Thus, to the dark lord's dismay, was Andy born blue-eyed into the south instead, where the living world swirled about him, caressing his skin, smelling of new rain, herbs, grasses, leaves, bending pines, blossoms, earth; and where the people spoke a language formed from this mixture, breathed in, words like sighs mingling with lips and tongues, like kisses gently blown into a lover's ear, slow and sweet, savored, tasted, and enjoyed. Memphis was a particularly fine place to be born, as Elvis had recently become king, and his place of residence the center of all that was good.
Despite these advantages, the health of Andy's mom rapidly failed. She had been badly shaken by her encounter with Satan, and soon took to her room, resolving to avoid any situation in which she might again be required to face such hideous evil, as she feared she might not be as strong or fortunate the next time. She left Andy in the capable hands of his grandparents, who loved him dearly and did their best to raise him. Andy got into all sorts of mischief with his cousins, went fishing with his granddad, and grew a good heart and a pure soul.
Andy's dad, meanwhile, remained in Manhattan. Noting this, the dark lord simply shrugged off the setbacks in Memphis and waited patiently for little Andy to come for a visit, biding time by watching his dad from the depths of his furnace, and insinuating twisted tendrils into his thoughts - a simple task with souls already softened by the relentless kneading of the urban combine.
Dad soon found himself determined to remarry, with the idea of creating a home and family which would allow him to reclaim his son. Andy's new stepmom was a native of Manhattan - a well-bred woman with strong features, social grace and a flexible character. Andy's dad moved into her home on 66th, and they arranged for Andy to pay a visit.
He arrived at the airport all bundled up, well protected by his grandmother's kisses and the aura of Elvis. Being four years old, Andy immediately realized that hell was just below the pavement of Manhattan by the tendrils of smoke slipping through the cracks in the sidewalk, but since no one else appeared to notice, he politely refrained from mentioning it. [...]