Seven Demons Aidan Truhen (reading an ebook TXT) 📖

the timing is important it must be immediately but I appreciate—yes here is a check by way of persuasion—yes that really is a lot of money it was paid to me by the sultan of—yes he very much is a collector. Yes so I would like them all to have something a little special I leave that to you and them there are five of us in total but as I say—”

And that is Eiger’s suit delayed until after the fair.

It doesn’t matter at all he has plenty. It doesn’t matter at all. It’s not substantive.

But it is the world come calling.

—

“Good morning sir.”

“Good morning Mr. Telemark.”

“Good morning.”

“Yes you have said.”

“Indeed so well to business then. I wish to open an account.”

“Very good here are the forms. You will also require certain—oh I see that you have prepared well—”

“Yes I like to be expeditious in financial matters—”

“That is excellent but we will also require one—”

“Yes here and also I think recently there has been added a—”

“Yes indeed thank you that is most efficient I do respect such—”

And so on.

Because when Charlie fakes your existence you do not just get a little book with a picture in it. There are people in Valletta who will swear they went to school with me. There is a construction company on Gozo where I did my first job during the summer vacation there is a girl there who broke my heart and has always regretted it.

You can go and ask them. They’ll tell you all about me. No ambiguity at all.

“Thank you so much I have one question can you provide digital account access?”

“Oh yes of course that is just modern. You also will need this it is called an American name quite unusual they say: a dongle.”

“Excellent.”

—

I cannot go to the school because the lady has seen Banjo and Banjo is hard to forget. Charlie cannot go ditto. Doc does not want to go but I put it on my section of the HOMER board so she goes.

Horrible fucking revenge.

“Welcome to the Dorfschule Kircheisen how splendid you are coming here to live that is excellent.”

“O yes we are very excited our employer is proposing to invest in the region. We are so to speak the advance guard.”

“Ah an invasion!”

“Oh yes quite so an invasion from St. Gallen!”

“The worst kind my God!”

“Yes you shall be quite overrun!”

“Ahaha!”

“Ahahahah!”

“Ahahah!”

“Ah.”

“…”

“…”

“Perhaps you might wish to see the school?”

“Oh yes indeed it looks quite perfect on the website—”

“And how many children—”

“Four—”

“Four my God such riches congratulations—”

“O yes we are quite entirely fecund.”

“…”

“…”

“Gosh well yes. Anyway here we are this is the classroom and—oh how pleasing here this is Erna she is teaching here as an interim measure she is quite elevated we are always delighted to have teachers so qualified—”

She is Hans Eiger’s daughter is what. Agent Hannah’s friend.

Evil Hansel’s mother.

Erna is a researcher. She has just divorced a ne’er-do-well husband and is considering her options. In the meantime, of course, she is teaching, because she does not like to be idle.

She is delighted to meet us. She is the more astonished to learn that Doc is a research scientist by training and that she is looking on behalf of a colleague for someone with—well how remarkable—with exactly the kind of experience Erna has herself.

For a post in Sydney.

Six months with the possibility of tenure thereafter. It is all very short notice but it’s a dream job. Erna must consider carefully of course. Take all the time she needs.

So long as it’s less than a week.

—

Lindemann Auto is the Swiss version of one of those places where they take street cars and turn them into race cars. They will put skis under your running boards so you can drive your SLK across a lake. They will turn your Bentley into a boat they will—they will secret agent your shit right up. But they will also just maintain your nice car for a lot of money. Hans Eiger brings his car here because it is the best engine place in Europe and only Magnus Lindemann himself is permitted to work on it.

Turns out Magnus has a son and the son is called Otto and Otto is a solo cellist.

And by end of day Otto has just been booked to play a single concert in Beijing but there is a requirement that his father personally introduce him on the stage.

Magnus doesn’t have to be asked twice because family.

Gosh this would just be an awful time for Hans Eiger’s car to break down.

“Hello Mr. Telemark welcome to the Commodore how can we assist you?”

“Well to be honest—to be honest I have been sleeping in the Black House and at an agricultural building I have recently acquired and it feels—how can I put this—it feels obvious.”

“I see.”

“It is obvious because I am a countercultural person. I am an Ambiguitionist I specialize in tearing down the world’s certainty.”

“Yes quite so.”

“I am concerned that I have—to be candid—that I have allowed people to become comfortable with who I am to think that they know me by my dress and style by my very disrespectability. And so…I am going to change my mode.”

“And you wish—”

“I wish to stay here at the Commodore for the next two weeks. I will require accommodations for five persons two of whom will share a suite.”

“That is quite in order—”

“I also have some vehicles we will need to park here and—how are your relationships with local restaurants?”

“They are excellent—all this is quite—perhaps you could provide me with—”

“Ah of course let us say a cash payment in advance and of course here is a credit card for your security—”

“Oh I note that it is—”

“Yes indeed there is in fact no limit on that one.”

“Welcome to the Commodore, Herr Doktor Telemark, and may I say I have always admired your unique and penetrating formulation of the artistic experience please inform the staff of any requirement you may have.”

“Herr Telemark?”

“Yes what can I—oh.”

“Herr Banjo Telemark of Valletta, presently resident at the Black House and the