The Second Letter

My Dear Quetzel,

I think it would be wise if you’d be more cautious about revealing too much of yourself to your patient during your nighttime appointments. I understand all too well the wonderful ecstasy that causing fear can bring, but I also understand how easy it can be to get carried away and reveal all of yourself. Be assured, the joy that would come to you by causing fear of the supernatural in a devout atheist would be deliciously sweet indeed. The problem is that a full on visual encounter would shake his perceived atheistic world view to its very core. However tasty it would temporarily be, you simply cannot allow this to happen. If he were to see you, the probability that he would seek spiritual council is much too high for comfort.
Normally, this in itself may not be such a bad thing so long as we can introduce him to our sort of spiritual ‘experts.’ (I prefer to call them pets, as that’s how they’ll end up in the end.)
But alas, in this case the Enemy seems to have strategically placed this newcomer, who has already rather annoyingly introduced himself to your patient and has proved, with his sickly kindness and calm demeanor, to be even more dangerous to our cause than I had originally anticipated.
This just goes to show you; NEVER underestimate the power of one of His slaves, no matter the ridiculous appearance of their overbite.
Unfortunately, this one’s mind is almost completely cut off from our influence. His former tempter, Deredroll, has long since been assigned to a different patient and, based on his old reports, this sad sack of flesh has been one of the cheeky few to have a visual encounter with our self righteous, yet enslaved brethren.
Because of this, there is simply nothing we can do to get through the Enemy’s veritable stronghold that is this human’s mind.
Your efforts to keep your patient focused on the slave’s physical appearance and lack of education have FAILED UTTERLY. Do not foolishly press forward with this effort or else your patient may begin to feel guilty, which would be counter productive to our cause and may open a door for the Enemy to minister his silly forgiveness and salvation tripe.
So do you see the devastation that getting carried away may cause?
Rest assured, there will be time enough for pleasure when your patient is safely tucked away in the private little nook we’ve prepared for him. The few hours of pleasure that revelation might bring today simply aren’t worth the likely irreparable damage it could cause.
Now, I do not mean by this letter that you should leave your patient alone completely; that would be nearly as dangerous as revealing yourself.
An unmolested mind is the Enemy’s pulpit, after all.
Instead, it is often more productive to spread fear of the unknown by remaining oppressive, but just on the edge of your patient’s mind. I’m afraid you simply cannot be as liberal with him during nighttime appointments as you were when he was a child. Children are easily educated by our older patients that their night terrors are simply the work of an overactive imagination, and that they’ve just got a brilliant, vivid mind. (This is a perfect catalyst for pride, if you aren’t paying attention. Sew the seeds whenever possible.)
In time, they will forget all about you and dismiss your hours of torment as nothing more than a childhood ‘phase,’ or, if you’ve sewn the proper seeds, a sort of 'rite of passage' for an artistic mind.
If you simply cannot hold out and need the release, why not take a brief break from your patient and have your way with the child next door? There you may reveal yourself and torment to your heart’s content, with little consequence. Be prudent that the child doesn’t have experienced Christian parents, else they will likely send you sulking back, sniveling and pathetic thing that you are, to your patient.


Your Superior,
Amethyst
Chief of Human Affairs
The Third Circle

P.S. You’ll notice in this letter that I refer to your appointments as nighttime appointments specifically. They WILL remain taking place during the night only, Quetzel. I understand the temptation that arises during the day when you’re dreadfully bored, but you should be more productive at those times. Plus, if you can manage to avoid causing fear, it will likely encourage your patient to all but forget his silly fears from the night before and dismiss them. Suggest that he was merely a victim of an overactive imagination during the witching hour. It’s only ‘natural,’ right?