Gridiron Follies
Page 7
moving around with a bunch of ‘Yes men and women’, guys and girls who were only interested in him because he was rich. As long as he provided for them and kept them around, they fed his ego with all he wanted to hear, most times to his detriment.
Further and further he slipped into the lavish life that had once been the cause of so much sorrow for him. Sadly there was no breaking point this time around. For every patch of trouble he hit, it was like he was rewarded double for his effort. His luck was at an all time high. There were moments when he was alone where he would think back to his encounter with the devil, but he would quickly erase such thoughts, telling himself he still had a lot of time to enjoy his life.
Eight years went by in a flash, or at least that’s how it felt to Rahim. By the ninth year the paranoia was starting to take over. He began to fret about losing his life.
“What if the devil comes for my soul? Do I have to give up all that I have acquired? Why did I let him talk me into this?” Those were just a few of the questions that were running through his mind on a daily basis.
He was living the life he craved and the thought of losing it was too much for him to handle. He did not want to relinquish it and begun in earnest to search for ways to break out of the pact he made with Lucifer.
His search took him all over the world to various regions. Having different encounters with people who were well versed in the dark arts. Most of them turned him away on hearing his plight. A T’shala Priest in North Africa actually spat on him on hearing his story. Shouting out continually ‘Dead man, Dead Man, Dead Man”. This did not dissuade him however; he was too determined to find a solution to his problem.
By now his exploits had become well known in occult circles, the man trying to break out of his contract with the devil they proclaimed.
On one trip to the Caribbean’s to see a famous ‘Voo doo’ Priest, he encountered a homeless man who told him if he really wanted a solution, he must seek the Iya Orisha in Northern Burundi, her powers were said to rival even that of the deities she communicated with.
Rahim didn’t pay much attention to the message, thinking it was the ramblings of a mad man. He continued on his quest, finding more disappointment wherever he went.
The tenth year came and Rahim was now in full blown paranoia. He suspected any and everyone. Detached himself once again from the outside world and went into seclusion. He believed the devil could use any one to get to him and he wasn’t going to risk that. One night, he had a dream where the same homeless man he had talked to in the Caribbean’s returned to advise him to visit the Iya Orisha. He woke up startled, remembering the encounter.
At first, he didn’t want to venture far away from home, but his conscience would not let him be. It was either he found a away to break out from the devil’s contract or stay at home in fear, waiting for Lucifer to come claim what was rightfully his.
So off he went, deep into Burundi in search of the powerful priestess. It was a traumatic journey for him. The Iya Orisha lived in a remote part of the village that was meant to be a deterrent to visitors.
Her mud hut was surrounded by bones of various animals, the walls lined with various charms and ornaments. The villager who took Rahim to her hut, scuttled off as soon as they got there. There was an eerie vibe around; this was not the place that mere mortals loitered around.
Rahim was too caught up in his own problems to notice the missing villager. He walked towards the wooden door, knocking on it loudly. No response. Waiting a few moments, he tried again. Still no response. After what seemed like an eternity, he could hear feet shuffling around indoors, wondering to himself why no one would answer the door. Frustrated, he pushes in, cautiously stepping into the hut.
The hut had a musty smell. Entrails of dead animals littered the floor, charms adorned the wall. Seated in the middle of the room, a shriveled old woman, wearing an all white attire, neck covered in cowries, stared at Rahim. This was the Iya Orisha and was quite an imposing figure. Rahim is about to speak, when she jumped up and starts spinning around on the spot, catching him off guard. He stumbles backwards in fright.
The priestess starts chanting in a weird dialect, her body jerking around, her eyes taking on a glazy look. She turns towards Rahim, pointing at him. She starts speaking in English, yet the voice that emanates from her sounds distant and masculine.
“Foolish man, you sold your soul to the devil and don’t want to pay up. Do you not realize it is foolish to fight with the devil?”
Rahim is shocked, unsure of what to say. He just stands there, dumbfounded. By now, the Iya Orisha is spinning around him in circles, chanting and speaking to him at the same time. “To get out of your pact, you must give…oh yes you must give…Blood must flow.
“Blood?” Rahim blurts out.
“Silence!” Iya Orisha yells back at him before continuing with her chant.
“Seven goats, seven fowls, seven fishes, one black cow, a thousand cowries and something very dear to you.”
Rahim not wanting to be yelled at, remains quiet, watching the priestess move to and fro, seemingly caught up in her own little world at the moment. After a while, she comes to a stop, weakly falling to her knees, breathing heavily. Whatever was controlling her is no longer present. She speaks in her normal voice to Rahim, “Seven days…you must bring the items the Orisha asked for in seven days.”
“But what about the part where you said something dear to me. I don’t understand,” Rahim asks.
The Iya Orisha feebly stands up, Rahim aids her in doing so. “Your soul already belongs to the devil, you must give up something the Orisha can make use of”, says the priestess.
Rahim is still confused, “But if I give up the money and fame, I might as well just let Lucifer get his way. I don’t know what to give. Help me out please.”
Iya Orisha sizes up Rahim. “You look strong and healthy. The Orisha could make use of your manhood.”
“My, my manhood…you mean you are going to cut off m..my dick?”, he says, grabbing his crotch in fear.
The priestess laughs at his alarmed response. “No, we won’t go that far. Your parts will still be there, but you will never be able to have kids. They will all belong to the Orisha.”
Rahim breathes a sigh of relief. “Oh aite, that’s cool…thought you were gon cut off my lil' man…I don’t think I want any more kids, got enough as is. So yeah your goddess can have whatever is left of mine. As long as I can still get it up, am good.”
The Iya Orisha turns her back to him and kneels down in front of her shrine. “Very well, come back in seven days. Bring everything I asked for. “
Seven days later, with the help of another villager, Rahim returns in a rusty wagon, loaded with all the items the Iya Orisha requested.
Within an hour, Rahim is crouching by a river side with the Iya Orisha chanting over his head. The animals have all been slaughtered, their blood dumped into a large calabash, mixed with various potions. Rahim is only wearing his boxers, weird symbols have been painted all over his body by the priestess. Once again, the villager is nowhere to be found.
The Iya Orisha continues her chants, dancing all around Rahim. Dipping a stick with horse hair attached to its end, into the calabash of blood. She sprinkles the blood all over Rahim, doing this same action over and over again.
The sky above darkens, Rahim glances around, nervous about what is going on. The Iya Orisha on the other hand, seems oblivious to all taking place at the moment. Suddenly, she reaches for Rahim’s crotch, making him yelp in pain. Her chants get louder, he groans uncomfortably. Lightning streaks across the sky, Rahim howls in pain, he collapses to the ground unconscious. She lets go of his crotch and starts smearing the blood from the calabash all over his body. At that very moment, Lucifer appears, looking quite upset. “What are you doing priestess? He is mine you know. We have a deal.”
The priestess pays him no mind, continuing with her ritual. Lucifer smirks, walks over and peers at the unconscious body of Rahim. “Do as yo
u please priestess, but know I always…I repeat I always get what I want.”
Poof! He was gone again. Rahim is completely unaware of what just transpired. Hours later, he comes to in the middle of the Iya Orisha’s hut. She sits just a few feet away, deep in meditation. He wonders how he got there, all he can remember is the crazy priestess grabbing his balls and everything going black afterwards. He immediately reaches for his crotch to make sure everything is intact, letting out a sigh of relief .
He sits up and looks at the old woman, “E…excuse me?”
The Iya Orisha, back turned to him responds. “It is over. Take the necklace besides you and always have it on. Never take it off.”
Rahim looks around him and spots the necklace. It’s made up of cowries strung together. He lifts it up and wears it around his neck. The priestess coughs before speaking up again, “Also, whatever you do, do not invite the devil into your home. Once you do that, you give him permission to do as he wants.”
Rahim is baffled. “Wait, I thought you said the contract was no more,” he sputters.
“I have said all I need to say on the matter. Now LEAVE!”, replies the priestess coldly.
Rahim shrugs, gets up, looks at the priestess one last time before heading out the door and back to civilization. Believing his problems were now a thing of the past.
Things went smoothly for him in