by Kira Saito
“Really?” He let out a loud hoot.
“Yes, really,” I said. “So can you help me?”
“Yes,” he replied. “What is it that you are searching for?”
“I have to find the swamp. I’m looking for a child, I think he’s there. I know that he’s scared and lost,” I spat out before he could change his mind and decide not to help me.
Brise laughed a deep, throaty laugh that shook all the trees surrounding us. “That’s such an easy request Arelia. Just look beneath you.”
“Beneath me?” I asked terrified that I would see Ben’s chubby limp body there. I looked down and was relieved to find his baseball cap. “He was here?”
“Yes,” replied Brise. He was so nonchalant about the whole thing like he dealt with situations such as these on a daily basis.
“Where is he now?” I demanded.
“Pick up the hat. It will show you the way,” he advised.
“I don’t understand.” I was puzzled as I picked up the hat. I felt silence fill the air. “Brise!” I shouted, but he was gone. I was alone again. I forced myself to calm down and think about what Brise had said. The hat would show me the way. I ran my fingers over the cap and closed my eyes and concentrated on Ben’s face. With my eyes still closed I made my way through the woods, until I could smell Spanish moss.
I opened my eyes and saw that the moonlight was back only to reveal the eerie outline of Spanish moss, as it dangled from rows of cypress trees. All around me the trees breathed and silently spoke a secret language that I had no hopes of ever understanding. This had to mean that the swamp was near. I ran towards the trees and felt the ground turn to mush as I crossed it. I can’t explain how but I felt that Ben was near. “Ben!” I shouted.
“Hello,” whispered a scared little voice.
“Ben, it’s Arelia. We met at the party remember? I went to get you a Coke, but you disappeared. Where are you?”
“I wanted to see the alligators and ghosts, but I got lost,” he pouted.
“Well, you came awfully close to finding the swamp, a few more feet and you would have been right there. Where are you?” I repeated the question.
“I’m right here,” he said. “Look to your right.”
I rapidly turned to my right and saw Ben’s chubby frame slumped against a cypress tree.
“Oh, thank God!” I shouted as I started to run towards him. As I got closer, I stopped dead in my tracks. Dangling from the tree Ben sat under; lurking above his head, there was a cottonmouth snake. In Louisiana everyone knew that cottonmouths were deadly. Its ugly body must have been at least sixty inches in length and was patterned in a yellow and khaki design. I didn’t want to freak Ben out so I decided to remain composed.
“Ben, don’t move,” I commanded in a cool manner. I walked towards him being extra cautious of each step I took.
“Why what’s wrong?” he asked innocently. He started to rise.
“Don’t move!” I nervously screeched a little louder than I had hoped.
“You’re scaring me.” He ignored my advice and took a step backwards and glanced above to see what I was staring at. “A snake!” he hollered. His beady eyes started to bulge, “I don’t like snakes. I like alligators!”
“Ben it’s okay.” I tried to remain collected even though my heart was racing a hundred miles per minute.
Ben ignored me and continued to move backwards. It was clear that the snake did not appreciate the commotion, so it started to inch closer to him.
“Arelia what’s happening?” he demanded. “The ground is moving.”
It took me a moment to realize that Ben had stepped into a pocket of quicksand that was common in most swampy areas. The earth below him was sucking him down at a rapid pace. I had to do something now. As I ran towards him, I could see the cottonmouth was getting even more irritated, so much in fact, that it had coiled itself around Ben’s arm.
“Arelia, help me!” At this point, Ben was in utter terror, as the snake inched his way up to his neck, and the ground pulled him in even further.
When I finally got to him, I made sure not to step in the quicksand. I stretched out my arm for Ben to hold on to. He gripped my arm, as I tried to pull him out. I tried with every fiber in my body, but it was useless. Ben was a chubby kid and probably weighed more than I did which prompted my body to land with a giant thud backwards.
“Arelia, ouch it bit me!” Ben yelped in pain. The snake having gotten its revenge, uncoiled itself from Ben.
“Hold on. I’m going to get you out,” I assured him. I needed some kind of rope. Not quite sure what I was doing, I took off my gown and started to twist it into a makeshift rope. “Ben, grab the gown,” I commanded as I threw him the gown. He gripped the gown, and I started to pull again. I pulled with all my strength, but it was futile. I just wasn’t strong enough. I tried harder, and then if by some miracle, Ben started to move from out of the quicksand, someone was helping me pull him out. I turned around to confirm my suspicion and saw that it was formerly-shirtless guy. His eyes were intently fixated on Ben and his smooth skin gleamed under the moonlight. Together, we managed to drag Ben out of the hole and onto solid land.
“Thanks,” I mouthed to formerly-shirtless guy not wanting to get into why he had followed me. Ben was starting to foam at the mouth from the snake bite, and I needed to help him. Formerly-shirtless guy nodded in acknowledgement as he dragged Ben to a clearing.
“Arelia,” Ben gasped. “What’s happening?”
“Nothing Ben,” I tried to sooth him. I got on my knees and inspected the bloated area where the bite mark was. I closed my eyes and concentrated. I asked Erzulie to help me close the wound and stop the poison. “You’re going to be fine,” I assured him. I continued to concentrate. He had to get better, he just had to. If what everyone was telling me was true and I was a voodoo queen who could talk to spirits, surely they could help me save a scared, little boy.
I opened my eyes a few minutes later, but the wound was still there, and Ben’s temperature was rapidly rising. I could see formerly-shirtless guy eying me with intrigue. I felt silly all of a sudden thinking that he probably thought I was crazy. Oh well, it didn’t matter. I had to help Ben. I closed my eyes again and focused harder. Using every inch of my being, I was determined to heal Ben. I remembered the healing song grand-mere used to sing to me when high fevers got a hold of me:
Wash away the pain
Wash away the ugliness
I free you from the pain
Sweep way the pain
Make an offering in blood and tears
Wash away the pain
Set you free from the hurt
My child I wash away the pain
Crap, I had to make an offering, but with what? At home, Grand-mere Bea used to light candles, and mix herbs whenever I got sick. Where the hell was I supposed to find candles and herbs out here? Remembering that offerings could vary, I anxiously ripped the stupid butterfly pin out of my hair, and used it to prick my finger. The slight pain gave me an adrenaline rush as a spot of blood sprung from my finger. I brought my finger to Ben’s bite and passed my blood over it. Afterwards, I wrapped my hands around his neck and closed my eyes. Once again, I repeated the chant:
Wash away the pain
Wash away the ugliness
I free you from the pain
Sweep way the pain
Make an offering in blood and tears
Wash away the pain
Set you free from the hurt
My child I wash away the pain
A few minutes later, I opened my eyes, but nothing had changed. “It’s not working!” I yelled to formerly-shirtless guy. Where had I gone wrong?
“What can I do?” His eyebrows furrowed together, as if he were trying to come up with a solution. “Maybe, we should take him back to the house. We have a doctor on call for the summer. He’ll know what to do.”
“No!” I screamed. “I’m supposed to help him. They told me it would work. They told me I
had powers.” I felt so defeated, so stupid for believing in what Ms. Mae and Grand-mere Bea had told me.
“Try harder then,” he commanded. “If you want it to work, it will. You can’t just give up after a few, feeble attempts.”
There was something in his tone that was so certain, so determined. It was like he believed me more than I had ever believed in myself. I wanted to argue and accuse him of not knowing anything about me, but there are times when a girl just has to bite her tongue and focus on the bigger picture. I pricked my other finger and drew more blood. Afterwards, I closed my eyes again and concentrated on the words within the chant:
Wash away the pain
Wash away the ugliness
I free you from the pain
Sweep way the pain
Make an offering in blood and tears
Wash away the pain
Set you free from the hurt
My child I wash away the pain
It had to work. It just had to. After repeating the chant at least six times, it still didn’t work. “Fine you greedy spirits!” I yelled. It was clear that they wanted more blood. In a rage, I drew more blood, this time slashing my palm. I brought my dripping palm up to Ben’s neck and repeated the chant. After a few minutes, I felt a distinct energy. It was a force within me so incredibly strong that I was convinced that I was able to move a mountain if I wanted to or even get Sabrina to stop talking about boys.
“Arelia what are you doing?” Ben’s voice forced me to open my eyes. “You’re strangling me.”
I realized my hands were gripped a bit too tightly around his neck. I unwrapped them to find that his wound had completely healed, and his fever was gone. “Ben, you’re okay!” I exclaimed. I gave him an enormous hug.
“Of course, I’m okay,” he said. “I’m just sleepy it was a long night. Tell the alligators and ghosts that I’ll see them tomorrow.” He closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep.
In my excitement I leapt up and by sheer impulse gave formerly-shirtless guy a hug. As my body touched his, I could smell him and felt my skin tingle. Delicious chills overtook my body. He wasn’t wearing any cologne, but he smelt lovely. Warm and familiar mingled with a dash of sadness and danger. I caught myself clinging to him and took a step back in embarrassment. My moment of conquest had quickly passed, and I realized that I was standing next to a swamp, in front of a stranger in a corset and petticoat which basically translated to a bra and underwear. I was horrified.
Formerly-shirtless guy looked at me like the existence of Santa Claus had just been proven before taking off his jacket and wrapping it around me. “You must be cold,” he observed. “Your hand is bleeding.” He ripped a sleeve off of his shirt and covered my palm.
In my state of absolute exhilaration, I had failed to acknowledge the fact that the night had gotten a bit chilly. My entire body was covered in goose bumps, and my hand was leaking blood everywhere. “Why did you follow me?” I wrapped his jacket around me realizing that I was standing in the middle of nowhere with someone who could be a psychopathic, serial killer.
His lips broke out in an amused smile. “Do you think I’m stalking you?” he asked hovering over me. It really sucked being short sometimes. Standing at a measly five foot three inches made me feel as if I lived in a world full of giants. At this moment, formerly-shirtless guy looked like a giant even though he wasn’t freakishly tall or anything, maybe slightly over six feet.
“Well, how else can you explain being here?” I stated what I thought was the obvious. I tried to stand on my toes, hoping to make myself appear taller.
“I saw you leave and thought that you may have gotten lost, the property is rather large,” he explained in a rational manner.
“How did you know I left?” I pressed. “You were too busy dancing.”
His laugh cut the momentary silence the swamp had succumbed to. “I guess I’m not the only lurker around here.”
“What?” I asked confused.
“If you saw me dancing that means you must have been watching me.” He raised an eyebrow as if he expected me to confess that, I had in fact, been watching him.
“I wasn’t, Sabrina was supposed to be helping me.” I adamantly defended myself, as I stood even higher on my toes. “I only noticed you dancing because you were with her.”
“Let’s start over,” he held out his hand. “I’m Lucus.”
I thrust out my hand. So he had a name. “I’m Arelia.” I expected him to shake my hand, but instead, he brought it up to his lips and gave it a tender kiss. I was mortified, but I had to admit a little flattered, as well. It wasn’t sloppy or rushed, but it wasn’t creepy slow either. It was the kind of kiss I assumed a gentleman would give a lady. I only presumed that because grand-mere was always going on about how real Southern gentlemen took their time and made a lady feel special.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you Arelia. You look absolutely stunning this evening.”
He had to be kidding, right? I was covered in mud and dressed in only a tuxedo jacket. “We better get Ben back before anyone starts to worry,” I snapped, waking up from whatever just happened here. “Promise you won’t tell anyone what you saw here tonight,” I begged him.
“Your secret is safe with me,” he melodramatically vowed in an exaggerated, solemn tone while placing his right hand over his heart.
I took one look into his eyes and wanted to believe him, but I’ve never been the type to trust so easily. “Thanks,” I muttered.
Lucus scooped up Ben from the ground like he was a feather and we started to head back to the house. “Are you sure you know where you’re going?” I glanced over at Lucus.
“I’m pretty sure that I know the way,” he replied as he looked over at me and gave me a carefree smile.
“If you say so, but I don’t remember this path.” I was certain that we would probably get lost, and I would get attacked by some creepy animal who would chew off half of my face. Grand-mere Bea would be horrified. Sabrina would book me an appointment with her mom’s plastic surgeon. The whole thing would be dramatic and traumatizing. I guess chasing chubby boys into deadly swamps wasn’t exactly my most brilliant idea.
“We’re taking a shortcut,” he advised me. “There is a much easier way to get back to the house.”
“Sure.” How could he possibly know where he was going?
To my surprise, Lucus actually knew what he was talking about and managed to deliver us safely to Darkwood house. When we got to the front porch, Sabrina came flying down the steps. “Arelia! Where did you go? I was looking all over the house for you!” For some strange reason, she had developed a weird twangy accent in the short while I had been gone.
“And you,” she turned to Lucus, “Mr. LaPlante, it’s not nice keeping a lady waiting, is it now?”
I felt my stomach turn. Did she really just say LaPlante? Oh, great. The boss’s son had seen me in my towel and my underwear within the span of less than eight hours.
“Please, do accept my apologies Sabrina.” Lucus gave her a dramatic bow. “I was just helping a guest who seemed to have lost her way.”
He sounded so humble, so noble; it made me want to gag. Who actually spoke like that anymore? I knew that he was just putting on a show for Sabrina, and that was fine with me. She deserved Prince Charming. “Who is that kid?” Sabrina took her eyes off Lucus for a split second.
“That’s Ben,” the guest I was helping. “He got lost,” I reminded her.
“You went off and found him.” She continued to ignore me and looked at Lucus like he had just single-handily saved the Earth from an alien invasion.
“Actually, Arelia is the one who got the poor boy out of trouble,” Lucus corrected.
“Well, put him down, so we can dance.” Sabrina grazed Lucus’s arm, as she twirled her hair with her other hand. “Arelia what happened to your gown and your hair?” She finally noticed that I was wearing only a tuxedo jacket and my hair was matted and covered in mud.
“Long story,�
� I sighed.
“Well you have to tell me all about it after the dance.” She turned her focus back on Lucus.
“Arelia, what in God’s name happened to you?” Ms. Mae rushed towards us.
“Ben, he got lost, and I helped bring him back.” I really didn’t feel like getting into the details at the moment.
“Where are the boy’s parents?” Ms. Mae asked clearly horrified.
“Probably still slamming down Hurricanes in the ballroom,” I predicted while wrapping Lucus’s jacket around me even tighter. Despite the fact that it was warm inside, the swamp air had seeped into my bones and had given me what seemed like a permanent chill.
“I don’t mind taking him up to his room.” Lucus eyed Ben’s neck making sure that the mark had really disappeared.
“Thank you dear,” Ms. Mae looked utterly relieved at Lucus’s offer. “Arelia you go right on up there too and get all of that mud out of your hair. Take the rest of the night off just keep an eye on Ben,” she instructed.
“Can I have the rest of the night off too?” blurted Sabrina in a hurry to follow Lucus upstairs. Her foot was already on one step, tapping impatiently.
“Sorry dear, you need to be down here with the guests.” Ms. Mae dashed any hopes Sabrina had of sneaking upstairs.
“Lucus, will you be back?” pouted Sabrina.
“I’ll be down shortly,” promised Lucus.
“Don’t take too long.” Sabrina was already starting to boss him around.
As we got to the top of the stairs, I followed Lucus to the Dumpty’s room. When we got there, Lucus placed Ben, who was still sound asleep, on his bed and took off his shoes. “I wonder if he’ll remember anything in the morning,” I said.
“Of course he will, what kid would forget an adventure like that?” Lucus replied as he turned to face me. As he made eye contact, I felt myself starting to unwillingly blush. It wasn’t so much that his eyes were spectacular in terms of color. It was their defined almond shape and what was behind their gaze that made me nervous. It was as if they could see all of my secrets and had a few of their own. They were old and young while being wise and mischievous.