help from such an unlikely source. With some reluctance, I put aside my doubts and indulged Lilith further. “All right, Ms. Adams. I’ll bite. What happened if a sailor untied a third knot?”
“ Well, then, he would unleash the fury of Mother Nature. That’s all. The winds would blow in cold like arctic ice. The waters would churn and the seas would roll, tossing his vessel on the swells like a cork until the ocean swallowed it up.”
“ Swallowed it up?”
“ Yup.” She wet her lips and swallowed.
“ The ship?”
“ Not pretty, eh?”
“ All right, if that’s so then answer me this. What would prevent someone, a stranger let’s say, from happening along and finding this piece of rope and untying the knots all at once? Would he then not unleash the wrath of nature unwittingly on himself?”
“ Not at all, Detective. First, the person needs to know what it is, and then he needs to believe in what it can do. Otherwise it’s useless.”
“ Okay and what of the last witch’s ladder you made, the one Akasha called the Ladder of Death? If you made it for me and hid it, what good does it do if I don’t believe in its powers?”
Lilith stretched a wicked little grin across her lips. She seemed prettiest when she smiled like that. Her eyes thinned to the size of dime slots as dimples pinched her cheeks. “And if it were a Ladder of Death, why would you think I made it for you?”
“ Ms. Adams, you seem to forget. As a detective, I observe things. The last time I came here I noticed you tying knots into a piece of rope much like this one. It looked like you were concentrating on me with great persistence as I spoke. It would seem a fair assumption. Would it not?”
“ Perhaps, but as you pointed out, the matter is moot if you don’t believe, unless you do believe. Do you?”
“ Should I?”
Lilith gestured for the rope, pointing at the first knot. I looked down at it. I imagined I could put Lilith in her place by obliging her request and playing along. So I worked my fingers on the rope and untied the first knot. From nowhere, a microburst of wind blew across my face. The phantom squall knocked my hat to the floor, ruffled my hair, and for a moment, seemed to dance on my head like a tiny tornado. I grabbed for the thing, but in an instant, it was gone. Then somebody gasped.
“ Look at Leona!”
I turned around.
Leona’s hair stood up straight in a twisted spike as though the little tornado had become frozen in mid-swirl on top of her head. Her rambling gibberish ceased. She opened her eyes and emerged from her trance, though still obviously dazed. She appeared confused, as not to know where she was, but smiled gradually as she started to recognize her familiar surroundings.
I turned again to Lilith. Her grin appeared saturated with pleasure. “Now you believe,” she said. “Remember though, you must use the knots wisely. Untie only what you need when you need it.”
“ That was a coincidence,” I said, but even I heard the lack of conviction in my voice.
“ You know, Detective, coincidence is just another way of explaining the unexplainable. You can untie another knot and see what happens, but remember what I told you about the foolish sailor.”
“ This is ridiculous.” I wadded up the witch’s ladder and stuffed it in my pocket. “I haven’t time for this nonsense. Do you know what I’m thinking right now, Ms. Adams?”
Lilith smiled. “Sure, Detective, I know what you’re thinking,” she said. “You’re thinking you’d like to get the hell out of here. Now that I just said it, though, you can’t leave because that would prove me right. But you know that by staying here you still prove me right. Yes?”
I snarled. “No, you’re wrong,” were the words that came out of my mouth, but what I thought was, No, you’re wrong, you bitch.
“ Yes. I’m right,” said Lilith. “And I know I’m a bitch. Thank you very much.”
The snickering that followed reminded me
“ Well, then, he would unleash the fury of Mother Nature. That’s all. The winds would blow in cold like arctic ice. The waters would churn and the seas would roll, tossing his vessel on the swells like a cork until the ocean swallowed it up.”
“ Swallowed it up?”
“ Yup.” She wet her lips and swallowed.
“ The ship?”
“ Not pretty, eh?”
“ All right, if that’s so then answer me this. What would prevent someone, a stranger let’s say, from happening along and finding this piece of rope and untying the knots all at once? Would he then not unleash the wrath of nature unwittingly on himself?”
“ Not at all, Detective. First, the person needs to know what it is, and then he needs to believe in what it can do. Otherwise it’s useless.”
“ Okay and what of the last witch’s ladder you made, the one Akasha called the Ladder of Death? If you made it for me and hid it, what good does it do if I don’t believe in its powers?”
Lilith stretched a wicked little grin across her lips. She seemed prettiest when she smiled like that. Her eyes thinned to the size of dime slots as dimples pinched her cheeks. “And if it were a Ladder of Death, why would you think I made it for you?”
“ Ms. Adams, you seem to forget. As a detective, I observe things. The last time I came here I noticed you tying knots into a piece of rope much like this one. It looked like you were concentrating on me with great persistence as I spoke. It would seem a fair assumption. Would it not?”
“ Perhaps, but as you pointed out, the matter is moot if you don’t believe, unless you do believe. Do you?”
“ Should I?”
Lilith gestured for the rope, pointing at the first knot. I looked down at it. I imagined I could put Lilith in her place by obliging her request and playing along. So I worked my fingers on the rope and untied the first knot. From nowhere, a microburst of wind blew across my face. The phantom squall knocked my hat to the floor, ruffled my hair, and for a moment, seemed to dance on my head like a tiny tornado. I grabbed for the thing, but in an instant, it was gone. Then somebody gasped.
“ Look at Leona!”
I turned around.
Leona’s hair stood up straight in a twisted spike as though the little tornado had become frozen in mid-swirl on top of her head. Her rambling gibberish ceased. She opened her eyes and emerged from her trance, though still obviously dazed. She appeared confused, as not to know where she was, but smiled gradually as she started to recognize her familiar surroundings.
I turned again to Lilith. Her grin appeared saturated with pleasure. “Now you believe,” she said. “Remember though, you must use the knots wisely. Untie only what you need when you need it.”
“ That was a coincidence,” I said, but even I heard the lack of conviction in my voice.
“ You know, Detective, coincidence is just another way of explaining the unexplainable. You can untie another knot and see what happens, but remember what I told you about the foolish sailor.”
“ This is ridiculous.” I wadded up the witch’s ladder and stuffed it in my pocket. “I haven’t time for this nonsense. Do you know what I’m thinking right now, Ms. Adams?”
Lilith smiled. “Sure, Detective, I know what you’re thinking,” she said. “You’re thinking you’d like to get the hell out of here. Now that I just said it, though, you can’t leave because that would prove me right. But you know that by staying here you still prove me right. Yes?”
I snarled. “No, you’re wrong,” were the words that came out of my mouth, but what I thought was, No, you’re wrong, you bitch.
“ Yes. I’m right,” said Lilith. “And I know I’m a bitch. Thank you very much.”
The snickering that followed reminded me
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