Harmony of Lady Shadow Moon, DhNAi Divine [good beach reads txt] 📗

pure craziness. Trust me when I say you don't want none a what we got right now. You just gotta trust me, okay? We need to leave, like right now.”

“Awright. Come on, we gotta get Tim.”

Saki says, “Where the hell is he at, at a time like this?”

Aaron shook his head. “He had to use the bathroom.”

They briskly walked through the rush of people for the men's restroom.

“I'll be right back y'all,” Aaron utters to the group.

He walked in the restroom, toilet paper and paper towels scattered all over the black and white tiled floor. He spotted Tim's shoes in one of the stalls, shaking his head, unsure. There was no funky smell taking air space, but there was a strange scent that Aaron couldn't put his finger on. He wrote it off as a foul smell from Tim's waste when he heard a grunt.

“Aye yo,” Aaron said as he banged on Tim's stall door. “Aye Tim if you dumpin' you need to hurry up.”

The bathroom went quiet and just as Aaron was about to bang on the door again Tim answered. “What's wrong man?” His voice came out deep, then leveled to its regular tone when he posed his next question, “Some drama pop off in the mall?”

“Naw, home drama.”

Tim sighed, “Alright man.”

Aanu, Aaron, and Saki were the last to be dropped off, since Aniyla's home was the furthest back in their little town. The three sat in Tim's car for a good fifteen minutes, trying to push that fifteen into an hour. The three didn't want to face Gran-Nai. They each knew she was going to verbally beat them down, with love, but a beat down was a beat down. Tim knew it too, but he had his own problems.

“Listen y'all,” Tim spoke, getting ready to shut the operation down, “I know y'all don't wanna face Gran-Nai, but I got my own family to deal wit'. If my mama ain't home to calm papa down, this might be the last night you see me.”

“Its go be that bad?” Aanu questioned, reaching her hand to his with tender concern.

Timothy smiled, squeezed her hand and shook his head. “I'm just playin' Aanujah. But foreal though I will get in trouble if I get in too late.”

“Alright dog,” Aaron said, “we'll let you go. An' just deal with our fate. Hopefully we'll holla at ya tomorrow.”

“Peace y'all.”

“Get in safe,” Aanujah replied, departing the car.

“Thanks for the ride Tim B,” Saki said. The fact that they were about to get in trouble cooled Saki's sass down.

The door was already unlocked and Aniyla gave them as much time as needed to get in the house. Like Aanu said, Nai-Nai was on one. Her fire was nowhere near friendly and for sure the kids' behinds was about to be scorched. The kids tried to scurry pass the kitchen and living room, knowing Aniyla would be in one.

All they heard was, “Bring. It. On. In. Now!”

Their heads lowered one by one and their feet dragged. “Don't make me say it again! Move them feet!” Their feet moved, catching sight of the lights lowered, candles and incense filling the large living room space. Aniyla lit candles and incense when in a strong mood, but only the scent denoted which mood she was in.

The room smelled of apple-cinnamon, she escalated to another level of angry. She didn't look at them, she simply pointed at the snow-white sofa and told them, “Sit down.” They watched her take several calming breathes before they drew a deep inhale themselves, fearful of Aniyla snapping on them. But, she didn't even look the kids' way, she almost made them feel safe.

“You know my older cousin Jama didn't believe in this grrreeeaaattt big bear thing livin' in the woods of our grandparents' house in Lil Rock. That was of course 'till she seen its teeth tearing at her leg. I tried to warn and warn her, but she just called me a little liar, cryin' wolf.”

The three turned to each other, but still too afraid to speak. What was she talking about...again?

Then Gran-Nai snapped, eying the youngsters in her sight. “I don't give a damn! I don't care if none of you believe in this demon, all that matters is I do. I have a strange knowin' of things like this. Always have. And since you under my roof you will play by my rules, hear? I told you,” she pointed at them, “I told you to be in this house when night fell, not mornin', night!”

She stood, breathing heavy, turned away from the young adults. She swiveled back towards her grandchildren. “But somehow not a single tail hopped its ass back in this house. The least you three little Negroes could of done is call your granny, so she could know you were alive.”

Aniyla turned away again, rubbing her temple. One of the kids drew breath and Aniyla whirled on all three of them. “And if a single one of you pull that I'm grown card, so help me god when I'm done wit' you, you go need some new limbs. I don't care how old you get, I will always be older. Go to your room, 'till I can figure out what to do wit' y'all.”

 

 

A thunderous boom goes off, punching Nkosia in the chest. One half of Nkosians believing it to be an explosion, the other half wasn't fooled. They knew he, the wolf, was making his appearance. A decade of peace allowed Nkosians to settle in calm waters, but no longer. Something or rather someone stirred the wolf from his long sleep.

The boom happened in the sky, forcing all of nature to go still. It was the weekend, the small town's bars and clubs were getting ready for the rush of working people. People who just needed to relax, let loose. It would seem, so did the wolf. Folks were running about the town, made up in their best clothes, ready to turn heads.

Something else now had their attention. Phantom dogs appeared around Nkosia, hovering a few inches from the ground. Dogs of a smoky black, much bigger than the average dog, standing still and quiet. The wind blows, gaining speed and force, howling its song. Just at the right key, the dogs begin barking and dangerously growling.

As their growls grow louder the wind hits harder, banging formless fists against walls and windows in the town. Through the screams and fits of Nkosians an owner of a local bar named Paza Pits staggers outside, shouting at the top of his lungs. “What you want?! Don't destroy our town! We won't take this again!”

There is always at least one brave man to step up and speak, but it's futile. He was lucky not to be struck dead for the offense. This time the wolf was on a mission, a mission where it wasn't necessary to slaughter massive numbers of innocent people. Spirits rose from the ground or appeared in air in droves. Taunting any person on the streets by simply laying a bony finger on their forehead to cause raging pain.

Or cast images to make them go well beyond madness. The old man staggered his way back into his bar, Paza Pits, to find the spirits paying his place a visit. The lights flickered from their vibrations, gray figures taking human form smiled at the man. His customers glued at the bar or a table, or booth, too terrified to move or look away. It's been so long since the spirits from down under paid a visit. Nkosia has become so unattached from the spirit world in this new millennium.

So unattached that they all forgot how to deal, but this time the spirits didn't come in peace. They came at the command of a very old entity, known as the wolf and they weren't leaving without at least one body and soul. One spirit with very lively tawny eyes no longer hesitated and found his target. He slithered near the bar, hissing as he moved, his brown eyes turning gold, his long bushy tresses swayed as he neared. As his victim looked up, he finally realized he was the soul to be taken.

The spirit jumped into his body, making the fat balding man shake violently, falling from his stool. No others moved near him, and every customer at the bar ran from their seat, fearful that one touch could lead to their demise. Women covered their mouths, men only shook their head. The man's pallid skin grew red as blood rushed to find an exit and before it could slide down an opening, it burst from his gut with furious force. His azure eyes went glassy, the skin of his face returned white, and he was gone.

The spirit left his body with a decaying soul in his hand, his face peered around with a satisfied grin, then he disappeared.

 

 

“Y'all hear that?” Saki says, going over to the window, hoping to see activity. Aaron and Aanu didn't respond, but they all heard it. The three chose to stick together in the same room, because Aniyla had them nervous.

“She neva been this bad before. I mean...she seem terrified, foreal. We came in late before, but she ain't never went off on us like that,” Aaron said, pacing.

“What you expect?” Aanu questioned, shrugging her shoulders, looking up at her brother from her reclined position on her bed. “Gran-Nai been livin' here long enough, maybe she can feel when somethin' bad is 'bout to happen. It probably ain't this mysterious wolf, but it's prolly serious.”

As the voices of the three young adults settled into silence Aniyla barged in, after having checked in Aaron's room, only to find them in the girls' room. Aaron leaned on the wall and questioned, “Whatsup Gran-Nai?” Voicing the question all three of them was thinking.

Her face held a terror none of the three were ever witnessed to. “He's in town.”

“Who?” Aanu asks, but then answers herself. “The wolf.” Granny only bobs her head yes.

Saki looked to her peers first, silent, then to Aniyla. “Somebody spot it?”

Granny shakes her head no. “Nobody sees him the day of his return and the rest pretend like they don't see him...even if they do. He's not the gossip of the town Saki, he's the whisper.”

The youngsters took a shaky breath, releasing their fright on the exhale. Aaron took a seat on the edge of Aanu's bed and looked up to his Gran-Nai. “What we supposed to do now?”

Aniyla nods her head, saying, “We stick together. No matter what. He's stronger, I can feel it. I can feel him trembling with new power.”

“How do you know this Nai-Nai?” Aanu probed, her face curling in confusion.

“A Khmuuxe (Kah-mu-chee) killed on his command.”

“A what Nai-Nai?” Saki questions, sitting upright on her bed, against the wall.

“A capture spirit of the underworld. One a his personal demons. They're the souls he took and use at will. He's never killed on his first day back. It usually takes him much longer. Only possession,” she says sharply, “then murder.” The room fell quiet for a while, the kids watched in silence Aniyla walking over to the large window. She peeled back the long lavish curtains to peak out.

She spoke with her back turned from her grandchildren, “I gotta get my supplies from the basement. Y'all stay put in here, together.”

“No Nai-Nai we'll go wit' you,” Aanu said, gaining nods from Saki and Aaron.

She fervently shook her head. “No,” Aniyla swallows hard. “Stay here,” her whisper lethal. “I am NOT playin'. I'll be alright. For me please...stay in this room.” Aniyla gave no chance for a reply before she headed to the door.

But before Aniyla could exit the room every light in the luxurious home went out. A maniacal chuckle left the wolf's chest, coating Aniyla's insides with grime. Mr. Wolf was baiting them to exit their home. And the only one aware of that was Aniyla. The kids heard Aniyla's feet shuffle to the hallway, she calmly strolled back in