scar anymore? Huh. Will it stay like that always?”
She touched my forehead again, then sat back and pulled a small bottle from her bag. She pulled the cork out of the top of it and poured the mixture into it. Then she handedit to me. “How often?” I said. Again, she touched my forehead. “Okay,” I nodded. Carlos looked at me. “Whenever it starts bleeding, I have to add more.”
“Oh, okay,” he nodded.
I looked back at Musetta. “Can you help us stop the pain she puts in our heads?”
Musetta looked at her daughter and Marie spoke for her, “She needs you to describe the pain, tell her everything about it.”
Carlos said, “It"s like a balloon is expanding in your head.”
Stefan, who had joined us in my office, spoke next, “It"s an unimaginable pain. You can"t move or think when it"s there. It"s a blinding pain, like a red hot vise squeezing your head in reverse.”
Every face in the room turned to me when I said, “It feels like a snake.”
“What?” I said. “It does. The first time she used it on me, she was searching for information and I felt it moving through my brain and then down into my heart, just like it was a snake.”
Musetta became very animated. She pulled a notepad and pen out of her bag, wrote something down and showed it to her daughter. Marie nodded and turned to me. “She"s using a serpent spirit to cause the pain. Mother can make something to stop it, but she needs the blood of a mongoose, does anyone know if there are any around here?”
Stefan jumped up. “Probably not around here, but I"ll bet Bahiti knows where to find one. I"ll be right back.”
“Once we take this, it will always stop the pain?” I asked. Musetta nodded her head slightly. “Okay,” I said, “but we"ll need enough for everyone, can you do that?”
Musetta turned to her daughter. Marie said, “Yes, but we"ll need to return to Haiti to make that much. We can have it ready in a few days.”
I looked at Carlos. “Okay,” I said, “we"ll fly to Seattle first then out to Haiti to pick it up.” I turned back to Musetta to thank her for coming, but she suddenly grabbed my hand and gasped. I stared at her as she closed her eyes and rocked back and forth. She reached over and touched Carlos" forehead for a few seconds, then took his hand and put it in mine. She opened her eyes and stood up. “Wait,” I said as I looked from her to Carlos and back. “What did you see? Tell me? Please! What?” I said with the panic and fear filling my voice.
Musetta shook her head as Marie spoke for her, “What she saw, it wasn"t clear. She"s not sure how to interpret it. It would do you no good to know right now, it might change how you react.”
“React?” I whispered. “React to what?”
Marie shook her head too, and then placed her hand on my cheek. “No,” she said. “No more, just be strong. You have to be so strong.” They walked out, leaving me standing there, holding Carlos" hand and my mouth hanging open. I was afraid to, but I turned and looked at him. Trying to hide overwhelming sadness from his face, he barely smiled. “You ready to go?” he said, trying unsuccessfully to distract me.
“Carlos,” I whispered, “what did she tell you?”
He shook his head. “Please, Sarah,” he whispered, his eyes were begging me not to ask.
I opened my mouth to say something, to ask him again, but then closed it and nodded my head – something told me that I didn"t want to know what she told him, that I couldn"t handle knowing. We walked silently down the hall, grabbed our bags and climbed in to the car waiting to take us to the small airstrip.
Chapter Five
The silence screamed at me during the short flight to the main airport in Lima, and then on the flight to Seattle. I was terrified of what we would find, terrified of what we were walking into. I felt the tension in Carlos too, as I gripped his hand tight. I leaned my head onto his shoulder as he stared out the window. I squeezed my eyes shut as the absence
She touched my forehead again, then sat back and pulled a small bottle from her bag. She pulled the cork out of the top of it and poured the mixture into it. Then she handedit to me. “How often?” I said. Again, she touched my forehead. “Okay,” I nodded. Carlos looked at me. “Whenever it starts bleeding, I have to add more.”
“Oh, okay,” he nodded.
I looked back at Musetta. “Can you help us stop the pain she puts in our heads?”
Musetta looked at her daughter and Marie spoke for her, “She needs you to describe the pain, tell her everything about it.”
Carlos said, “It"s like a balloon is expanding in your head.”
Stefan, who had joined us in my office, spoke next, “It"s an unimaginable pain. You can"t move or think when it"s there. It"s a blinding pain, like a red hot vise squeezing your head in reverse.”
Every face in the room turned to me when I said, “It feels like a snake.”
“What?” I said. “It does. The first time she used it on me, she was searching for information and I felt it moving through my brain and then down into my heart, just like it was a snake.”
Musetta became very animated. She pulled a notepad and pen out of her bag, wrote something down and showed it to her daughter. Marie nodded and turned to me. “She"s using a serpent spirit to cause the pain. Mother can make something to stop it, but she needs the blood of a mongoose, does anyone know if there are any around here?”
Stefan jumped up. “Probably not around here, but I"ll bet Bahiti knows where to find one. I"ll be right back.”
“Once we take this, it will always stop the pain?” I asked. Musetta nodded her head slightly. “Okay,” I said, “but we"ll need enough for everyone, can you do that?”
Musetta turned to her daughter. Marie said, “Yes, but we"ll need to return to Haiti to make that much. We can have it ready in a few days.”
I looked at Carlos. “Okay,” I said, “we"ll fly to Seattle first then out to Haiti to pick it up.” I turned back to Musetta to thank her for coming, but she suddenly grabbed my hand and gasped. I stared at her as she closed her eyes and rocked back and forth. She reached over and touched Carlos" forehead for a few seconds, then took his hand and put it in mine. She opened her eyes and stood up. “Wait,” I said as I looked from her to Carlos and back. “What did you see? Tell me? Please! What?” I said with the panic and fear filling my voice.
Musetta shook her head as Marie spoke for her, “What she saw, it wasn"t clear. She"s not sure how to interpret it. It would do you no good to know right now, it might change how you react.”
“React?” I whispered. “React to what?”
Marie shook her head too, and then placed her hand on my cheek. “No,” she said. “No more, just be strong. You have to be so strong.” They walked out, leaving me standing there, holding Carlos" hand and my mouth hanging open. I was afraid to, but I turned and looked at him. Trying to hide overwhelming sadness from his face, he barely smiled. “You ready to go?” he said, trying unsuccessfully to distract me.
“Carlos,” I whispered, “what did she tell you?”
He shook his head. “Please, Sarah,” he whispered, his eyes were begging me not to ask.
I opened my mouth to say something, to ask him again, but then closed it and nodded my head – something told me that I didn"t want to know what she told him, that I couldn"t handle knowing. We walked silently down the hall, grabbed our bags and climbed in to the car waiting to take us to the small airstrip.
Chapter Five
The silence screamed at me during the short flight to the main airport in Lima, and then on the flight to Seattle. I was terrified of what we would find, terrified of what we were walking into. I felt the tension in Carlos too, as I gripped his hand tight. I leaned my head onto his shoulder as he stared out the window. I squeezed my eyes shut as the absence
Similar Books
