Moon Shadow

3

Wards protected my home from supernatural forces and other sorcerers—they couldn't enter without my permission. I never worried about magicless humans: the worst they could do was shoot me, and normal bullets couldn't hurt me.

"Take off your shoes," I told Lucifer after opening a doorway through the force field around my house, letting him pass through—I closed the path right after—and arrived on the veranda. It had tables and chairs I used when studying a case or relaxing with guests.

Lucifer looked at me with a smile. "I saw you and your friends that night. I'm sorry you had to see that."

"What night?" I curled my lip.

"You'll find out soon."

Opening the wooden sliding doors, I stepped on the mat covering the floor, the fake furs tickling my soles. I flicked the light switch to the left, brightening the hallways.

"Welcome to my house," I said with open arms.

"OK." He walked past me.

I stood there waiting for a thank you, but it never came. Kha! The manners on him.

The living room was on the right, while the kitchen stood on the left. Up ahead was another hallway that led to the bedrooms, bathrooms, and backyard.

Lucifer opened the sliding doors to the living room and went inside. It was nice of him to make himself at home. Really nice. What else would he do? Cook for himself? Take a bath? Remove his clothes and walk around like he owned the place?

I sighed before entering the living room, finding him standing still and staring at something below him. I smiled. Most people never expected to find them there, even though it was one of my magic abilities.

"Ebony, stop glaring at Lucifer. Honey, stop kicking Lucifer's leg. Denzel, no, don't smell Lucifer's feet," I told my voodoo dolls.

They stopped bothering him and ran to where I was. I had made their bodies from brown cloth, with a white stitched mouth and large button eyes that matched. I also sewed the first letter of their names on their torso so they'd be easy to identify.

"Welcome back, Binti," Ebony said before hugging my leg. She was the first doll I breathed life into. She cost me two years of my life-string. No worry, though. It wasn't like I expected to live past a hundred. When I was a child, I had insomnia because I feared monsters would eat me in my sleep. I created Ebony to protect me from them, and wake me when there was any other trouble.

"Binti." Honey hugged my other leg. She wore a pink nightgown and white shoes. Out of the three, she was the only one who wore clothes. She loved dressing up, making me buy her new outfits whenever I went shopping. I created her because Ebony felt lonely and needed someone to talk to and play with when I wasn't around. She cost me four years of my life-string.

"Pick me up, Binti. Please, pick me up," Denzel said while jumping up and down with raised hands. Ebony and Honey had begged me for a little brother, so I gave them one named after my favorite actor. He was the last doll I'd ever make—he cost me six years of my life-string.

Mama was very disappointed when she learned I gave away twelve years of my life to dolls. She didn't speak to me for a year after that. The only reason she did was to inform me of Baba's passing. His death reconnected us.

I lifted Denzel onto my shoulder, and the stitches on his face curved into a big smile. He was like a child I had to care for when I was around. Thankfully, I didn't have to deal with the pooping and peeing and all the horrible shit that came with having children. Sheesh! And Mama had seven.

"Binti," Lucifer called, sitting cross-legged on the floor with his hands clasped together in a prayer pose. With his eyes closed, he hummed from his throat, sounding like a tractor.