Haitian Gods

The shit I get into sometimes amazes even me. The name is Ti Malice but you can call me by my human alias, Steve Bertrand. A big and tall Black man of Haitian descent living in the city of Ottawa, Ontario. I'm openly bisexual, and attend Carleton University. I am fascinated by people and what they do. Far from being an impartial observer, I like to go out and make things happen. It's the wicked trickster in me, you know? Yep. Do you know what a Trickster is? A righter of wrongs. An upsetting force. A force of balance. A comic relief in a boring universe. Always lethal, but with a sense of humor. I am a Trickster God.

My father Feraille, one of the Elder Gods of the Caribbean, banished me to Canada after one of my stunts went horribly wrong. I think I bit off more than I could chew. I accidentally unleashed Mamzel Mechan, a malevolent force from the ancient depths of Africa which Voodoo Priests in the Caribbean locked away in the Haitian underworld. Mamzel Mechan promised me unlimited power if I helped her get out of her hellish prison. Once she got out, she caused untold devastation to the island of Haiti. To the human world, it was a major quake which claimed many lives. To us Immortals, it was something else. A malevolent female deity escaped from Hell to unleash chaos upon the world of man.

I am truly sorry for what happened. Unfortunately, the Gods of Haiti aren't very forgiving. They banished me from the Haitian motherland. I found myself in Canada, of all places. Anyone looking at me sees a regular guy, and that works for me. However, there are forces out there which can see me for what I am. Like that young woman I spotted coming out of a store inside Saint Laurent Mall near downtown Ottawa. She was tall and sexy, with light brown skin and neatly braided long black hair. A gorgeous young Black woman. That's not why I stared at her, though. Anyone looking at her would see a sexy black chick. I saw something else. A fellow Immortal. For she was no more human than I am. I cautiously approached the lady. Instantly, she tensed. Sensing what I was, she eyed me coldly. I introduced myself as Ti Malice, Trickster God of the Haitian folklore. Son of Master Feraille.

The Immortal woman smiled at me. A predatory smile. She introduced herself as Wendy Salomon. Third-year student at the University of Ottawa. Hailing from the Caribbean judging by her accent. She wasn't fooling me. Not for a second. I knew at once what she was. A Vampire. Grinning, she asked me what a deity like me was doing in a place like this. I smiled and told her I was just checking out the scene. To be honest, I was extremely bored. I haven't had a lot of fun ever since I came to Canada. I encountered some powerful forces here. The ghostly remnants of Aboriginal deities as well as monsters which once ruled the vastness of Canada before the time of man. Both were hiding in plain sight, disguised as ordinary men and women. That's why the humans never suspect that all kinds of Immortals live among them. We know how to blend in. How else would you explain how I reinvented myself from Caribbean Trickster deity to University student in Canada's capital in a matter of months?

Wendy and I talked for a bit, watching the mortals as they went about their business. Black and white, male and female, straight and gay. All were living their lives. Unaware that powerful forces controlled their fates. If you think the Gods controlled humanity in ancient times, you've got no idea how much they control you people in modern times. At least in the old days, magicians and witches warred with the Gods to defend humanity. These days, the secrets of magic are lost and humanity is defenseless against the supernatural. Some humans are starting to wonder, though. H1N1. The quakes in the Republic of Haiti and Chile. The flood in the Middle East. The endless hurricanes. Yeah, supernatural forces are loose upon the planet Earth and the humans still blame their actions on global warming. What a bunch of fools.

I asked Wendy to join me for dinner and she agreed. We went upstairs in the food court and talked over some delicious Chinese food. Man, that chick could eat. Contrarily to popular belief, Vampires can consume ordinary food and drink. They require blood to survive but they can do alright without it for a time. Also, they can survive in daylight and they do reflect in mirrors. Wendy told me there were quite a few Vampires in Canada these days. They found the Great North quite welcoming due to its isolation. They were coming from places like continental Africa, eastern Europe, southeast Asia and the Caribbean. Places which have long been the strongholds of the supernatural species of the Vampires. I found their migration truly fascinating.

After dinner, Wendy and I went for a walk in the city. And we had some fun. I guess I just wanted to hang out with somebody like me, you know? A fellow Immortal. Demons, Vampires, Ghouls, Werewolves and Pagan Gods. We're all real. And we are the loneliest bunch of creatures on the planet Earth. Wendy and I went to the movies. Like me, she was lonely and glad to hang out with somebody like herself. Even though she is not a Goddess and I am not a Vampire. During our tour of Ottawa, I watched her feed. She lured a queer young woman and fed on her in a dark alley. She drained the young white woman of her blood and I disposed of the corpse by setting it ablaze with my pyrokinetic powers. Flight, strength and shape-shifting, those are the standard abilities of a Vampire. Us Gods can do much more. We can bend the elements of nature to our will. Wendy thanked me for helping her, and we continued with our trip. I caused a murderer being escorted to court to fall on a police baton. A baton which impaled him by the rectum, to his horror and his victim's family's delight. And Wendy and I laughed at his misfortune. I love making bad people get what they deserve. It's what Tricksters do.

And that's how it all began, folks. My romance with the lovely Wendy. A gorgeous Black female Vampire. Hailing from the Caribbean like myself. I am a Haitian God banished to the frozen wastelands of Canada by my divine father Master Feraille. I can never go home again. I guess I've got to make the best of my life here in Canada. That's okay. Because I'm no longer alone. I got a girlfriend now. She's ruthless, sick and twisted. Just like me. Folks, I think I'm in love!