Driving through the quiet streets of New Orleans, Jasmine still was shaking. Not a superstitious person by nature she did have sense enough not to fuck with things beyond this world and what she knew was going to go down she wanted no part of. This repulsion instinct was quite powerful so once it was obvious that some sort of crazy voodoo ceremony was going to commence, she knew she had to leave. It was not just that though. She had already decided to go home before Marie mentioned the spirits because she was utterly exhausted. Having had quite a few margaritas all night and having been up since early morning all she wanted to do was take a nice long shower and fall into her big soft bed. It was rare to see the quarter quiet, but as she looked down at her car clock she saw it was just after three am.
Entering her tiny apartment, she quickly stripped off her clothes. Holding her blouse up to her face she grimaced as she noticed it along with the rest of her clothes all reeked of weed.
"Damn you Bongzilla!" she laughed as she tossed her skirt and blouse in the hamper. "Off to the cleaners for you."
Walking into her bathroom she dropped her bra on the floor as she kicked off her panties. Turning on the water she pulled back the curtain and set foot into her tub. Sighing deeply, she smiled as the warm water hit her face and she began to soap up her legs.
Turning back towards the water to begin and soap up her front her eyes popped open as she felt something brush against her back. Whipping her head back to see what touched her she saw nothing but noticed the steam grew thicker as the temperature in the bathroom got much colder. Thinking her mind was just playing tricks on her, brought on no doubt by an evening of drinking and then ending with all of the conversation about ghosts she resumed sudsing up.
Hearing the click click click of the shower curtain sliding down the rod made her freeze. Total and unrelenting terror now surged through her body as she sensed something was now in the shower with her and she was paralyzed in fear. Her breathing growing rapid and shallow she wanted to turn and see what was behind her but was too terrified to move. Unable to resist she finally whipped her head around and stared at the back wall of the shower. It was empty. Seeing this her body relaxed as the hot water beat on her back.
"I must be losing it!" she laughed. Appearing to still be alone with her left hand she reached out and touched the back wall. Turning now to resume her bath she screamed as she was shocked to feel two invisible hands grip her shoulders and throw her down hard into the bottom of the tub. "What the fuck! WHAT THE FUCK!!! WHAT THE FUCK!!!!" she yelled as she slipped and fell, her rational mind not able to comprehend what was happening. Still seeing nothing in the shower she definitely felt the distinct grip of icy hands on her shoulder. Laying in the bottom of the tub she began to truly panic when she tried to get up and felt her body being held down by the unseen force.
Desperately struggling to pull herself up the entity kept pushing her back down as soon as she started to sit up. Her eyes now completely wide with terror her screams got even louder as she watched in horror as the hot water faucet slowly began turning to the right. Now with the water growing hotter and hotter and rapidly beginning to scald her naked body she began shrieking and crying uncontrollably. "Dear God no, NO! PLEASE HELP ME, SOMEBODY HELP ME!!!"
Back at Gus's house the few remaining guests had gathered into the front parlor where Marie now sat cross legged inside a circle of salt on the bare wooden floor. All of the lights in the house were off and the pitch black room was only illuminated by the four candles that were placed around her on the floor. Outside the circle sat Gus, Snook, Skeeter, Doug and Captain Tony; the rest of the guests having gone home hours earlier with Zeke leaving right after Jasmine had. Hearing the large grandfather clock in the foyer strike the half hour Marie announced it was time to begin. In a hushed and reverential tone, she began to speak.
"Now, once I go into my trance I will no longer be on this plane of existence so no one is either to enter the circle nor am I to be allowed to leave the circle until I emerge. I may be in that state for just a few minutes or maybe even up to an hour but under no circumstances is anyone to touch me while I am under the spirit."
Captain Tony spoke next. "This is real important guys. You can ask her any question you want while she is in her trance but DO NOT TOUCH HER."
"When you say you are not going to be on this plane of existence, what exactly does that mean?" Gus asked with his eyebrow crooked up. He was curious about this ceremony but a big part of him wasn't buying any of it. It all seemed like such complete bullshit but part of him was intrigued and wanted to see things play out. The wall of rosaries and the bottle tree out back, along with the odd behavior of both the Laveau family but also of Maxine's maid did plant a small seed of doubt in his brain so he was curious about the house. Priding himself on being open minded Gus joined the rest of his guests all seated on the floor around Marie.
With no fanfare Captain Tony took off his hat and shook his thick long dreadlocks free as he prepared to assist. Holding his palms up to the ceiling he spoke: "Oh Great Goddess Ezilie, beautiful deity of love and night. Protect your servant Marie as she begins her journey to the other side." Pounding the floor in a steady hypnotic beat, Angeline now awakened from her snack induced coma. Silently looking at the crowd on the floor she quietly whined, knowing something was different. Her fur standing up straight, she knew something big was happening but was surprisingly quiet, sensing that she too needed to pay attention to Marie just like the others.
Snook, Skeeter and Doug all were not only baked but enraptured by the scene but Gus still was quite skeptical. His skepticism evaporated however when Marie suddenly yelled out in a thick Spanish accent.
"I will have that darky beaten to death I will. As Mary, Joseph and Jesus as my witnesses I will have my servants scourge her black body to a pulp!!!"
Seeing Marie yell like this was unnerving as this was irrefutable evidence that she was either the next Meryl Streep or truly was under the influence of another personality. Although outwardly she looked pretty much the same as did before; her hair still done up in the long beautiful dreadlocks she wore, her skin just as cocoa colored and smooth as it was when she walked into the house earlier, her whole demeanor and most definitely her voice had completely changed. Gone was her signature thick Jamaican accent replaced by an equally thick and slightly archaic Spanish one. Her physical appearance was slightly different too. Marie was a beautiful woman but definitely very casual in the way she held herself. Normally her posture was slumped and her whole body was normally quite relaxed and loose. She often had the appearance of someone who had just emerged from a sauna or a hot tub; her carriage screaming her inner state of being relaxed, casual and free.
