Oppressed Read Online Free PDF Page B

the big
picture, and reminded myself that everything would be alright. It
had to be, but first, I needed to find out what the hell was going
on. What had I done? Was I really a disease? Or was this all Ivan’s
doing? Marie, who am I supposed to meet?
     
     
     
     
     

Chapter Five
    Papa Legba
     
     
    Twigs snapped under my bare
feet, branches tugged at my clothes with their bony hands, and the
hoots of owls and broken cries of birds accompanied me as I fought
my way through the all-too-familiar maze of oaks. Listen for the
music, I
reminded myself. Listen for the music. Where was this imaginary music? I stopped to catch
my breath and silently cursed the swarms of mosquitos that were
feasting on my sticky skin. Around me sweet purple and white
wildflowers bloomed in the night air, and nature in all its
glorious shapes and forms was alive and vibrant, but I felt as if I
was trapped in a never-ending nightmare. Where was I? What side was
this? If this wasn’t reality where was reality?
    Despite the feeling of hopelessness that
was creeping into my bones, I did something that surprised even me.
I didn’t panic. I stayed perfectly calm, composed, and simply
listened. It started out so faint that I was certain my ears were
playing tricks on me. Then it became louder and louder: the sound
of a lone guitar playing in the dead of night, accompanied by a low
gravelly voice singing the blues:
     
     
    Everybody say she got a
mojo
    now, she's been usin' that
stuff
    Mmm mmm mmm, 'verybody says
she got a mojo
    'cause she been usin' that
stuff
    But she got a way trimmin'
down
    hoo, fair brown, and I mean
it's most too tough
     
    Now little girl, since I am
the King
    baby, and you is a
Q ueen
    Ooo hoo eee, since I am the
King
    baby, and you is a
Queen
    Le's us put our heads
together
    hoo, fair brown, then we
can make our money green
     
     
     
    The voice was utterly
spellbinding as it wailed its tune into the night. I could sense
that it was coming from the direction of the main gate. I made a
mad dash out of the forest and onto the main path. When I reached
the main path I saw that although the main house was covered in a
thick fog ,
the gate was perfectly visible. How odd. By the time I reached the
gate my legs were wobbling from sheer exhaustion and I was out of
breath. I thought back to when Lucus and I had jogged to the gate
and ugly-ass Sousson Pannan had showed up. I really hoped that this
wasn’t anther one of his nasty tricks.
    “ Hello!” I cried out, as
respectfully as I could.
    Nobody answered, but the music continued
to play and that earthy voice continued to sing its haunting
tune.
     
     
    Everybody say she got a
mojo
    now, she's been usin' that
stuff
    Mmm mmm mmm, 'verybody says
she got a mojo
     
    Think, Arelia. Guitar. Gateway.
Power. Could it really be Papa Legba? He was basically one of the
most powerful and popular loas around. He wasn’t only respected in
New Orleans but in various other countries around the world. In
Trinidad and Tobago he was referred to as Elegua and in Brazil he
was known as Exu. He was so widely revered because he had the power
to remove any obstacles that stood in your path and he could bestow
you with the gift of clarity , therefore making it easier to reach your final
destination or goal.
    The only problem was I had no idea who or
what stood in my way, nor did I fully understand what my final goal
or destination was. How was he supposed to help me when I wasn’t
even sure what I needed to ask for? But above all, was I willing to
accept whatever had to tell me? Was I willing to face the scariest
thing of all? The truth? I wasn’t sure. What if Lucus wasn’t who he
appeared to be? Would I be willing to accept that fact?
    Is this who Marie had wanted me to meet?
Had she arranged for me to meet Legba, and if so, why? If memory
served me correctly, according to the many, many rumors swirling
around the curse Papa Legba was the spirit who had control over
Lucus and Louis’ souls. If