One thing that I've learned about Akatua; she loves books. The woman's has a library in her basement, something that I would never have expected. All kinds of works, from those of Jane Austen to those of John Green, from Shakespeare to Dennis Scott are present among the vast array of books in the dimly lit room. Dark red carpeting covers the floor of the room, making it seem even more cozy.537Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkdZIxLCUcA
In the centre of the room, interrupting the general theme is a large, yellow basin of water, and a wooden chair. The tub seems so daunting, demanding to be noticed. Since she hasn't yet disclosed to me what she has planned, I am slightly nervous. Additionally, she instructed me to remove my shoes. What is she going to do? Wash my feet?537Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvhGerORpsA
"It's nothing bad," she reassures me, sensing my uneasiness. "This should help you connect."537Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcxuQGirNyS
My mind races a million miles an hour trying to decipher what exactly that means. "Connect"? That could be anything. Since water is involved, several scenarios involving electric currents run through my mind.537Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7Ommbzjii6
"Come on," she encourages me as she walks forward, leading me over to the seat and the tub. I eye the thing with speculation, unsure and not one hundred percent trusting of what she will do. She continues to look at me, an expression of expectation upon her face. It is clear the is serious.537Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJP51pPCIbd
Sighing, I drag my feet over to the chair where she is now sitting.537Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg0qKapTBoI
"Sit in the chair and submerge your feet in the water."537Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4JGTRyKQNw
What?537Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHUSwEL91JW
My entire body stiffens, every muscle going tense. I don't follow her instructions; I simply stare at her, my eyes boring into her soul. It is then that I realise that I don't really trust this woman. Despite me believing that her intentions for me are pure, I still have this sinking feeling stemming from the back of my mind, telling me that she will betray me.537Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTAnnWFP2eY
"Have I harmed you yet?" she asks me, reading into my emotions through my body language. "If I wanted to harm you, I would have done it long ago." I don't want to listen to her, but deep down, I know that she's right. She firmly takes one of my hands in hers, and squeezes it in an attempt to soothe me. It works; as I feel her warm, protective hand around mine, I relax.537Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4ggbzpnOMY
"Sit," she repeats, gesturing for me to move forward.537Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpxAmkcIcis
I'm still hesitant, but less so than before. I sit in the chair and place my feet in the warm water, ripples moving across the surface as I submerge my feet.537Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgf406UX69N
"Okay," she says eagerly with a loud clap. "So today, we will be trying to connect you to other living things. It's the first step. Reach out and connect to other organisms, and then the dead, those who have gone before isn't our ancestors." I can tell from her tone, as well as her energetic gesticulation that she is very passionate about this, and that she is excited and eager to help me. This is probably the first time that she has ever tutored anyone about this. Then again, apparently, most people can't do what I can anyway.537Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡItx0KlQvWH
"What's the water for?" I question, simply because I can't keep my curiosity - and anxiety to myself anymore.537Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCLlFBSj0Ro
She offers a patient smile, before answering my question.537Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNghvHGkVCi
"Every living thing needs water to survive. This will make it easier; water is the common link among us all, from the tiniest bacteria to the biggest tree."537Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFOs5eUZcCI
"Okay," I answer her, but even I can hear the nervousness in my voice clear as day. What if something goes wrong? What if after today, all I can do is feel the energy flow of every single living thing on the planet? What if it overwhelms us? "Is this a normal thing that obeah people do?"537Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDIjy7KLVs0
"Nope," she responds. I raise an eyebrow incredulously. She sighs. "I don't want to just start, I want to get some level of spirituality first. This isn't Obeah. But because you are my daughter, you should be more... sensitive." I sigh and roll my eyes. Never have I heard such bs in my life, and for some reason, I feel like many other Obeah people would agree.537Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI8vIcfwc1j
"Relax," she tells me. "Nothing will happen to you. You'll be fine."537Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZc8Fdec2mn
Easy for her to say; she's not the one whose feet are submerged in water. I exhale deeply in an attempt to find inner peace.537Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEFAheWfwQn
"Now, I want you to focus." 537Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfgTzbnKgNU
"On what?" She really needs to learn to be less vague.537Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH3NUEKMYDB
"Try... try to reach out to everything around you," she suggests gently. Well, I would do that... If I had any idea how to.537Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrVdXETlpZs
"Just close your eyes," she urges gently. When I do, the skin on my feet and ankles becomes hyper aware of the water on it.537Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUlYXR6fPTn
"Now, try to... see. Try to feel for me, my presence."537Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4RrLQBHge6
Of course, it doesn't work. Maybe it's because it's my first time. Maybe it's because I feel like a complete idiot, sitting with water, and trying to find some mystical heat signature in my mind. After about a minute, my eyes flutter open and I sigh.537Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKgnxThWSws
"It didn't work." The words are barely a mumble when they leave my mouth, but one look at her tells me that she already knew.537Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPCeEqKIbAN
"You're still working within your normal five senses," she tells me. "You need to use your mind."537Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHPXJSESCOB
Well, that should just be super easy," I grumble, sarcasm finding its way into my voice. Her eyes are pleading with me, to simply work with her. Problem is, I've never really had much patience. I remember, as a child, there was one thing I wished for that never materialised. There was this boy, Nathan, who went to the same high school as myself. I'd noticed over the years that he was a lot like me; he was a loner, always kept to himself. It was rumoured that he was an orphan and had was there when his parents were murdered. He had this indifferent air about him, as if nothing really mattered to him. I was undeniably drawn to him. So I did something that I'd never done before: I hoped for him to like me. I hoped for him to come up to me, and start a conversation. To I introduce himself. To be nice. I hoped and wished and begged... and nothing came of it.537Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3aTosqBSdU
Ever since then, I've completely shut off the side of me that is capable of love. And patience. And people. I've become an island.537Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFZ7jpDtfnB
"Don't worry," she reassures me. "You'll get it eventually."537Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRnXmPaxB4k
Well, from what I've already picked up, it seems as if this river mumma hasn't given up on me yet. For my own sake, I hope she's right.537Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKfRlHAVYq1
"So," she says awkwardly, looking down at her foot, "is there anything else that you'd like to do?" 537Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwpAxOhphog
I think about it for a moment. When she told me that she'd me teaching me obeah today, I thought I'd be learning spells. In Jamaica, the perception of obeah that most people have is writing names on paper and saying an incantation around a fire. It's really strange, to be honest. Whatever I did expect, it wasn't to be sticking my feet into water.537Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlcsKZHT2dx
I stand and step out onto the carpeted floor. At first, I thought that she would protest about the water on her carpets, but she obviously doesn't mind. Briefly, I scan her bookshelf nearest to me. This one is filled with magical, mythical literature, everything from Jamaican to other Caribbean islands, to African to European, even Chinese folklore, as well as some other things that I can't pronounce.537Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ583njLAirI
One slender, pecan coloured book with gold cursive print on the binding catches my eye:537Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6maiR83r5M
Obeah Love Spells537Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbI1GI9uTRc
Curiously, I reach for it, and take it down. The book is small, but it has a certain weight about it in my hands. The cover is rough, made of some coarse cotton based fabric. The front cover is simplistic; the same words written in the same font, only bigger, and with no author's name at the bottom.537Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLTL1Qrkzmc
"We're not doing that today," she says from behind me. When I turn to look at her, I see a dark look on her face. The lack of brightness in the room makes it look all the more ominous. Somehow, I figure that she doesn't plan on teaching me this ever.537Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRahELSyoHy
"What's wrong with it?" I ask curiously. It's not exactly something that would be of great use to me, but I'm still wondering about the power that lies within it.537Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMYDQSV8gOk
"Let's just say that I am of the opinion that Obeah should not be used to manipulate emotions and actions, unless completely necessary," she advises, a scowl on her face. "It isn't... natural. Love is supposed to be natural."537Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHxhCnmaLRd
"So why even keep it, then?"537Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJRg4EqyNJ2
She rolls her eyes at me, but she must have seen this question coming.537Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbRwJWml5T2
"For knowledge. I am an obeah woman, after all," she says with a chuckle, flashing me a full set of teeth that manage to sparkle even in the dim library. "What would I be if I didn't know a few love spells? *How to tie a man with stew peas?" she jokes.537Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzVPq9JjOTE
I shudder. The practice of "tying" a man with stew peas by adding menstrual blood to the food and performing rituals so that they cannot leave you is both disturbing and highly unethical.537Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnlF6SSJ8s5
"Whatever you say." I don't buy her story. She must have it here for a bigger reason than that. Maybe she enjoys manipulating people. More than likely, it is for men, but for all I know, she uses it on women, too. 537Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVC4Zof6YYy
Or maybe, she's telling the truth, and she's just that strange. I don't know.537Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDJZ859WbSo
I really do need to start giving this woman the benefit of the doubt; I mean, she's been nothing but honest to me so far, so what reason do I have to believe that she's lying now? None, just speculation.537Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq9M4tcsemp
"Will you ever teach me, you know, spells?" I ask, attempting to change the subject. She widens her eyes, just a fraction, but I notice.537Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTLRJuKRK0C
"I don't know if that's really necessary. Not for now, anyway."537Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPyKa4nIRh1
"Why?" 537Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3rJULvmwSz
"Because you, my dear," she gestures towards me, "can do so much, but first, you need to connect. With the world, with our ancestors. And once you do that, everything else will come naturally," she insists, waving her arms dramatically. I raise my eyebrow with skepticism, not because I don't trust her, but this time, because I have so little faith in myself. I honestly don't believe that I am capable of doing this; I feel an abundance of helplessness, a special kind of pathetic under her hopeful gaze.537Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvCjcBw7SIz
"Don't worry, child," she reassures me yet again. It's hard for me to reconcile this woman who barely looks older than myself referring to me as "child". "These things take time, but I can sense that there is a great power within you - a power than not even you can sense." The way that she speaks reminds me of Rafiki from The Lion King. She really does have a way with words at times. Kinda like Kwamé, who, last time I checked, was in my living room - my house; somewhere that I'd really love to be right about now. To just relax, put up my feet while watching the television with silver in my lap, maybe drinking a Red Stripe - that would be perfect. I want to smile just thinking about it.537Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtjQ5kqKx8o
"Maybe I will, maybe I won't," I answer. "But for now, I just want to relax."537Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoA2oPhtGww
She nods her head knowingly, as if she can read my mind. Sometimes, I feel like she can. "You want to go back home." It's a statement, not a question, and it kinda creeps me out how she just knows. Not just now, but all the time.537Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4gIRzQiVSd
"Yes." My answer is short, calculated. I don't want to give to much away; I want to see just how much she can figure out on her own.537Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN4eTjWGuG8
"You feel comfortable there?"537Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgUheAu5tTO
"Yes."537Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6KNcUCjQ2T
"Alone?" I can tell that there's another, unspoken question behind this word.537Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYp5ha8ufUK
"I have my bird," I challenge, raising my chest before crossing my arms and arching one brow in defiance. However, she simply nods once to herself, as if she already has the answer to her own, unspoken question. Or rather, I just unknowingly answered it for her.537Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMMOjSES9Uz
"You don't trust very easily," she states, pinning me with her perceptive gase. "You hate the company of others... and yet, you trust Kwamé. You like his company. You like him as a friend. You don't find that... curious?"537Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYbjqgnm4Kn
"No," I answer honesty. Trusting Kwamé wasn't really something that I ever have much thought. It came naturally. As for him... he doesn't even want to be friends.537Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5sx8yQfYSd
"He likes you, you know. He really enjoys your company. He's just stubborn. Hasn't had a friend in a really long time."537Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjCZsB8oNuG
Kwamé is just stubborn. That would be the under statement of the year.537Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRVJIvjNUBT
Come to think about it... I do want to speak to him again. To see him. To talk to him - hopefully, in his human form, but in all honesty, I wouldn't be totally opposed to spending time with him as a bull, either. I just want to be around him, probably the only person who I've ever considered to be a friend. Strange that this woman, someone who I barely know, could point that out to me.537Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh6fFqWfckE
"Trust me, darling," she purrs, an endearing smile upon her face, "a friendship would be a great thing for the both of you."537Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOWSYUHqGBW
Damn. There she goes at it. Again. I may not know her very well, and she may not be very well aquatinted with me. I know one thing, though: on this particular subject, once again, she's more than likely right.537Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCAv17Pw0Xh
***537Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS5q0VCgpa5
A/N:537Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3ILViPpTEq
537Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡacznUEXdfG
The practice of tying men is an actual thing, and from what I know, when done correctly, it actually works.
