Oppressed Read Free

Hello.” I cautiously walked
towards the enormous oaks, which were now shaking viciously and
emitting rays of purple light.
    “ I told you can’t ignore
me.”
    Come on, Arelia, you’ve done this
countless times. Be nice and sweet. It’s not that hard. “You’re
right. How could anyone ignore the most handsome, dashing and
irresistible spirit around? I know I can’t.”
    A nasal sneeze came from behind the oaks.
“Lies. All lies. Why are you humans all such pathological liars? Is
it a disease you contract through the water you drink? No. No. I
know. It must be the food you eat that makes you all so cowardly.
Or is in the air you breathe?”
    Ouch. He really was allergic to bullshit. I took a
deep breath and reminded myself that this could be my last shot at
getting Lucus back. “I’m not lying,” I said, as convincingly as I
could.
    “ Oh please.” There were a few
more really loud sneezes. A swirl of cigar smoke seeped its way
through the lush oak leaves, followed by what sounded like a slurp
from a rum bottle. “I know what you really want. Why can’t you
admit it already so we can skip all these fake formalities? You
don’t care about me; you just want to use me for my
powers.”
    “ No. That’s not true,” I
said quickly, as I tried to think of something that would convince
him that I was worthy of his help. “I do care. I care a
lot.”
    There was a moment of deafening silence.
Not one sneeze came from behind the oaks, which had to be a good
sign.
    “ Oh you care, do you? Then
ask me a question. Any question.”
    Ask him a question? Any question? Clearly,
this was some kind of test. What kind of question did he expect me
to ask him? At first I was tempted to make it all about me, but
that wouldn’t really prove that I cared about him, would it? I took
a few moments and reflected carefully on a question that would
prove I gave a damn about him rather than being completely selfish
and self-absorbed. I felt my palms getting sweaty and my throat
getting dry as the minutes started to tick away.
    “ I’m waiting.”
    “ I know, just give me one more
minute. I almost have it.” I tried to stall for time.
    There were several loud sneezes. “Oh
please. I was right about you.”
    “ How did you die?” I blurted out
the question, praying that it would be good enough. “I know that
you were murdered and you died a violent and gruesome death. There
are countless rumors and myths surrounding your death, but no one
really knows the truth. I want to know. How were you murdered? I
care,” I said, a little too eagerly, as I inched closer towards the
oaks. “Will you please tell me?”
    There was a moment of silence before Ghede
Nibo made his grand entrance. Surrounded by cigar smoke and the
scent of sweet white rum, basking in the glow of the brilliant
moonlight, before me stood one of the most handsome beings I’d ever
laid eyes on. He was tall, thin, and surprisingly young, with
dazzling hazel eyes, a delicate nose, impossibly smooth
toffee-colored skin and finely chiseled cheekbones offset by a pair
of full baby-pink lips. His beauty made me envious.
    “ I know. I know,” he said,
as he extended both of his arms upwards in a dramatic fashion. “I
don’t blame you for staring.”
    And shamelessly stare I did. I was
hypnotized by how perfectly his black velvet riding coat fit over
his body, the swirls of ruffles on his purple shirt, and his
impossibly shiny teeth and shoes. I couldn’t help but feel like a
downtrodden peasant in my stained white and navy uniform along with
my bare, mud-caked feet. After a few minutes of drooling and
conflicting feelings of outright jealousy I snapped out of the
strange trance. I cleared my throat. “So how did you
die?”
    He came close and placed his arm around my
shoulder. The smell of sweet rum and smoky herbs was overwhelming,
yet very enticing and hypnotic. He thrust the herb-infused rum
bottle into my hand. “Drink. Drink. You’re delusional. This will
help