The Crossroads And The Cane

Law Of The Swamp

Alex walked towards the old house on the docks alongside the swamp waters in Cajun country. She was both excited and nervous having organized a private tour of the swamp with her boyfriend Steven, who had just gotten a job shooting photos for a local wildlife newspaper. In a hurried pace, they moved on the boardwalk to a run-down houseboat with a sign by the front door that read, "Gator Swamp Tours". While the place didn't have glaring reviews online, they were the only ones in the area who were willing to accommodate her request. However, as nice as they were, they had one condition; it could only occur after all their tours have ended. Alex agreed and scheduled the tour at dusk.

The houseboat slightly moved on the water as the occasional alligator created ripples while it glided by. Alex, excited to see it first, motioned to Steven to begin taking photos. He knelt and held the camera up to his face, trying to focus the lens. Suddenly, the door of the houseboat slammed open, and out came a monster of a man. He was large and imposing, wearing overalls and heavy construction boots. His bald head reflected the dying light of the sun as it started to disappear beyond the trees. Behind him a thin man followed with a cigar at hand, wearing camouflaged clothing from head to toe. He took a pull from his cigar and tossed it into the water. A chill came over Alex as she stared at the two men approaching her. Steven stood up, displayed a warm smile, and extended his hand to the large man who did nothing but stare at him.

"You must be Alexandria." the thin man said smiling.

"Alex," she stated nervously smiling in return.

"Well, you are here for the tour huh? I suppose we can take Daisy out for her last run."

He pointed towards the airboat and then placed his hand on the large man's shoulder.

"The name is William, and this here is my son Robert. He's shy, but he's the boat captain. We gonna do this tour and get you your pictures and whatnot."

"I really appreciate you doing this for..."

William raised his left hand and simultaneously placed his finger on his lips. Alex had lost her train of thought and stopped speaking. "You hear that?" he asked looking into the water. Aside from the sound of gentle water moving and croaking frogs, Alex and Steven couldn't hear anything and shook their heads.

"Mama Mailloux is singing to her son." William continued.

"Mama...Mailloux? Who's Mama Mailloux?" Steven asked.

"Some say Mama Mailloux is the wife of the cemetery. A swamp hag or a witch."

"We don't hear anything." Steven chuckled.

William looked at him seriously, and after a few seconds smiled. For a moment he had been staring deep into Steven's eyes. An alligator splashed in the water nearby and broke Steven out of a trance-like state.

"You city folk hungry? We got some stew that we was making." William asked.

"Oh, no...no thank you," Alex stated waving her hand.

William escorted them to the Daisy and Robert separated from the group to put gas into the boat. Alex and Steven passed by what looked like a storefront in the boat house which still had its lights on. Bones from various animals were hung on the wall and in front, a glass case with alligator teeth, as well as a few other items.

"You sell a lot of stuff?" Alex asked.

"Not much. City folk ain't all that interested in knick-knacks." William continued.

Just then a small purple bag with glitter caught Alex's eye. She went to the glass case and pointed at it.

"What about this?"