Did you know that Dave has written a 3 book fantasy series? It's called “The Demon Curse” and it features demons and how they interact with the human world. The family he connects with is affluent and able, but they have a secret. Could this secret link them to the demon world?

Now, Dave may or may not know that I am posting a portion of the book per week, like the installments that writers used to do in a newspaper. I post an installment once a week (until I get caught) so without further introduction I give you a longer fifth installment of The Demon Curse Series Book #1 entitled “Son of Ruin” written by David E. Hiatt.

Click Here to Start at the Beginning

Chapter 2 The Strange Boy Installment 5

His father stared at him as if he were an ill-formed growth sitting in his otherwise perfectly built house. With an exasperated shrug of his shoulders, he turned and went to look for his wife.

Jonathan’s father and mother made a handsome couple. She was a tall, beautiful woman, hair cut short but flattering to her face, a minimum of makeup with tight lips and hazel eyes. She had been the only child of parents who had hoped for a son, but discovered they liked her much more. They had doted on her and praised her for every success. An Ivy League grad, she was now an attorney and a partner in a medium sized law firm.

She sat in an armchair in the bedroom, looking, but not really seeing her phone while the TV played in the background, a distant look in her eyes. Jonathan heard his father ask, “What time is the party for Solomon?”

Her answer was muffled but must have satisfied his father as he returned to the work in his office.

Although successful in her career, Jonathan’s mother had become more distant as the years had passed. She had risen quickly to accomplish most of the goals she had set for herself. Because of this early success, she now felt a little lost. Work had become less of a challenge, and she found herself bored by the routine. Although she kept a strenuous workout regimen, she felt her body aging and her good looks waning with the passage of time. She spent more and more of her waking hours reminiscing about her youth and her college days.

Jonathan could hear the television from the bedroom. It was one of those makeover shows where they transformed some otherwise homely woman into a less homely woman with lots of makeup and a new hairdo. He glanced at the clock nervously, seeing that it was still a half hour until the party.

Jonathan’s parents hadn’t always been so disengaged. They spent the early part of their marriage working ambitiously to get ahead and become successful. They became members of the right clubs and had the right kind of friends with whom to associate. His father’s quest for success was never ending and he didn’t seem to live in their house in the suburbs as much as it was a stop between his life at his office in the city.

Early in their marriage, Jonathan’s mother had enjoyed her husband’s ambition and they had worked together to advance their social standing. Everything they did was carefully planned to bring them exposure to the best circles.

When they decided it was time, they had a child. It was, in part, because other couples they knew had children. If others were taking that step, they would need to keep up. But there were other reasons. Jonathan’s father had a vision of a son to carry on his legacy; his mother felt that perhaps a child would bring back the vitality she had in her youth.

She became pregnant and it wasn’t long before their baby was due. When they learned it would be a boy, they set goals. The child would be another successful venture in their marriage career. They mused over whether he would play a sport, a musical instrument, or what college he would attend. They made a mental list of which of their friend's children the child would play with and who they would make sure to avoid.

Click here to get the book yourself

They scheduled the birth at a time that worked for both of their busy lives. The doctor would begin the labor at the prearranged date and time. They left for the hospital early in the morning with a suitcase full of everything needed.

There you have it. The fifth piece of the book. Let me know if you enjoyed this, want more, or anything else I can do to make it easier to read.

Click Here to Start at the Beginning

Click Here to See the Previous Installment

Click Here to See the Next Installment

Click Here to not do Anything but Get the Good Feeling you Clicked Something

LOOK: Unique baby names from the year you were born

Stacker highlighted one of the least-used baby names from each year between 1950 and 2022, using data from the Social Security Administration.

Gallery Credit: Stacker

More From Star 98