Echoes in the Bayou

by Dukes, Ursula

  While he waited for her to get out of the shower, Magnus hoped that what Sinta had told him was a mistake. He hoped that the spirit of Amelia was dead and gone but he knew that was not the case, if only it were that easy, he told himself as he went to check on Ava. Calling her name he slowly opened the bathroom door and as it creaked open he saw Ava being held up against the wall by an invisible force. Whatever was holding her up was using brute force because her breathing was strained and her feet dangled off the ground.

  Magnus rushed over to her only to be thrown back, his shouts at the invisible assailant brought Steve and Kelly bounding into the room. When Kelly saw her friend, both of her hands went to her mouth, she needed to stifle the screams. Sinta appeared in the doorway chanting something that no one could understand and while she chanted, Ava was dropped to the floor with a sickening thud. Her eyes were in a daze and she was unable to speak, Amelia had returned but since Sinta was able to close the spirit board, she was left too weak to reenter Ava's body. So she did the next best thing, she put her under her spell.

  Magnus scrambled over to her, he was bleeding from his head but took no notice of it as he lifted her and carried her over to the bed.

  "That wasn't Amelia," Magnus said between hefty breaths.

  "It John DuPonte Mister Magnus, he tried to get to Miss Ava again, try to hold her for Miss Amelia. There ain't much time Mister Magnus."

  He began to panic. "What does that mean Sinta? Where is this help you supposedly summoned?" He was angry now, and was tired of trying to hide it.

  "Mister Magnus help is comin, but in da meantime we gots to keep a close eye on Miss Ava, she controlled by Miss Amelia now and she gon' need us to look out for her."

  Kelly had returned from the bathroom and began cleaning up his wound, Steve stood in the doorway shaking his head; he too was frustrated. His friends were going through something that he couldn’t really grasp hold of or understand. "Magnus what can we do?" He asked pointing to himself and Kelly.

  He shook his head. "Steve just being here is enough, I wish there was more that we could all do but I'm afraid that Sinta is right, until help arrives we'll have to keep a close eye on her."

  Ava was fighting with all her might to speak but she couldn’t and the only voice that she was able to hear was that of Amelia. The harder she tried to ignore it, the stronger and more unrelenting the voice became, it kept telling her that when the time was right, she was to take a walk, a walk out to the bayou. She soon mumbled the words "I will," before falling asleep.

  "I will what?" Magnus tried to get her to talk but it was useless, she had fallen asleep and he knew that for now, that was the best thing for her.

  Chapter Nineteen

  As nighttime approached, so did the rain. The forecast had called for thunderstorms during most of the night and after checking once more on Ava, Magnus went in search of more candles. "Just in case we lose electricity," he told his friends. "We'll help you look Magnus." Kelly smiled warmly at him, she could see that he was stressed and she was sure that his head was throbbing in pain. But he would accept any more help; he wanted to concentrate on keeping Ava safe.

  "It's time for you to take your walk Ava," the voice of Amelia commanded. Ava did as she was told and sat upright in the bed. She was wearing a pair of cotton pajamas and her hair was still damp from the shower. "Get up, go downstairs and walk out the front door."

  She padded barefoot across the floor and opened the bedroom door. She walked with no hesitation out into the hallway, down the stairs and out the front door, closing it quietly behind her.

  There was no noise, not even the sound of the rain could penetrate the trance that she was in. Memories of her time with Magnus was running through her head, and she walked barefoot towards the bayou. The rain fell down heavy now with each step and she stopped for a moment before the voice told her to continue on. "Don’t stop until you reach the big oak tree near the bayou," the voice told her.

  "I think we've got enough candles and who knew that all of them were right here in the kitchen?" Magnus said to them. "I'm going to go check on Ava, you guys light the candles and put some in the sitting room just in case."

  As Sinta, Kelly and Steve went around the main level lighting candles, Magnus headed up the stairs. "I don’t remember leaving the bedroom door open," he spoke out loud and walked in. Alarm took over as he stood staring at the empty bed and after checking the bathroom he realized that Ava was gone.

  Sweat had begun to pour down his face as he raced down the stairs shouting out her name. His shouts for her caused them all to gather in the middle of the foyer.

  "Magnus what is it?" Steve and Kelly asked.

  "It's Ava, she's gone!" He barked.

  "What do you mean she's gone?"

  He reached for his boots. "What the hell do you think I mean Steve? Well are you just going to stand there or are you going to help me find her?" He screamed at them.

  Sinta had already made her way out into the storm and was heading towards the bayou.

  As they made their way out the door, no one heard the footsteps above them.

  "That's it, just a little bit more and you'll be at the big oak," Amelia's voice cooed. She had to speak calmly now; she needed Ava to follow her directions, directions that were leading her to death. The wind had picked up and the thunder produced intermittent stabs of light against the pitch black sky making it look like giant flash bulbs had gone off. Her pajamas clung to her body and her feet were cut and bleeding but she was oblivious to it all and when she reached the giant oak she stopped short, Amelia's voice told her to. "This is where you are going to die," the voice said.

  Magnus had told Steve and Kelly to check the grounds closest to the house, he didn’t want them running off into the night and risk them getting lost too. He was headed towards the bayou, something told him that was were Ava would have gone either with or without coaxing from Amelia. "I hope that your help comes soon Sinta," he said out loud. Although he knew no one could hear him against the driving wind and rain.

  Will had stood in the doorway of his bedroom and watched Ava as she made her way down the stairs. She had gotten through to him at the séance but he was unable to comprehend the fact that his mother had been involved in the murder of his beloved Celeste. Now he sat at the kitchen table waiting. "Everything is going to be alright now," he was looking at the pantry wall. "I know who hurt you Celeste and I'm going to confront them tonight. Soon we'll be together, just a little while longer my love, it'll all be over soon."

  The once hard ground that surrounded the giant oak had turned into a swampy bog and that’s just what Amelia had planned for, she wanted the ground to be the exact same way that it was the night that Celeste had been thrown into it.

  "Now I want you to take a step closer," she coaxed Ava.

  "That's good, that's perfect, now take another."

  Ava followed the directions and felt nothing as she stepped into the bog, almost immediately she began to sink and when the voice told her to resist the urge to fight, and to keep still, she did just that. With her hands resting at her sides, she let the bog take her.

  "Ava!" Magnus was screaming her name; he was getting closer to the giant oak now but was still unable to see through the forceful rain. "Ava! If you can hear me answer me please!" His voice bellowed through the dense forest. Sinta reached the giant oak first and when she looked down, Ava's head was all that stood above the thick mud. "No Miss Ava, you gots to fight Miss Ava, fight!" Sinta urged and began feverishly chanting.

  A sharp crackle of thunder hit the giant oak and an unearthly groan escaped its branches. The chanting coming from Sinta paused Amelia's hold over her long enough for Ava to come to her senses. When she looked around and saw where she was, she began to struggle and scream out to Sinta for help. The old woman grabbed a heavy branch and told her to reach out for it but the bog was strangling her entire body, it was trying to claim her for its own.

  By the time Magnus had reached them, Sinta
had to stop him from jumping in to save her. "No Mister Magnus, you die too!" she shouted.

  Ava grew silent when Magnus told her not to struggle, she wanted there to be calm while she died. "I love you Magnus," she said to him before surrendering herself to the bog.

  She could hear his muffled echoes of No! As the blackness thick as tar encased her, began suffocating her, filling her nostrils, and her open eyelids. She wondered if she would be able to feel it when the exact moment of death arrived, and would she be reunited with her parents?

  Just then the ground began to shudder and shake, she could hear a heavy gurgling sound and she could feel an immense pressure below her. Something was pulling her down, or was it pushing her up? She was now able to move her hands as the shadowy water seemed to get lighter. Although it was impossible for her to see the surface, she could feel her body slowly being propelled back to the top and when her hand reached through the darkness, she knew that someone had pushed her back towards life. And that someone was Celeste.

  Magnus was at the edge of the bog sobbing like a child, when he saw her hand reach up through the muck. He grabbed at the tree branch that had fallen and swung it towards her but he was forced back onto the ground as her body was heaved directly into his arms. The heavy rain had begun to wash the thick mud off her face as she gasped and swallowed the air.

  "You're alright, you're alright," Magnus repeated over and over again.

  "Lord have Mercy," Sinta cried and took a step back. Magnus gathered Ava in his arms and held her against him as they watched the bog soften even more and then recede back into the ground so that Celeste could walk out of it. They sat in veneration as the pretty young woman turned, aware of them all for the first time and peered down the narrow path that led to the big house. "Will," she whispered and began walking towards the house.

  Soaked to the bone, Steve and Kelly stomped through the back door of the kitchen. Kelly let out a horrified scream when she saw Will standing now and staring out the kitchen window, the smell of gardenias filled the room. Steve rubbed his eyes and stood paralyzed in fear as the spirit turned and looked right through them before returning his gaze out the window. "Celeste," he said and made his way to the kitchen door.

  "We have to finish this." Ava had to yell in order to be heard. She had prayed for strength and had found it when she, Magnus and Sinta had started to run back towards the house.

  Kelly knew that she and her husband were about to be caught in the middle of a supernatural war and she wanted no part of it. She pulled her husband back out the kitchen door and it was just in time too.

  As they rounded the corner and made their way under the shelter of the front porch, they caught a glimpse of a woman who Steve thought was Ava. Just as Steve was about to yell out her name, Kelly stopped him. "That's not Ava," she said under her breath. As Celeste walked by, the two cowered backwards hoping that the darkness would shield them from her eyes.

  Will stood at the threshold of the kitchen door peering through the darkness for his Celeste. "Will my darling, you came back," his mother stood in the entrance of the kitchen. An invisible force preventing her from entering. Will made no movement, nor did he turn to face his mother. John DuPonte had come through and was now by her side. "William Montieu Jr., you answer your mother right now!" Her voice sounded like dried gravel. Something was happening to her and she didn’t know what it was.

  Why was she unable to set foot into the kitchen? And why did her throat feel like it was on fire? She reached out a hand towards her son but he stood stoic until he saw Celeste running towards him. She ran right into his arms and the two held each other tight despite the desperate screams and revolting insults that were coming from his mother and John DuPonte. With Celeste still in his arms, Will turned and looked at his mother and John in disgust.

  "This is your fault," he shouted at his mother and pointed towards the gaping wound on the side of his head.

  "Will honey don’t say that, momma needed to keep you safe. I had to get rid of that nigga whore, because if I didn’t she would have ruined your life."

  In an instant Will came face to face with his mother. "You ruined my life mother, no one but you. But your hold over me is over mother, it's time for you to burn in hell." His words so strong, it made her shiver. "As for you," he said now facing John DuPonte. "You shall suffer far worse than any demon from hell."

  "Ava!" Kelly yelled at them as they ran by. "Ava thank god you're alright!"

  All three were gasping for breath while Kelly explained to them what was going on. "Be careful," she said to them as they made their way towards the back of the house. "We'll just wait here," she murmured and held onto her husband.

  They stood frozen on the back porch and watched as Will and John DuPonte stared each other down. Amelia was begging her son for forgiveness when Sinta broke through. "Sinta," Celeste smiled and hugged her friend tightly. "I knows you'd bring me back," she said to the old woman. "Wasn’t jus me Miss Celeste, I's had help." She turned and held out her hand signaling to Ava and Magnus that it was okay to step inside.

  Magnus stood protectively in front of Ava, and Celeste released her hold on Sinta long enough to make her way towards the two. Ava whispered the words, "It's okay" to Magnus and let him step aside so that she could see Celeste. The two stood in silence and both reached out for the other and let their fingers trace the outline of their faces. Tears ran down Ava's face, the moment she touched Celeste she was taken back to that awful night in the kitchen. She could hear the words, the thoughts going on in Celeste's head and then, through dead eyes she could see Amelia standing there, she had watched it all.

  "The death you planned for me is the one you will suffer for all eternity," Celeste cursed her once more. Then she turned to Magnus and said, "I sorry you born of him." She then lowered her eyes. Magnus lifted her chin. "I am nothing like him and I'm so sorry that he hurt you," he said with tears in his eyes.

  A loud monstrous scream fell out of Amelia's mouth. "I will suffer no one!" She shouted. And with a grievous grin raised her hands causing an unseen force to shove Magnus and Sinta out the doorway and back into the stormy night. Before the door slammed shut Magnus could see John and Amelia making their way towards Celeste and Ava.

  "We've got to get back in the house," Magnus grabbed Sinta's hand and they ran to the front porch.

  "What happened? Where's Ava?" Kelly began questioning them.

  "She's locked inside with them," Magnus rushed out the words and tried opening the front door. He cursed when it wouldn’t budge. "Fuck!" He said and tried again. "Help me Steve," he said to his friend. They took several steps back and rushed up against the door in an attempt to break it down but it was no use, it still wouldn’t budge.

  "Come on," he said to Steve. "You two stay here."

  "You think I'm going to let you take my son away from me again?" Amelia was stronger now and she was able to enter the kitchen. She held Celeste by the wrists and her grip was like a vice. John DuPonte had managed to subdue a struggling Ava by wrapping his hands around her neck. "You hurt either one of them and I'll see you both in hell," Will shouted at them. "Now son listen to your momma, get out of here and let us take care of these two," his mother frowned at him. "Can't you see son? Momma is always going to look out for you."

  Ava was the first to sense that something was coming. A violent rumble shook the foundation of the big house and she swore that the she could feel it sway. Soon they all felt it again, and outside the rain had ceased but the wind picked up and leaves and woodland debris swirled by Kelly and Sinta who were stranded on the front porch.

  "She coming for her child," Sinta shouted out.

  "Who's coming? Is it the help you summoned?" Magnus questioned her, they had made it back to the porch after being unable to get inside the house. Even when they tried to break a window the large stone simply bounced off the glass like a rubber ball. "Something doesn't want us to get in," Steve shouted.

  "Mother, when are you going to unde
rstand that my love for Celeste will never die? I will love her for all eternity."

  The wound on the side of his head had disappeared but Amelia's grip on Celeste did not loosen. "You let her go now mother." Will was gritting his teeth now and took a step closer towards her. Celeste never took her eyes off of him and Ava noticed a sense of calm in them which in turn made her anxiety lessen.

  "Everything gon be alright Miss Ava," Celeste said and closed her eyes. Ava did the same, as a robust gust of wind shattered the kitchen windows and shards of glass flew everywhere. A ghostly female voice commanded, "You let my daughter go!" Celeste and Ava opened their eyes and everyone heard a fierce reverberation coming towards the house.

  "Momma!" Celeste exclaimed. The sound of Zelia's voice caused Amelia and John to release their grips on the two women.

  The room grew fearfully silent and Ava nervously held her breath in anticipation of what was to come. The spirit of Zelia stormed into the house like a wild fire that had gone out of control. And even though it had been raining, flames lined the path where she had walked only moments before. She stood at the threshold of the door and her ferocity drew Celeste away from Amelia and into the loving arms of her mother.

  "Now go ahead Miss Amelia, tell them what you did to me and my daughter," she said. The tall woman wore a tattered old dress but to Ava, she looked elegant. "Zelia has come back Miss Amelia, this here is your chance for redemption, go on now tell your boy what you did." Zelia kept her daughter wrapped in her arms while she stared at Amelia, willing her to confess her atrocious sins.

  "Fine!" Amelia said. "I'll tell you what I did Will and when I'm finished, you will know that I truly had your best interests at heart my dear boy." She moved closer to John DuPonte as she began to tell her story. "You see son, your daddy was always fond of Zelia, I mean just look at her with her fair skinned complexion and her tragic light brown eyes. I just knew that your daddy was sleeping with her, and when I found out that she was pregnant well at first I was furious, but then your daddy told me that he had lost her to a business associate one night at poker. It was then that I decided to spare the woman of any immoral doing. At least until after the baby was born, but once Celeste was born, and I saw that she was the spitting image of her mother, well I just hated her from then on.