Oppressed (2 page)

“
Silly
Arelia. This isn’t about you. This is
much bigger than you. Get up before it’s too late. Get up!” Bade
wasn’t going to give up, was he?

Don’t go,
Arelia

Stay with him

You can be
together

You can be
happy

If you go you’ll
experience pain like no other

If you stay you can be
happy so very happy

“
No. I’m not moving. I’m
staying right here.”

“
Fine, silly little one,
stay. Lose faith and be a prisoner of your own illusions and
bitterness. That’s exactly what they want.”

In a childish moment, I
stuck my tongue out
at the air. “I will.”

The truth was, I was exhausted and
didn’t know who or what to believe anymore. What was the point of
believing in goodness when it never seemed to last? Grand-mere had
taught me to believe that even in moments of terrible darkness and
despair, a light would always come out to play. Where was this
imaginary light? Clearly, whenever this light did come out it was
snuffed out by some greater darkness that was determined to make
the world a miserable place.

“
Arelia, even though you’re
being tragically senseless and more selfish than that fat man, Mr.
Dumpty, I will still help you,” Bade hissed, interrupting my
angst-ridden nihilistic thoughts. Even though I ignored him, he
continued to speak. “Listen carefully. Listen for the music. When
you hear the sound of a lone guitar, you’ll know he’s near. He
loves to play the guitar. He’ll help you get to her.”

I continued to stare at the grave,
refusing to acknowledge Bade. The tears started to race down my
cheeks at an alarming rate, and I wished for nothing more than a
sign that I would be able to climb out of this dark hole. The wind
grew warm again. It gently stroked my unruly hair and wiped away my
salty tears.

“
It’s okay to be confused,
Arelia. No matter how dramatic you’re being right now I know you’ll
keep on fighting.”

“
How? How do you know?” I asked,
more curious than anything else.

“
It’s a
mystery…”

With those words, Bade disappeared and
left me alone in darkness.

Chapter Two

Ghede Nibo

I lay there for what felt like hours
watching the pale violet sky as it slowly transformed into a pool
of inky black. The stars above me twinkled carelessly, and the lazy
yellow moon hung so low that for a moment I was fearful it would
fall out of the sky and crush me. The sound of oak branches softly
rubbing against the countless tombs, combined with the low hoot of
owls in the distance was akin to a strange, hypnotic night lullaby
that threatened to put me into a never-ending slumber. I felt my
eyelids getting heavier and heavier…

“
He he he,” laughed a
high-pitched voice from beyond a clump of oak trees. I ignored it,
hoping whatever spirit it was would get a clue and leave me in
peace. I wanted to enjoy my misery for as long as I
could.

“
Oh, please. You can’t ignore
me. How can anyone ignore the most handsome, dashing, and utterly
irresistible spirit around?”

“
Go away!” I shouted, as I
feebly threw some dirt in the direction of the trees. Flinging
dirt. It reminded me of Lucus and I felt a wild rage building up in
the pit of my stomach. Why didn’t these spirits get a clue already?
“I don’t have anything to offer you. I’m all dried up.”

The slow rustle of the oaks became more
vigorous as the shadows on the tombstones shifted into thin,
ghoulish faces with jagged teeth and sharp eyes. The sky above me
transformed from black into a rich wine color. Sparks of purple and
pink light burst from the stars and swirled over my head at a speed
that made me dizzy. Flecks of gold dust fell from the sky and
landed on my bare arms and legs, masking the mud stains that
streaked my skin. The scent of lilies and damp earth was replaced
with that of sweet white rum infused with smoky medicinal herbs and
cigar smoke. I instantly knew that I was in the company of one very
extravagant spirit. The one and only Ghede Nibo.

According to legend, as a mortal Ghede
Nibo had been a very handsome, lively, and charismatic young man.
Sadly, his particular lifestyle wasn’t approved of by everybody,
especially those who felt threatened by him. Those fearful people
took matters into their own hands and violently murdered the
handsome Nibo. After his death, Papa and Maman Ghede adopted him as
their son, half out of pity, and half because he made a perfect
addition to the crazy Ghede clan. As a spirit, Ghede Nibo hung out
in cemeteries, partying, eating, and offering assistance to those
souls who had died young and unexpectedly.

The scariest thing about Ghede
Nibo was he could literally smell when someone was lying.
Basically, he was allergic to
bullshit
. Wait. He offered assistance to souls who had
died young and unexpectedly. I shot up. Lucus, he could help Lucus.
Even though Lucus wasn’t technically young, he had died
unexpectedly.

“
Hello.” I cautiously walked
towards the enormous oaks, which were now shaking viciously and
emitting rays of purple light.

“
I told you can’t ignore
me.”

Come on, Arelia, you’ve done this
countless times. Be nice and sweet. It’s not that hard. “You’re
right. How could anyone ignore the most handsome, dashing and
irresistible spirit around? I know I can’t.”

A nasal sneeze came from behind the oaks.
“Lies. All lies. Why are you humans all such pathological liars? Is
it a disease you contract through the water you drink? No. No. I
know. It must be the food you eat that makes you all so cowardly.
Or is in the air you breathe?”

Ouch. He
really was
allergic to bullshit. I took a
deep breath and reminded myself that this could be my last shot at
getting Lucus back. “I’m not lying,” I said, as convincingly as I
could.

“
Oh please.” There were a few
more really loud sneezes. A swirl of cigar smoke seeped its way
through the lush oak leaves, followed by what sounded like a slurp
from a rum bottle. “I know what you really want. Why can’t you
admit it already so we can skip all these fake formalities? You
don’t care about me; you just want to use me for my
powers.”

“
No. That’s not true,” I
said quickly, as I tried to think of something that would convince
him that I was worthy of his help. “I do care. I care a
lot.”

There was a moment of deafening silence.
Not one sneeze came from behind the oaks, which had to be a good
sign.

“
Oh you care, do you? Then
ask me a question. Any question.”

Ask him a question? Any question? Clearly,
this was some kind of test. What kind of question did he expect me
to ask him? At first I was tempted to make it all about me, but
that wouldn’t really prove that I cared about him, would it? I took
a few moments and reflected carefully on a question that would
prove I gave a damn about him rather than being completely selfish
and self-absorbed. I felt my palms getting sweaty and my throat
getting dry as the minutes started to tick away.

“
I’m waiting.”

“
I know, just give me one more
minute. I almost have it.” I tried to stall for time.

There were several loud sneezes. “Oh
please. I was right about you.”

“
How did you die?” I blurted out
the question, praying that it would be good enough. “I know that
you were murdered and you died a violent and gruesome death. There
are countless rumors and myths surrounding your death, but no one
really knows the truth. I want to know. How were you murdered? I
care,” I said, a little too eagerly, as I inched closer towards the
oaks. “Will you please tell me?”

There was a moment of silence before Ghede
Nibo made his grand entrance. Surrounded by cigar smoke and the
scent of sweet white rum, basking in the glow of the brilliant
moonlight, before me stood one of the most handsome beings I’d ever
laid eyes on. He was tall, thin, and surprisingly young, with
dazzling hazel eyes, a delicate nose, impossibly smooth
toffee-colored skin and finely chiseled cheekbones offset by a pair
of full baby-pink lips. His beauty made me envious.

“
I know. I know,” he said,
as he extended both of his arms upwards in a dramatic fashion. “I
don’t blame you for staring.”

And shamelessly stare I did. I was
hypnotized by how perfectly his black velvet riding coat fit over
his body, the swirls of ruffles on his purple shirt, and his
impossibly shiny teeth and shoes. I couldn’t help but feel like a
downtrodden peasant in my stained white and navy uniform along with
my bare, mud-caked feet. After a few minutes of drooling and
conflicting feelings of outright jealousy I snapped out of the
strange trance. I cleared my throat. “So how did you
die?”

He came close and placed his arm around my
shoulder. The smell of sweet rum and smoky herbs was overwhelming,
yet very enticing and hypnotic. He thrust the herb-infused rum
bottle into my hand. “Drink. Drink. You’re delusional. This will
help make things clearer.”

Again with the delusional crap. “I’m
not delusional,” I said through clenched teeth, as I handed the rum
bottle back to him.

He laughed that nasal laugh of his.
“Sure. That’s what they all say. Now, back to me. Do you really
want to know how I was violently murdered?”

I nodded, hoping that he would get on with
it already.

He was silent for a minute as he
stared at the tombs. I snuck a quick glance at his handsome profile
and saw that the happiness that had lit up his face had been
replaced by an expression of hopeless gloom and tragedy. His head
hung low and the corners of his lips drooped like those of a sad
circus clown.

I cautiously placed my puny hand under
his chin and lifted it up so that our eyes met. “I’m
listening.”

His hazel eyes sparkled and he
gave me a dazzling smile before he started his story. “It was all
rather theatrical and scandalous. You see, I was born at a time and
place where people were confused by me. I loved the color purple,
drinking white rum while dancing naked in the rain, saying exactly
what was in my heart, healing the sick with my herbs, and making
love. Making
lots
of love.” He winked at me a in a provocative
manner.

I rolled my eyes and shook my
head.

He continued. “Sadly, people found my
particular lifestyle rather inappropriate. I made them
uncomfortable and I got under their skin. I was happy, and my
happiness confused them. Eventually, they started to fear me, and
then that fear transformed into loathing and outright hatred. They
were determined to change and rearrange me into what they wanted me
to be.”

I nodded in understanding. “I can relate
to that. The people who killed you were the ones that told you that
your personality seriously got on their nerves? They wanted you to
be a Gary Stu, didn’t they?”

“
OH YES!!! YES!!! The Gary Stus
and Mary Sues those people were the ones who killed me… Sigh oh
sigh. When I refused to be who they wanted me to be they decided to
take matters into their own hands. At the tender age of seventeen,
they placed my body on the wheel, stretched out my limbs, and broke
my bones one by one. Crack. Crack. Crack. It was oh so very painful
and tragic. I distinctly remember how after every crack the crowd
cheered as if it were some sort of barbaric sporting event.” He let
out a gigantic puff of smoke from his cigar. “Sporting events. For
the life of me I’ll never understand those things.”

By body stiffened at the very thought of
someone’s bones being cracked one by one. Who was capable of
inflicting such cruelty on another person? “I’m sorry,” I
whispered. “I’m so sorry. No one deserves to die like that. Some
people can be cruel, hateful, and devoid of compassion because they
don’t know any better. Maybe it’s their own insecurities and fears
that make them that way. Sadly, they can’t appreciate differences,
so they try to exterminate and alienate them. Those people who
killed you, they were the ones who needed to change, not you… I
think you’re perfect just the way you are,” I added shyly but with
conviction.

His fringe of thick eyelashes fluttered
for a few seconds as if he were fighting back tears. “I know! I
know! Take a look at me! No, really! Take a good look at me!” he
exclaimed suddenly, as he grabbed my hand and twirled me around and
around. He pulled me close to his chest and I felt myself
unwillingly blush. He was spectacular. Was I actually developing a
crush on a spirit? Oh Lord. “Now I can help other souls that die
young and unexpectedly. You don’t make me sneeze as much as other
humans do. How can I help you?”

“
I…”

“
I know. Let’s discuss it
over dinner. I’m hungry. I’m always hungry. Are you
hungry?”

“
No…” I lied, forgetting about
his peculiar allergy.