The Little Demon Who Couldn't

by Odelia Floris

Little Murmur is doing a poor job of being a demon. His nose is hardly hooked, his chin is round, his fingernails short and not remotely talon-like, and he is so lazy that he can barely be bothered spreading evil and mischief among man. His father is not impressed, and neither are his two older brothers. But still young Murmur prefers to spend his nights lazing in the abandoned churchyard over the wall from his back garden. After all, lying on the lid of the old mayor's tombstone gazing up at the stars is much easier than finding humans to incite to acts of evil. And it is a deal safer too; little chance here of crossing paths with the demons' nemesis, the angels. But the other demons are not happy. Something must be done about Murmur. He needs to be turned into a proper mean, God-mocking demon. He needs to complete Belphegor's Idiot Management Course.
The heinous Belphegor has a hard task on his hands. There is no demon more stupid, lazy or cowardly than Murmur in all of Hell. But when a magnificent great-winged angel falls from the sky and lands in the old well in Murmur's churchyard, things take an unexpected turn. Stuck in the well, the angel is ruining the little demon's once-peaceful retreat. To clear him out, Murmur must approach him, speak to him, look upon him... Will this be the little demon's final downfall...?