Page 3 of Voodoo Doll
“Yeah, Luna,” Kayla agreed, as though she herself were a lover of the ‘dark arts’,as he called them. “It’s not fake. It’s like a lifestyle or something. Like… oh, what’s the word? Paganism, or something.” I loved that girl, I truly did, but she was gullible as all get out, easily persuaded for a woman so driven and cunning in her profession and her love life.?
“Pardon, Miss, but it isnotPaganism. This,mes chères, is Voodoo.”?
“Voodoo?” I couldn’t help but scoff as I raised a single brow of disbelief his way.?
“Yes, Voodoo. And it is not a hobby or a form of trickery. It is a religion. A religion that anOungansuch as myself takes quite seriously, I assure you. Now, will you allow me to show you?”?
Kayla and I shared a look, one of disdain on my part and utter excitement on hers. Resigning myself to getting through this theatrical display as quickly as possible, I nodded my head in acquiescence.?
“Lovely,” Mr. Broussard drawled richly. “Now, who do I have the delightful pleasure of serving this afternoon?”?
“I’m Ms. Kayla King, and this here is Luna, my absolute best friend in the whole wide world,” Kayla announced without hesitation.?
“And how may I help the two of you, Ms. King and Miss... I’m sorry, I did not catch your last name,chère,” he asked with a gesture of his hand.
“Landry,” I answered hoarsely, clearing my throat around the lump that had suddenly lodged itself there. “Luna Landry.”?
“And how may I serve the two of you on this fine day? Are you in search of something specific? Ajujuormojo, perhaps? Something to aid you in healing? Or would you be seeking something to help you succeed in your careers, perchance?”?
“Oh, nothing of the like! We are here to find out the truth.” I could have smacked her, giving away such information and matching his theatrics like an actress in pursuit of her first Oscar nomination. Everyone knew the first rule of dealing with physics was to give as little information as possible, so that they had nothing to craft around to dupe you into believing.?
“Lovely. And what truth is it you seek?” Mr. Broussard drawled, turning his gaze to Kayla with intent. I could almost see the dollar signs dancing behind those green eyes.
“It’s not for me. Luna here needs to find out if her boyfriend is cheating on her,” Kayla announced immediately, making me groan.
“A lover scorned? This is no good, I tell you.”
“I’m not scorned,” I muttered defensively. An image of Joshua, of his clothes strewn across the bathroom, flooded my mind. It had only been a few days, but I could see it so clearly. I had gone to touch up my makeup before we left for dinner, and picked up his shirt just to be kind to my boyfriend. I had lifted it to my face, wanting to smell his scent for a moment while I waited for him to finish his work call downstairs. That’s when I had noticed the perfume. The sharp pang of betrayal and rage flicked through my belly once more, cutting as deep as ever. He deserved to pay.
“Of course,ma chère. And that is why you have sought out the work of Sebastien Broussard. To find answers. Now, tell me, is this lover of yours a good man?”?
“I mean, I thought he was, but now…”
“Now, Little Luna here has herself convinced that she smelled perfume on his shirt. I tried to convince her that it’s all ridiculous. Joshua has been faithful to her for five years. What reason does she have to think he’d cheat?”?
“I smelled the perfume on several of his dirty button ups, Kayla. The proof is right there. The asshole is fucking cheating on me!”?
“For all you know, he was just working with a co-worker. No reason to jump to conclusions.” She turned back to Sebastien, continuing. “But since she won’t let it go, we’ve decided to come here to find out once and for all.”?
The man nodded sagely, as if possessed by some superior knowledge, and turned to face me more fully. His presence still seemed to loom over me in that strange way, making me slightly uncomfortable. All part of his presentation, I assumed. He gestured with one hand towards a doorway hung with strings of beads and swaths of cloth. I couldn’t quite make out what was beyond.
“If it pleases you, my friends, let us adjourn to a more appropriate space to perform such a ritual. If you will follow me?”?
I sighed my resignation to this entire charade and nodded, rolling my eyes at Kayla. How did I let myself get caught up in these ridiculous situations? Mr. Broussard turned and began leading us through the bead-covered doorway he had indicated. As we passed through, I failed to stifle a small gasp of surprise at the sight that greeted me. I’m not sure what I expected, but it wasn’t this.
Shelves lined the walls in between antique wall hangings depicting all manner of occult and ritualistic imagery. My eyes couldn’t pick a place to land as I took in the contents of those shelves; skulls, entire small animal skeletons, statues depictingvarious otherworldly beings, a number of small doll-like figures made of cloth with crude faces stitched into them, and candles.?
Candles were everywhere. They were the only illumination in the room aside from a fireplace crackling quietly in one wall, and the combined glow cast a ruddy, uncertain light that flickered and warped as our entrance disturbed the air. The light glinted off of dusty bottles and jars sealed with twine and wax and filled with cloudy liquid. I glimpsed several things in those murky depths that I wasn’t sure I recognized, and a few things I wished I didn’t.?
Shaking off my shock, I focused in the middle of the room, where a round table sat surrounded by four wooden chairs. The intricate tablecloth matched the sweeping curtains that hung in places around the room, and on it sat a deck of cards, a small knife, and a few other odd knick-knacks. At the center of the table sat the most cliche thing I had seen yet; a crystal ball.?
“Seriously? A crystal ball? What are you, some kind of witch? Come on Kayla, let’s get—”
“I am not a witch, Ms. Landry. I am anOungan, as I said before. A priest trained in the art of voodoo. You may think me some cheap charlatan, but here, in this place, you will show some respect. You tread on sacred ground.”
As he finished speaking, he turned around to face me once more, and that feeling of looming returned twice as strongly. He almost seemed to grow bigger in the flickering candlelight, his many shadows flickering and moving around him. He really was going for full production value here. That’s all this was; a show to impress and intimidate people into paying for a line of bullshit and thanking him for the pleasure of it.
Kayla fairly vibrated with excitement beside me. “Holy shit, Lu, look at this place! It’s incredible!” She dragged me to the table and plopped into a chair, pulling me down beside her into the other.
