Encounters (16 page)

***

I wandered the Quarter for an hour watching people run from my approach. I took that as a good sign. It meant they had at least some idea of what I was.

"Hey
Deadman!"

I turned around in the street and saw a black man in a robe motioning me over. I trotted across the street to him.

"Are you a Bokor?"

He looked me up and down.

"What does a dead man want with a Bokor?"

"Even dead men need directions. Can you help me?"

He leaned in close to my face and gave me the fish eye.

"Come inside."

I followed him into the house behind him. He led me through the front room into a small parlor. He sat me down at a table and began shuffling a small deck of cards.

"Sit down dead man and I'll read your cards. I've never read the cards of a man whose fate has already caught up with him once."

***

Armed with the details of my cards I made my closer to the levee. I'll be honest, not a damn bit of what he said made sense. Ah well. That's how it goes some time. The only advice the
Bokor gave me that made sense was to start close to water. I trudged along for miles eyes staring into the distance when my feet splashed in a puddle. I looked down and realized that I was standing in a wide pool of water.

No big deal right?
Except this puddle was growing rapidly. Others were starting to notice as well. I saw a gentleman walked out of a brothel and quickly backpedal up the stairs. He was frowning in confusion. By this point the water was at my ankles. I was going to have to dry my boots soon before they were ruined. I shifted my pack on my shoulders and straightened my rifle.

I had a sinking suspicion, no pun intended, what was going on. What I needed was a vantage point above the pool. I splashed forward through water up to my knees and rising. It had filled the street and was still expanding. It was thigh high when I reached the brothel. I mounted the steps and looked back the way that I came. Out of the water was rising a shimmering female form. Beautiful. Completely nude.

"And
Coatrisquie makes her appearance."

I highly doubted that shooting her would do much good despite how satisfying it would be. I opened the door to find several surprised prostitutes.

"Ladies" I said tipping my hat. "Would you be so kind as to watch my belongings while I handle this little problem?"

They both nodded in sync, mouths open in disbelief and took my gear. I waded back out into the flood which was at my waist by this point. I didn’t have a clue how I was going to deal with this one.

“I know who you are” I called out. “I already dealt with your weakling brother Guataubá.”

I was trying to provoke a response. Unfortunately it worked. It worked very well. She screamed an ear shattering cry and thrust out her arms. The water rose up and crashed over me. I was knocked off of my feet and swept several feet away. If I was still alive I would likely have been drowned. Instead I found my feet and stood back up to face her.

“Too bad that won’t work sister. Dead men don’t can’t drown.”

I saw a look of worry cross her face as I slogged forward. My clothes were soaked and sticking to me. My hair was plastered to my head and water ran into my eyes. I pulled the talisman over my head and held it up high for her to see. Her watery eyes grew wide and she began moving away from me. Her gaze seemed to be locked on the locket so I hurried forward but she gathered her wits and ran.

I actually walked right up to her before she looked at me. She stopped moving away and met my eyes with her own.

“Is
Guataubá really in there?”

I nodded in reply. Standing in the middle of a living lake talking to a nude demigoddess was not what I expected when I woke up this morning.

“I really don’t want to be doing this” she said.

“Then why are you?”

“She makes me. The Bruja controls my master and is making us do these things. Can you stop her?”

“I’m going to try. Can you tell me where she is?”

She ducked her head but gave me a small nod. “They’re at the cathedral.”

As she told me this she pointed in the distance. I looked up and saw the spire of the cathedral she was directing me to.

“Don’t worry. I’ll take care of it from here. Are you ready?”

She nodded again and I saw tears running down her face. I didn’t dwell too long on a woman made of water crying. I touched the talisman to her forehead and it sucked her in as well. I would have sworn she was smiling as she went.

***

I stood across the street from the cathedral. It was a heavy stone building complete with the flying buttresses. I was still soaking wet and my feet were chafed from walking. I started across the street when a shot rang out. I ducked and darted for cover. The closest was a small street vendor’s stand. I dove behind it as more bullets whistled by and occasionally through the stand. As far as cover went it was not much.

I popped my head up and spotted the shooter in the bell tower. I worked the lever of my Winchester as I stood. Taking aim on the fly I fired a shot and watched him fall backwards. I raced to the front entrance before someone else could take his place. Kicking the door in I was greeted by another shot that whizzed by my head. I threw myself to my left behind a set of heavy pews. I heard another bullet strike the wood above my head. I crawled forward to the end of the row. Rolling to my back I cocked my rifle again just as my opponent rounded the corner.

He was a Spanish man carrying a
Mauser rifle. He might not be wearing a uniform but I recognized a Spanish soldier when I saw one. I shot him in the chest which seemed oddly appropriate. I leapt to my feet and shouldered my weapon taking stock of the room. From the stairwell to my right emerged another soldier cocking a pistol as he ran. My shot caught him in the shoulder spinning him around. As he fell his head struck the altar and he landed with it at an odd angle. I didn’t think he was getting back up again.

I ran across the room and stuck my head through the door of the stairwell. No shots greeted me but from the top I heard the boom of thunder.

“Well Hell.”

I started up the stairs. Halfway up
I learned that while I might not get winded my legs still got tired. Another peal of thunder spurred me move faster.

I reached the top of the tower to see two women facing each other holding hands. One was a pretty young Spanish woman. The
Bruja I presumed. The other was a woman of Indian descent. Guabancex. The goddess of storms. Well hell. They turned in unison to face me.

“Ladies, whatever you are doing I’m going to have to ask you to stop.”

Guabancex jerked her head and I found myself flying through the air. I bounced off of the bell and fell to the floor. I stood up groaning and got hit by another blast. Somewhere in the air I lost hold of my weapon. I rose to my knees.

“Why are you doing this?”

The Bruja walked towards me, hips swaying, and knelt in front of me. She cupped my chin with her hand and lifted my face.

“For my parents who were murdered by you filthy American soldiers.
Because your country killed them I intend to kill it.”

Great.
Your average revenge story. As she spoke I spotted a necklace around her neck. It was shaped like a wave. On a hunch I snatched it from around her neck. Dear lord did she start screaming. I figured that meant my hunch was correct.

The wind really picked up then. She came at me clawing at my face trying to get it back. Suddenly I was airborne again but this time I grabbed hold of someone. The
Bruja came with me as we rattled around the room. At some point my knife must have slipped out of its sheath. We came down hard and I heard her gasp as she landed on top of me.

I looked down between us and saw that it had slipped between her ribs. I rolled her off of me and cradled her head as the life slipped out of her eyes. Standing I turned to face
Guabancex.

“It’s over ma’am. Your master is dead and it’s time for you to go back to sleep.”

Her response was in a language that I couldn’t understand. The snarl on her face was slightly more telling. She raised her hands high and more thunder broke. Rain began to pour outside the tower. I slipped the Bruja’s talisman around my neck. Everything stopped as suddenly as it started. She lowered her arms and her features went slack.

“That’s better” I said as I approached her. I have to confess that I debated what to do next. Keeping a storm goddess on a leash could come in handy but I finally decided to let that go. I lifted Raoul’s talisman to her head and she leaned into it.

***

I walked back outside to see the sun peaking back out. I wasn’t sure where to go from here. I needed to find somewhere safe to stash the amulet. It wouldn’t do to have someone let loose an angry
goddess and her two henchmen; after that though I didn’t have a clue. What does a dead man do in America these days?

Stewart
Felkel lives in Sterlington, La with his beautiful wife and their three fur babies. He has been a band director, music minister and optician. His hobbies include an eclectic mix of things including boxing, archery, bowery, medieval combat and writing. For freebies, news of upcoming works and the occasional book review check out his site
www.stewartfelkel.weebly.com.