Eternally Yours

My Office

“What do you need me to do for you?” Selene asked Jennifer.

Selene was a woman who looked like she was in her late fifties. She was African-American and had a luscious head of grey dreadlocks. She was wearing a dress made of African-inspired prints and had a head tie on. She also had a scar on her left eye and just four fingers on her right hand. Overall, she was a strange-looking lady and anyone would be weary of her and her voodoo, but not Jennifer.

Jennifer liked the woman’s looks because it made her feel convinced that she was a legit shaman and would be able to help her accomplish her goal to get Josh for herself.

“I want to speak to someone and I need your help to summon them,” Jennifer said to the Shaman.

“Who do you wish to speak to? A dead relative, a ghost from a past life, a…”

“A demon,” Jennifer cut in, “I want you to help summon a demon,” she said again.

The shaman looked at her with shock and awe in her one good eye. This was a strange request, the strangest she had ever had and she wondered why this girl would want to converse with a demon.

“This is not a joke, Young One. What I do is very serious and summoning demons from the Underworld is dangerous. I’m not even going to ask why you want to do it. All I’m going to say is no,” Selene refused.

“What do you mean no? I’m a paying customer,” Jennifer complained.

“And I’m a private business owner and I have the right to refuse you any service. Please leave,” Selene showed her the door.

Jennifer became angry and desperate. She took her purse and dug through it to bring out the wad of money she had withdrawn from the ATM on her way there. She placed it on the table to tempt the shaman into doing what she was asking for.

“That’s ten thousand dollars and it could all be yours if you summon the demon. I just want to talk to her and…”

“And make a deal? That’s the only reason people summon demons; to sell their souls or services in exchange for something materialistic and let me tell you something, little one,” The shaman leaned in, “It never ends well.”

“But, why don’t you want to help me? If the money’s too small, I can get you more,” Jennifer insisted.

“It’s not about the money,” The shaman raised her voice, “This is dangerous territory and you should not venture into it. I did once when I was young and foolish and I paid the price,”

The shaman said and pointed at her bad eye using her bad hand, suggesting to Jennifer that she lost her parts because she had summoned a demon in the past.

“Leave my store and if you value your life, you will abandon this idea of yours.”

Jennifer took her money and got up to leave. She made for the door and just as she was about to go outside, Selene said one last thing to her.

“Little one!” She called out and Jennifer turned around, “The veil that separates the physical world from the spiritual world is there for a reason. I simply move the veil aside and glance at what lies in the beyond. Summoning a demon isn’t glancing; it’s tearing the veil down and mixing both worlds. Whatever you want this demon to do for you, forget about it or the consequences will be extremely dire. I hope you do as I have said, for your own good.”

Jennifer walked out of the shop and went down the street. What the Shaman had said was at the back of her mind but the rest of her mind was already made up. If she couldn’t find a shaman to help her, then she would find another way to speak to the demon.