by Ju Ephraime
“You have to relax, Mona,” he told her sternly. She had forgotten his pet name for her.
“Papino, it’s getting late, and according to Todd, the witch usually visits him around midnight.”
“Do you not trust me to take care of things, my child?” he asked.
“I do, Papino, but I'm very anxious about this for Todd.”
“It's okay to be anxious. You wouldn't be human if you were not anxious. But you'll have to trust me also. Take your cue from Todd. He does not appear to be unduly troubled...does he?”
“I'm sorry, Papino,” was all she could say.
She turned around and walked across the room to Todd's side. He was playing a game with one of her uncles, and he seemed to be having a good time because he was winning.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
At around 10:30 P.M., Papino came and asked Todd to accompany him. She made a move to go along with him, but her papino put up his hand to stop her. She sat back down, but she was fuming.
Why would he seek to leave me out of the ceremony? I don’t know how comfortable Todd is with our ways. Shouldn’t I be there to provide a buffer for him?
This was one of the practices in this culture that she didn't like. They so easily isolated their women. She wouldn’t stand for it, but for now, she'd hold her piece. But if her papino thought she would sit by meekly while he did anything with Todd, he had another thing coming.
She waited for twenty minutes. She was just about to barge into the room where she’d seen her papino take Todd when they walked out, and Todd rejoined her on the settee where she'd been sitting.
“What happened in there?”
“Nothing much,” he responded.
When she tried to get more information from him, he closed up like a clam. This told her that her papino had instructed Todd against discussing what had taken place with her.
She agreed to leave it alone, for now. She wanted to get help for Todd, and if it meant being treated like a brainless woman, then so be it. She needed to see to their sleeping arrangements. That was when she got the other shock. Todd told her then that, on her papino's advice, he would not be sleeping with her. He would be sleeping in the space designated by her papino.
For a brief moment, Simonia saw red! She made a move to get off the settee. Todd pulled her back down.
“Darling, you do want me to be rid of this witch, right? So please calm yourself. Your papino said I have to do this for three nights. I don't like it any more than you, but if it means regaining control of my body, then I'm all for it.”
“But three nights, sweetheart? Don't you think that’s a bit much?”
“I don't know what’s too much and what’s not enough, Simonia. I am not familiar with any aspect of this phenomenon. I'm like a lamb being led to slaughter. I’m trying to deal with you. I need to count on you if this is going to work.”
She immediately felt contrite. Also, the fact that he addressed her by her given name was a clear indication of how upset he was.
“I'm sorry, darling. This is very hard on me. But I promise you I'll try very hard to control myself. You won't hear a pip from me. Let me go find my aunt. She probably knows where I'll be spending the night.”
“You don't have to leave right this minute. Your papino said he has to prepare the place. He'll come and get me when he's ready.”
“Okay, I’ll stay with you until he comes. But don't expect me to be nice to him.”
“Simonia, you have to promise me you won't make this any more difficult than it is. Your papino doesn’t have to do this. You know he’s only trying to help us.”
“Oh, all right,” she said, giving him a kiss on the lips.
He didn't hesitate but took her in his arms, giving her a kiss that left them both breathing hard. But, alas, they couldn't do anything else. For one thing, there was the privacy issue, and for another, she hadn’t had the opportunity to check if his cuts and bruises had healed.
They sat in silent, thinking about the events of the night. Then, all too soon, her papino came to get Todd. He was dressed in his karadji outfit. For no apparent reason, her fear increased. She was having a very difficult time breathing. Recognizing it for nervous anxiety, she began taking in deep breaths and slowly letting them out to calm her nerves. Trying her best to remain calm, she watched as Todd accompanied her papino out of the room.
This will be one long night.
***
She knew her papino could communicate by mystical means over long distances. She wondered if he was going to use those powers tonight. Or was he going to perform the Pointing Bone Ceremony? This could explain the preparation with Todd and the number of days it would take.
With the Pointing Bone Ceremony, first a bone was carved from a ritually cleaned and scraped human, kangaroo, or emu femur or sometimes simply a stylized stick. In some cases a string was attached, connecting to a small receptacle. During the ritual, the bone was ceremonially pointed at the transgressor, who is usually not physically present. Depending on the local tradition, this ritual either caused a poisoned bone or other object to enter the victim's body to draw out blood, kidney fat, or the person's spirit into the receptacle. Either way, the victim now became sick. The bone would be buried, wrapped in emu feathers, for several months, resulting in a long illness. If the bone was heated by fire, the victim's condition became worse, and when it is finally burnt, the victim died.
She was not certain she wanted to kill the witch. She just wanted whatever spell she'd placed on Todd removed. She would have to talk with her papino to see if it had to result in the witch's death.
Just as she suspected, she had a difficult time getting to sleep. She kept thinking about Todd, wondering what he was doing and whether he was comfortable. She had herself so bent out of shape. It was almost dawn before she fell into a fitful sleep.
She was running on the beach; the water was a distinct shade of blue. It was similar to the waters off the Great Barrier Reef. The difference was the very white or light-colored sand and the intense heat beating down on her as she lay on the towel watching as Todd rode the waves that were hitting the shore with great force. She was so engrossed watching Todd that she didn't realize that someone was occupying the towel next to her. She loved watching the play of muscles on Todd’s darkly tanned and physically fit body. Her heart filled with pride, knowing that this man belonged to her.
Then she heard a snickering from the towel next to her. She turned to examine the source of the intrusion and saw the most beautiful woman lying next to her, as naked as the day she was born. Todd turned and waved. She thought he was waving to her, so she raised her hand to wave back, but he was looking at the beautiful, naked woman. The woman got up from the towel and, with no regards for decency, began walking into the water towards Todd. Simonia was so distraught, she began screaming Todd's name, but he didn't appear to hear her. Just as the woman was reaching to touch Todd, Simonia felt a hand on her shoulder shaking her.
“Simonia, Mona, Mona, wake up. You are having a nightmare.”
She was crying so hysterically that, even when she realized it was a dream, she couldn't get rid of the pain that held her heart as if someone were squeezing it in a vise. She opened her eyes when she heard Todd's voice, and then she burst into even more hysterical tears when she saw him sitting on the edge of the bed next to her.
“You were having a nightmare, sweetheart. Are you okay now? Your aunt couldn't wake you, so she came and got me. What had you so distraught?”
“Todd, I have a feeling we have a fight on our hands with this witch. I can't tell you about my dream now, but I'll tell you later. Did you have a good night’s sleep?”
“Yes, I slept like a babe. I believe your papino must have given me something to drink because I knew nothing after my head hit the pillow. I was about to come find you when your aunt came rushing into the room, almost hysterical that she couldn't wake you.”
“I'm sorry, darling.”
“Are you certain you d
on't want to discuss your dream now?”
“Yes, I'm certain,” she told him. “I’ll tell you later.”
So traumatized was she by the dream, she was shaking as she walked over to the washroom to freshen up.
Standing at the washbasin, she looked at herself critically in the mirror. She looked like something the cat had dragged in. There were dark circles under her eyes, and her hair looked dull and lifeless around her shoulders.
Taking up the bunch, she wove it into an intricate knot and piled it on top of her head. Using one of her colored scarves, she tied it in place and then turned away from the mirror.
She went into the common area where breakfast was laid out. Like the evening before, the food was a mixture of bush and Australian. The bush food always consisted of a lot of fruits, particularly nuts, and she took some of those and a cup of herb tea and settled down next to Todd, where he was waiting on her to begin his breakfast.
The meal was consumed in silence. She was still shaken by the dream, but she was dying to know what had happened with Todd.
“Todd, do you have any more scratches on your body, darling?”
“No, sweetheart,” he said, giving her a raised-brow wink. “My body is clean and pristine, waiting for your inspection.”
She felt as if she was slowly losing her mind. Nothing seemed real any more. That dream was almost too close to the reality that had become her life.
Turning to Todd, she wanted to ask him about the witch, but she couldn’t bring herself to. Instead, she said the first thing that came into her head.
“Do you have any fresh scratches on your body today?”
“I already told you no, sweetheart.”
“You did? I can’t remember asking you.”
“You did, just a moment ago.”
“You’re right; I did. I’m so messed up I can’t even remember. Quite frankly, I don’t know whether I’m coming or going. I’ll be glad when this is over.”
“You and I both. So, are you going to tell me about the dream that so disturbed you?”
“Darling, could we not speak about that now? I’m trying to make sense of the dream. It seemed so real to me. I’ve never been to St. Lucia. What color is the water? Is it like the waters here in Australia?”
“No, it’s a more vivid blue. Not like the waters here, but it looks to me a lot like the waters in the reef.”
That was what she’d thought in the dream. What does this dream mean? Dreams were part subconscious and part things to come. She would accept it as her subconscious thoughts because, if she thought of it as things to come, she would go out of her mind. She’d discuss the dream with Todd, but she needed to get her emotions under control before she attempted it.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
By the time the three days were coming to a close, she was climbing a wall. She was kept in the dark until the day she and Todd were to return home. There was a gathering similar to the one held upon their arrival, only this one was to celebrate their safe return home.
She had not had a good night’s sleep since she had seen Todd with those scratches on his body. She was functioning on pure adrenaline. She knew it would all catch up with her soon. But she had to keep going for Todd’s sake.
The atmosphere was festive enough, but she was still in the dark as to the outcome of the intervention, for want of a better word.
After breakfast, her papino took her and Todd to his private room where, as Karadji, he conducted all his dreamtime rituals.
According to her papino, he had done all he could do for Todd from this distance. Essentially, he had performed a reversal of the love magic ritual. This ritual, if done correctly, was designed for two distinct purposes—to attract a marriage partner or to attract a partner for a sexual liaison, possibly extra-marital. Such rituals were said to induce irresistible desire in the target. In this instance, he'd worked the love magic to remove the sexual desire that the witch had for Todd.
He was able to keep the witch from availing herself of Todd’s body by binding her to the pointing bone. This solution he told them was only temporary and would only last until the next new moon. The witch was more powerful when the moon was full, and she had taken Todd’s blood. This was how she was able to follow him across the ocean. She did not intend to give him up without a fight. He could have killed her through the pointing bone, but he wanted them to try the ritual he was going to give them on her home turf.
For now, Todd should wear the silver cross and also rub his body with the ointment he had given him before going to bed. The plants in the ointment had powerful protective elements to keep the witch away, but her papino told them they shouldn’t delay in doing what he was about to tell them. This, he insisted, could only be done back where the witch first attacked Todd. He didn’t suggest Todd go alone. It was imperative that Simonia went with him. It would take the two of them working together to combat this witch because she was very powerful.
The things he asked them to do seemed highly improbable. They had no idea how they would go about getting it done, but evidently they had no choice in the matter, not if they intended to resume their lives.
***
They took leave of her family, promising to visit more often. She felt a bit melancholy at leaving. It felt as though she was doing exactly what her mother had done all those years ago. Walking away from her roots, her family. What had driven her away? Knowing how her people believed in the “love magic,” she had a strong suspicion that love magic was involved in there somehow.
She really didn’t know her father. He had not stayed around long enough for her to have a relationship with him. She did know she looked a lot like him. She got her height, coloring, and even bone structure from him. There was nothing of her mother in her, except her love of dancing. In physical appearance, she was an outsider to the Aboriginals, but she was never made to feel that way. All her relatives embraced and accepted her as one of them. It was her mother who felt she didn’t belong and left when Simonia was only four, raising her in the culture and practice of the mainland. Not that Simonia regretted it. She loved her life. In her opinion, she had the best of both worlds. It was her dancing from her aboriginal roots that had brought her Todd, and for that, she would be forever grateful. She had found her soul mate in him. That was why she didn’t intend to sit back and hand him over to the witch. If they had to return to St. Lucia to rid themselves of her once and for all, then so be it.
***
Simonia felt so helpless, as if she were no longer in charge of her own life, her own destiny. She was scared. She had always wanted to visit St. Lucia to see where Todd worked, but not under the circumstances they were faced with now.
She tried putting on a brave face because she didn't want her lack of confidence in their success in this endeavor communicated to Todd. It was crucial that she remained strong. So, as much as she felt like crying, she had to put on a brave front.
Every so often she stole quick glances at him to satisfy herself that everything was all right with him. She couldn't wait to see for herself if he indeed had no fresh scratches and bruises on his body. She had tried to control herself while they were visiting her family and also because her papino had deliberately kept Todd away from her. She knew he had good reason for doing so, but it hurt nonetheless.
Todd was her husband, and as such, according to their customs, he should have been allowed to sleep with her in the same bed. But from the first night, she had known it wasn't going to happen because her papino took Todd with him every night when he retired. She was powerless to do anything about it. The Karadji was law in the tribe, and no one questioned him. Besides, she was scared of her papino. She had a feeling he could see right into her soul. Nothing surprised him. Before you told him, he already knew.
For instance, he had known Todd was under the spell of a witch, and he had said he was expecting her call when she'd called him. It was the strangest thing, and she didn't want to delve too deeply into it.
Silen
tly, Simonia looked out onto the landscape as it zoomed by. When they left the tribe, the landscape was blanketed with a thick fog. Now the closer they got to Sydney, the clearer the day was becoming. The roadside was covered with flowers that looked like scarlet brushes. They grew in perfusion. There were green leafy ferns of all shapes, colors, and sizes growing out of the hard soil. No space was free of flora. It was a kaleidoscope of colors. It made her feel good to be alive. The sun was shining, the flowers were blooming, and life was going to go on. So must she and Todd.
She turned to give him a brief sideways glance, and he evidently had the same thought in mind because he took his eyes off the road just as she turned towards him. She gave him a quick smile and reached for his free hand to rest her face against it. She needed him to know she was with him all the way in this.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
With a muttered curse, Todd pulled the vehicle off the road into a shady alcove, and then he reached for her. He looked into his wife’s beautiful, expressive eyes, wondering what she was thinking that brought such a pensive look to her face. He started to ask but got distracted by the feel of her soft flesh against the hot skin of his hand. He flexed his fingers, testing the resilience of her hand against his.
“You know…” he said, shifting in his seat to look directly at her, trying to make himself heard over the noise of the heavy traffic whizzing by at alarming speeds. “I finally understand why you dance the way you do. Dancing and singing is a part of the very fabric of your DNA. It would be impossible to separate you from the dancing and singing, even though you don't sing as well as you dance.”
Simonia blinked, wondering if she had heard him correctly. She knew it was her dancing that had first attracted him to her, but to have him acknowledge her heritage and her culture warmed her heart. It gave her a fuzzy feeling.
She reached over and gave him a kiss on the corner of his mouth, dragging her mouth to his ear before giving him a nip on his earlobe.