A Note About Demons:

  Before coming to South America, I had spent a good amount of time around religious functions in the U.S. and even studied at the Elkhart seminary.  However, I must admit that though I had heard talk at these functions of demons sent to plague good Christians and entice others into all other sorts of diabolical acts, I was still highly skeptical of their existence.

  No longer.  I have been in Paraguay for four months now, and one thing I can say for certain is that demons do exist.  In fact, the remains of one of thier ilk is splattered on the wall in front of my computer as I write to you.  Now, I am trying not to diminish the other-worldy aspect of these encounters by talking so crudely about one's demise, but the imps do seem to be somewhat more common here.  

  For example, it is a rather weekly occurence to kill upwards of twelve to fifteen demons in the shower.   (I was surprised to learn that they seem to like humid places where they can breed others... I had always assumed that fire was involved.)  You may think me brave, but I still need to bathe, so one of us has to go.

  If you have never seen a demon, let me describe its common form and habit.  It has wings that make an irritating high pitched sound like an over-worked food processer when it's trying to whisper sweet subversive nothings in your ear.  It is nearly impossible for a novice to determine from whence it came and wherefore it is going.  That means it's fast.  It also would like nothing more than to suck a mortal human's blood.

  The news media here has even picked up on the existence of these other-worldy forms, commenting the other night that they carry something called Dengue Fever.  I can only assume that this is some sort of curse that hampers the physical and mental faculties of the victim.  The expert on the program suggested burning an incense to ward off the evil presence, but Krista and I have yet to see any demons really driven off by Raid Country Fresh.