Hell Again

by Mihret Adal Gidi

  “We all know there are many kinds who deliver prayers to god, many ready to fight off evil and face it.” Milagros is hoping for the best, as she is looking forwards for the fight. She fears this day but what is left for her to do but to be hopeful that there will be many others ready to face it.

  “You know it’s not easy to face the real evil,” Jane says, as she helps Sara off the ground.

  “It will not be easy for…”

  “Have faith,” Milagros says, frowning in disappointment. “You can’t lose it now that the fight is getting closer.” She stands and sits back worried, “There is one more thing,” she looks up to everyone. “I had another vision,” she licks her lower lip wet. “I think they also have found him,” every one gaps. “His chain isn’t broken, yet. It will soon be.” She points to a greater threat. “If he breaks out, let alone reunite with the others, it means...” she shakes her head.

  “It means, it’s time for the next faith to begin,” Dana blows stream of air.

  Listening to the lady’s conversation in the living room, both Abebi and Zhai stopped on their trail to escape through the window. They are now sure they are back home. They can hear concerns and talk of fear.

  The moment Abebi woke up, she shook Zhai up and helps her up to escape through the window. They were not sure where exactly they are, except the fact that they are saved. They also didn’t want to take chances and believe that all is well.

  “Wha?” Zhai asks her, winding her eyes to the end of its capacity. “Come on,” she adds, still whispering. They are both in white bathrobes and wiped clean. They feel well rested and are ready to proceed on their run.

  “Listen,” she says in a scolding manner. She takes a step back to the door and leans against it to listen to the voices. Slowly, she opens the door and checks left to right. She walks on tiptoe, closer to the square baluster and lines to look down to the leaving room. Zhai, shaking her head and rolling her eyes at her, joins her and they both start to look down at the ladies in the living room.

  They lay a younger lady on the floor against her back and they all gather around her and place their fingers below her body. Not long after, she closes her eyes they start to work on a mantra in Theban. They look at each other, frowning, surprised to see witches that are different from the witches they know. They turn their attention to an older lady, looking at them tiredly and who looks like she’s in pain. She was breathing heavy, as if she has been running long distance. Once again, their attention was taken back to the lady floating in the air after the mantra, when she starts ceasing and screaming. As she drops flat on the ground, she gasps air heavily as she opens her eyes.

  “War has broken,” she says, and everyone speaks in fear, looking at each other in fear.

  This seems like conversation that is of their concern, they just can’t leave and though they can. Because of the climate change and their duration in that world, they are as physically changed as they are mentally; they’re too strong and can-do things they wouldn’t under normal circumstances. They won’t be able to fit anywhere in this world unless in this place where they can be well understood.

  They once again look at one another and Zahi shrugs her right shoulder up, as if she agrees with Abebi to join them is better idea at this point.

  “Is the three you are talking about, three of path, the one we use to come here?” Abebi don’t like wasting time asking questions and answering them. She just jumps to the part she thinks makes sense. Murmuring, everyone gives them their attention.

  “Where are we?” Zhai asks, exhaling long in exasperation as she shakes her head at Abebi’s so little patience.

  “Home and yes,” Milagros answers as she stands using Dona as her support.

  “How long were you the…”

  “If this fight you talk about is with those demons,” Abebi takes the words from Dona, who elevates her eyebrows in surprise as she is interrupted. “I am in,” Abebi completes her words.

  “Me too,” Zhai utters. “I wan them to pay for wha happen to Adha,” she says sadly.

  “And Jane,” Abebi adds as she pats Zhai on her left shoulder.

  “Who’s the girl?” Milagros asks with tired voice. “His favourite, I mean,” she clears herself.

  “Adha, she was ma frin,” Zhai answers. “If it wasn’t for her, we wouldn’t be out,” she adds and press her lips sadly.

  “We have to find her, she needs us.” She tries to walk but she coughs blood and has to sit back.

  “Calm down,” Dona says as she hands her water.

  “You have to be okay to help her or anyone else,” Tessa says, as she approaches her. “Ladies prepare something to calm her down with, we should attend to her,” she adds, and everyone starts walking to their whereabouts.

  “She needs us,” she adds once again.

  “That’s the problem, we won’t be able to know where she is,” Abebi says, crossing her arms on her chest.

  “She’s saved, I know she’s saved,” she answers as she keeps coughing.

  “Trust me, she knows; she saw your arrival as well.” Dona walks to them, leaving her to Tessa. “You girls must be through a lot in that Godforsaken place,” she says to them. “We will do the cleansing ritual for you two and we will try and find her, your friend.”

  “Cleansing?” Abebi asks her.

  “Yes, you are not taken there coincidentally, someone somehow did it to you,” she explains it for them.

  “I knew it was that spell I was saying,” Abebi says, shaking her head.

  “Who would do it at me?” Baozhai asks herself but utters the words loudly accidently.

  “I’m sorry but that’s the truth. Follow me.” Dona walks then into a room and start working on herbs. She looks to Baozhai, who is wondering sadly and presses a sad smile. “Look, this world is cruel, and people do many things to get many things, wealth mostly. Money plays the major role in getting you tangled in this mess, don’t be surprised or worried to the why and who did it. Worry to the bloody future that’s approaching,” she says to her and places the herbs in the water that she fills the tub with. “You should both be in here and I will come get you.” She walks out and back to Milagros.

  “She is right,” Abebi says to her, but she gets in the tub naked and Baozhai follows her. “You know time didn’t wait for us while we were there, there’s no need for you to know or fight it, that person is probably dead old age or sick. Who knows,” she says, as she splashes water on Baozhai’s body with her hand.

  “Um,” she says, nodding as she does the same for Abebi.

  ***

  Every life has plotlines; the start, which is cold; the climax, where things become worst and the fall, where life become soothing and calm, the point where we get happily ever after. That’s fairy-tale-like life; in real life, there is no happily ever after. It’s life; there are always ups and downs and just when you think there is your happily ever after, it comes with other challenges. We’re humans, we would at least get tired of too much happiness that we would fight for something that doesn’t deserve our energy to be wasted on. It’s in our nature to get bored easily.

  I guess my life is getting complicated that there’s a start and it shoots to the climax too fast and it keep shooting to the end. That’s what it feels like; this thing won’t have an end of peace and quiet. It’s going to end on the climax, and I fear I let it happen just like that.

  I hate seeing my Mum doing her very best to get Dad here, who finally decided to be with us. I think my disappearance worked well to get them both back. I would have done it long ago if I knew this would get them together.

  “Thank you, Tselot,” Mum walks her friend out and walks back to me with a smile.

  “She is right, you know,” I said to her and she frowns quizzically. “You should have stayed there with Dad and come together. I would have been fine here,” I say to her and she shakes her head.

  “We are fine like this, it’s not like we are strange to this type of time offs.” />
  “Time off?” I frown as I stand from the stool chair, shaking my head, surprised to the term she uses to explain their relation type…or what happened between them. “God, I hate this pregnancy. It makes me feel like peeing all the time,” I utter as I run in to the bathroom.

  After I’m done, I get up and wash my hands and take a moment to enjoy my look in the mirror; I can’t really say for sure but I think I have gained some weight. I slowly bite my lower lip slightly and take the MRI picture of my children and press my lips. Eight months pregnant and with twins. I press a smile, the first time my doctor says that it’s a twin, it took him longer to be sure, but they finally show well on the screen. I didn’t want to know their gender; wanting to surprise myself. I guess a mother doesn’t need to try at all to love her children; all she needs is to consider the thought of becoming a mother. The rest: feeling and connection comes naturally. I love feeling them moving in me as much as it shocks me. According to my doctor, everything is playing out quite normally, but the fear of knowledge of their father’s true nature is killing me slow.

  I walk back to the living room and it’s too quiet that there is no one in here. I hate to be alone; it’s obvious and easy to know why but the truth is I still don’t feel like everything is quite over yet. I hate it but to be alone always reminds me the night I had to look over my shoulder and bump into the arms of…him.

  “Mum,” I call for her name to a no answer. I frown but I don’t waste any second as I march up the stairs to her room. “God! You shock me…” I wanted to be honest with her but the way she is standing still before her dressing mirror confuses me. “What is it, Mum?” I ask her but I am taking hesitant steps towards her. She is still and holding a dress in her arms but attaching it to her chest. “Are you okay?” I ask her but even the deaf can hear my fear in my voice. I suddenly feel like crying; my lips are shaking as my eyes are getting heavier. “Mum,” I whisper but I dare to lay my right hand on her left shoulder.

  As if she is shaken to wake up, she gasps and turns her head to face me so suddenly, making me yelp loudly and break into tears.

  “Oh, honey, sorry. Did I shock you?” she asks me and approaches my direction to calm me down, but I take a step back and she closes her eyes. She still doesn’t leave the dress in her hand. “I’m so sorry, I was just,” she turns back to the mirror, but seems like she doesn’t have anything to explain to me; it’s almost as if she didn’t know what she was doing.

  “Oh God!” I gasp as I recall the dress in her hand. “Don’t tell me that’s the dress I was in when I was found?” I look at her sadly, I just can’t believe she still keep it.

  “Yes,” she says and the topic about the dress seems to lighten her up. “You know what, it actually is talking to me,” she says, lifting it up and I frown.

  I can see it’s extremely different, as if it has its own glow and glamor. I can feel it in this distance and everything about the dress is wrong and quite tempting; she is right, it’s possible, it might talk to her, but about what? Every part of my body shivers the moment I lay my eyes on it but I hate it, I fear it and I can sense madness in it.

  “Are you going mad?” I marched to her and snatch it out her hands.

  “What?” she asks me, shaking her head as if she just wakes up again. “Oh, I wanted to throw it out a lot of times, but I just couldn’t.” She shakes her head. She is talking in confusion, but I am not sure if it is because I am in her room or because the dress is out her hands. “Give me back that dress. I’ll throw it out,” she says, smiling in concern. I can tell she is worried I might really throw it out.

  “I will,” I utter through my teeth and walk out her room and down the stairs and march straight to the back door. She doesn’t follow, and for a moment, I am concerned but I place it in the garbage. I turn to the house, and I yelp, placing my hands on my belly, seeing her standing still by the door, looking at me or whatever she seems to stare at.

  Swallowing hard, I walk back in the house, past her. I am still not sure if she is herself but I stare at her from behind her. Not my Mum, please make her feel fine, I keep begging God for his mercy.

  “I really don’t know what was going on to me, but I’m so sorry,” she says, suddenly bursting into tears, and I hug her, exhaling in relief.

  “I’m sorry, Mum. It was all my fault,” I whisper.

  “Of course not, my love. It was all me. I just,” she walks past me to the kitchen table and sits on a chair. “I can’t say for sure, but... it... I think it’s addicting to see it,” she sounds unsure of what her connection to the dress is.

  “I can imagine, Mum. I felt it too. Even though was ruined and you fixed it, I can see it got its own…” I don’t really want to be loud about my thoughts, but she is believing me and there is no need to keeping things from her any longer.

  “Addictive attraction, calling…” I frown to her accurate answer. “Beauty?”

  “Yes, yes. Like the woods I told you about,” I said but I kneel beneath her and hold her hands. “Please Mum, don’t let anything get to you,” I beg her.

  “You know what I am wondering right now?” she asks but it is not a question she expects an answer from me. “I am wondering how hard it must have been for you in that place you told me. I am wondering how tempting everything must appear to keep you that long there.”

  “Yes, I can only imagine how hopeless it gets for most of them to feel, seeing their family age and they are the same every day,” I stand up and press a smile at her.

  “I will burn it,” she stands.

  “Mum.”

  “This thing followed you all the way here but it is going to die here,” she says, opening the standard base cabinet and pulls a red jerrycan that contains half amount of kerosene in it.

  “Shit! Did I not just pee!” I exclaimed, biting my lower lip.

  “Go pee, I will wait for you worming myself up,” she smiles, and I run up the stairs helplessly to get to the bathroom. I don’t really want to leave her alone to it, but I will get back to her as soon as I am done with this tiring activity that comes with the pregnancy.

  Just as I walk past Mum’s room, I hear a voice in distance, and I am sure I have heard it right. I am not sure if this is a crying or screaming but I can tell I know the voice I heard. I stopped on my steps and take a moment, trying to focus; to hear it clearly.

  “…lp…help!” I can hear whoever is screaming for help is hitting on something.

  I slowly take a step back and slowly start walking into her room…more like fearfully. Everything is quiet and it’s fearful since the voice is coming from the dressing mirror; I can clearly figure that the banging is what’s making the dressing mirror vibrate slightly. “Somebody!” I hear the voice crying, from the mirror and I deepen my furrow lines. I walk around and stand before it and I see her; she is in a green; surplice long dress with long sleeves and worried. She is barefoot, as the night from the dinner and despite her worries on her face, she looks fine.

  ***

  “Katrine?” I utter her name quizzically and in shock.

  “Please, please, help me out,” Katrine spreads her arms to Adha and she gasps, recalling the time she called out for her mother. “It’s chaos here, everyone is dead…” she keeps explaining as Adha spreads her hams to the mirror and as if she is pushing through a water, it forms a wave in circular motion. In no time, she manages to feel her arms in hers.

  “Hold tight,” Adha screams to her, though there is no need of that. Katrine’s grip and pull appears to be stronger than hers. “Aw!” she screams as she feels the pulling getting stronger. “Mum! Help,” she screams loudly, looking out the door to her mum. “Push!” she screams to Katrine. “Don’t worry, just try pushing. Mum, help us!” she once again screams to her mum, who is preoccupied, straining at the dress in the garbage.

  “I’m not worried,” Katraine says and smiles. For a moment, Adha, in shock, stands still effortlessly, as she looks into the mirror at Katrine, who is holding her firmly.
“I am now in Sabbat with the others,” she says, through her teeth, mockingly. “Welcome back, bitch,” she extends her hand up Adha’s forearms and Adha starts screaming hard. Before she came to realisation, she urinates herself. Slowly, it wets her white jumpsuit between her legs, all the way down her legs. In no time, Katrine’s left arm reaches to the nape of her neck and pulls her into the mirror as her sandals are left behind.

  In the meantime, Membere shakes her head as tears wet her cheeks, but she smiles impulsively. She is still looking down at the dress in the garbage. Slowly, she places the jerrycan on the ground and slowly pulls her sweater over her head, holding it with both her hands by the neck. She stands still and takes off her bra and then right away, her dress with her underwear. She stands still for a moment as she keeps smiling while crying staring into the garbage but at the dress in there.

  “I will,” she exhales long as she utters, as if she is answering. But she is answering to the whispering that comes from the dress.

  Her right hand that’s about to lift the dress out the garbage is shaking, since she is still fighting. There is something left in her, fighting to bring her back to her senses but this is an addiction. She has been under a great compelling obsessive attraction coming from this very dress ever since they managed to bring her back home from Jimma.

  It was right there among her belongings. She sent it to dry clean and the day she manages to have it back home, the magic started calling out for her. She would say she is preserved from being around Adha to keep herself away from starting the conversation about what happed to her and what to do about the child she is convincing, she would say she is trying her best to respect Bamlakfekad’s wish and it was all convincing for everyone that no one paid attention to what was really going on to her.

  Once her hands reach out to the dress, she slid it on and she gasps hard, closing her eyes. She indulges to the feeling that just gets created; the softness of the dress caressing her body as it comes in contact to her skin. It was like when she was young and started love and like games, but this is something different; it’s more of her body playing games than her heart. She gives up and she can’t control anything at all. It’s out her hand. She walks back into the house and straight to the counter, she pulls out a knife from the ladles and changes her mind and pull another one, but bigger and longer. She presses smile and proceeds on her steps, but she walks out the house through the front door. The moment she bumps into her neighbour walking, she smiles to her.