Short Fiction · Chapter
Evil's End explained
Lanark, Enid, and Jager confront the supernatural remnants of Persil Mandifer's evil.
What happens
Lanark, Enid, and Jager confront the supernatural remnants of Persil Mandifer's evil. They bury the stolen skins in a grave, and Lanark retrieves a hidden box containing the burned ashes of a secret writing, the destruction of which ends the curse. The skinless bodies of Mandifer and his son collapse, and the blue fire vanishes. At dawn, they reflect on the mystery, with Lanark deciding not to rationalize the horror, and Enid hopes to marry him.
Themes in this chapter
Supernatural Evil and Occultism
Persil Mandifer's worship of a Nameless One, the power of the secret writing, and the skinless undead embody occult evil.
The Power of Belief and Ritual
Jager's charm from the Long Lost Friend and the ritual burial of skins demonstrate the efficacy of belief and ritual against evil.
Sacrifice and Redemption
The destruction of the secret writing and the end of the curse bring redemption and the promise of a normal life for Lanark and Enid.
Characters to notice
- Kane Lanark
Retrieves the box of secret writing from the ruins, destroys its contents, and reflects on the end of the evil.
- Enid Mandifer
Screams in horror at the skinless bodies, pours coffee at dawn, and silently hopes to marry Lanark.
- Sergeant Jager
Identifies the skins, recites a charm from the Long Lost Friend, helps Lanark from the pit, and plans to build a church under Welcome Rock.
- Persil Mandifer
Appears as a skinless, wailing silhouette; his evil worship is ended by the destruction of the secret writing.
Key passages
“Don’t!” Enid screamed. “Don’t, it’s only I—” Lanark growled, and spun back to face what was now hoisting itself above ground level. “And be careful of me, too,” said the object. “It’s Jager, Mr. Lanark.””
Enid screams for Lanark to stop, and Jager identifies himself as the figure rising from the grave.
The trio reunites at the grave site, with Jager revealing himself.
“One of them,” continued Jager, “was taken from Persil Mandifer. I know his face.””
Jager recognizes one of the fresh human skins as belonging to Persil Mandifer.
Jager identifies the source of the skins.
“Don’t you see?” he almost shrieked. “Somewhere near here, two bodies are hiding, or moving about, without these skins to cover them.””
Jager warns that the skinless bodies of Mandifer and his son are nearby.
Jager explains the danger of the skinless undead.
“With his thumbnail he pried at the lid, and it came open easily. The box seemed full of darkness, and when he thrust in his hands he felt something crumble, like paper burned to ashes. That was what it was—ashes. He turned the case over, and let the flakes fall out, like strange black snow.”
Lanark opens the box and scatters the burned ashes of the secret writing, ending the curse.
The destruction of the secret writing breaks the evil power.
“Even burned, the power of that document worked; but when the ashes fell from their case, all was over. The bodies of the guerrillas were dry bones on the instant, and as for the skinless things that moved and spoke as Mandifer and his son—””
Jager explains that the power of the document persisted until its ashes were scattered, causing the undead to collapse.
The mechanism of the curse's end is described.
“Rationalization, he decided, was not enough, had never been enough. To judge a large and dark mystery by what vestigial portions touched one, was to err like the blind men in the old doggerel who, groping at an elephant here and there, called it in turn a snake, a spear, a tree, a fan, a wall. Better not to brood or ponder upon what had happened. Try to be thankful, and forget.”
Lanark concludes that rationalizing the supernatural mystery is futile, and chooses gratitude and forgetfulness instead.
Lanark's philosophical acceptance of the inexplicable.
