Bewitching Monsters

Sleep Paralysis Demon - Part 1

Contains: alcohol mention
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"You really didn't need to do so much for me," Theo sheepishly said. She was moving in today. While she insisted she'd quickly find her own place, I had no problem with her staying much longer. I already reorganized the first floor, clearing out the area below my loft and hanging a heavy, privacy curtain, as well as the strands of firefly lights I had ordered for her some time ago.

"'So much' would've been building your own room. Though I do plan on building an addition at some point. So if you're still here by then, it's absolutely yours."

"Witch—"

"Ah buh buh," I interrupted her, holding up my hand in a stopping gesture. "No arguing."

"You never offered me my own room," Caera playfully pouted.

"You would never stay in your own room if you had one! You'd just keep your clothes in there and come sleep in my bed every night like you already do."

"Look!" she started. I looked at her expectantly but, to no surprise, she did not continue. She uncrossed and recrossed her legs and looked away.

"That's what I thought."

Theo's suppressed laughter finally broke free and filled the room. She was going to be a delight to have around. We continued unpacking her things, drinking some wine, and dancing to music. I needed more days like this. Unwinding with good friends.

Unfortunately, our revelry was cut short. There was a knock at the door—so much for Closed signs. I turned down the music and answered it. "Hello?"

A nervous looking lagomorph greeted me. There were bags under their eyes; I assumed they were looking for a magical sleep aid of some kind. "Sorry to interrupt. I saw the sign, but with Vael still recovering from his morph ritual..." they trailed off. At least they acknowledged their overstep. "Sorry. I should just come back tomorrow."

Good thing for them I had had just enough wine where I decided to take pity on them. "It's fine." I closed the door behind me and motioned to the garden table and chairs. When we sat down, I realized I brought my glass with me. I set it aside and got to business. "What can I do for you?"

"There's been a sleep paralysis demon visiting me lately. I don't necessarily want to banish it, but I want to know why it's visiting me. Can you help?"

"I've never handled something like this," I admitted. I quickly checked in with my Patron to see if I could even handle this sort of situation. Payment options were granted, though cautiously, so I continued, "But I'm willing to try. It might take me awhile to sort out, just to be upfront."

"That's fine," they said with a soft, relieved sigh. "It hasn't been malicious yet, so I'm not too worried about a quick turnaround. But it has been spiking my anxiety and making it harder for me to get any decent sleep."

"Alright. Would it be okay for me to come by tomorrow night?"

"Yeah, sure," they said, surprised. "That sounds good."

We chatted for a bit longer—I wanted to get back inside, back to enjoying girl's night, but I couldn't bring myself to half-ass my work duties. Before Lori left, we talked over the payment. We didn't settle on one, but since he was okay with the different options I offered, I agreed to finalizing payment later.

The next day, I visited the archive. When I entered, Lybras was lecturing someone at the front desk—a new face; a young-looking dragon with scales that made me think of a sunset. An intern? That'd be exciting. Especially given how I felt their gaze follow me as I passed by, making Lybras snap at them.

There were only a small handful of books on sleep paralysis; even fewer on sleep demons. I gathered them all, and any others that might be helpful. Perhaps Qiriol might've been of some help if they were still around. Were dreameaters much different than sleep paralysis demons? Couldn't hurt to look into. For all I knew, this might not even be a sleep demon, but another kind of shadow creature.

I fell down a research rabbit hole. Lybras had to come kick me out because I lost track of so much time. Fuck—I even skipped lunch. I apologized for my mess, tidied up what I could, then quickly made my way to the Laughing Grove.

Valzok and his coworkers were all there, deep in their drinks already. They talked me into joining them

I left before they did. The energy drop between leaving the revelry and walking to Lori's place left me ready for a nap. And I seemed the only one close to sleep.

"Witch! You're here," Lori greeted me brightly.

"Good evening." I followed him inside.

"Make yourself comfortable. Can I get you anything?"

"Glass of water." While he went off to get it, I took a casual glance around his place. It was overall sparse, typical for such a young adult. It was also freshly cleaned. And not just dusted. Judging by the large gaps on some of the shelves, the handful of books stacked without visible spines—he'd taken the time to hide things. It made me curious, but I wouldn't pry.

"So..." Lori started after returning. His ears twitched as he shifted his weight back and forth between each foot. "Usually I... I sleep in the nude. I can totally wear something," he quickly added. "I usually can't sleep as well when I do, but I can."

"It's fine," I quickly stopped him. "It doesn't bother me, so sleep however you'd like. Just let me know when you're ready for bed."

I prepped a little area in his bedroom to observe him. I set a protective circle. Lit some candles. Mixed a few drops of a tincture I made yesterday and freshly muddled mint into my glass of water. When Lori was ready for bed, I had him take a drink, then took a drink myself—hopefully this would help connect me to him during the paralysis.

He settled into bed. I settled into a chair. It took around an hour for him to fall asleep. A few more for him to snap awake.

"Lori?"

He didn't respond. Couldn't. I stood up and walked up next to him. His eyes shifted from me to then the foot of his bed multiple times. It was here—even though I couldn't see it. "I acknowledge your presence here," I said to the empty space I was guessing the demon occupied. "I hope you can understand my words."

I started to ask it questions. Lori's attention stayed locked on the demon; I used that to track any movements it made. I made what little notes I could. Hopefully later, Lori could help fill in more. I doubted it could speak with him, which would make this situation easier—payment options like Lori's were rarely for simple contracts—but with so few ideas of my own, I really hoped that the demon was doing something that could help me.

The paralysis only lasted for about ten minutes. Lori stretched and shook out his body as he sat up in bed. I handed him the glass of water. After he nearly gulped down the entire thing, I asked, "Alright, so what happened?"