It was rather chilly, but Sita was fine with that. She stood infont of They Eye of Heru and lit her cigarette as the cars whipped on past. There was a bit of something in the air, she wasn't sure what it was ... but the sky was clear and the sun had reached it's apex a few hours ago. It was unreasonably quite as per usuall durring the days of fall. The wind whispered is soft song in her ears, but the smell of the carbon monoxide was bothersome to her.
She finished, grabbed the broom and performed another sweep of the front of the store. It was rediculous the rate the sand and dirt seemed to fling itself on the welcome mat. When she stepped inside she allowed her eyes a minuit to adjust to the light dierential. Out of habbit she checked the corner. Yep, the little demon was still there. Sita wondered if her employer would ever notice that it was there. It shifted uncomfortable under her gaze. She guessed it was used to most people not seeing it, as they didn't tend to.
She made her way toward the back corner of the room to pick out some incense.
"what do you like ?" she asked it as she gased over the three displays. One display contained small boxes of ten, relitively inexpensive. The second display held little cones and resin. She didn't find eather particularly usefull. She decided that she would not use any of those, so she sidesteped to the third display.
This was her favorite, made by ... someone she didn't know, but to her, it seeemed to smell better then the rest. She turned her head to look to see where the little demon was. Quite a few feet behind her, on the other side of the shop, in the opposite corner. It usually didn't come near her.
She began to tap her foot with impatience. "Is it really that hard?" she asked it.
It was surprising to her that this was the only 'thing' here she could see. Oh there were other spirits hanging about, they made some noise here and there, and there was a shadow walker... but they never made as much fuss as this small demon. Initially it had been sent to the shop in a pique of anger, apprentely her employer and some objia man had gottent into some sort of 'philisophical' disagreement that barred said man from entering the store.
It had smelled like death for three days after the demon arrived. And it had messed up her nice energy 'bubble'. One of the reasons, her employer informed her, that Sita worked there is because she 'somehow' had raised the energy vibrations.. and she was expected to keep up with that. Sita laughed... no 'ickey' energy for The Eye of Heru.
Sita had humorously watched her employer and coworker not notice the little deamon, but be driven to a maddening distraction by the death like smell. That first day they had looked high and low for the dead animal Sobekneferu was certain exsisted under a table diplay somewhere.
Dees, she spent the better part of the day complaining about the smell as she stocked the back.
Sita felt bad that she didn't mention to them that there was a demon in the shop, but she wasnt at all certian Sobekneferu would believe her. Also she rather thought it was interesting that her sage-like employer could have 'regular' human moments. Sita wanted to see what Sobekneferu would do.
Sita smelled the dragon's blood and the Sun incense, odd combination... "you sure you want dragons blood and the sun?" she asked it throwing it a glance.. watching it move back to its perfered cornver by the front window and under the candle display. She receaved no other imput so she grabbed the incence and made her way toward the varius locations that she would burn the incense so that there was full coverage over the shop.
Sobekneferu had made Sita crawl under all the tables and the front desk. It had been one of the more dusty experiances she'd had that year and aggrivated her sinuses. She waited untill bother her coworker Dees and employer had left to 'shop for the store' before she decided to take matters into her own hand.
Sita had 'stuck' the little demon to a spot on the floor by one of the incense recepticles and then proceded to burn incence and myrrh. She also threw sea salt and resin at it. Needless to say it was a less than pleasant experiance for the demon. She continued to do this for three days, ignoring the complaints of the customers, used to being papmered by her normal choises of incense was assulted with this 'harsh' smelling stuff.
At the end of the three days she informed the demon that she didnt care that it was there, but it best not affect her job again. The dead smell went away, leaving both Sobekneferu and Dees to wonder where it had come from and where it had gone to.
Sobeknefer desided this was a testiment to Sita wonderous ... something ... energy manipulation maybe? Sita wasnt really sure about that, but one thing she was sure about... demons...
Sita looked at the clock, two more hours before the evening rush. She continued to finish her dusting as her mind floated toward Ohio, Lakewood... demon capitol of the U.S. Of course most people didnt know that.. but if one could 'see' ... and Sita knew better than anyone that it wasnt as common as tv or new age types would have you believe.... case and point... the small demon in the corner.
As all the names she had used previously for this kind of thing, vagrant demons and plants she spent time with were now all taken by popular media.. she had struggled to come up with one that was not Fred, George or Harry..... so she called it scorn.
She'd asked why it was here "scorn has sent me, anger has riled me..." it began, some demons just sounded so damn pompus, she'd just laughed... "yea, yeah, just stay out of my way." she cut it off, at first it looked rieghteously offended, completely agnered (as most demons tended to w/her off hand regard of them) but after she shot it a look as her eyes drained of color, it stuffed all that down and subsided to its corner.
Dusting the 'crystals' ... she giggled. Metaphysical shops, they were really just nice rocks that had pretty names and were polished. Lapis Lazuli was a rock by the gods.....
The door opened, flooding the room with the autumn, white sun, a draft of chill wafted it way through with the older man.
He lookd like he taken a beating out of life, that is for certain. His aura screamed of the dammage of previous drug use, and the current dulling effects of cannibus. His skin weathered, if he didnt rt now, he at one time had a Harley Davidson... but not now she decided.... His energy crackled... in the way of one who lives in some type of fear, Scorn reacted on instinct oozing its way toward the man, she shot a bolt of energy at it, not enough to hurt it. it gave her a look of its frustraition with her bindings.
The man was trembling slightly, but that was part of his natural state, his nerivous system being shot by past trauma and the illusion of containment of psychiatric druggs oozed out of the poor of his skin with thier unmmistakeable smell. His totem was snake. It coiled around his spirit self in a most paranoid manner. It too was beaten and tired. There was a load of guild flairing through his energy patter, taking the shape of strange octagons that flashed.
He was starteled when she walked toward him, as if her preasance was somehow a surprise. She gathered the 'calming' with in her and then began to exsude it, it didnt seem to help much, but his twitcheyness decreased enough for him to stutter a 'hello'. He looked her over nerviously/waraly.
She streangthened her 'mask' ... putting foreward her normal "Im- no- one of interest/ power," venear. Scorn started at her, not understanding why she would do such a thing.
"Hi." she said in her cheerey voice. "I'm Sita, welcome to The Eye of Heru, how can I help you?"
The man looked around nervously... dear sweet jesus, Sita though... again she collected calming energy, she threw it into the rediculously larget obsidian ball on display behind the man, so that it would radiate.
"uh... I'm looking for Kali?" he asked, narroing his eyes, still looking around.
Odd, that was her 'pen' name.
"Yes, that's me." She smilled in a comforting way.
This seemed to startle him, and he jumped a bit, then began to scrutinise her. She shoved foreward her mask of "I'm-a-harmless-and-silly-girl".
"How old are you!?" he demanded.
She blinked the way any good absentminded, scatterbrained person would.
"Twenty five." she smiled. "why do you ask ohh so abruptly?" she threw out a good natured laugh.
He relaxed a bit, but not much.
"Do you mind if I smoke?" he asked in a broken, grating voice.
"Of course I do, no smoking in the store, the owner doesn't permit it." She continued to smile. "But we can go outside, I could use a cigarette too."
She lead him out the front door whial grabbing the phone. It never rang for her, she was just a 'shop keep' and no one of importance.... she liked it that way, but her employer, a respected craft worker, psychic and leader of the African Tribal Education and Reclamation movement receaved many calls durring the day.
The wind swirled around her saying hello, but it didnt seem to treat the man as kindly... the small demon looked hungerly from the window.
She lit her cig and watched silently as the man atempted to light his with a trembling hand. Finnally she offered her lighter fire, he looked at her for a moment but didnt see past her inane smile and took her offering. For a moment he said nothing, she could feel his mind, working its way toward expressing itself...
"I read ... that... it was up on WitchHunters."
This was surprising. It had been up there for a long time. A year perhaps.
She smiled in her friendliest manner..."Oh did you like it ??? I wrote it a long time ago when I was about 14.... it is based on this dream I had... kinda wierd that I dream like that I guess, but what can you do??? What did you think about it, most people say that its just way to dark !!!!" She spoke quickly in her best highschool cheerlieder voice. "oh... I guess you found me through the meet and greet site?????"
He threw her a haunted look.
She stopped babbling, cocked her head to the side and continued to smile, as if pleased with wide empty eyes. Feigning obliviousness.
"you dreamed that?" he asked, his voice again breaking with a mix of astonishment and plain nerves.
"mmmm yeah!" she said brightly
"we would like you to remove it." he said, in almost a whisper.
She blinked as if in astonishment.
"oh." she said, adopting a 'Im in serious thought and it hurts' look on her face. "so, it really happened?" she asked in a hushed voice.
"yeah." his eyes, filled w/the torments of the past.
She could understand why. It had been one of her earliest visions. Before she had run away, only to end up on a Reservation, she had thought she was insane... her visions had a tendancy toward increadably violent impossible things. This had been no exeption. It had contained that which she deemed to be of the utmost evil.
She continued to give him the wide eyed stare of an 'average idiot' but it was now her turn to scrutinise him.
"you were there, werent you?" she asked almost whispering.
He jumped as if she had poked him w/a stilletto
"yeah. My friends... the ones who survived, " three "want you to take it down. the 'story." he restaed as if she had not understood the first time.
"Oh Kay." she grinned at him. "it was kinda harsh ! The baby lived rt ? And did that woman loose her sight?" she knew the answers to both questions, but she wanted to find out more about who this man had been at the time, though she had her suspicions.
His whole body convulsed with nerves, this time she didnt even atempt to comfort him, he didnt deserve it if she was right about who he was.
"yeah...."
"and the kids?" she interupted
"yeah...and she can see. So are you going to remove it."
"Uhmmmmm" she pretended to rhuminate... looking at the sky, listaning to the whispers of the wind. "I didnt use anyone's name...did I?" she blinked, and looked at him wide eyed.
"no." he twitched
"why do I have to take it down?"
"they don't want anyone to know they survived." he stated bluntly.
"when did it happen?" she asked
"in the sixties."
He finished his cigarrette but did not make an attempt to return inside.
This was a broken man, torn with guilt, and attempting pennance the wind whispered to her.
"I'll take it down." She smiled.
He walked away, toward his honda motorbike, not even saying good by.
She walked back into the shop.. many feelings mixing up inside of her. Anger/disgust, releafe that it hadnt been a dream telling of some odd psychosis w/in her mind.
It hadnt been just one dream, but a cycle of them. Long before she learned how to deal with any of these supposedly non real things. Part of her hated societies brainwashing on this matter. Only the 'primitive' mind beleives in demons and witchcraft... or the delusional... that is just the way it goes.... for an instant rage raveded her... Scortch made sounds of fear from his corner where he quivered.
Yes. She had spent a few years destroying his kind, with out question. Tearing them apart in her agner. After all, according to her shrinks, they were just hallucinations.... She occasionally would wake in the night remembering the screaching of pain... when she had torn thier limbs off.... just in her mind anyway, so it didnt matter.
Her shamen had been rather impressed, but mildly desturbed, but did not desuade her from this practice. However, she had learned a differant approach when she'd been found by Venerable Master Hsuan Hua....
"You are the dragon in human form, this is to learn." he had explained to her once. She had been draen to the Land of Ten Thousand Buddhas, seeing the dragons flying overhead, they'd seemed so peaceful and happy, the exact opposite of her inner state.
She stared at the door, controlling her breathing, acknowledging past feelings.. reminding her 'self' that these events no longer exsisted.... but the memories of the 'dreams' came anyway.
No use in supressing them, so she just looked at them.
They came in their usual disjointed manner. The dark, candle lit room. Huge, many people in robes, the large basin of fire.... the crying baby... the summoned demons in their 'places' looking greedaly at the man 'officiating' and his followers. Two young children, terrifyed and crying, nakid in front of the congregation.
She never heard thier words... they didnt really matter to her, what mattered was the rage, as she new that babey and those children were to be killed.... The two children on the alter slabs, carved with symbols to collect thier blood and suffering.
She watched as the Man held up the baby... walking toward the basin of fire. She knew what was next....
She unfettered the demons, let loose the fire.
A group of about ten ran through the panicing congrigation as the deamons turned on them, one woman, grabbing the babby... two more people untying the two children from the alter, another fighting the other man... the man who was to 'sacrifce' the children...
Sita took a deep breath as she watched the carnage, as if it were a rerun on t.v. The first woman receaved a deep cut ... but Sita could never tell if she'd lost her left eye, certainly she'd kept the scar. The two were attempting to extracate the children, but mr man with knife was barring thier way... Sita sent the unfettered demons to him...they gladely attacked... enjoying the freedom and carnage....
Many people screaming, many demons attacking them, the MAN realising this chaos was not under his control made his escape with a few congrigation member, ignoring the slaughter of the others, not attempting to help them. The woman with the babby , the two with the children, made thier way out.... the structure collapsing....
Screaming, the smell of burning flesh, of blood, the sound of death, most violent.
The nervious man had been there.... in an effort to save himself he'd helped the three people and children escape.... but he had been one of them....
The memories fadded from her view.... She gave herself a bit of a shake... tears were on her face. Just a dream, her shrinks had told her, apparently she'd eather watched too much t.v. or she had been taking what the Priest had said to literally. For a moment she despised the psychologists.... but that was not productive. People generally did not believe in things they couldn't see.
For a moment, her consciousness was flooded, a grassey plane, a large house... well off a path, a large fire in the pit in the front yard, six people... sitting around the fire, laughing talking... a woman with a scar on the left side of her face, just under her eye.... the youngest girl was a nurse, the eldest boy ... reciting tales of his fellow law school students... the middle girl... held her own child, giggling and laughing... they remembered nothing, but the elders... all had that haunted look in their eyes.
The woman with the scar looked up, as if she felt Sita looking at her, staring into the flames of the fire, she gave a bow of thanks.... The woman with the scar had always known someone was there with them... or they never would have survived...had the 'masters' not lost controll of the demons...
This wasnt unusual... Sita occasionally 'looked' in on these people... and she smiled. How she had been able to do that, was not something she'd understood as it had happened before she was born, but the Venerable Master had told her that when one is ready to pay karmic depts, one simply did. There was no mystery to that... we are in the eternal now... and if our now happens to coenside with a diffeant now, well that was certainly nothing special.
The phone rang, Sita fumbled before answering "The Eye of Heru, how may I help you?" she asked as if she could have not been more please doing anything other than answering a phone.
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