Oppressed Read Free Page B

graveyard.
    I rolled my eyes and took a deep breath.
Lucus, where art thou? Please be okay. The world needs more people
like you… I need you…
     
     
     
     
     

Chapter Three
    Delusions and
Illusions
     
     
    Ghede Nibo placed his rum
bottle on th e ground and clapped his hands in a dramatic fashion, which
prompted the tombs around us to shake, rattle and topple over.
Hordes of gorgeous young men and women climbed out of the graves.
There must have been hundreds of them.
    What an ethereal and haunting sight the
women were, with their matching black silk dresses embroidered with
purple lace and delicate clusters of pearls. Their shiny
waist-length hair glistened under the moonlight, and their swanlike
necks moved elegantly against the wine-colored sky. They moved with
such effortless grace that it seemed as if they were gliding above
the muddy earth rather than walking on it.
    Each woman was accompanied by an equally
stunning man. The men held their heads up high and proudly showed
off their black velvet riding coats, crisp purple shirts and
elegant top hats as they guided the women to a long table that had
been laid out in the middle of the graveyard.
    I looked down at myself and realized that
I was dressed exactly as they were. The fine silk fabric felt
wonderfully soft and breezy against my skin, providing a welcome
relief from the oppressive summer heat. My feet were no longer
bare, but were clad in delicate silver slippers encrusted with fine
rubies and tiny diamonds. What the hell was going on?
    “ What’s going on?” I turned to
Ghede Nibo for an explanation. “You said you’d help me. Who are
these people? Why am I dressed like they are?”
    He responded to my neurotic questions with
a big smile and took my hand into his. “Let’s eat,” he said, as he
led me towards the table.
    The men and women gathered around the
table while low flames from thick purple candles further
illuminated their otherworldly beauty. I was struck by the fact
that most of them were around my age. “Are these the ones who died
young and unexpectedly?” I whispered.
    He nodded. “Sit. Sit.” He pulled back a
chair for me. Reluctantly, I sat down and scanned the table for
Lucus. Where was he? He should have been there. Despite my forced
optimism and resolve to remain positive, there was a strange
sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach that told me I had lost
him forever, but I wasn’t ready to accept that fact.
    Ghede Nibo clapped his hands and a feast
consisting of spicy stewed black goat, roasted black rooster, fried
coconuts, fried plantains, smoked herrings, and spicy white rum
manifested itself onto the table. It wasn’t exactly my dream dinner
menu, but if memory served me correctly they were his favorite
foods, and who was I to argue with Brother Death over
food?
    “ Eat. Eat.” Ghede Nibo shoved a
steaming bowl of stewed goat and a glass of spicy rum in front of
me.
    I eyed it warily, unable to bring myself
to taste it.
    “ If you want my help
you’ll be polite,” Ghede Nibo said, as he sat down beside
me.
    I glanced around the table and saw all the
beautiful faces watching me in grotesque expectation and outright
curiosity. I didn’t really have a choice, did I? I dug into the
stew, all the while holding my breath. Without hesitation I stuffed
the stew down my throat and then turned to Ghede Nibo. “Delicious.
Now can you help me?”
    The guests started to laugh at my
question. I scowled at them and they averted their eyes and started
to whisper amongst themselves. What was their problem?
    Ghede Nibo sneezed. “No you have to
try the fried plantains.”
    “ Fine.” I muttered through
clenched teeth, as I took a plantain from a dish.
    After I finished the plantain Ghede Nibo
shoved a plateful of smoked herring in front of me.
    On and on the night went. Every time I
would finish a dish Ghede Nibo would insist that I had to eat
another, then another and another. I felt my stomach rapidly
expanding and my body