Voodoo lurks beneath the 🌴🌿 Caribbean trees

The moon watched from high above the Caribbean night sky as the seven cloaked Voodoo priestesses silently made their way into the heart of the forest. The trees swayed and moaned, as if knowing the terrors which this night had long waited to unleash upon some deserving, but unsuspecting souls.

🌴🌿Obeah, Hoodoo, the African diasporic dark magic, wailed the trees, as footsteps could be heard in empty spaces. Incoherent soulless sounds of babble accompanied the invisible footsteps. Woe, woe is coming, woe, chanted the trees.

High atop the gnarled limbs of the Hibiscus elatus, the old Blue Mahoe tree, sat the wise old owl. Blue had stood and watched with great sorrow as many generations of humans lived and died without learning how to co-exist. Owl had seen many humans come to the forest to weep, to love, to lament lost love, to take from the earth without giving back, to enjoy the fruits and offerings of the many trees, or just to sit and listen to the whispers of the heart of the forest. 🌴🌿

Owl greatly favored those who just came to listen and learn from the nature of all things, for compassion and humanity flowed from the souls of one, as passion, empathy and purpose flowed from the other. The deep nucleus of both combined to energize the essence and quintessence which formed the basis of the continuance of all life force.

Owl heard the sentient whispers of the agitated trees as the priestesses drew nearer and nearer. Terror became a palpable torment within the oncoming storm and in the voices of the leaves as they swayed in the sudden eerie screaming of the unnatural winds. 🌴🌿

The trees remembered all the bloodshed and evil which once had saturated the earth and forests. Yet it seems never ending even unto today. 🌴🌿

The West Indian Ebony, native to the tropical jungle and splendid in its rich beauty, stood tall and regal, boasting rich green leaves and trunk twenty feet tall. Now it shook from the very depths of its roots.

Swietenia Mahagoni, West Indian Mahogany. Three centuries ago, all would have been well acquainted with this tree and its wood. Now with overharvesting, only a few remain in natural woodlands. Most of the mahogany wood used today is imported. Mahogany mourned her loss. 🌴🌿

Pimenta dioica, Pimento Tree, tropical evergreen producing aromatic berries used as a seasoning for food, adding flavor to chicken wings, fish, and other culinary delight. Pimento wondered why humans can never be satisfied with their lot. 🌴🌿

The Turpentine Tree, Tourist Tree, Gum-elemi, Copperwood, West Indian Birch, Gammalamme, Chaca, Almácigo and all the other species of trees joined in lamenting the terrors of the approaching darkness. 🌴🌿

The forest voices, awakened and angered, spoke of things long forgotten. The ghosts of the ancestors were gathering beneath the midnight canvas of the quivering unhappy trees.

Something evil this way comes, they whispered to each other.

"Remember what they did to us long ago. Remember.......". Makeba spoke.

The forest echoed with the voices of the slaves of long ago, as the ghosts assembled from far and near. Blood dripped from the wounds and splattered the ground, some had lost limbs and others were either blind or had lost an eye. The wounds were not all physical, the physiological and psychological unseen and awful depths of anguish had seeped deeper into the roots of the souls of the unsatiated far more than any lash of the whip could ever penetrate.

Blood for blood, an eye for an eye.

Those with the open scars where the whip had lashed and torn the skin off of their bodies stood at the forefront, their eyes were like blazing embers of fire as anger became a bloodlust that needed to be slaked. They needed their revenge to be swift and monstrous in its torment.

For their wrongs were many in their wicked, wrongful, immoral, sinful, ungodly, unholy, foul, vile, base, ignoble, dishonorable and corrupt horrid nature. 🌴🌿The trees knew, they understood.

Makeba gestured, and the phantom scenes emanated from the unholy echelons of the past, as images appeared from thin air. The screams of the slaves filled the night as those wielding the whip smirked in pleasure. The trees winced in discomfort, their roots shifting as if they too felt each lash of the damnable whip. 🌴🌿

"Hear we now spirits of old. We who be spawned from de bones of them long dead and passed down to each generation. We call upon you to come forth and punish the guilty. Bring dem dis night into these cursed woods".

The Seven chanted and the ghosts rattled their meatless bones, they remembered well the last moments of their lives, fraught with fear and agony of flesh and spirit. The wind whipped the trees as the Seven sprinkled potions and charms upon the earth.

The forest rang with loud and awful sounds, weeping, wailing, cursing, screams and gnashing of teeth filled the night. 🌴🌿

Beneath the foliage the forest life cowered and hid themselves from the harrowing noises of the dead and living, they feared the trees as they shuddered and groaned, forgetting those whom they were sworn to protect.

"Hear we now spirits of old. We who be spawned from de bones of them long dead and passed down to each generation. We call upon you to come forth and punish the guilty. Bring dem dis night into these cursed woods".

From the edges of the forests🌴🌿 came harried voices begging and pleading, men and women in life, and ghosts of men and women awakened to face their damnation and punishment.

"Hear we now spirits of old. We who be spawned from de bones of them long dead and passed down to each generation. We call upon you to come forth and punish the guilty. Bring dem dis night into these cursed woods".

As they came, they were set upon by the dead, chains rattled as a melee of abomination and sinful lot felt the pain that they once inflicted. They were clawed and mauled, beaten and chastised. They saw the error of their ways and the atrocity which they had wreaked and were still causing upon the innocent, voiceless and helpless.

The forest wept and mourned. Yet they had always known that this night would eventually come to the midnight of them all. It had been long overdue. The spirits had waited a long time to be appeased. 🌴🌿

The living beings were dragged to the depths of hell along with the dead who had once taken great pleasure in inflicting pain. Dragged by the souls of those who died and had refused to forgive and forget, and who were therefore existing in a state of limbo until they relented of their grudges and anger. Now their time had come for justice to be meted out.

All night long the lament continued unabated, until finally as a new day began to dawn, an abyss opened up on the floor of the forest and all but the seven and the trees were swallowed up by the abominable pit. 🌴🌿

A deathly quiet followed where once there was a cacophony of terrible noises and sounds.

The forest was again at peace. The terrified animals finally skittered away to find safety and calm.

Their mission finally accomplished, the Seven thanked the forest with chants and the sprinkling of new blessings for the continuation of a bountiful life cycle in the nature of all things.

The trees sighed, speaking in the ways of trees amongst themselves as the appeased humans left as they had come. They passed on the knowledge to the many forests whose time would emerge for a cleansing. For the Seven were not done. They had a lot more forests to attend to. 🌴🌿

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