Arin Aye: The Middle Passage
Page 2
Flying as fast as he could, Darnell landed at the lake right before sunrise. Given that he was flightless during the day, he was grateful that he made it before sunrise. Then following the instructions of his beloved’s nameless captor, Darnell prepared to find this treasure at the center of the lake, deep below the surface. Darnell searched the shoreline for a large stone. Finding it, he carried it back to a dingy he saw as he was landing. The stone was too heavy for most men, but not Darnell. During the day he wasn’t nearly as powerful as he was at night, but he still possessed great physical strength.
Darnell rowed out to the lake’s center with stone, mooring rope and key. As Dave tied one end of the rope around the stone and the other end to his ankle, he thought about what the wife of the good priest had said. But he’d come too far now and the deed was done. And yet his spirit was troubled as he gathered the rope and took a hold of the stone. The stone pressed the key hard against his sternum. Darnell paused for a moment and then fell backwards into the lake. The stone anchor worked as expected, taking Darnell rapidly towards the lake bottom. Once there Darnell looked to his left and right but saw nothing. But as he turned to his left a second time, he noticed the key glowing just a bit. Lifting the stone again Darnell strode off in that direction and as he did the key grew ever brighter. Then at last he felt something right beneath his feet. Darnell knelt down and stroked his hand back and forth to reveal an ancient crypt. It was ornate and out of place. Not because it was at the bottom of a lake, but because Darnell knew something of the people of Mombasa and their heroes (such as Changa***), and the design and symbols on this vault were not from this land. It was as if someone buried it in this strange land to hide him or her and used the people of Mombasa as unwitting protectors.
Darnell managed to raise the vault to the surface. Tying it to the dingy he rowed slowly back to shore. Nearing midday, he reached the lakeshore and pulled his prize ashore. The tomb from a foreign land was in remarkable condition considering where it was and how long it must have been buried there. It was constructed of some ancient alloy that Darnell doubted he could breech even at night. But he had the key. Searching for the keyhole, Darnell could see the key glowing even brighter as he neared it. Before entering the key, again Darnell paused. Oddly, Darnell had never felt so alone as he did in that moment of decision. The air seemed to thin and his heart raced. And still a breath later, he proceeded. When Darnell turned the key, the lid of the vault sprung open and he stood back not quite knowing what to expect.
A mist arose from the tomb and mingled with a second dark mist from the western sky. Twirling and becoming one, the collective mist dove back into the corpse in the coffin. In the next instance, Darnell heard an ear piercing screech. Unknown to Darnell the words screamed into the universe were in the native tongue of the dead now raised. Translated into English, the being simply howled, “I’m alive!!!”
Darnell took two steps back as the being rose from the crypt. But then seeing that it was the unknown priest now made flesh before him, Darnell took one step forward and exclaimed, “You!”
Speaking in English, the nameless priest crowed, “Yes, mortal, at last I am arisen! I am flesh and blood once more.”
Darnell shouted, “So be it. Now, what of my beloved, Patience?”
The African Elemental floated above Darnell laughing, “Honorable men are such fools! Why would I lift a finger to help you now? Besides, I am due a blood offering from the woman’s family, and her life will do nicely… as a start. Then I will proceed to find and kill every branch of that tree which still walks the Earth.”
Darnell screamed, “Demon, you know not who you are dealing with. Cross me and you will regret it!”
“Fool, I fear no mortal!” The dark priest motioned towards Darnell lifting him into the air and placing him within the empty coffin. “I hope that you find my old home as enchanting as I did.” The lid closed tight sealing Darnell within. With his other hand the demon priest motioned towards the earth to open a grave, into which he placed the coffin. As he covered Darnell’s new home with dirt, the callous priest chided Darnell, “Sleep well fool knowing that you have unleashed a new age of darkness upon the world.”
In the darkness, Darnell fought to still himself to save air. Strong as he was, he knew that he could not break free of his prison during the daylight. One possibility he had was to somehow survive until sundown, when his full complement of gifts would kick in. The amount of air in such a small space would not be enough to last even an hour for most humans, but Darnell was not most humans. And thanks to his maternal grandfather, he had both the gift and curse of deep hibernation. Full blooded nightwalkers can sleep beneath the earth in shallow graves for months. But he was not full blooded and had no idea of how deeply he was buried. As the moments wore on and he wrestled against panic, his physiology took over, and sleep came upon him. He dreamed that perhaps he could call out to his fraternal twin sister, Carla, who possessed the gifts of telepathy and telekinesis. But even if she heard him, could she reach him in time? Floating in out of consciousness, Darnell tried to call to his sister, but he wasn’t sure if he actually did or dreamed that he did.
And then, in the midst of his turmoil, just as all seemed lost, Darnell awoke. He sat straight up in confusion. Where was the coffin’s lid? Where was the dirt and sand which should have entombed him? Breathing hard and looking back and forth, he slowly realized that he was in his own bed! Still not quite believing, he arose and marched over to his bedroom window and opened it. Only once he smelled the night’s fresh air was he assured that it had all been a dream. He sighed in relief that it had all been vapors of the night.
Or had it been just a dream? The next day while Darnell worked the register of the bookstore he owned, he recounted his dream to his sister Carla and their cousin Akina, the ever mellow, Angela Davis afro wearing time walker who can travel through time, space and dimensions beyond the perception of mortal eyes. But as the women, who often stopped by during their lunch hour, tried to interpret Darnell’s dream, the front door opened and in walked the woman of Darnell’s dream. He gasped softly, “That’s her, in the yellow and white sundress.” The three of them stared at the chocolate beauty who filled the room with her presence as she browsed the back wall of books. Selecting one, she approached the register and smiled as she and Darnell shared a moment. Akina and Carla, stood just out of sight stealing glances at the would-be couple. As the young woman took her purchase in hand she paused and extended her hand to Darnell, “Hi, my name is Patience. I just started work at the bank across the street this week.”
Darnell smiled, “My name is Darnell and this is my bookstore. Thank you for your patronage.” The Hero Darnell wanted to say more, but held his tongue until after she left.
An incredulous Carla raced to her brother, “Why didn’t you say something?”
“No, don’t you see? The dream was a warning. If I were to date her it would cost her, her life and unleash an ancient evil upon the world. Better that I keep my distance.” said the Hero Darnell.
Carla and Akina glanced at each other before Carla spoke, “Just listen. What if… what if the three of us, plus maybe Michael, were to flip the script on this clown and pay him a visit one night? I know the Elders are funny about self serving missions, but we know this jerk is haunting this young lady, waiting for an opportunity take her life. I’m sure they’d be fine with it. Once we’re done you can pursue Miss Thing there, knowing that you’re not putting her or anyone at risk.”
The Hero Darnell reflected for a moment, before relenting, “Okay, what must we do?”
Carla touched her brother’s arm before she answered, “Akina will square things with the Elders. I will reach out to Cousin Michael. But you, for now all I need you to do, is to have Patience.”
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Blood Ties
Year: 2021
What truly binds us one to anot
her? Love, hatred, belief, doubt, courage, fear, life, death? Might it be that what binds us, is simply what we allow? But the bind of what you begat, is a special bond which shall not be undone or cast out.
“Yes, I’ll be careful.” Aunt Deborah replied over the phone to her own prodigy Darnell as she put away the dishes in her small Barcelona apartment. Formerly an English teacher at Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia a lifetime ago, Deborah had many special abilities, one of which was the ability to speak any tongue. Having recently moved to Spain to begin her second life as a translator, Deborah had adapted quite well. Being descended of both human and what most call angels, she never aged. And thus, like all of us who never age, every fifty years or so, she was required by the Elders (the ruling body of those like us) to reinvent herself. Therefore, in 2020 she and her sisters, Ruth and Sarah, were forced to leave the only life they’d known and for the first time live separate public lives. On this evening, the newly transitioned Deborah lovingly listened to her son’s concerns. The concerns of her son had little to do with her new life, but rather with her old one.
“Mama, please leave them folks alone, you can’t trust them.”