Samedi

You would’ve thought the whole town was in Davinas backyard. War drums pounding to wake her ancestors. The yard shimmered with moonlight, making the dew on the grass sparkle. Four drummers on the left of the yard and four on the right. Two women danced surrounding the fire in conjur magic. There movements mocked the flames or it may have been the other way around. Joe was one of the tallest people she’d ever met and the towns most gifted Rootworker. Like a giant he stood 6’7 in the center of the yard with his famous saxophone playing Muddy Waters famous “Got my mojo working.” White paint dripping from his face, a red serpent along his forehead and bones ringing on both wrists. Tonight was a full moon and was perfect for the ritual. White sheets of cloth dances around the whole yard. Davinas skirt moved back and forth in the breeze.

A giant fire pit burned in the center of the backyard. Davina circled the fire pit with huge bowls of white rice, milk, cotton, white eggs and 3 white chickens. All as offerings to the most loved Diety, Aydia, the rainbow goddess. She is known as the fertility goddess of Voodoo. If anyone could help her mother and unborn sister it’s the Rainbow Serpent.

The drums picked up there pace which was her cue that the moon had reached its apex and the energy was right to begin the ritual. Her mother was carried out on a alter-like stoop. Bones in one hand and a python in the other, Davina flicked her wrist lighting every torch in the yard as she passed it. As the drum beat gets faster it also slows down. The earth is still and extremely loud. The trees talk and the grass whispers. Davinas mother sang Bessie Smiths, “Lady Luck Blues” calling Aydia. Davina walked to her mother’s side, reaching in her back pocket she removed a machete. Taking the python from her shoulders she cut it from its head to tail. Both hands now bloody she marked her mother’s forehead with a cross.

“My ancestors, guides and healers please stand with me..Davina MelRoux child of Selest & Darrell MelRoux. Be with me in this moment.”

Twelve skilled conjures circled and locked hands linking all there power to Davina. She continued..

“Iam root of your root. Soil of your soil. AYDIA hear me. Bone of your bone and blood of your blood. Not deaf to our cries, nor blind to our honest plans. Keep the gifts of perfect health on Selest so that she may grow your legacy.!”

The wind blew with forced nearly tipping her over. The fire pit grew the more she spoke. It was the most intoxicating and dangerous feeling she had ever experienced. Her mother who was holding her forearm gave it a squeeze. Grabbing Davinas attention, she looked down and saw the blood flowing from her mother’s white skirt. The torches and fire pit burnt out as if someone splashed water on them all at the same time. “Could I actually do this?” She thought. She looked to Joe & Celean, a family friend, with panic and terror written on her face. Joe didn’t flinched. He walked calmly to her mother & gave her an elixir.

Lavender.

Witch hazel.

Red brick dust.

Salt.

“What is happening” She said to Joe confused and concerned. His eyebrows straightened. He stood over them both like a giant. Looking down at her he whispered “death happened Davina.” Davina was now standing with both arms out in complete awe. This had never happened, she had never had a ritual fail before. Joe continued, “Sleep was her only option tonight. Spells take there toll girl, especially failed ones.” He kneeled in front of her, taking both of her hands. “The ancestors have spoken child. Goddess Ayia has made it so. Use this to find out who you really want to be.” She could feel the tears running down her face. She had failed. Her sister was dead and her mother would never recover..

Davina hadn’t lost faith in her ancestors. Just herself. Her mom was slowly readjusting. It had been four months and she wouldn’t leave her room. She barely ate. It was as if she had died too. Davina spent months digging, looking for anything that could help her put her family back together. She finally found a hidden grimoire that spoke of a Diety with the power of necromancy. She needed to make contact on hollow ground and decided she’d used her late aunts cabin. She had been warned several times to never conjure this particular spirit. She felt like she had no choice. If she ever wanted to see her mother normal again this had to be done. She packed what she might need, kissed her mother, who was staring blankly out her bedroom window and headed out.

The entrance to the cabin was exactly as it had been before. Like time stood still. The cabin was falling apart. Davina navigated very carefully on the cracked floor boards into the kitchen. Bright yellow. The kitchen floor was solid and even. Perfect for cleansing the area.

“Work with me house.” she sighed as she removed her backpack and began to take out the items for her spell. There was a good chance she would be turned away based solely on disturbing him but that was a risk she had to take. She drew a circle in the middle of the floor with white chalk. Vertical notches at the top and bottom of the circle indicated a door had opened and closed. Symbolizing leaving earth and entering the afterlife. At each of these notches was an arrow with small curves that diminished in size from the tip. She drew a smaller circle inside the bigger one. Cutting her palm and a lock from her hair, she chanted. “Blood…hair…poison rust.” All set in the smaller circle and then set on fire. Red Sea salt worked as a boarder of protection. She brought Sage, to clean the air, and had a Bessie Smith song playing on her phone. Believe it or not Voodoo and music go together like beads on Bourbon st.

“Peppermint, for communication.

Rose oil, for luck and sweetness.

Deers tongue, for understanding.

Nutmeg, for motivation and Master root, for strength.”

Davina placed the various items along the border of the larger circle. She had to first do a strengthening spell before contacting Baron Samedi.

Baron Samedi is the leader of the Guédé, Loa with particular links to magic, ancestor worship, and death. He could help her but she had to tread carefully. Davina reached for her bag and started gathering supplies for an altar and offering. This time outside.

The air was crisp, which somehow freaked her out more. Every warning she’d had about Voodoo, spells etc. all stemmed from one Diety. One her mother constantly warned her about growing up. One God who could literally love you to death.

Like all Dietys he is neither fully good nor fully evil. Out of all the Gods Baron Samedi is arguably the most well-known and reverred, especially in Voodoo culture. Even to those who follow Voodoo, the Baron is seen as a dangerous and mysterious spirit, however, he can also be a powerful and authoritative guardian if the mood suits him. Due to the sudden changes in his mood, he has been labeled both a demon and a god, depending on someones view of the world.

Now facing a pond sitting adjacent to the front lawn, Davina removed her jacket from around her hips and placed it on a somewhat dry spot. In front of where she sat, two patches of concrete laid. “Not the most fancy.” She said as she clean the concrete and wiped leaves, mud etc. from them. She packed cigars, rum, black coffee and grilled peanuts. All things he loved.

“What I wouldn’t give to down this whole bottle of rum right now.” She joked to herself as she layed some items onto the concrete. Davina then grabbed the bottle of rum and poured three drops onto the alter.

“Lord of the cemetery! Mighty judge and healer! Please come and accept these offerings.”

Baron Samedi is described as a chaotic spirit and loves smoking, drinking and interacting with people but he is also morbid by nature. He is known for greeting the dead and seeing them into the afterlife. Giving his subjects tasks. So Davina was sure he would show with her being on hollow ground… at night…during a full moon. She looked around to see if he accepted the offerings and there was nothing. Literally nothing! The bugs had stopped making noise, the trees stop moving in the wind and that breeze she felt was now gone. The earth was dead silent. (No pun intended) She looked in front of her and deep in the forest she could see something ..a hill? A pole? Something crazy tall . Or maybe it just looked tall bc she was so far away. She started towards the object using her phone flashlight.

The branches and leaves made it impossible for her to approach quietly. She bobbed and weaved, twisted and turned to find a way through the thick woods. The entire time her eyes were straight ahead on target. She didn’t want to lose sight of whatever she was looking at. The closer Davina got the more she saw memorable figures. A top hat, a black tuxedo, dark glasses, and cotton plugs in the nostrils, as if to resemble a corpse dressed and prepared for burial in Haitian style. He had a white, skull-like face (or actually has a skull for a face). Davina stopped walking as soon as she remembered the top hat and who it belong to. It was him, Baron Samedi.

Notorious for his argumentative and outrageous behavior, cussing continuously and making filthy jokes to the other spirits. He didn’t speak. He didn’t move. She didn’t either. As if he had frozen her in time. They starred at each other for about a minute before he raised his cigar. Davina would let him lead the conversation, he is known for ripping the tounges out of the mouths of those who disrespected him. His red eyes burned right through her. He took a step forward causing Davina to take a step back. He looked entertained by her caution.

“Is free will an illusion?” He said in a smoky voice.

“What?” She asked, confused and forgetting that she didn’t want to piss this man off.

“Do we make our own decisions or are they pre ordained?” He asked while lighting the cigar and now moving towards the alter near the house.

“I think it depends on the situation.” I said while almost slipping on wet tree branches following him.

“That’s the thing D, a situation usually forces our hand no? So if the nature of your personality changes at any given rate. Is it still free will?” He continued…“What does it mean if we’re not making our own choices?Who’s making them for us? Who gives them that power over us?

For example: Your hair, nails, aesthetic comes from where you come from no?”

She interrupted him.

“Sam Harris says that thought and intention emerges from the background causes of which we are unaware.”

They were finally out of the woods and at the alter.

“Yes. And According to Narihum, life is like a game of cards and the hand your delt and how you play it is free will.” He said revealing a deck of cards in one hand and fanning them out.

“I don’t understand.” She confessed.

“You have an offer to make me Davina….make it.”

“Okay. My mother recently lost a child. Still inside her. I want to help her and my unborn sister.”

He was pacing in front of her with his index finger resting on his cheek. Everytime he turned to face the opposite direction his keys would jiggle. His serious yet calm demeanor was relaxing and terrifying all in one.

“Nature needs balance. You need to send a soul to me in order for me to send your mothers child back to this realm.”

He grabbed the peanuts off the alter and continued. “If you do this. Then your family will be back together.”

She knew this was something she never wanted to do. But could she actually do it? Take someones life in order to help her family. Was it really helping her family or just her? They were eye to eye now. Davina paused to let her thoughts catch up with her.

“What if the soul was mine?” She shouted. The words just flew out. Davina wanted to take it back as soon as the words left her mouth. He looked surprised.

“Your a wild one aren’t you? I’d expect nothing less from a descendent of Mary Belle…I will accept your offer and I will not kill you. Instead you will live a long life full of mischief. You must bring others to my side.”

“You want me to recruit people? For what exactly?” I asked disgusted.

“I want you to tell the world about me. The truth about me. I want you to educate, Miss MelRoux. Curious minds lead to deals, that leads to souls for me.” He said with a grin.

She sat down on her jacket with a look of defeat on her face. Tears rolling with ease. Samedi wasn’t a completely bad guy but that didn’t mean she wanted clueless people selling their souls for nothing. This is everything her mother warned her about. She was staring hope in the face and it wasn’t the face she was expecting.

“This is for your family no?”

“Yes” she sniffled.

He was out of offerings and wanted a deal. If she refused him he wouldn’t show again, guaranteed.

“Is free will an illusion?” He asked again

She looked at him and rolled her eyes, without answering. He walk up to her and put his hand on her shoulder.

“You are truly selfless. That’s why I like ya. So you hold up your end of da bargain and I will do the same.”

He floated across the yard, into the woods until all she could see was his hat. Then nothing but darkness. She breathed a sign of relief, just having survived the interaction without being cursed was a great thing. But Davina didn’t feel great. She felt numb. It was 2:30 am and the numb feeling was the result of being on the ground…in the woods…late at night. She couldn’t help but notice that the man her mother described to her wasn’t the man she met tonight. Sure he was mysterious, a little crass but not the villain she had been taught to fear. Maybe that was the point. Maybe he wanted her to tell people that he’s not what history portrays him to be. She had so many ideas in her head that she started feeling sick. Obviously, she needed to lay down, two spells in one night isn’t recommended. She rose to her feet and started towards the car so that she could lay down for a bit before returning home. After the third step Davina felt like cement was in her shoes. Her vision was blurred. She kept walking until everything fell black..

She woke to her phone vibrating in her back pocket. Davina was face down on the pavement in front of the drivers side of the car. Her head had a gash, she guessed from when she passed out. Her ankle was definitely twisted and the left side of her face was numb. The sun was bright and blinding, she struggled to shield her face from the suns rays. Crawling to the tire she was able to lift herself onto the door. Thank the ancestors she left her keys in the car. She struggled to find a comfortable position that didn’t make every muscle hurt. Reaching for the phone to see what the damage was, she was confused. “7 missed calls? Mom?” What could she have wanted? She then scrolled to her messages and there was one. It read “your making a mistake!” That’s all her message said and Davina didn’t know what to think. She started the car and headed back home. She’d have two hours to come up with a defense for her mother. “Why hadn’t she called?” She whispered to herself as she exited the gate. What exactly did she know?

I swear the distance on your way home is always shorter then the drive from home. Davina had been contemplating every scenario and none of them had an outcome of her mother understanding what she needed to do. Davina floored the gas petal to the ground. All this thinking was driving her anxiety up the wall. Everytime her eyes wandered off the road she had an eerie feeling. The highway sign that read 222 miles until Lena, Louisiana. The black bird that flew into her back window. The billboard that read LAST CHANCE. There were signs all around her and she payed it no mind. She made it back to Lena in record time. The car just about ran out of gas as she pulled into the driveway. Her mother was on the porch. Which was unusual since she hadn’t left her room in months. She wore a blue moo-moo gown and pink furry house slippers. Davina could see her hair shining from the car. Her locs were long and beautiful.

“Awe shit. Here we go.” She said as she stepped out of the car and started towards the house. Her mother was twirling Chinese mediation balls in her left hand and had a drink in her right. Rocking back and forth.

“Mom” I sighed.

“Who put a whopping on you?” She said in a snarky tone.

“I’d be foolish to even ask you how you found out.”

“I’m a witch that’s how.” she said taking a gulp of her tea finishing it off.

“Well come on in this house, you need a whole grimoire of remedies for those bruises.” She waddled in the house. Davina followed behind her limping in pain.

She sat on there hideous pink couch and let out a huge sigh..but not of relief. She threw her head back as her mother was ruffling through stuff in the kitchen. She walked over and plopped down next to her daughter with her famous healing tea. Handing Davina the cup she started on her ankle and began to wrap it as Davina told her everything that she had just been through. By the time she finished she was rubbing ointment on her arm and starring blankly ahead. She hadn’t interrupted her during the whole story, which is also odd.

“Mom?”

“It’s just a lot to take in.” she said wrapping Davinas arm. “Selfless? That’s the word he used to describe you?” She asked with a curious tone.

“Yeah. It was a long night, I might be paraphrasing but yes. I thought it was an odd word given his reputation.”

She was testing her mother. She wanted to know if she had ever conjured him herself. Her mother looked away and started digging into a bag on the floor next to her feet.

“He’s nothing like you taught me mama. I didn’t feel like I was in danger the whole time. Even when I was scared.” Davina wanted to know where her mother was getting information.

“It’s just… is there truly any selfless act Davina?” Her mom asked standing to her feet.

“Yes!” She exclaimed. “I did this for you. For our family!” Davina was offended.

“Every good dead has a selfish motive child, even Christians if it’s just to get into heaven. You think you did this for me. But YOU benifit from me having another child. What did he promise you?” She was now shaking and angry. Pulling her daughter up by shoulders, she shook her. “WHAT DID HE PROMISE YOU?” She yelled “I knew he would get someone from this bloodline sooner or later but WHY YOU DAVINA?” She was sobbing.

“I did this for you!” Davina screamed. Her mother look her in the eyes and wiped the tears pouring from them. She leaned in and kissed her forehead as she had done so many times before. Davina didn’t understand. What the hell was going on?! Her mom pulled her in to hug her and did for what seemed like forever. As Davina pushed off her mother she felt something. Like a punch in the stomach. Then the pain kicked in. She panicked and felt burning, searing pain, cold sweat from Adrenalin. She screamed.

“AHHH!” As she fell back on the couch she could she it. The knife. “She was getting a knife in the kitchen, that’s what she reached for in that bag on the floor!” Davina was putting the pieces together in her mind. She was dizzy but tried to run around the coffee table to the other side of the kitchen. Her mother caught her with no problem and put her hand around her mouth from behind.

“This is the only way to save you!” She said as Davina sank to the floor in a pool of her own blood. She was cradling her, like she did when she was a child. She could only bring herself to say one word as a black whole grew larger around her eyes.

“Selfless” Davina sighed.

In a flash Davina was gone & here again. She slowly opened her eyes and saw nothing. Emptiness. Like a large house filled with blackness. Except for a prickle of light. Davina was squinting her eyes to focus them on the light. She walked towards it with both hands stretched out trying to find and solid wall. The light got brighter and brighter until it swallowed her whole. She was now in a rustic reading room. Red carpet everywhere. A huge fireplace that had souls carved into it. He was sitting in a velvet red reading chair fit for a king.

“Welcome home child. You know I could have warned you about Selest. ‘Dat one there hates me.” He chuckled so loud the room shook.

“What the hell happens now?” Davina had no fight left in her. Her own mother took her life. She had nothing left to fight for.

“Now? I send you back.”

Davina was waiting on the “BUT” and it never came. She listened.

“The deal was a soul for your mother’s child. Your mother may have adjusted my plans but a deal is a deal.”

“I don’t understand.”

“You sold your soul, no? Since you sold yours and then died. You are now qualified to take your life back…the deal was for your mothers child, which you are. It’s difficult to bring back a baby that was still in the womb and you have too much potential to let it go to waist.”

He was standing up now by the fireplace facing away from Davina.

“I go back?” She said in disbelief. “Back to what? My mother killed me. I have no life to go back to!” She scolded.

“No. Now you know what it takes to be truly selfless Davina. Your mother might think I’m a monster but as you now know, anyone can be a monster. Which will you be?”

“I don’t know what I’m supposed to be!” She screamed in frustration.

Baron Semdi turned around and grinned at her from the fireplace.

“Is free will an illusion?”