After Frank arrived, Luc had asked him how it was even possible. He’d claimed it was probably the adrenaline flooding his system. Like the mother who could lift a car to save her child. Luc had to accept his explanation because a week later he still needed help just walking down the hall.
When Frank returned him to his bed, Luc told him about his latest visit from Charlotte. “I just don’t get it. Why me? How did I become the world’s savior?”
“It’s not the whole world, just a few lost souls.” Frank smiled.
Luc glared at him. “Frank.”
“All right. There’s no way any of us know what God has planned. You were given this gift for a reason. So it’s best you use it to do good.”
“But I never asked for it. In fact I’d be extremely happy if it were taken away,” Luc said in frustration.
Frank patted his leg. “I know, son, but unfortunately it doesn’t work that way. You were born to be a warrior, to fight for those who no longer have a voice. It’s your destiny.”
“Well I wish someone else had been picked instead, it’s too damn hard.” Even Luc was tired of having his own pity parties. “Do you have any idea how I’m supposed to get those kids to move on? I thought it would just happen naturally after the demon was dead.”
“I could make a few calls, but I bet your friend Celestine will have the answer. She’s already invested in this and from what I’ve seen, in you.” Frank gave him a sly grin. “She is a pretty little thing.”
“And feisty,” Luc added.
“That’s good. You could use a little of that in your life. When it comes to women, you’ve been spoiled. You need someone who will challenge you.”
Luc realized Frank was right. He’d never had an actual relationship before. After two or three dates he grew bored. That could be because the girls had pursued him, not the other way around. Celestine was a challenge in every sense of the word.
“I was beginning to think something was wrong with me.”
“No, Luc, you were just blessed in the looks department. That’s why I’ve been hard on you. There are a lot of people who rely on their looks to skate through life.
“They end up being lazy narcissists who think the world revolves around them. I’ll be damned before I allow that to happen to you. With beauty comes responsibility. I push you because I want you to be a well-rounded adult, one with a future.”
“Speaking of my future, I’m not smart like you and Jake. I really can’t see you wasting your money on college for me. I should probably just look into a trade school, be a mechanic or something like that.”
“Do you want to be a mechanic, Luc?”
“Not really, but I don’t see myself as a CEO or a lawyer either.”
“That’s okay. You don’t have to know what you want to do with the rest of your life just yet. Go to college and take the basic courses. In time you’ll find something you enjoy, something you’re good at.”
“I could become a stripper down on Bourbon Street. I just need to learn how to dance.” Luc shot him an exaggerated smile.
“Very funny.” Frank stood. “You look like you could use some rest.” He stepped out into the hall and turned. “Later I suggest you call that girl of yours and see what she thinks can be done for those children.” With that he closed the door.
That afternoon, Luc called Celestine and asked her to come over. She arrived after she got off work. “Hey, how are you feeling?” She sat on the bed next to him.
“I’m okay. I still hurt though. They say it will go away after two weeks, but right now, I find that hard to believe. So I’m taking pain pills and sleeping a lot.”
She stroked his head. “That’s good. It’s all you need to do.”
“Speaking of things I need to do.” Luc told her about Charlotte’s visit and asked if she had any idea how to fix things.
“Not right off the top of my head. I’ll talk to grandmere and do a little digging.”
“Thanks.”
Clara brought up some snacks in the way of fruit and a couple of different cheeses. Celestine was thrilled, but he wished he had a bag of Cheetos instead. Girls. Celestine crawled up on the bed and lay next to him while they watched TV. Luc really liked hanging out with her.
Other girls he’d known would talk non-stop, whine about this or that, constantly play with his hair or simply have to have their hands on him at all times. The last girl he’d dated, Rachel, had to sit on his lap. He’d be trying to eat lunch at school and have to maneuver around her. It was damned annoying.
But Celestine wasn’t like any of those girls, maybe because she was a woman. In fact, he was the one who took her hand in his as they quietly watched the movie. That was another great thing, she’d brought videos, The Shining and The Thing, two horror movies. Not some stupid chick flicks like Sixteen Candles or Grease. Yeah, he could get used to this.
*
A Week Later
Luc and Celestine sat on the floor facing each other holding hands. Clara, Jake, and Frank stood around them. Behind them, Charlotte, the children, and the aunts formed an outer circle only Luc could see. Candles marked the four corners.
Mama Arelia performed the ritual. It didn’t take long before Luc found himself back in the bayou with Celestine by his side. They were still sitting cross-legged and holding hands, but now they were floating just above the water. Peering down, the water was brown and murky.
Soon it began to clear like a looking glass.
Below them tiny corpses rested in the silt. The eyes and mouths sewn shut with black thread matching the crude stitches that ran the length of their bodies from stem to stern.
As Luc watched, the threads broke apart and dissolved. Their bodies became whole. Their eyes opened and they smiled. The children were full of life once again. They cheerfully danced around Luc and Celestine. A bright luminosity filled the water, then blinked out and just like that they disappeared.
Luc found himself back in the room, sitting on the floor and staring at Celestine. She reached over and brushed his cheek. He touched his face and realized he was crying. A peace he’d never experienced came over him. Mama Arelia stopped chanting and set her rattle down. When Luc perused the room, he noticed the spirits had vanished, including Charlotte and the aunts.
It worked.
For some reason he felt exhausted. As if he’d done all the work, not Mama Arelia. They all convened in the living portion of the house. Celestine handed out sweet tea before joining Luc on the couch.
“Are they safe now?” Frank asked.
“They have moved on,” Celestine said.
“There’s something I don’t understand. Their bodies were just resting at the bottom of the bayou all in one piece. How come the gators hadn’t eaten them?” Luc asked.
“The children had been cursed with very dark magick. Animals sense these things,” Celestine answered.
“But the currents didn’t move them, nor did they rise to the surface,” Luc added.
“There were no bodily fluids left by the time they’d finished their ritual. It’s the gases that make the bodies rise to the surface during decomposition. Top that off with the dense dirt filling the cavity… Let’s just say they’d been sufficiently weighted down,” Frank explained.
Luc turned to Mama Arelia, who sat in a fat cushy chair smoking a cigar and drinking two fingers of an amber liquid.
“Are you sure the children will be fine now? Is it really over?”
She smiled. “Yes, Jon-Luc, chew did a good ting.”
“I didn’t do anything, you did all the work,” Luc countered.
“Ah, but chew wrong. Chew the only one could save dem children,” Mama Arelia said. “Da gods will favor chew for dis.”
*
That night Frank and Luc waited in the library for Jake to bring the popcorn before they started the movie.
“I think I know what I want to do with my life,” Luc said.
“Oh, and what’s that?” Frank asked.
&n
bsp; “I want to be like Detective Dubois and find missing people. I think that’s a good way to make use of my gift,” Luc answered.
Frank smiled and put his arm around Luc’s shoulders. “I think that’s a great idea. I know just the man to guide you. He’s a member of The Thibodeux Foundation.”
Somehow, Luc didn’t think this was a surprise to Frank at all. In fact, he had a sneaking suspicion he was just waiting for Luc to come to the same conclusion.
“Of course, I still want you to go to college,” Frank added.
Luc groaned. “I thought I just had to go to the police academy and learn how to shoot guns.”
Frank chuckled. “There’s a little more to it than that. It would help you a great deal if you got a degree in Criminal Justice.”
“Well, crap. Is that really necessary? I hate school.”
“That will change when you’re actually interested in the subject matter,” Frank stated.
“How can you be so sure?”
Frank patted his back. “Trust me.”
To find the rest of The Spirits Trilogy along with Morgan’s other books, please visit:
www.morganhannahmacdonald.com
Dear Readers,
Thank you for reading SPIRITS OF THE BAYOU.
If you enjoyed SPIRITS OF THE BAYOU, I would appreciate it if you would help others find this book.
Recommend it to friends, readers’ groups and discussion boards.
Review it. Please tell other readers why you liked this book by reviewing it on Amazon.
If you do write a review, please send a copy of it to: [email protected] I’d like to gift you my next ebook as a way of thanking you and add you to my Readers Review Club.
Best Wishes,
Morgan Hannah MacDonald
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Morgan Hannah MacDonald writes Romantic Thrillers that are NOT for the faint of heart. She’s held many positions in her life including as a teller where her hands and feet were bound while armed robbers took over the bank. Years later she discovered she’d dated a serial killer. That’s when she knew her destiny was in writing, because strange things do happen to real people. She belongs to RWA, International Thriller Writers and Sisters In Crime. She resides in San Diego, California, where she is busy working on her next novel. She loves to hear from readers.
Write to her at [email protected] and ask to be on her newsletter to be informed of her new releases.
Visit her website to view all her books:
www.morganhannahmacdonald.com
And don’t forget to LIKE her on Facebook for all upcoming announcements:
facebook.com/MorganHannahMacDonald.Author
Spirits of the Bayou Page 19