. Then there was a faint sound, like silk brushing against a rougher material. Glancing at the mirror, he caught a glimpse of a human form. Then it was gone again.
A few minutes later, he finished translating the section. He was satisfied with his labour and fascinated by the exotic names, which he now read aloud, with particular emphasis on the last one, which means "enchanting night". There was a thunderclap. He looked around. This time she was there.
Raúl hated the sight of the four horns sticking out of her head, but apart from that she was undeniably beautiful and other-worldly. Strong too, not a female to trifle with. She wore a long red gown with black decorations that was partly see-through, emphasizing her slim yet buxom figure. His eyes fixated on her tempting cleavage.
"Who are you?"
"I am the one you invoked, Lilura. Didn't you send for me?" Her voice was at the same time imperious and feminine.
"Why, I did not realise this is what I did... I was just translating an old text."
"Be careful what you wish for!"
"I, I didn't really wish for anything, except to translate this fascinating passage."
"You wished for me in your heart, and down there." She pointed towards his groin.
"You're very very beautiful, but why did you come to me?"
"I am compelled to come when I am summoned."
"So you are here for me?"
"Yes, you can do anything you want with me."
"There must be a catch, isn't that so?"
"You know what I am. That is the catch."
A pregnant silence followed. There was no social protocol for conversing with a sexy demon. Raúl felt totally at a loss. Was this a fantasy come true, a hallucination or even a curse? He was awkward around beautiful women at the best of times. Now he felt as though his manhood were on trial.
"Please sit down and talk to me." He said, trying to normalise matters. "Would you like a drink, or are you hungry?" He could not keep a quaver out of his voice.
"Thank you, no. I have no physical needs, except for the one you have correctly translated."
"You mean semen?"
She nodded her head and smiled for the first time.
"You are even more beautiful when you smile."
"Then I shall oblige you." The softness of her smile took away from the power that was evident before.
She pulled a chair from the table and sat down close to him with her legs open, the hem of her gown at mid-thigh. So proximate that he smelt her scented breath. Her eyes were magnetic and unlike some women, who look better from afar, she was even more beguiling at close quarters. His heart sprinted.
"I always thought that the succubi and incubi were no more than the personification of the Church's paranoid obsession with sex."
"Exactly. But this is what brought us into being."
"I know who you are, according to this text, but do you know who I am?" He asked, fumbling for words to mask his arousal.
"Tell me, I like to listen." Her voice was softer than before.
He haltingly introduced himself as a Spanish Jew, and an unmarried engineer with a passion for Hebrew esoterica.
"I... I don't know how to ask you this..."
"Go ahead, you will not offend me."
"Are you really an evil spirit?"
"That depends on how you frame it. From the point of view of the religious texts, yes, I am evil."
"How do you see yourself?"
"I don't know how to answer that because I don't think in terms of good and evil."
"Will you harm me?"
"I don't think so, but it is not up to me to say. You must decide for yourself."
There was an awkward silence, at any rate, awkward for him. She seemed completely at ease.
He touched her cheek. "I thought you might be an apparition."
"I'm as real as you are. We are both real or both illusory. The philosophers can argue about it." She laughed melodiously.
Although he had made the first move and was now holding her face in his hands, it was clear she was the one in full control of the situation.
"How old are you?"
"I am both very old, ancient in your terms, and also freshly incarnated for you. Can you make sense of that?"
"Sort of. That text goes back to the 8th century."
"Correct. Am I too old for you?" She asked jokingly, knowing the answer.
"I always thought that women got better with age."
"I am ready for you." She announced flatly.
He began to caress her noble neck and then gradually lower down. He slipped his hands into her gown to cup her full breasts.
"I like that." She purred.
He slid the gown off her shoulders and marvelled at the view. Her nipples were surprisingly firm to the touch. Then she knelt down before him.
"Do you like fellatio?" He could only nod his head. He was already fully erect as she freed his member from its little prison.
She took her time, being expert at giving pleasure. He finally ejaculated with a judder that shook his body.
"Thank you." She said simply, after swallowing.
He lay down on the carpet and pulled her to him, their bodies meeting. There was no need for words then, and he did not want to move a muscle, except to caress her face gently. He tried not to look at her horns, which were her sole imperfection. He thought he'd get used to them.
One thing was for sure, dealing with a horned demon was a world easier than the gremlins at the tax department.
"I want to ask you another hard question."
"Yes, despite my bad reputation, I will answer honestly, as best I can."
"Are you capable of love?"
"I don't know what human love is. From what I can gather, many humans don't either."
"Touché. So what do you feel?"
"I have extremely intense sexual feelings. I enjoy sex more than any woman."
"What about affection?"
"I love it. I enjoy being touched, caressed and to feel your body pressed to mine."
"So how are you different from a woman?"
"Much more sexual, but as for the emotional part, I have far less."
"So you are like a woman overdeveloped sexually but underdeveloped emotionally?"
"I never thought about it before, but I think that is it."
"What do you feel for me?"
"A powerful attraction, a connection, a desire to merge with you."
"Hm."
"Is that enough for you?"
"I don't know."
Some time later, he was ready to make love again. This time, he wanted another fantasy.
"Do you have anal sex?"
"Naturally. There is nothing unnatural about it."
She lay down on her stomach, propping herself up with her elbows, so that he could hold her breasts from below. He entered her easily and she matched her movements to his, so that the full length of penis entered her anus.
When he came, she also did so, loudly. They lay together on their sides, with his flaccid penis still inside her, as she pressed her back into his body, with his arms around her waist.
"I have just one more place for your phallus. We can try that a little later."
"How long will you stay with me?"
"That depends only on you. I don't have a schedule."
"What happens to you afterwards?"
"I return to a kind of limbo and wait for the next call."
Raúl felt drained, but that was normal. The religious authorities had a long history of fearing and stigmatising sex. Maybe the religious text was wrong about her being harmful? At this point, he didn't care. But then, another thought broke into his consciousness, like a dousing with a bucket of water.
"Oh, heck! I have to ring the tax office before 6 pm."
"You think of taxation the whole time?" She sounded disappointed.
"Of course not, but I've got an urgent problem."
"Can I help you?"
"I very much doubt it. The taxman is not susceptible to female charm. Besides which, there is no man. It's all machines now."
"Taxes are as old as prostitution. I can deal with tax. Man or machine, it does not matter. You can say goodbye to tax."
And with that, he realised it was forever lost to him.