The Lougarou of Laplaine

Gathered around the fire as neighbors, and families laughed together under the evening sky as they did every full moon, they ate their fill of fire roasted native dishes. It was amazing the way the tribe found the strength to honor the lives of the missing elderly, amidst the empty beds, and the missing wisdom holders that neighbors woke up to in the yard every 3rd full moon cycle…. the numbers of the lost elderly were increasingly high this time around, so uniting together for community care and blessings of the Yard elder to celebrate life that has come and gone was exactly the remedy for tears they shared. The neighborhoods were divided into yards of 12 houses per yard and each were like a village with 1 yard leader, an elder… Our yard leader Noushka (Noushka) was not your average elder… adored and celebrated by all, she was filled with an endless source of wisdom, wise beyond the years that were etched on her youthful deep brown skin, nothing about her cracked…

It was said Noushka was the oldest, and the longest to hold the elder seat through the disappearance of elder Maye(amongst the elders lost) Maye was the previous yard Elder whose years on this earth were gracefully visible through the silvery strands of hair that kissed her wrinkled wise cheeks…. Noushka glowing like the moon reveled in the adoration and respect of her people. She knew it was almost time for adults and children alike to gather around her feet for the traditional village storytelling. The hooting of the barn owl perched in a nearby tree announced the coming of the night, As the evening grew darker tribe members surrounded Elder Noushka as she began stories of the tribes renounced occult origins passed down for generations, stories of yards beyond the tribe, but everyone grew impatient anticipating the elder’s story of the Lougarou. As the story goes the Lougarou was a shape shifting malevolent creature that consumed the life force of 3 elderly tribe members on every 3rd full moon in order to travel realms and grow more powerful. It was said that the Lougarou “spared some and took some” no one knew how they picked their next meal, absorbing the wisdom of the elderly who kept the secrets of the old, maybe that’s how they picked.

The Lougarou was described as distorted creatures, nearly invincible with the key to their defeat resting in a simple incantation that was deemed occult and witchcraft, a string of a simple incantation( “Lougarou vini kounyé a, mété deyò, sak fè mal é mauvé Zyé…) translating into “Lougarou come enter now, rebuke and cast out the bringer harm and the eye of evil” everyone clenched at the sound of the incantation more than the chilling deeds of the one who took their elders, they thought collectively why would they invite the harmful Lougarou inside plus “the occult” was of the outcasted old ways… The village, the country were more fearful of the practice of anything but their chosen singular faith system. As the story ends Noushka brings to light that the peoples refusal to recite the incantation was also denying using the one key to set them free, therefor the Lougarou had no predator, doing as it pleased…..

After a night of celebration, comradery and chilling stories in the rural tropics of the Laplaine tribe, families were especially hyper-vigilant about protecting their elderly parents, and their grand-parents because of the Lougarou although a tale they knew could be the cause of their missing loved ones… of those families were Madride, elder in training who missed the evening celebration wondering if her papa would be one of the families spared from disappearing in the night… Madride next in line to become an elder was very familiar with the stories of the Lougarou and witnessed the missing of her tribe elders since her years as a youth…. She was especially anxious about that night being the 3rd full moon in cycle because it was then that she remembered the stories of the old, the ones that spoke of the lougarou living amongst the yard of the neighbors undetected, they appeared uneventful like ordinary yard neighbors but were said to be hundreds of years old…..

Rain drops beating on the tin roof like rhythmic drums, pounding in tune with Madride heartbeat, all she had to do was make it until midnight in hopes that her papa would be spared… With papa resting sound asleep, the eerie feeling and stiff hairs in the back of her neck was sensing something more. Back in these the country of Laplaine the homes were built with a triangular opening big enough to fit a large coconut, some would call this opening point a gable where the tin roof met the walls of the house.. As Madride secured her doors and windows she notice a furry like creature crawling into the opening of the home resembling a distorted feline with eyes that burned the colors of ember, 2 inch fangs dripping with hunger crawling across the smooth surface with soulless eyes as it clanged to the ceiling and crawled towards papa’s bed… terrified and in shock Madride gathered her strength, grabbed her only source of defense which was her broom and in that moment she felt defenseless with just a broom to defend her family…

Following the desire to call on her ancestors for rescue, Madride started to hear gentle whispers of the incantation of the Lougarou “Lougarou, Lougarou vinni kounyé a, Vini mété deyò sa ki fè mal et mauvé Zyé” all fear of the incantation started to dissolve. Going against everything she was taught to believe, instinctively knew to recite the incantation and a golden spirit started to descend and release a light into Madride, now she was that golden glow and the broom in her hand felt mighty and powerful, while in her power Madride swung as hard as she could striking the creature like a baseball bat hit the left side of the animal like entity …. there was an instant grueling groan coming from the creature upon impact, once more again Madride swung shouting the incantation sending the creature flying out of the crevice it entered….

Feeling one with her body, Madride dropped to her knees near papas bed in deep gratitude in front of what stood before her as a transluscent being covered in shimmer illuminated as bright as the sun… The being then softly emoted “well done my child”. Madride whispered back“ What are You?”…. “I am Loux of the Lougarou Elder spirit protectors of these realms, I have watched your yards in need of ancestral healing but you were afraid to call on us while we have been around for ages, you were never without help. Yes there was a creature wreaking havoc on your lands but it was not the lougarou, it was something other called the Sanpwèlsi who survives off of the wisdom of the seasoned members of the tribe as you have witnessed the attempt tonight, You just had to be in a space to be open to ask for help, and tonight I am glad you did”…

Loux walked over to papa who was peacefully asleep and she whispered rest dear one”, all truths will be revealed, now you are safe, your lands are safe”…. “What do you mean?” beckoned Madride, Loux explained “the golden light coming into touch with the Sanpwèlsi stripped it of all of the essences that it stole to maintain its power, and these essences would return to the world of spirits to whom they belonged, without these essences the creature will make itself known before it dissolves into its final moments, but for now you rest and be at peace……You know how to communicate with us, all that we ask is if you can teach your village of this truth they too will be connected to their ancestral covering, I have a knowing that the need for new teaching & leading is here now.”

Madride felt a sense of comfort yet still still there were many questions, but she did as instructed, it’s been nights since she knew what sleep was as she waited for every full moon to see what would be of papas fate. So she slept, reclaiming every night of sleep that was lost due to papa watch. In the morning she woke up rested, at ease, and she was greeted by a cup of tea from papa. She woke up lighthearted knowing her family and friends were finally safe..

While she wanted to relish in this slow morning with promising new life, she needed to get to Noushka to reveal the nights happening to share the new knowledge of the Lougarou and as she ran to Noushakas yard she was met with screams of her village in fear and dismay as she pushed through the crowds, there was a half human half creature slowly disintegrating on Noushka front steps. The left side of this being was human resembling Noushka but tremendously aged this humanoid side was significantly bruised while the right side of the body was part creature the same creature that was defeated in the night of the blood moon… the body was wasting away into ashes stuck between shifting.

Frozen in disbelief that the Sanpwèlsi was Noushka all of this time feasting on the essence of their elders, explained her maintaining her youth and holding so much wisdom. Lurking in the shadows comfortable in this village that she knew were too fearful to use the one incantation that would banish her from their lands, when Noushka became elder she was always playful as she told the mistold story of the Lougarou especially because the narrative was advantageous to the herself the sanpwèlsi. Tribe members made to be afraid of the key to their deliverance. While the tribe were making sense of what they were seeing Madride who was barely moved by the scene stood up and started to explain this was the renowned Elder Noushka. Madride shared the truth of her experience and the people gathered as they listened in Relief to know their loved ones were safe.

It would take time for the tribe to orient themselves to the idea of incanting, tapping into the tribes ancient ways…. but seeing what they thought to be their beloved leader dissolving into the grounds were proof enough. They too wanted to tune in to the Lougarou and see what wisdoms waited for them, they too wanted the real story, to know the real origins of the Lougarou. Until they felt free enough to incant and tune in, Madride stood in the Gap and tuned in to Loux often to learn the true stories of the old… As the members of the yard readjusted to a new life, the evening of the full moon meant a promise of new as they celebrated in safe unified community they happily sat with Madride their New elder and their beloved elderly family members as she shared new tales, new hopes, true origins of her people celebrating a birthing of a new traditions under the light of the mystical full moon.