by Y G Maupin
The man looked down, but hid a smile. Hopefully, she would give up and go away.
Carla started whimpering with frustration. She didn't want to start back down another road. She had gone all night following this loser and it had gotten her nowhere like always. Right then and there she made a decision that she would stop following or taking advice from men. She never really did so when she was alive, why should now as a spirit be any different. Down the road she could hear an engine rumbling and tires squealing from where a vehicle was making its way towards them. As it got closer, they could tell that it was an old fashioned truck, the kind with side steps and a beetle backed hood. It was slightly swerving and as it got closer, he could make out that there were two people inside. The driver appeared to have slumped over and the passenger was struggling to make their way to grab the wheel. As the truck got closer, rather than slowing down it appeared to be speeding up. The man on the side of the road could see the woman screaming, she was older and had to have been in her sixties, the driver must have been her husband, he thought. When the truck hit the embankment where the junction met, the truck quickly flipped on its side. It skidded and slid with the horrible sound of metal scraping on asphalt, like the sound of impending danger, until it came to a halt some sixty yards from where Carla and the young man stood. Smoke billowed out from the truck but there didn't seem to be any movement. Carla turned around to face the man with a smile growing on her face. “Come on!” and she sprinted forward, practically skipping to see if the people were dying.
When he made it over to the drivers side of the door, he really didn't want to look inside. He had never witnessed death, even though he had been on the other side for sometime and had seen what happened to the people when they crossed over, many of them a mess, twisted and missing limbs. But this was one time he really didn't want to see, nor participate in the off chance that he could cross over to live. Not this way. Not like this.
Carla was already inside and was squirming to make her way into the older woman.
“She’s not dead,” he said calmly, as she continued her fight.
He was right, the woman had begun to moan, “Lester, Lester.” But Lester was dead. The young spirit put his hand out as a reaction to the woman’s calling for what could only have been her husband and he felt a strange sensation.
Immediately Carla looked up and shouted, “Hey! You son of a bitch, stop!” but it was too late once again. She stared in anger as the young man watched himself glimmer and squeeze until he was no longer visible and was on the journey to coming back to life.
Carla started to cry and banged on the body of the dead man. There’s still hope, she thought, wiping where tears would have been if she still had bodily fluids. The old woman could still die, if she would just quit her moaning. “Ok. I’ll just wait here for the ambulance,” she said. There really wasn't much else to do.
Thirty Two
Anesta sat at the end of T’s bed looking at herself in the dresser mirror directly in front of her. Anjolie, and then her Mama. This was beginning to overwhelm her. She had picked a soft cotton dress, even though the temperatures were going to dip to the low fifties tonight at the peak of their ceremony, but she didn't care. She didn't feel anything anymore.
T walked in from the bathroom where she had been brushing her hair.
“Anesta, I need to tell you something,” she said quietly.
Anesta was surprised. “Ok.”
“If something happens tonight, I need to know that this house will be taken care of. I know Alice is the lawyer, and you are too, but I need you to take care of this for me. I don't want to involve Alice and Sarah in this last ask. And I only ask you because I know you can be level headed and calm if something happens.” T said evenly.
Anesta nodded .”Ok, but what exactly do you think is going to happen?”.
“I don't know. But I want to know that nothing else will get lost on this side because of my mistakes.” T proceeded to give Anesta her final instructions prior to the event that lay before them.
When Beryl walked in, she was surprised to see Anesta holding T in her arms, while T’s body was racked with large heaving sobs.
“What’s wrong? What’s going on?” she asked in a panic.
“She’s getting over her nerves, she’ll be alright.” Anesta said calmly. To T she said, “Go wash your face, girl. It's almost time to go.”
“Yeah, that’s why I came here to tell you guys. But it was all Terms of Endearment,” Beryl chuckled at her joke.
Sarah hurried in, “It's time, let's go ladies.” Beryl and Anesta filed out, followed by T with red ringed eyes.
“Are you ok?” Sarah stopped her.
T smiled and nodded.
The backyard was illuminated with tiki torches creating a path down to where the circle had been created, right in front of the tree. There were already two small fires, one on either side, just outside the circle. They had decided to wear white, either robes or dresses. No one had opted to go skyclad tonight. Alice and Godfrey were in the front of the procession, followed by Sarah and Yvette, Birdie and Tyler, Anesta, and Beryl and Sharon walked with T to take up the rear. They all waited as Godfrey handed Alice the besom that came up to her shoulder, this was the closest she would ever look like a stereotypical witch with her broom. Starting at the northern point, she swept the circle with the ceremonial broom and walked counterclockwise, calling on East, South, West and finally back at North to cleanse the circle of evil spirits that may be lingering. Out of the corner of her eye, T could see dark shadows flying up from the circle like embers into the trees ahead of her. Next Sarah handed the sword to Alice. Once again, she began at North and traveled to each point, opening the circle for the rest of the group. She handed the sword back to Sarah and raised her hands in the Air. At her signal, they all clapped their hands three times, the sound sharp in the windless cold night.
“God and Goddess, Lord and Lady, hear our call. We open this circle and invite you all.” At this, everyone entered into the circle carrying their offerings and tools for the ceremony. Birdie placed flowers and walked backwards to her spot. Alice motioned for T to come closer.
“We petition for an audience with the Spirit Gods, Hear our lamentations once more and guide us from our woes.” Alice intoned, her arms still in the air. Yvette rang a small hand bell and they all started to chant the words Godfrey had taught them that afternoon.
“Uh geh da, rhy so ma, fa ni sho, sim be da” they chanted over and T could feel the wind pick up. The fires in front of each cauldron were drawing down despite there being plenty of wood. It was contradictory to having more wind that would naturally pick up the flames to the point that they were dying down to embers.
The tiki torches behind them increased their flames to be three feet high in a sudden burst that caused them all to jump and look behind them. The flames were no longer yellow but a bright green. Tyler took a small bundle from his belt and took a pinch of its contents in his mouth, chewed them thoroughly and swallowed. He handed it to Birdie who did the same. The bundle was passed among them all.
When T got the bundle, there was very little left but a few crumbs. She put the bitter remnants in her mouth, chewing the tiny bits and swallowed without water. It tasted a little like nuts, but felt like rubbery bits of wood chips. They were starting to sway as they continued their chant. The taste in her mouth made her want to gag, as T tried to produce more spit so she could effectively swallow but small pieces were getting caught around her gums. The dried mushrooms tasted like they had been soaked in some kind of whiskey and then left to dry. T hated whiskey.
She tried to focus on the words and the swaying beat and before she knew it, there were swirls of smoke intermingling with lights in front of her. She raised her arms because she could see that Birdie and Sarah had begun to raise their arms in time to the swaying and words, T was starting to feel better and felt in awe of everything around her. Her body felt loose and sinewy, like she had limbs that were graceful and light. S
haron was also swaying by her side and at that point she started to laugh. T turned to her to motion for her to be reverant, but she could also hear Alice, Godfrey, and Sarah laughing as well. T could feel a smile begin to stretch on her face and then she laughed.
For a moment, T began to panic. Perhaps this wasn't the way to call the gods and then it really grew dark around them. As if on cue, there was a slight tremor from the aftershocks. The wine bottles clinked nearby and the censers with the incense at the entrance to the circle swayed with the movement. The tiki torches were still going strong when they heard the chattering of birds, at night.
“Here is our sign,” Godfrey murmured, and began to laugh again. Tyler clasped hands with Birdie, who in turn reached behind her to Anesta and Beryl. They all clasped hands and began to walk counter clockwise, still chanting. T felt dizzy, but they were walking slow enough for her not to stumble. Tyler picked up the pace and they were at a steady trot now, and the lights were still streaming, but instead of chanting, it seemed to T like they were screaming, or was that in her head? Yes, she was sure of it. She broke free from the hands and ran to the middle and fell to her knees at the foot of the tree. Looking up, she saw him. The Tree God that had been in her dreams. From the sounds behind her she could tell that they could see him too.
He seemed taller than a normal man, with features proportioned to his height. He stepped from the shadows with a crown made of interwoven saplings and a cloak of leaves. He was naked. He drew his arms out from his cape and raised them towards the sky, palms up and quickly dropped them palms down to lower the flames. He was not alone. There were smaller creatures, similar in form to him but significantly smaller. Their little bodies were shimmery colors of green and red. Some had wings while others had feathers and scales. They moved their mouths but the sounds were like the tiny squeaking of cicadas. Some hovered at his shoulders and head while there were many more curling around his feet like supplicants at a ritual.
“Shyda, I will speak to you in your tongue so that you may understand why I have heeded your call. Silence yourselves so that you may hear for I will only speak this once.” T could see his hair was the lightest brown and his eyes were green.
Everyone had stopped circling and dropped to their knees in the circle.
“You have summoned me and I have arrived but for the reason of taking you back with me, Shyda. I have drawn you to me in your dreams. Why are these others here?” he asked, in a quiet, but serious voice.
Godfrey turned and motioned with his head for T to speak. She wet her lips and said.
“In my dreams, you tell me that I am to go with you and be away from my unhappiness. I cannot leave as there are spirits tormenting my people and causing death,” she said breathlessly.
The Tree God nodded. “Yes. Your request created a doorway for spirits to come to the living earth. I know not why they torment and cause death, That is not our doing.”
“But you can stop it. You can make them stop,” T pleaded.
The Tree God shook his head. “I can not stop the deaths, I can make them stay in their present state. There is another entity responsible for the deaths. There are demons among you and they crave the destruction that is being wrought upon your people.”
There was a rustling among the trees, and a woman with snake-like skin slinked forward.
“They are my demons, Tree God. And I am here to claim my bounty.” she hissed. T’s eyes widened further. This was something she had never expected and certainly hadn't been in her dreams.
“Why is it that I do not receive rituals such as this?” she asked in mock offense, as she drew closer to stand at the Tree Gods left. She was much shorter and also naked. She was red as a slick coat of paint with scales along the length of her body. She had viper-like fangs that T could see when she would talk. She smiled a greedy smile at the sight of the group on their knees.
“I see that there are petitioners here at this ritual. Perhaps I can bring their needs to an end,” she said, causing them all to draw closer to each other in protection.
Laughing at their fear she spoke again. “I caused the first death, one of the man that she offered me.” To which T screamed, “No!” and started forward.
“Silence, flesh walker. Our spirits are not interested in you.” The woman held up a hand to stop T. T was anchored to her spot, unable to move.
“If you are not here for her, then what is your request?” Alice called out.
“Well I want you all to die, one by one, so that my demons can take over your flesh and walk in your domain,” she said simply. “For now, we are hosted by animals until our army can grow stronger. And when that day comes, we will take over and burn the living earth.” To this, the Tree God roared and his minions flitted about. The serpent goddess hissed again and snakes crawled all around the dirt and grass, black long snakes, and red diamondback pythons interspersed in the group. T felt one slither past her thigh and she recoiled at its touch.
“I am here to take my offering and bring the peace she requests as her bridal gift.” T shook her head at his words, as if she misunderstood. She heard Birdie and Sharon gasp behind her.
“But I cannot allow you to dwell here in defiance of my sovereign reign over the green of the living earth. The demons that belong to you must leave now, or we will bring destruction to your kind.” “ The snake temptress puffed herself up to appear taller and snarled “You wouldn't dare! Your dominion is over the green of the earth while I have the serpents that travel over the dusty paths that the flesh walkers roam on.” She paused and leaned closer to the green tree god. “You know, we can just reign in this together if you let me keep the people. You despise them all, save this one,” she gestured to T. “It doesn't make sense to put your followers in danger with a long battle when she’s the only one you want.”
“While it is true that the woes of our world are due to the callous selfishness and ignorance of mankind, I cannot sentence them all to your danger and suffering, as much as they may deserve it..” Alice and the rest of the group shuddered.
“Your love for this mortal is backwards and weak!” she shouted. “You can take her whenever you like. Use her and then discard her like you’ve done in the past. There is nothing special about this one from what I can see. “ The serpent demoness motioned with her lithe arm to T.
The Tree God reached over to grab the serpent woman’s neck, She slithered from his grasp and melted into the ground followed by the other snake creatures that surrounded her. The wind started up again and they could hear the rustling tiny leaves that had barely begun to bud.
“Shyda,” The Tree God turned to T. “You must come with me now to be my bride. You are not meant for this world and that man was not meant for you.” T shrank away from his outstretched hand.
“I don't know if I want to go. I don't want to be away from my friends or my home. And what about that demon snake woman, what if she comes back?” she answered.
He laughed. “You sound like a child. You will come to my home where you will never be alone, or tired or grow old. You will be a queen and have servants to tend to your every need.” In the back, T could hear Beryl whisper, “I’ll go if she doesn't want to.”
“But then I can never come back. While my friends are here fighting to live, while that demon kills more people,” T replied, looking at Alice and Sarah.
“There is nothing more that can be done. The demon goddess lives in envy and is unable to rise any further than simple animals that hunt at night. Your friends were capable of creating this ritual. They will be able to fight her as needed. I can make the spirits stay in their realm. As for your return, there will be times when you are able to return, “ he paused. “ But for now, you must come with me.” he motioned with his hand.
“Wait, one moment. I need time to think to be sure,” T said.
“No, there is no time. You had already decided when you called me back, You have already made arrangements. I know this to be true as do you.”
“I need to say goodbye,” T said.
“No!” Sharon cried out and jumped up. “You can't go, you have no idea where you're going or what is going on. This is crazy, T, you can't seriously think this is ok?” she pleaded.
T hugged her tightly. “He’s right. Please don’t cry, Sharon. I knew this would come to pass and I did make plans. I’ll be back. I promise. I have to go to make the killing stop,” T whispered in her friend's hair.
T hugged Anesta next. “Remember,” she said, and Anesta nodded.
“T. He said the spirits would stop coming over.“ Anesta pleaded. “My sister.
“I’ll look for her from the other side, I will find a way to get in touch with her. I promise, I will come back.” T said firmly.
”I'll be waiting for you to come back,” Anesta said.
Birdie held her and cried. “Please don't go. I'm scared for you.”
“Don't be scared. Be strong. Be strong for me while I'm away.”
To Alice and Sarah she kissed their cheeks and squeezed them tightly goodbye. Beryl had tears streaming down her face.