Blood for Love

“A spell like this would do no good.” Mariam says while she slowly walks around the blackened, alter with golden smoke surrounding it.

“Mariam, how could I make him love me?” I said as I stood up by the alter with my eyes weary and looking sagged.”

“Hmm, you must really love this man?”

“Yes, I do. I heard you work with Oshun.”

‘That is correct, Samantha.” she said with a slightly cracked up grin.

“What is it? What do I have to do to make him love me?”

“You must go. I must speak with Oshun to see if she accepts this request.” she began walking towards her bright ruby red door, leading me there.

“Thank you Mariam, I am forever grateful for your help.” I said with my back turned to the outside of her doorway.

“Don’t thank me yet. Oshun must grant it, in order for it to happen.”

“I understand.”

“In the meantime, go and wear this perfume.”

“What does it do?” I asked with my eyebrows lowered and my elevens present.

“It is supposed to attract him to you.”

“What about Oshun?”

“I still need to ask her because this is something that cannot be undone.”

“Okay, thank you.” I said, walking away from her front door.

“You're welcome.”

I walked down the periwinkle purple, lilac flower fields, that led me to my hidden gem, so I call it. It brought me to the only love I know I will always have. My father. Here I am, at the place where souls run freely until God calls for them.

“If my father was here, I would have been with James. The love of my life, the one who stole my heart with his sticking ocean blue eyes.”

Four hours have passed, and I am lying in my full-sized bed at this point.

The square, white trimmed edged windows took over both sides of my room.

“What is that?” I said, getting up from my bed and walking towards the window that had some noise coming from it.

I opened the window and with my hand unwinding that thin, tight, porcelain white handle.

“Who’s there?” I called out.

“S,samantha.” I heard a slithering whisper.

“Who are you?”

“Come here, I have something to give you for James.”

I was reluctant to go down there, but the blackened wilderness was worth it to me if that meant James and I could be together forever.

“I’m coming down now.”

It slithered “Yes dear.”

I climbed down the villages green toad house where I lived at. I used the netted, entangled, soft orange vines to get myself down.

I reached the ground.

I walked toward the slithering voice I heard. It felt like I was blind, and I had to follow a sound.

I stopped once the slithering ended. “Who are you?” I asked.

“I am a good friend of Mariam’s, my name is Slit.”

“Why do they call you slit?” I asked.

“It doesn’t matter sugary brunette.” he said with his eyes meeting my body.

“I don’t appreciate you calling me that.”

“My apologies Samantha.”

“How do you know James?” I asked.

“I know him because I know Oshun, personally.”

He said as his face get more clearer to see, I saw a man, wearing a black, knitted fabric top, sleek blonde hair back, and black skinny jeans. I also noticed that he was barefooted.

“Is there any way you can speak to her about granting my wish?”

“I can.”

“Thank you, thank you so much.” I said with my eyes lit up like the fourth of July.

He walked around me, in circles and said, “Everything comes with a price.”

“I’ll do anything for James and I to be together, anything.”

“Very well. I will make sure Oshun grants your wish. Forget about Miriam too.”

“But she has helped me so far, I can’t just do that to her.”

“You can, and you will, or no deal.” he said with a stone cold; killer look in his eyes.

“Okay.” I said with a low, soft voice.

“Give me sometime, I will return with him.”

“Is there anything I should do?” I asked looking up to him.

“All you have to do is to stay away from Mariam, or else.”

“What would happen?”

He began walking backwards into the blackened wilderness. “You don’t want to know.” He slithered.

An omniscient feeling left my body once Slit left.

“I don’t know if I should go through with this?” I whispered to myself.

I walked through the bit of spotlight that was present. I went back into my place, slid my body into my silk cream sheets and comfort set.

I’m dozing off to sleep and I told myself, “I just hope James and I will be together.

I woke up the next morning, and there was no sign of Slit. I did not have any contact with Miriam since we spoke in person. I wonder where Slit could be? What is Oshun saying to him?

I was pacing in my room by myself for hours. I couldn’t take it anymore.

I climbed back down the soft orange vines, but they started to wobble.

“What’s happening?” I called out.

The vines sucked my arms and legs in, with just my body and face appearing outwards.

“I knew it, I knew you were going to contact Miriam.” Slit said.

“No, I didn’t mean to.”

“It’s too late Samantha, say Hi to James for me.”

“Wait, stop, I’m sorry.” I cried loudly to Slit.

The orange vines sucked me in, more and more my entire existence started to disappear.

“Goodbye.”

“I call upon Oshun, the seven Africans, and the almighty Elegua, to redeem Samantha Bonilla’s life and name in their eyes.” Miriam said as she stood behind Slit with her deep purple cloak.

The vines started to unfold slowly, like a slow candle burn.

“Stay away from her Slit!” Miriam demanded.

He scoffed at her and dropped his human body onto the ground and slithered into nothingness.

As soon as the vines unraveled, I dropped onto the ground.

“Miriam, how did you know where I was?”

“I had a feeling that you were in your bedroom. I had no idea you were under attack.”

I took three breaths.

“Miriam, thank you, again.”

“I must inform you, Oshun does want to grant your wish.”

“That’s great!” I said with a sparkle in my eyes.

“There is something you must do though.”

“Yes?”

“You must give a drop of your blood to her, so that exchange is permanent.”

“Okay. That's it?”

“Yes. That will be all.”

Miriam took me back to her place. The golden smoke that surrounded the altar was still present.

She took out a box of matches that had a pink skull drawn on it and she lit up the five soft pink candles. She placed five red roses on Oshun’s altar and five pieces of thin pork chops.

“Repeat after me.” she said.

“I pray to Oshun, the almighty goddess. She is the one that everyone calls upon for love. Her beauty and grace are out of this world. I am forever humble and grateful for you. Your presence is divine, and you are the one and only goddess of love. I ask that you grant my wish, please, let James Sanchez love Samantha Bonilla.”

At her altar, there are also dollars, only five-dollar bills around her statue, and five ounces of wine was poured for her from Mariam.

“Are you ready to do your offering?”

“I, I am.” I said reluctantly.

Miriam poked my index finger with the needle of a pin.

“Shit.” I said as soon as she poked my finger.

“Oshun, the offering is here.”

The altar started to shake and like a potion, my blood was an ingredient to activate the spell.

Miriam goes closer to her altar and leans forward.

Laughter consumed her. It was the first time I ever saw her smile. I had no idea she had three missing front teeth, and the rest were rotten.

She turned from her altar and walked away from it and said, “Very good dear, very good.”

My bones weakened, and my blood started to pour from my eyes.

“Miriam, what’s happening to me?”

“You gave yourself to Oshun, she owns you now.”

“What? Please help me, help me.”

“I can’t, it’s too late, your soul now belongs to her.”

“How could you do such a evil thing!” I said while trying to clear my vision from the blood that is pouring from it.

“James, he’s dead, and been dead ever since you told me about him.”

“Miriam, please, please undo this.”

“I can’t, it’s been finalized.”

I ran out of her place and walked into the periwinkle lilac flowers.

I yelled out to the sky, but no one heard me.

“I guess the price will never be paid.” I said to myself.