The Sorceress

by Allison Hobbs

  “This is Ms. Ajali Stovall and her daughter, Kali,” a nurse dressed in a ballerina costume spoke cheerfully to the sedate group of kids. “Ms. Stovall is going to read you Halloween stories. Isn’t that nice?” Those who were awake responded with slight head nods and weak smiles, but one little girl gave a big, snaggle-tooth smile and yelled an exuberant, “Yes!”

  Feeling an instant connection, Kali took a seat next to the bubbly little girl. “Hi,” Kali said shyly. “My name is Kali.”

  “My name is Shanice,” the child said, her expressive brown eyes bright with excitement.

  “Hello, everyone and happy Halloween,” Ajali began. All of a sudden, Shanice groaned, her face, etched in pain.

  “Excuse me, Ms. Stovall,” the nurse interrupted. “I’m going to take Shanice back to her room.”

  “Is she coming back?” Kali asked.

  “I don’t think so,” the nurse said. “Shanice gets really sleepy after she takes her medication.”

  “Can I keep her company until she goes to sleep?” Kali asked the nurse, cutting an eye at her mother, silently asking permission. Ajali nodded.

  The nurse straightened the orange blanket around the little girl’s legs.“Is that okay with you, Shanice? Do you mind if Kali visits with you in your room?”

  Nodding, Shanice sent a faint smile in Kali’s direction. “You can play with my Game Boy if you want to.” The little girl tried to sound cheerful, but her pained voice was a fractured whisper.

  Inside Shanice’s room, the nurse transferred the little girl from the recliner to her bed. She raised the bedrails and then pushed a button, cranking up the top of the small hospital bed. “I’ll be right back with your pain pill.” Trying to cheer Shanice, the tutu-wearing nurse made a series of awkward twirls toward the door. Kali giggled. Surprisingly, Shanice managed a smile.

  “The game is in—” Shanice flinched as though struck by a stab of pain. Moaning, she pointed shakily to her bedside table. “It’s in the drawer.”

  “Do you have a tummy ache?” Kali asked.

  “I have sickle cell anemia.” A stream of tears began rolling down her brown cheeks.

  Kali had never heard of the disease, but sensing Shanice’s evident distress, she figured it was something serious. She glanced toward the open door, looking for the nurse, hoping she’d hurry back with the medicine.

  “Oh!” Shanice whimpered, her facial features contorting badly.

  Kali patted Shanice’s shoulder. “Your nurse will be right back.” Shanice was obviously in a great deal of pain and Kali had no idea how long it would take for the nurse to return. Needing to do something to help her new friend, Kali stuck her hand inside her pocket and took out the goddess ring.

  Too large to fit her ring finger, she slipped the silver ring over her thumb. Swept by what felt like tidal waves of adrenaline, Kali stood held onto Shanice’s bedrail, steadying herself as she waited to adjust to the overwhelming power of the ring. She leaned in closely, her face fixed in concentration, as she wiped away Shanice’s teardrops with the pad of her thumb.

  When the nurse returned holding a plastic med cup, Shanice had shown Kali how to lower her bedrails and was out of bed. “Shanice!” Mystified by what looked like a miraculous recovery, the nurse looked at Kali. Smiling, Kali shrugged. She slipped the ring off her thumb, and snuck it back inside her pocket.

  “Can I put on my Halloween costume? I want to go trick-or-treating with the other kids,” Shanice said, bouncing energetically.

  “Are you sure you feel up to it, honey?”

  “I really feel much better. I don’t need a pill anymore.”

  “I don’t know, Shanice.” Frowning, the nurse looked torn. “You were in severe pain only a few minutes ago.”

  “I know, but Dr. Hutchins said my pain meds are to be taken as needed,” Shanice reminded, sounding extremely mature. “The pain is gone and I don’t need it. I want to wear my costume.” Emphasizing her improved condition, Shanice jumped up and down, grinning and yelling, “Please, Nurse Rachel! Please!”

  Giving in, the nurse helped dress Shanice in her costume, an elaborate, belle-of–the-ball gown, with a matching parasol.

  “Look at you. You’re beautiful...a true belle of the ball,” the nurse cooed.

  Beaming, Shanice looked at her reflection in a full-length mirror that was affixed to the closet door. Happy, she spun around and around.

  “Be careful, honey. You don’t want to wear yourself out,” the nurse cautioned.

  “You look fantastic,” Kali exclaimed

  “Thank you, Nurse Rachel.” Shanice was beaming, and then her smile faded. “Do you have an extra costume for Kali?” Shanice’s luminous eyes were wide with hope.

  “I’m sorry, most of the costumes were donated and we gave them all out.”

  “That’s okay,” Kali said, never letting on that Shanice was wearing the costume her mother had donated—the gown that had been custom-made for her.

  “I do have an extra bag if your mom says it’s okay for you to have candy. Let’s go ask Kali’s mom if she can come along.”

  Holding hands, Kali and Shanice skipped into the playroom. Pausing from reading the story, Ajali stared at Shanice, surprised at her miraculous recovery.

  “Can I go trick-or-treating with Shanice?” Kali asked her mother.

  “Sure,” Ajali agreed, gazing at Shanice unbelievingly.

  “Shanice is a feisty one, but I don’t ever think I’ve seen her quite this lively, Ms. Stovall. Your daughter seems to have really lifted her spirits. I don’t know what she did, but whatever it was, it needs to be bottled.” Nurse Rachel chuckled. “Okay, girls, let’s go join all those ghosts and goblins.”

  As Ajali returned to the story she was reading, she noticed the dull sheen had left the eyes of the children who were awake and had been replaced with something else. Hope?

  She knew for sure that the bleakness that had permeated the playroom was suddenly gone. It seemed entirely possible that these sombrous children might too, find a reason to smile.

  In the kitchen, Boozer writhed on the floor, moaning and digging his claws into the hardwood floor as if in agony.

  Disgusted, the boy grabbed the chrome handle of the refrigerator, pulling the door wide open, and displaying the contents; a large selection of colorful and eye-appealing groceries. “Do you see anything in there he can eat?” he asked, irritably.

  “How would I know?” Eris snapped. “You brought us here; don’t you know what he needs to survive?”

  “I didn’t bring that cretin here.” The boy looked down at Boozer with scorn. “That was one of your tricks and now it’s backfired. Just look at him,” the boy said, repulsed as he observed Boozer.

  Lying on his belly with his claws fully extended, Boozer wriggled, snake-like, across the slippery, high-shine, hardwood floor. Howling in sexual agony, the beast undulated, and gyrated, marring the beautiful hardwood, etching a trail as he slithered along, dry-humping the floor.

  The boy grimaced. “I doubt that it’s actually food that he desires. He’s entirely animalistic and so very primitive; his problems are well beyond my scope.” The boy shook his head. “Knowing how impulsive you are, I shouldn’t be surprised, but I must admit, I’m disappointed in you, Eris. It was a very risky undertaking. You took advantage of my generosity when you brought that nasty creature along.”

  Eris pushed the boy aside and slammed the refrigerator door shut. Emboldened by her restored limbs and no longer in need of his advice, she grabbed the child by the collar and lifted him off his feet, bringing him close to her face. She stared at him with incredible intensity. “Watch your tone, little man. I’m in command, now. You can’t control me, like you did when we were in the Dark Realm.”

  “Put me down,” the boy hissed through clenched teeth, his small chest heaving in rage. The ragged breathing that often preceded an episode commenced.

  “Shut up!” Eris shouted in his face. “That rattling sound you’re making is terrib
ly and completely annoying. Stop it at once!”

  Ethan ceased wheezing. He’d mastered the symptoms of an asthma attack and had often faked labored breathing as a warning to the household staff, as well as his parents, that he was dissatisfied. Unfailingly, his wheezing would have everyone scurrying about, quickly trying to pacify him before he worked himself up to a strident wail. But Eris was not so easily deceived. And there was fire in her indigo eyes that threatened to harm his fragile human body. “Bitch!” he snarled.

  Eris released him from her grasp. He toppled down to the floor.

  He scrambled to his feet. “I should have left you—”

  “But you didn’t. You brought me here and this time, I intend to stay. You’re not as clever as you think. I’m superior to you, Xavier. I’m a goddess, and don’t you forget it.”

  “You’re a fallen goddess! You don’t possess enough power to keep your hands attached to your wrists.” He snickered maliciously.

  “Your nanny will keep me well-nourished and in vibrant health.”

  “The poor nanny, dumped in the dungeon with a rotting corpse, is going to end up with a nasty infection in those wounds. Her blood will be tainted and what will you do then?” He arched a taunting brow.

  “Oh, there will be others to feed on. Like you, for example,” she said in a threatening tone.

  He backed away. “I’m frail and anemic. My blood won’t last very long nor do you much good. Besides, you need female blood,” he said, making that claim off the top of his head. He actually had no idea what Eris needed to stay in human form. He looked up in thought. “Another thing…you’ll never get to Virginia without my help.”

  Eris sneered. “When I was cast from the Goddess Realm, the goddesses crafted me a human form that was sturdy and beautiful and, most importantly, it remained intact.” She gazed at her reflection in the chrome front of the fridge. “But during my last earth life, in which you provided the transportation—”

  “I did nothing of the kind. I didn’t invite you to join me at that time. I had plans for you to come later, but you were so impatient, you made yourself a stowaway inside my mother’s womb. It wasn’t my fault that your impatience and deception deprived you of a substantial human form.”

  “That was then. What about now? You brought me here on your own accord. So tell me, genius, why does this body keep falling apart?”

  He shrugged. “Maybe it has something to do with that fiend you slipped through the portal without my knowledge.”

  “Talk, talk, talk. That’s all you’ve ever been, Xavier…nothing but talk. Why can’t you admit it? You don’t know how to fix this problem. You’re no mastermind. You used that contraption in your bedroom. I found the directions printed out and hidden in the bottom desk drawer.”

  Exposed, the boy flinched.

  “Ah, you didn’t think I’d discover your little trick?”

  He was a pitiable sight with his hands behind his back, his large head held low.

  “What happened to you, Xavier? You were once so wise and all-knowing. Or so I thought. I had so much respect for you while we dwelled together on the Dark Realm. You taught me to use my third eye vision, so what has happened to your skills?”

  “It’s this human form. It’s terrible being trapped in this body.”

  “Why couldn’t you retain your power?”

  “I was born of woman…as a human child,” he lamented.

  “It’s good to see you for what you really are…” Eris paused and smiled a wicked smile. “You’re nothing but a very tiny, egotistical, and ineffective little man. A sideshow magician, duping spectators with card tricks, has more skills than you possess.” Bending down to his height and narrowing her eyes at him, Eris jeered, “Smoke and mirrors, Xavier…that’s all you are… that’s all you ever were.”

  “I hate you, Eris and I hope you lose your head along with your limbs.”

  “Silence! Your voice is as annoying as a buzzing insect. You’re useless to me now. Be gone!” She threw up a hand. “Go back to your bedroom and play with your computer toy.” She glimpsed her hands, and then her gaze shifted to her feet. Satisfied that she had all ten fingers and toes, Eris drifted off in thought.

  Chastised, the child turned to leave, then he whirled around wearing a devilish smile. “Where’s Boozer?” he asked. There was a malicious glint in his eyes.

  Eris jerked her toward the area where Boozer was last seen. There was a long, crooked trail of etched scratches, leading toward the hall. But Boozer was gone.

  “Boozer!” Eris shrieked.

  The boy held up his hands. “Too late. He’s probably in the cellar, gobbling up your evening meal. Instead of standing here puffed up with your goddess status and taking pleasure in belittling me, you should have kept your eye on that lowlife you thought had your best interests at heart.”

  Eris gasped and fled the kitchen, slip sliding along the way.

  The boy toddled behind her, shaking his large head. “I guarantee you, he’s devoured her completely. I can’t imagine how you’re going to get hold of another female the next time your limbs begin to disappear.”

  Eris froze, horrified by the boy’s prediction. “Shut up, Xavier, before I turn you over my knee, you annoying little brat. I hate that you returned to earth as a child. It’s just so unbecoming.”

  Out in the hallway, Eris breathed a sigh of relief. The lock on the cellar door was in place. “Boozer!” she called him again, this time using an alluring lilt in her voice.

  Boozer didn’t respond. He didn’t have to. Eris and the boy heard him groaning. They rushed toward the sound of the senator’s study and were both appalled to find the beast trying to get out of a window. His waxen buttocks were booted in the air. His hairy legs and malformed hooves were dangling inside, while his head, torso, and upper limbs hung outside the window.

  Ethan shook his head in disgust. “I presume disarming the alarm system at the front door was too complicated for your idiot beast.”

  Boozer was too large for Eris or the boy to struggle with. Using the heat of her gaze, Eris burned a hole in the creature’s backside.

  Boozer howled and shimmied back inside, dropping to the floor, rubbing his smoking behind.

  “Did you think I’d allow you to escape, you moron? You are here to protect me, not to roam and rampage these streets.” She stood over him, the light in her eyes turned to a low beam that warned of continued burning if Boozer made one false move.

  “Say you’re sorry, you imbecile.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “Now get up.”

  Boozer rose to his feet. He rubbed his buttock again and then began pacing and scratching his arms, like an addict in dire need of a fix.

  “I don’t know what I’m going to do about him,” Eris confided to the boy.

  “Let him have the nanny. The maid will be here in the morning. You can drink her blood.”

  “I’ve acquired a taste for the nanny.” She held up her hands. “See how pretty. And look at my skin. It’s absolutely glowing. I don’t want to risk switching blood unless it’s absolutely necessary.”

  Boozer’s groaning grew louder. He began stomping back and forth, fists balled. Eris burned his other buttock. He smacked the smoking area, but despite the threat of more fiery pain, he continued to growl, enraged. “I gotta get outta here,” Boozer bellowed.

  “You can’t go out; someone will see you,” Eris argued.

  “But I’m hun-ga-ry,” Boozer roared, adding a syllable to the word “hungry.” “Staaaarving!” He stretched out that word, bending at the waist, rubbing his thick, fleeced phallus. He pulled back the fur-covered foreskin, and frowned down at his engorged waxen-colored penis. It throbbed and oozed a grayish, semen-like substance.

  The boy sucked his teeth and averted his gaze. “Your bodyguard is despicable. The next time you make a selection, I beg of you to exercise better judgment—for the good of mankind.”

  “I don’t care about mankind! I only care about
me!” Eris screeched.

  “Without mankind, who will sit and worship at your…uh…” He lowered his eyes, smirking down at her feet. “So far, so good,” he taunted.

  Eris ignored the boy’s sarcasm. “Maybe we should force him to eat something. He was once human; he should still enjoy the taste of food. With something in his stomach, maybe he’ll be less sexually aroused.”

  “He’s an animal, Eris. He’s in heat. Food is not the answer to his dilemma. Now, either offer up yourself as a treat or…”

  Eris bristled. “Or nothing! I’m a goddess! Copulating with a beast is out of the question.”

  “You didn’t seem to mind groveling in the soot with the ghouls on the Dark Realm,” the boy reminded her.

  “Different times; different circumstances.”

  Boozer’s groans escalated to a howl, much like the sound of a wolf. “I need a female,” he bellowed, stroking his dripping appendage. His grayish discharge had begun to puddle on the floor.

  The boy threw up his hands. “This can’t go on. That half-wit is going to bring the authorities to this door. He’s going to ruin my plot against my parents. All that planning I did…” The boy sighed and then shook his head wearily.

  Boozer howled again, this time he beat upon his chest with hairy, balled fists. At the same time, there was a buzzing coming from upstairs.

  “I keep hearing that sound. What is it?” she asked the boy.

  Though he knew perfectly well that the buzzing was the nanny’s cell phone, he’d be damned if he’d willingly provide the ungracious goddess with any more information. He’d noticed that the nanny’s phone had been intermittently making a succession of sounds for the past few hours…going from ringing to buzzing when a text was left, and finally, beeping whenever the frustrated caller left a voice message. Most likely one of his parents was trying to get through. It was odd that they didn’t use the landline phone. Oh, well, eventually, they’d get worried. Perhaps his negligent, power-hungry mother would decide to come home. To leave the campaign trail to check on her disabled son would be good for her public image, he was sure. Hurry home, Mother! The boy shivered with delight.