Mirage
A century-old restaurant in New Orleans
...
Baba walked inside the restaurant, immediately attracting the attention of everyone in the small diner that has been around for a century. The murmurs quietened down until the only noise that everyone could hear was the sound of an old grandfather clock that was located next to the door.
Baba looked at the clock. It was exactly nine in the morning.
The place would be lively soon, she thought as she walked towards the bar counter.
"Can I help you with something?" a woman with long dreadlocks asked. "Breakfast? Coffee?"
"I would like to talk to Samaria."
"She— "
"I know she’s here."
"I mean, she had been expecting you." The woman smiled, showing off her white teeth. "Follow me."
Baba followed the woman inside the kitchen and into the back of the establishment where an older woman sitting in a wooden chair was sitting. A table full of cards and some crystals can be seen in front of the woman.
"Samaria," Baba sat opposite her. "I heard that you have been expecting me?" she asked.
"Is that how you greet an old friend?" the woman opened her eyes, showing pure white irises. She focused her gaze on Baba.
Baba pursed her lips. She stared at the older woman before the corner of her lips lifted up into a gentle smile. "How have you been? I am happy to see you healthy." Baba asked.
"Well. As you can see, I am still alive."
"That’s not what I meant."
"Then what do you mean?"
"I— "
"No matter. I know you don’t want to talk about a trivial matter."
"Your health isn’t trivial — "
"What do you want Babaylan?"
Baba sighed. "Forgive me for coming like this. I— "
"Like this?" Samaria lifted an eyebrow. "You mean... coming in her after thirty-five years?"
"Samaria..."
"Or you mean coming to see your mother only if you need something from me."
"I— "
"What is it that you want now, Babaylan?"
For a few minutes, Baba didn’t say anything. She just stared at the woman who raised her then she sighed. "I need your help."
"What help do you require?"
"I— A Lycan royalty had gone berserk and there is no other way— "
"There is no other way to save that Lycan. No magick could save it. The Lycan needed its mate."
"I know. But— "
"But what?"
"There have been weird things. I couldn’t explain them now. But if you could just come with me I can show you— "
"I’ve heard that the prodigal daughter finally decided to come back," a sharp tone interrupted Baba’s words. She looked to her left and saw a woman with long red and white dress walking toward them. Baba took a deep breath.
"Sister— " Baba greeted.
"You still remember me? What a pleasant surprise." The woman snorted.
Baba said nothing this time. Seeing this, the woman snapped her finger and a chair appeared next to Samaria. She gracefully took the chair and stared at Baba.
"What is it that you want this time?"
"I just— I need your help."
"Of course you do," the woman chuckled. "You only come here if you need our help."
"Elder sister— "
"Please Babaylan, you have caused us so much trouble thirty-five years ago. You said you wouldn’t come back. But you were always good at breaking your promises, aren’t you?"
"I had no choice. I really— " Baba let out another sigh. "I couldn’t trust other witches."
"Family," Samaria uttered. "In this world, you can only trust your family."
"Mama this woman— "
"Close your mouth, Lita. Babaylan is here now and that is what’s important."
"She had caused us so much trouble in the past. We cannot just— "
"I know, Lita." Samaria held her daughter’s hand. "I know." Then she turned towards Baba. "Tell me your concerns. I am not living in this place."
"I— "
"Was it related to thirty-five years ago?"
Slowly, Baba nodded.
"Was it related to the thing that you stole?"
Again, Baba nodded.
For a long time, her mother stared into her eyes. Then she asked.
"Did you... gave that thing to a woman who wanted a child?"
Again, Baba nodded.
"And she bore a child?"
"Yes."
The older woman’s face turned serious.
"Do you understand that giving that thing to a woman could cause catastrophic consequences?"
"I understand."
"Then why?"
"The woman... saved me," Baba said. "I met her during one of my pilgrimages and I had a little accident. She saved me."
"And so, you swore to protect her until you die?"
This time, Baba shook her head.
"No. She didn’t want me to swear to protect her. She asked me to swear to protect her child. But she— she had been poisoned and she couldn’t give birth. So I— "
"So you stole our ancestral relic and gave it to the woman," Lita finished her sentence, her eyes wide, and veins can be seen on her forehead. "What were you thinking?"
"I wasn’t thinking," Baba uttered. "I thought... I have studied the relic for a long time and I thought it was something that was created to protect someone. So I gave her the relic. The next day, it disappeared and years later, she got pregnant."
"The relic disappeared?"
"I have reasons to believe that she absorbed the relic and— "
"A human survived after— "
"She’s not human."
A thick suffocating silence covered the whole space. The two witches stared at her as if she was crazy.
"Another witch?"
Baba shook her head.
"A Lycan," she answered.
"You— you gave the relic to a Lycan?"
Baba said nothing.
"What were you thinking?" Lita said in a low threatening voice. The chimes nearby moved though there were no winds surrounding them. "How could you— "
"Lita, sit." Samaria said when Lita got up. "This isn’t the problem as this happened thirty-five years ago. Tell me about the present, Babaylan. I want to hear everything about the relic and the Lycan who had it in her body."
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