Treasure of the Orishas

It is so easy to daydream in this class, mostly because the teacher has such a low monotone voice that drones on forever. I wonder what he does when he's upset or even happy. I can imagine it is just the same. My thoughts are interrupted by a loud bang originating from Mia dropping a book on the table. "You really need to learn manners; you could've just tapped me or called my name."

"You need to learn to stop daydreaming and letting your thoughts runoff. The class is over, and for your information, I did call your name Ava, twice actually."

"Sometimes, I wonder why we are friends," I tell her. For as long as I remember, I've been friends with Mia even though sometimes we are the complete opposites, but somehow it just works.

"So, are you stopping by the crazy lady's house later?" Mia asks me.

"She's not crazy, just eccentric, and if you got to know her, maybe you would see that," I say. Mia is not entirely wrong when referring to Ms. Mae as crazy, but it was an interesting crazy. She was the old lady that lived on the corner. I don't know when I started hanging out with her. She had these crazy old stories from her time in New Orleans. You could tell she had an immense imagination, always telling me old stories she said were passed down to her about African gods and the things they got up to. She lived alone and did not mind the company. I was one of the few people who was not put off by her. She recently suffered a bad fall and was in the hospital. Her children came into town. They have been staying at her house and "cleaning up her mess," they said. Obviously, they had not been around their mother in a while and should know that she would put one of those curses she always went on about on them for messing with her stuff once she got back.

"Yes, I'm stopping by later; her children are putting stuff out in a yard sale and on the curb, so I have to make sure it's nothing important that Ms. Mae wants. You should come with me, it's not like you have anything happening later."

"As hurtful as that is, you're right. So I'll come, plus I want to see if it's anything I can sell later at a higher price." Mia said with a smile and a mischievous look in her eyes. Rolling my eyes, I say, "We are not going for that. We are going to make sure they don't throw anything of value away."

"Okay, whatever you say."

Walking up the street, it is not hard to miss Ms. Mae's house. It's the brightest one on the block. It is a larger older house with high peaks that used to be an ugly dark grey, but when Ms. Mae came, she painted it bright mahogany red with yellow accents and hung different jewels and crystal from the porch and windows. What was different now was some of her belongings in the yard and her children placing stuff outside. "I don't know why mom has all this stuff. I thought it was a lot when we were kids, but it's even more now!" I hear her son say to his sister.

"I wouldn't say it's junk. Ms. Mae says everything has a purpose."

Her son looks at me and says, "Well, when you get older, some stuff just has to go. Who are you exactly?"

“I'm Ava; I stop by to hang out with Ms. Mae every now and then. How is she doing, by the way?"

"Oh yes, I have heard her talk about you a lot! Nice to meet you. She's doing better- should make a full recovery, but the doctors are keeping her for a while to monitor her to be safe. She actually left something for me to give you, hold on for a bit." He says while he goes into the house to retrieve whatever she has left.

Mia looks at me and says, "He seems nice, not as bad as Mae made them out to be."

"Yea, except for the fact they are getting rid of some of her stuff while she's in the hospital. She says her children mean well, but sometimes they just don't understand."

"Understand what?"

"Not sure exactly you know Ms. Mae is eccentric, always going on about her myths and tales," I say with a shrug. Her son comes out of the house with a black leather book in his hand. He hands it over to me, saying, "Here you go. She told me to give this to you, not sure exactly what's in it, but she told me not to open it." I take the book out of his hand, wondering what it could be, and decide to open it once I leave. "Thanks! Tell Ms. Mae I said hi, and if there's anything she needs, I can help with."

"No problem, and I'll let her know."

Mia says, walking away from the house, "We both know you don't want to wait till later to open the book." Even though I acted annoyed, she was right. I wanted to know if there was anything inside or is it just an old empty black book. So, I decided to open it, and there is a note from Ms. Mae. The note says, "Hello sweet girl, I planned to give you this journal later, but after my fall, I thought, why not now. I've been waiting a long time to pass this on and decided that you are the right person. I love my kids, but they have no sense of imagination or adventure, never wanting to see past what is in front of them, but you do. So here in this book contains a journey to treasure that will change your life. Now I hope you don't think it will be easy; what's the fun in that! As long as you've been listening to my stories, I hope you were paying attention. Your journey begins in the old park garden by the water you'll meet an old friend of mine there. Good luck!"

"Wow, she's even crazier than I thought," says Mia laughing. "A journey for treasure!" the only thing in that garden are flowers and bugs."

"Stop laughing; maybe she hid something there and is just having fun. If she went through all the trouble, I might as well check it out. So, you can come or go home, but I'm heading over there." I tell Mia

"Okay, I'll go with you; who knows, maybe there is a treasure, but I want half," Mia says with a laugh.

We head over to Orisha park, which is relatively empty, with only a few people milling around with their dogs. We walk across to the back of the park where the garden is located. This garden has always been here; not many people go back there because it was so dense, and if it's too dark, it's basically a maze that you can get lost in.

Looking around for a while, I don't see anything that stands out, let alone any people.

"You see anything? Maybe we just missed her friend," I say as I'm looking under an old rose bush. "Mia, you hear me, I don't see anything or anyone" not hearing her response, I turn around, and she's standing still looking at something.

"Mia! Why are you just standing there and not talking? Did you even look?" I say.

She looks at me scared; I walk over to where she is to see what she's looking at and see a wall of spiders. I look at her. "Really, you've been talking all day, and spiders scare you?"

"That's a lot of spiders. I hate bugs, and you know that. Let's go; there's nothing here anyway. That old lady just wanted us to take a walk in the park. "Oh, Ms. Mae went through all the trouble."' She says, mocking me.

"Well, maybe-" but as I start to say something, I see out the corner of my eyes that the spiders start to move really fast into each other.

"Uhh, Ava, what is happening?" Mia says, sounding scared.

"I have no idea maybe we should go like you said."

"Finally, you say something that makes sense." As we back away, we hit a wall made of thick vines that weren't there before.

"Where did this even come from? It was not here before!" I say.

"How am I supposed to know?!" Mia yells. I turn back around to look at the spiders and see no longer a wall of small spiders but one colossal spider the size of a boulder looking at both of us.

We stand frozen, staring back until it starts moving, stepping off the wall. Still unable to move, we watch it closely, but something strange starts to happen. As it straightens itself out, what once was a spider turns into a man.

"Well, look who we have here! It's been some time since anybody's come back. All too scared they're gonna disappear. So, it makes me wonder what the two of you came back here for?"

Still, in disbelief, I manage to say, "We were told to come to meet an old friend of Ms. Mae-

"Oh Mae, been a while since I heard that name, and she sent you two here? And for what?

"She said that we should come and find you and something about treasure."

"Mmm, well, let me tell you what I have two questions for you. If you answer, then I'll give you what I have. Sounds like a deal?"

"Sure, I guess," I say with uncertainty; the stories Ms. Mae always told me are starting to make more and more sense.

Clapping his hands together and smirking, he begins, "I am always spinning, but I don't have any clothe; who am I?

Mia, finally speaking again, blurts out, "A ballerina!"

Shaking his head, laughing, "I don't think so. I'll give you one more chance; if not, you have to go and never come back here."

Thinking about all that has happened, and the riddles Ms. Mae always talked about, I finally realized the answer "A spider."

Laughing, the man says, "Excellent, that was an easy one. Now for the next, I have a good friend, who is teaching me a lot of things, but unfortunately, my friend is not speaking. Who is my friend? This one, you only get one guess, so think carefully."

Thinking about all the possibilities of what it could be, I finally look in my hand at the black book left to me, and it clicks "A book!"

"Well looks like you answered my questions, but I'm having so much fun. I have one more!" The man says, staring at them

"That wasn't the deal!" I exclaim

"I'm the one with the prize, so you'll answer anything I ask. So, who am I?"

Thinking it a strange question, I realize we never did ask who he was. Everything that has happened is finally starting to make sense, from Mae's stories to what we've witnessed.

Not completely believing what I'm about to say, I answer, "Anansi, the trickster god."

"Ah, Mae has taught you well, I see." Appearing out of nowhere, he hands me a box.

"This is what you'll need to start the rest of your journey."

"A god!? Rest of the journey?! What is going on!?" Mia exclaims

Ignoring her, I open the box and find more money than I've ever seen.

"$20,000 that should be enough for the rest of your journey to the ultimate treasure. The rest of the instructions should be listed in the black book. Good luck," Anansi says, laughing. When I look up, he is gone leaving me and Mia processing what has just happened.