Alondra and I are sitting together on a way-too-cushiony worn brown couch, in front of a coffee table, beside a nice hot fireplace. Occasionally I look at the frosted windows. It’s late afternoon now and still gloomy as hell outside. Mitch and Kathy are the parents of the two little girls, and the couple is sitting across from us. Mitch is very overweight, and Kathy is almost too slender. Winona, a plump little girl, the focus of our visit, is running around with her sister Melanie. With pigtails and matching short white dresses, they look like twins. Even their faces look alike, though Melanie is younger—I’d guess around seven. That’s all very normal. But it doesn’t feel normal.
Alondra is thumbing through a book that looks like it’s from the fifteenth century. She calls it a Book of Shadows and a grimoire, whatever that is, from some witch named Escoba Hawthorne—apparently, the witch who the school was named after. Alondra claims this book of spells and her personal diary hold an ancient incantation from Akkadia. Being that Alondra is a history major and history buff, she explained to me that Akkadians were an Assyrian people living three thousand years ago around Mesopotamia. Their empire was the ancient civilization of Sumer. Apparently, the Akkadians used to hold ancient rites dealing with ghosts and demons.
Allie is wearing her weird black mascara and a black cloak now. She told me earlier that her “normal” clothes were for her introduction to the family. She told me she didn’t want to freak them out. That reminds me of how she was dressed when meeting me at our lecture after my first weird encounter. But now she’s full-on goth.
Anyway, any hope of not spooking them went out the window after she buried two small figurines of Lamassu—a god she explained was from Sumerian/ Akkadian times—and said some of the weirdest shit I’d ever heard by the front door. She also enlisted my help, all afternoon, with lighting over fifty white candles and dropping sage along the walls of the house.
As she studies her book, the couple stares at me, barely saying a word. Kathy’s hand is shaking. Alondra’s not making it any better. Alondra’s uttering these weird ancient words, again, from the book she’s reading. She did this yesterday, in her house, too. She tells me she’s practicing.
“Are you the witch’s husband?” Mitch asks, looking at me. Alondra looks up from the book with a very amused grin. But then she’s back to her book, chanting.
“No,” I say. “I’m a friend.”
“You a witch?” Mitch asks. He has a thick Southern drawl. I’m not used to it. Alondra doesn’t have much of an accent, even though she’s from these parts. She grew up in a diversified college town. Her Southern accent is probably less pronounced than my own.
“I’m just a friend.”
I tap on Alondra’s shoulder. “Will you stop it.” She won’t. “I wish you’d stop doing that,” I hiss.
“Shh,” she says, shooing my hand away. “Quiet.”
“Do we have to wait till it gets dark?” Mitch asks. “You reckon then’s when we’ll see the ghost again?”
He’s asking me and, of course, I have no fucking idea. Alondra’s too busy chanting to answer. But it is getting dark.
“Y’all want some cookies?” asks Kathy with a grin, leaning forward and gesturing to a bowl of Nilla Wafers on the coffee table.
“No thanks,” I say.
“’Course, you two are weird enough to believe us,” Mitch says. “The hardest thing is explaining it to family. And friends. Worst, we can’t invite anyone here anymore. Momma wants to potluck with neighbors, but we’re too scared. The haunting has stopped all our socializing.”
I just nod. I really don’t know what to say to that.
I look over at Winona. She’s playing with a doll on the carpet. She and her sister are very quiet now. Melanie is, super creepily, just standing and staring out the window. It’s like she’s looking for something to appear.
The doorbell rings and I jump.
“Excuse me,” says Kathy.
We hear some talking at the front of the house, and I turn as another guest walks into the living room. The guest is dressed in a cloak that looks exactly like Alondra’s, but this witch’s cloak is forest green. She has dark skin and looks about Alondra’s age. She’s bald. And her eyebrows are shaven. And she’s wearing a bunch of gold necklaces and bracelets.
Alondra jumps up and embraces the woman. “May you never thirst, Willow.”
“Ah, you as well, Falconsong,” the guest says with a smile. “May Selene bless you.”
“I’ve told Andromeda about this house,” Willow says, looking around the living room. “If we fail tonight, she can help. This is the most challenging exorcism yet. I couldn’t help the girl alone, Falconsong. Hopefully, we can cleanse the house together.”
“Yes.” Alondra turns to me. “Lee, this is my good friend Kenosha. Her witch name is Willow. She’s the head of the Selene coven in New Orleans. The Crescent City. It’s the oldest coven in America. Escoba practiced voodoo arts from those parts. That’s Kenosha’s style.”
“Escoba Hawthorne?” I ask. “The witch from your book?”
Alondra nods.
I jump up from the couch to shake Winona’s hand, but Winona beats me to it. She jumps from the floor and hugs Kenosha tight. The little girl’s shaking in her arms.
“It’s all right, child,” Kenosha says, calmly brushing her back. “Shh. It’s okay.” Then she looks at me. Her eyes are as hypnotic as Alondra’s, but pitch black. “Are you a witch, Lee?”
I shake my head. Kenosha quickly turns to Alondra, furrowing her brow.
“Our secrets are safe with him, sister,” Alondra says.
“That’s not the problem. This is very dangerous… Well, if you think it’s best. Are the children’s rooms prepared?”
Alondra nods.
Winona finally lets Kenosha go. The poor kid has tears streaming down her face.
Kenosha walks over to Mitch. The man jumps up and takes his cap off and nods. Kenosha smiles at him. “It might be better if you and your wife leave the house this time.”
“No, Mitch,” snaps Kathy. “No. I have to be here for Melanie. I won’t leave her alone with…” She looks at Winona in fear. “Her.”
“That is well,” Kenosha says. “Remain. But stay downstairs. The things that we have to do will shake the very foundation of this home. I need all of you…” She turns to me. “Particularly you, to remain downstairs. No matter what is said or heard. The spirits know how to create bedlam. And they will. Your presence will only make things worse.”
Kenosha gently pats the top of Winona’s head and brings Alondra into the other room. I hear my name mentioned a few times, and Kenosha’s tone does not sound conciliatory. It sounds like they’re arguing with each other.
Winona runs to her mom and starts bawling.
“It’s okay, Winona,” says her mom. “It’s all right.”
“It’s not!” Winona cries. “It isn’t, Momma! I’m afraid. He’s gonna hurt them! Auntie Kenosha is so nice. Just send her away. He’s gonna hurt all of them!” Then she looks, teary eyed, at me.
The two witches return.
“It’s time,” Alondra says.
“Melanie,” Kenosha says, reaching out. “Melanie, come with us, child.”
Melanie slowly shakes her head, still staring eerily outside.
“Melanie, you must come upstairs with your sister and us,” insists Alondra.
Melanie shakes her head again.
“Go with them, dear,” says her mom. “You have to follow them—”
“Fuck you!” the little girl cries, whirling around with wild eyes. I jump. “I won’t!” I haven’t seen the girl say a word since we arrived. “Winona pushed me! She pushed me, Momma. She pushed me down the stairs to kill me! Keep me away from that bitch or she’ll hurt me!”
The walls start shaking as if there’s an earthquake. Then a gush of wind shakes the windows. The trees are bending from the sudden gale, and branches scrape against the glass. Then it starts to hail.
“I hate you!” screams Winona to her sister. “I can’t stand you, Melanie!”
Winona runs toward her. I think she’s going to strike her sister, but instead she runs around her to the window where Melanie was standing. Then Winona starts violently bashing her forehead against the glass window. Melanie turns and stands beside her, staring outside, ignoring her sister as if she’s not even there.
Kathy bawls, with her head in her hands, on the couch. “Oh god.” Mitch runs over and grabs Winona’s head from the glass.
Alondra and Kenosha rush to the girls.
Alondra gets on her knees and says quietly to the children, “Lux alba.” She waves her hand over each child’s head calmly. “Lux. Shh.” Kenosha echoes it. “Lux. Look to the light. Lux alba. Lux alba.”
Then Melanie starts bashing her head against the glass too.
Kathy screams.
“Stop it, Melanie!” Winona screams. “Stop doing that! They’re trying to help you!”
Then Winona falls on her knees and bursts out laughing. She’s laughing hysterically. Her eyes roll back and she seems drugged. But she keeps guffawing.
“Lucifer!” cries Melanie, pointing at Alondra. “Abaddon.” Her countenance is like that of an adult. “Abaddon. Abaddon. Abaddon. Go play with your cock, pussy-loving cunt bitch. Go fuck yourself in the depths of your hell!” Then she spits in Alondra’s face.
Winona leans on her side and starts crying.
I run over to help Alondra, but she throws her hand up, stopping me.
“Lux alba,” Alondra repeats calmly to Melanie. “Lux. Lux alba.”
“You have no faith!” Melanie cries, squinting right into her eyes. “No belief in God! You and your sinners spend your days under the light of Satan. One day he’ll drag you to hell. Devil worshipper. Let Lucifer guide you to the stygian light of everlasting damnation and sheol. You’re a witch! A fucking cock-sucking witch!”
“Shut up, Melanie!” screams Winona, standing up. She looks like she’s gonna charge her sister again. “I hate you!”
Kathy finally jumps from the couch to grab them, but Kenosha says, “Stay back. You promised you would not interfere.”
“Somnos,” Alondra says calmly, waving a hand over Melanie, trying to calm her. Alondra closes her eyes tightly. It almost seems like she’s trying to calm herself. “Somnos. Sleep now. Somnos.”
“No!” Melanie’s voice turns guttural. And for a second, I think the little girl’s eyes turn white, like Alondra’s eyes the night of the poltergeist.
Winona starts laughing again. Then the house shakes.
“Somnos,” Kenosha repeats, kneeling with Alondra before the children.
“I ask that this spirit leave this child,” Alondra says. “Sleep, Melanie. Sleep. Sleep now. Calm yourself and sleep now, child.”
Melanie collapses onto the floor.
“Get out of here!” cries Winona. Then she growls. The growl echoes along the walls and sounds like a lion.
“Quick, hand me my book, Lee!” Alondra cries, pointing to the couch.
Winona growls again. She pushes Alondra, and Alondra is thrown back a few feet. My heart’s pounding. I rush over and grab the book and practically throw it at her.
“Somnos! Somnos, somnos Ekimmu requiem!”
Alondra gets up on her knees and touches Winona on the forehead with the book. Oddly, Winona is thrown to the ground as if Alondra struck her. She falls unconscious like Melanie.
Kenosha and Alondra lift Melanie into their arms. They approach the stairs. “She and Winona need to go to their room,” Alondra says to their parents, cocking her head back. “It’s inside of Winona now. I can deal with it in her room upstairs. Stay down here like we warned you.”
Winona awakens and sits up, eerily staring out the window at the dark, misty backyard like Melanie was doing for the past hour.
“My god!” Kathy cries, looking up from Mitch’s arms. “But how can you help? You haven’t even entered her room yet!”
“We’re going to try,” Alondra says. She looks at me from the corner of her eye. Then she turns and she and Kenosha carry Melanie up the stairs.
“Venite foras, Ekkimu,” Alondra calls.
Very weirdly, Winona turns from the window with a blank stare and follows them slowly up the stairs.