by Kira Saito
This isn’t real. Snap out of it, Arelia. It’s only as real as you think it is. I had to keep reminding myself of that. With every ounce of strength I had in my body I shook my dress free from his hands and bolted as far away from him as possible.
“Where is the kitchen?” I asked the mystery spirits.
Queen, where are you? You can run but you can’t hide forever.
“Keep running Arelia, we’re hungry. We’re thirsty. We want to play. Run straight. Come play with us.”
Chapter 19
Marrassa
After fighting my way through the crowd, I finally managed to spot two silver doors which I assumed were the entrance to the kitchen. Inside, a blast of hot air and the delicious scent of melted butter and stewed tomatoes greeted me. Chefs in crisp white uniforms gracefully chopped vegetables and stirred pots full of delicious soups while serious looking waiters filled flutes with champagne. They were so busy that they didn’t pay any attention to me.
“Where are you?” I whispered. “Please show me where you are.”
“Under the table, Arelia. We’re under the table,” replied a child’s voice.
“Under the table?” I glanced around the massive kitchen. There were dozens of wooden tables. “Which one?”
“The one in the middle.”
I hurried over to a long wooden table that sat in the middle of the room, got down on my hands and knees and crawled under it. “I’m here but I can’t see you,” I said.
“Arelia, don’t be silly. You know we need an offering.”
Here was the fun part. Of course they needed an offering. “What do you want?” I asked cautiously while begging that they would say anything but blood. Please don’t be blood. Please.
“Soda water,” said the voice.
“Soda water?” I asked. “Really?”
“Yes.”
I’m coming, queen.
“Okay. I can do that. I can get you soda water.” I quickly got up from under the table and grabbed a glass bottle that rested on a nearby shelf. “Here,” I said, as I slid back under the table.
“There’s only one bottle. It’s my bottle,” said one of the twins.
“No it’s my bottle,” said the other.
“Why do you always get everything? I should get this one.”
“No. You get everything. This one is mine.”
“Wait. Please don’t argue. I’ll get another soda.” Wow. Who knew spirit twins were just as competitive as human twins?
I grabbed another bottle and slid under the table again. “Look, another bottle. Now with all due respect, can you please show yourselves and help me get out of here? I honestly don’t want to be bought for the low low price of six hundred and fifty dollars. Please.”
“Fine, Arelia. You don’t have to beg us. We want to help if you agree to play with us.”
“Yes. I’ll play with you.”
The lights flickered for a moment and the temperature in the room dropped a few degrees. When the spirits finally manifested, I was taken aback by the fact that they were actually children no older than six or seven. What an exquisite and heartbreaking sight they were with their innocent wide brown eyes, silky smooth caramel skin and bud like mouths. The boy wore a miniature black waistcoat and top hat while the girl was dressed in a tiny black ball gown embroidered with pearls. They looked like perfect little dolls with tangles of shiny chocolate brown curls that hung well past their shoulders.
“What are your names?” I asked.
“Our name is Marrassa,” said the girl in a matter-of-fact tone.
“Marrassa? You’re Marrassa?” My eyes widened with surprise.
“Why do you sound so astonished?” asked the boy.
“I’m not,” I lied. I was stunned. The two children I saw sitting in front of me, arguing over soda water, were the personification of divine knowledge and elemental forces. Basically, they were super powerful and possessed solutions to your deepest and most troublesome problems. On top of that, they were also two of the oldest loas around. How ironic.
“We’re hungry,” said the girl. “Did you bring us something to eat?”
“No. But I can,” I said, as I saw her disapproving and vastly annoyed expression.
“We want something sweet,” said the boy.
I nodded and got up from under the table. Something sweet. Something sweet. I was in an extravagant kitchen- surely there must be something sweet lying around the place. A mountain of pralines caught my attention and I immediately grabbed a few until I realized that any old pralines wouldn’t do. They needed to be the exact same shape and size otherwise the divine twins would throw a fit. I searched for what felt like forever when I found four that were nearly identical and grabbed them despite the evil glance the one of the waiter’s gave me.
Queen, where are you?
“Here, I got you guys something sweet. Two pralines for each of you. They’re the exact shape and size,” I added hoping they would approve and help me already.
The twins nodded their little heads and took the pralines from my hand. For a moment or two there was a silence as Marrassa sipped on their soda and ate their pralines. I was tempted to tell them to hurry up, but that probably wasn’t going to get me anywhere. Who was I to rush infinitely powerful twin spirits while they were in the middle of their sugar fix?
“Did you bring us any toys?” asked one of the twins.
“Toys? No. Sorry. I didn’t exactly have time to stop by the toy store before Ivan put stones in my pass way or whatever.”
“You didn’t bring us any toys? We can’t help you without any toys. What are we supposed play with?”
Good question.
Queen, come out, come out wherever you are.
“Ouch!” I let out a violent cry, as I felt a forceful whip against my skin and the back of my dress ripped open. “What the hell!”
That’s only one lash, queen. Come out. Come out where ever you are.
“Where are our toys, Arelia? Where are our toys?” The twins demanded, completely oblivious to the fact I was in agony.
I got up from under the table and grabbed a couple of spoons and two crystal glasses.
“Here, look, toys” I said, as I banged the spoons against the glasses.
The twins shook their little heads and crossed their arms. “Arelia, these aren’t toys. You’re simply banging spoons against glasses.” They let out little yawns. “We thought you would be fun to play with. I guess we were wrong. We can’t help you. You’re boring! Why is everyone so boring! We expected more from a supposedly powerful Voodoo Queen. Why does everyone always disappoint us? Why do we even bother helping humans if all of you are so boring! Boring! Boring! Boring! Sheep! Think outside the box, Arelia. Amuse us! Show us why you’re worthy of our help. Don’t be boring!”
Stay calm, Arelia. They’re only kids, really annoying kids, but still kids, I reminded myself as I tried to think of something that would capture their attention. Something shiny, new and wonderfully magical. “No, please. I’m not boring, I swear. I have toys. I have toys that you’ve never seen before,” I lied, as I tried to think of something that would appease the divine twins.
“Where are they? Are you going to bang spoons against your head? We’ve seen that before.”
“No.” The truth was I had thought about banging spoons against my forehead or a large pot. What kind of toy could possibly please these very demanding twins? I thought fast and decided to take a risk. “Here, take these. They’re shiny stars that fell from the night sky,” I said, as I took out the diamond earrings from my ears and handed one each to the twins. “I was walking through the swamp one night and there they were. When they fell from the sky, they begged me to find them a good home. I’ve been trying to find a place where they belong but nothing seems right. Aren’t they beautiful? Do you guys think that you can give them a good home? There’s one for each of you. They’re exactly the same size, shape and color so you don’t have to fight over them.”
&n
bsp; The twins’ faces lit up as they took the earrings from my hand and held them up to the light. “Pretty. They’re so pretty. We’ve never played with stars before. We’ve played with planets, but never stars. They fell from the sky and landed in a swamp? We’ve never had swamp stars before! Thank you, Arelia.” Thankfully the twins approved of their toys.
“Ouch!” I felt another lash against my skin. The pain was so incredibly blinding that it prompted me to curl up in the fetal position on the floor.
That’s two. Come out. Come out wherever you are.
“Please help me,” I whispered. “Please. How is he doing this? How is he able to whip me without even being near me?”
I clenched my teeth and held myself as I felt a third lash against my back.
That’s three. This can go on forever, queen.
“Poor Arelia.” The twins gathered around me and softly stroked my forehead. “Louis put stones in your passway. It’s so easy to put stones in people’s passways. Do you know why, Arelia? Do you know why it’s so easy to possess someone?”
“No.” My voice was barely audible.
“It’s so easy because most people never pay attention. They aren’t aware of what they eat, what they drink, how they sleep, where they walk. Most people are zombies that repeat the same actions day in and day out without ever really understanding what they’re doing or why they’re doing it. People never seem to see a deeper meaning behind things and never look beyond the surface. It makes everything so much easier. It makes possession so easy. It makes control so easy. Control is power, Arelia. Control is power.”
“What does that mean?” I wanted to understand. I really did, but at that second it seemed nearly impossible. “Did Ivan put stones in Sabrina’s passway too? Is he going to harm her?”
“We’ll tell you if you sing us a song. You said you would play with us, remember? Well, we want to hear a song. We want to hear a song about the stars. If you sing we’ll tell you more about Louis.”
“Ouch!” As the fourth lash met my back a flood of salty tears rushed down my face. Through my tears, I started to tragically sing the only star song I knew:
“Twinkle, twinkle, little star,
How I wonder what you are.
Up above the world so high,
Like a diamond in the sky.
Twinkle, twinkle, little star,
How I wonder what you are!”
“Arghhhhhh,” I screamed, as Ivan dished out lash number five.
“Don’t stop singing Arelia. We want to hear more.”
“Please, I can’t. I can’t take the pain.”
“We want to hear more!”
Through bitter tears and unbearable pain, I continued to sing for the twins.
“When the blazing sun is gone,
When there's nothing he shines upon,
Then you show your little light,
Twinkle, twinkle, through the night.
Twinkle, twinkle, little star,
How I wonder what you are!
In the dark blue sky so deep
Through my curtains often peep
For you never close your eyes
Till the morning sun does rise
Twinkle, twinkle, little star
How I wonder what you are”
The twins clapped their hands and squealed in childish delight as their innocent eyes shone. “You’re a great singer, Arelia. We love your singing!”
Clearly, they were crazy and delusional if they thought I was a great singer.
“Help me, please,” I moaned.
“Louis laid down a trick to control and possess you. He knows your habits better than you do. You need to find where he’s laid the trick and destroy it. Once you do, you’ll be free.”
Great. A trick. But where? In Voodoo/Hoodoo laying down a trick meant using herbs, roots, powders, and personal effects such as hair, nails, blood or clothing to mess with someone’s mind, body and soul so profoundly that it often drove victims insane to the point they were either institutionalized, committed suicide or were a helpless slave to the person who laid the trick.
The problem with tricks was that they could be placed virtually anywhere the intended victim had regular contact. I mean anywhere. Ivan worked in the kitchen. Was he putting the ingredients in the food I specifically ate? When he was in our bedroom, had he placed them under my pillow? Somewhere in the bathroom? The door handles I touched on a regular basis? Had he called upon a spirit and hid them in the graveyard? Was he sneaking them into my bloodstream every time he gave me a kiss? Why did Voodoo/Hoodoo have to be so creative? Why couldn’t be as simple as holding hands and chanting a few spells? Just when I was starting to get a little less paranoid, this had to happen.
“Is there another way? Is there another way the trick can be destroyed?” I asked.
The twins nodded. “Yes, but the only other person who can destroy the trick is Louis.”
“Tell me where. I seriously doubt that he’s going to let me go anytime soon.”
“We can’t do that. You need to find out for yourself. You can’t tell anyone that he’s placed a trick on you.”
“Why not?”
“These words are for your ears only.”
“And Sabrina?”
“Only you can give her peace,” replied the twins.
“That’s what Papa Ghede said. He said I had to give her peace. That’s the only reason he let Sabrina live. Did Louis lure her to the cemetery? What are his plans for her? Did he place stones in her passway too?”
“Oh silly, Arelia, we can’t tell you everything. Give her peace! Give her peace! Give her peace!” They chanted.
That ominous advice didn’t really help me much. What did give her peace mean? What kind of peace did I have to give Sabrina?
“Can you tell me more, please?”
The twins stopped their chanting and stared at me for a couple of seconds. They shook their little heads and yawned. “Why do you want to grow up so fast, Arelia?”
“I don’t.”
“Yes you do. You want answers and more answers before you’ve even understood the question. Understand the question. Give her peace! Give her peace! Give her peace!”
“Okay, I’ll try to understand the question and give her peace. Ouch!” I wanted to ask more questions but I was about to pass out from the pain the sixth lash brought with it. “Thank you Marrassa.”
Lash number six. Stubborn and stupid. Where are you, queen?
“Please help me get back to where I belong. Please.”
“Sing some more, Arelia. If you sing some more you’ll forget all about this and you can go home. We love you, Arelia. You’re so fun! Sing some more for us and you can go home.”
I howled like a wild animal as the seventh lash hit me.
Lucky number seven.
I closed my eyes and with my last ounce of strength started to sing.
“Twinkle, twinkle, little star,
How I wonder what you are.
Up above the world so high,
Like a diamond in the sky.
Twinkle, twinkle, little star.”
Chapter 20
Possession
When my eyes opened I found myself sitting in the spiritual bath in the exact same position I had been in when Ivan kissed me. The rain raged wildly against the window pane and the candles still burned brightly, meaning that I hadn’t been gone for very long at all. It had only felt like forever. However, in my short absence, thankfully, the electricity had come back on and Ivan was nowhere in sight. Where had he gone?
Nice escape, queen. Are you going to pack your bags or what?
I jumped out of the bathtub and ran to the mirror. There were no whip marks on my back and I wasn’t in any pain. My large brown eyes were wild with fear and my lips couldn’t stop quivering. Is this what post-traumatic stress syndrome was like?
It had all felt so real. If I hadn’t fought my way out of Ivan’s world I probably would have ended up being auctioned off like a piec
e of cheap jewelry. The thought of the whole thing was so disgusting that I promptly had to go to the ceramic toilet and vomit.
I wanted to cry but inside I was numb, empty and torn. The situation horrified me. The image of all those poor people smiling, standing on stage, hopeless and so fragile was absolutely ghastly. I wondered what Marie had felt like standing there. Had she held her hands and stared at her toes while waiting for someone to come along and buy her? How had Lucus’ dad bought her? Where had he bought her? How much had he paid for her?
I could understand why Ivan was so angry, but what he had done was uncalled for and crossed a line that shouldn’t have been crossed. Maybe there really wasn’t any goodness left in him and I was the one holding onto a ghost. The ghost of Louis.
I felt so violated and repulsed that at that moment the one thing I wanted more than anything else was revenge. Ivan had done a wonderful job of robbing the compassion I had for him and replacing it with a sheer hatred that I felt so guilty for feeling. But when I thought back to his expression as he eyed the slaves on the stage and how he visited the hotel in hopes of buying his own mother, my hatred was replaced by pity and sadness. How was it possible that I wanted to kill him and hug him at the same time?
I sat on the ground and slumped against the toilet seat and for no reason at all was frustrated at Erzulie. If spirits were all powerful and stuff why did they let bad things happen? Why did people have to suffer for no reason? If I ran away and left Darkwood, what would that say about me? Would it mean that I wasn’t brave enough to face the truth?
“Erzulie, how could you let this happen? I trusted you! I don’t feel like I’m getting anywhere. I’m trying to understand Louis and the curse, but I feel like I’m stuck. Everything is wrong. If you’re so powerful and see everything and hear everything then why can’t you help him? Why does he have to be so angry and bitter?”
After a few seconds, she gracefully appeared before me in a stunning purple gown embroidered with glass and pearls. Her hazel eyes were full of pity as they rested on me. She kneeled before me and her expression grew increasingly stern and determined. “You need to learn. You need to experience, grow and understand. You’re not stuck. Look how far you’ve come; can’t you see the progress you’ve made?”
