Meanwhile, the disoriented and unstable head of Rose of the Winds had rejoined the infernal cohort that still remained loyal to him. He was trying to make himself heard by some of his devilish henchmen—horned creatures whom he had managed to catch up with. These were demons who had not yet been blessed. Carefree, Rose—or at least his head—imagined that his other accomplices were amusing themselves elsewhere in paradise. In reality, they had all become wingless angels, having been blessed.

— Do you recognize me? Damn it! (It should be noted that this expression of irritation is very common in French-speaking America. That does not, however, make it an ally of Rose of the Winds.)

— My dear assholes (that is what he calls all his subjects when he is in a good mood...), tomorrow will be our final victory. We shall have triumphed over the forces of good. Their resistance was so feeble that we have met almost none at all. I do not see what could possibly harm us now that we control a good portion of infinity. Then, once this task is complete, my faith... (hum!) how amusing, I shall assign each of you, faithful soldiers of evil, a planet to rule over as the fine assholes you are. You will take care of the living, and I shall take care of the dead.

But I am counting on your tricks and your temptations to make the saints, the angels, and the good souls disappear! Long live your leader—me, General Rose of the Winds! Long live you, my beloved assholes! Long live degenerate souls and fallen angels!

No reaction followed this fiery speech by the general of hell—at least not until he gave an order...

— You may applaud me now!

Applause erupted. His devils banged their horns violently together. They rubbed the tips of their tails and slapped them against their reddened thighs. They let out death cries as a sign of approval.

— Later, you will scatter and search for what is missing from me. From my neck to my toes. You see, I haven’t lost my head!

Then, all at once, out of nowhere, a strange creature appeared in the middle of the square.

It was Uncle Maxime, using his zirgouille method. After disgorging himself—charity begins with oneself—Fleur emerged next from his void, still clutching the voodoo doll firmly in her hand, like a little girl holding a doll by the arm. Uncle Maxime also tried to conceal Rose of the Winds’ personal journal, which he had brought back from hell.

Since Uncle was presenting his backside to the devil, the latter did not at first notice either the black woman or the journal. But the general thought he was hallucinating when he realized that Uncle lacked an anus. Indeed, since Uncle consumed nothing but the void, what use would he have had for such an organ?

At the sight of this phenomenon, General Rose of the Winds—or rather, his head—recoiled slightly... But he quickly regained his composure, lest he lose face, since that was now all he had left.

— Who are you to interrupt me? What are you doing here? yelled the devil.

Uncle was frightened. Having never seen the perfidious, dim-witted king of flames, he had imagined him as gigantic, with a repulsive face, red skin, goat’s hooves, long horns, and an athletic body—not to mention the cloud that supposedly followed him everywhere. In short, the archaic image once invented by a fevered imagination.

But the guardian of the void had always believed that when the devil was near, a strong smell of sulfur should overpower all other odors. Here, it smelled more like flatulence. And besides, it was only a head! None of this reassured Uncle Maxime, especially since he was only seeing it out of the corner of his eye. Even though he was not performing his zirgouille at that moment, he was completely disoriented. The nervousness of facing... the devil made him lose the control he had recently gained over his speech. He began stuttering more than ever.

— I... I am... What am I saying?! Ponton... Uncle. What am I saying again?! And I am merely here to disrupt...

— Well now! You’re a great big bowl of soup!

— No, I meant: I’m only passing through. What am I saying?!

— Couldn’t you at least turn around when you speak to me? Rose said, increasingly offended.

At that, obeying the general’s command, Uncle nervously turned around. But in spinning on himself, he bumped into the black pearl, who fell among the devils gathered around their leader’s head and the guardian of the void. Fleur was not hurt, but immediately began walking through the crowd of sulfurous beings, repeating her chant: “Are you the one I’m looking for... the one I must?...” Naturally, each of them told her to get lost, the adorable lunatic.

Rose was stunned by the strange flat-beaked creature and by its sudden appearance. But the prospect of victory was too near for him to be truly impressed.

— Where do you come from?

— I come from pul nart..., from nowhere. What am I saying!

— Come now, be logical! When you arrive somewhere, you always come from somewhere. Don’t you?

— That is true for everyone... everyone, I mean.

— You see, you said so yourself.

— Yes! But, papou... not for me... What am I saying?!

— You want to be clever? Very well! Explain it to me!

— Before you... see, that you do not see me... What am I saying?! Was I there?

— Of course not.

— Did you know where I was?

— No, because I wasn’t there.

— If you were not there, how can you claim that I was somewhere?

— Because that is simply how it is!

— Suppose I disappeared in the blink of an eye, exactly as I arrived. Would I still exist?

— Well, yes, uh… Obviously!

— So I would exist because I disappeared?

— Yes, in a way!

— And where would I be?

— No doubt, somewhere.

— So if you claim that I exist somewhere because I am no longer here, can you not also say that I am elsewhere?

— Indeed!

— If you think of all the places you can imagine, and I am not there, would you not say, while looking for me: “I do not see him! He is nowhere!”

— Hmm! That is possible!

— You see, that is what I was telling you. I come from nowhere.

— By golly, you are trying to outwit the filthy being that I am. Learn that the brain here is me. And furthermore, I must admit that I am impressed by your little magic trick. I, who invented illusion, can tell you that you have talent. I greatly appreciate it, believe me! Also, since we are having a little celebration just now, I invite you!

Henri, Marilyn, the two angels, and a few relieved souls had blended into the crowd of demons. They had scattered, each to a different area. Each began taking demons from the back rows, blessing them and converting them. Then the domino effect followed. All proceeded in this way—except Henri Toutrec, who stepped out of the ranks. He moved toward Rose’s great book, staring in surprise at the head. He had never imagined the head of hell like this. He thought to himself that now it was simply a matter of making him lose it.

He opened the journal at random and began reading aloud.

— But that is my personal journal! Damn it!

Henri was not impressed by the head. “Today, I had to take iron tablets because I am anemic.” Then he continued: “I stole a few will-o’-the-wisps to amuse myself by playing fire-eater. I burned my uvula. Ouch! Ow! Boo-boo! Mommy!” He turned the page. “Today, I turned into a human. I went to a brothel and asked a prostitute to whip me with all her strength using an ostrich feather.” And there are little angels pasted everywhere.

— Who are you! Damn it! Bring him to me!

Rose could barely drown out the loud laughter that rose around him.

Among the few demons who still respected the general and had not yet been absolved, two obeyed him. They dragged Henri over to the head.

Marilyn spotted Fleur, who was mechanically following Henri. She immediately pushed her away to prevent her from being captured by Rose’s roommates and their sickly laughter. But in doing so, the pale head noticed Marilyn.

— Hey! I recognize that blonde! She’s my favorite sex symbol! It’s Marilyn Monroe. Bring her too! spat Rose’s mouth, thick with foul-smelling saliva.

Rose’s devilish head then noticed Uncle Maxime, who was moving anxiously toward his two friends. Believing it was yet another trick, the general intervened, already hatching another scheme for the couple...

— Bring those two here. Yes, the man and the woman—the one who is not bad-looking at all. I have just found a special torment for them.

— I wanted to gobble them up! Swallow them whole! said Uncle Maxime, thinking of pulling them back into the void to save them from Rose’s claws... and thorns.

— No! Absolutely not!

Then the general pointed his nose toward a flat gray rock and issued a sharp command:

— Bring the beautiful blonde along with the little ugly one. Put them on that natural stage. They are already naked, which I find provocative. It really gets my saliva flowing.

Jostled and wounded in their self-esteem, Henri and Marilyn found themselves, in only a few seconds—in the time it takes a flame to flicker—where Rose of the Winds had indicated. To save one another, they played the part of two beings who loathed each other. They gave every impression of being unable to stand one another. And they did not break character. Their performance was so convincing that even Uncle Maxime grew sad and wondered what could possibly have happened.

— What do we do now, your dishonor? asked Poil aux Cornes, one of Rose’s assistants, who had dragged Marilyn onto the stage while allowing himself a few indecent gestures.

— Clear the stage so that I may address these two people who hate each other. (Their lovers’ act was very convincing.) I adore seeing beings who hate each other. It delights me, commented Rose’s head, floating above a portable throne made from an abandoned termite mound.

Asking a demon-major to scratch his little beard, he reflected for a moment. Then he ordered...

— Hey!... You, Monroe! Slap the runt!

— With pleasure! cried Marilyn, striking Henri vigorously, thinking she had touched only his aura. It must be said that since the invasion, not everything had yet returned to normal. Like a total power failure: not all customers are reconnected at the same time.

Marilyn tried to make her partner understand indirectly that she was only pretending to hate him. She tapped her forehead with her index finger. A kind of warning.

— Ding! Ding! Hey, idiot! she said... Is there a brain under that skull?

Then she rapped her knuckles against the top of Henri’s head.

— Knock! Knock! Knock!... Hey! Ho! Is anyone in there?... Hello! Hello! Hello!... There’s nothing, but there’s an echo! Oh! There’s rotten brain matter in there!

— I’m not deaf, I understand you, frantic mouth! Henri replied, his eyes wide as billiard balls.

Through angelic language and telepathy, he made it clear that if she did not start hitting him immediately, he would start hitting her.

Wham! Henri jolted at the slap, perhaps not heartfelt, but still forceful. His reddened cheek confirmed it.

— Now, one at a time, faster and harder! demanded the leader of all the devils, delighting in every moment of their discomfort.

Without hesitation, thinking only of saving each other’s soul, they obeyed, feigning the fever of brutality and mounting hostility. Had they still possessed bodies, blood would have flowed across their faces in torrents. In the midst of that exchange, the rhythm of the blows shifted so much that they eventually slapped each other at the same instant. The force of the impacts sent them sprawling to the ground in perfect synchrony.

Too bad—an aura malfunction had just ended. They would have suffered less.

Despite the general’s barking and howling at their fall, unable as he was to clap, this so-called gestural scandal was already beginning to bore him. Satisfied with what he had seen, and taking a lesser pleasure now in this so well-simulated hatred... (“He rose from his seat...”), lifting his head and laughing loudly, he issued another order... while releasing one of those winds from his mouth. This absurdity gave him an idea. He thought: “If I order my body to fart, I’ll be able to find it again thanks to the foul smell it gives off.”

Then, all smiles, he commanded...

— Now... screw! And make it bounce!

The couple, already facing one another, seemed paralyzed. Neither had expected such a lecherous demand. Feeling the need to forgive one another and throw themselves into each other’s arms, they slowly moved closer. Just before touching, they turned to look at the disgusting head, as though to confirm its wishes.

— You want us to... said Marilyn and Henri, one after the other.

— If you don’t do it, I’ll find a way to force you. Understood! Now, do it! You will be even more disgusting and repulsive if you kiss each other! Ha! Ha! Ha!... Better yet, I know you’ll want to vomit on each other if you do it slowly, caressing one another in resentment. Especially after slapping each other the way you just did. Damn! How I love hatred! Intense animosity has never harmed anger, as far as I know! It is incredible! Come on, what are you waiting for?

Eyes closed, Marilyn and Henri kissed passionately, with genuine intensity, while pretending disgust. Like some of those banalized kisses seen on earthly pornographic sites. Rose saw nothing but fire—which did not displease him, let us say. Then, as accomplices in their love, they caressed each other’s bodies with desire while miming weariness, trapping the devil in his fantasies. They pushed their daring so far as to taste one another during their not entirely... involuntary embrace. The devil drooled over what he believed to be sexual hostility. Then the carnal prelude gave way to foreplay leading toward final orgasm. Henri entered Marilyn. Marilyn received Henri. She tightened around him, he expanded. She released him, he returned without ever having truly left. Like a siren, her belly summoned her lover, who came ashore upon her moist land... Then she rose like a wave so that he might enter again. Henri sailed toward the mouth of that bay at high tide. Their auras merged, unknown to General Rose.

A glow seemed to appear around Fleur. The lovers had been carried away by their own game. Nothing could stop them now. Everything around them faded. Nothing distracted them from their airy joy. The movement continued with even greater vigor. Their rhythm was reminiscent of an eagle in flight. The speed increased, almost imperceptibly blending into the wingbeat of a falcon. Henri flew, Marilyn hovered. She let herself be borne by his breath, and then she followed him. They breathed as though they were alive.

Like a pair of migrating bustards, never losing their direction, they moved straight toward their destination. Their journey nearly complete, their desires transformed into doves announcing the final message. Eternity suddenly seemed to contract within their souls. In the end they kissed again, no longer hiding their true feelings. They no longer could.

Rose realized he had been deceived. He was about to react and condemn the lovers to horrifying torments when Fleur, radiant, approached. She was holding the voodoo doll and had begun removing needles from it once more.

— You there! Damn it! Give me that doll. It’s mine.

But Rose, with no body within reach, could neither seize nor even hold the object. Nor could he call upon any of his minions, since none of them had horns anymore. To his immense despair, all his demons had turned human.

The more needles Fleur removed, the more aware she seemed to become. The more she regained consciousness, the brighter she grew. And when that brightness intensified—brighter than fire, brighter than the sun—a sphere of energy, as though containing all those of the universe, crowned and enveloped her.

That magic was so imposing, so inescapable, that even Marilyn and Henri, though unwilling, could not help but turn and admire the marvel.

— It’s too beautiful! Look, even Rose of the Winds is stunned.

Then the sphere, still shining, still pouring upon its spectators the full abundance of the light waves it emitted, came to rest above the couple.

Rose, worried and anxious, became hysterical.

— What is this now! Not only does some imbecile appear out of nowhere. Not only am I made to look like a fool, deceived by an actress and a novice. But on top of that, someone wants to put on fireworks. Fire, here, is my business! If you don’t know that, I’ll shove it up your ass! You’ll learn who carries the torch around here!

Already pale, Rose turned even paler at this revelation, thunderstruck.