Njagua lunges at Sopona and he stares at her with eyes that scream indifference.

  She tells out, “HOW DARE YOU SAY THAT TO A CHILD? SHE’S A KID! YOU’RE NO ORISHA!”

  He stares at her, still unresponsive. He starts a soft chuckle, almost trying to avoid laughing. But there’s a small hatred in his eyes that only can be seen if you look close enough. Like a small termite digging out of the abyss of divine calm. In this short time, Njagua stabbed Sopona in his throat. He stares, everyone is shocked she’d even harm an Orisha. There’s a long moment of silence. The only sound is divine blood pouring out of Sopona. It’s color shifting from

  Maduabuchi yelled out, “How DARE you harm the only chance we have to get rid of this curse?!”

  Sopona slowly pulled out the sword then shattered it. He walks closer to her and he looms over her. Njagua stares him down, still holding the hilt of her broken sword.

  Maduabuchi runs over, “LORD BABU! PLEASE FORGIVE HER! SHE’S SIMPLY FOOLISH!”

  Sopona gently holds her face, she gets disgusted and attempts to pull away but he gets pulled into her sin. Everything around him is red, his vision slightly blurred. But when he looks around he sees eyes staring at him, judging him. Meanwhile there’s a body lying on the floor. Then he realizes his hands are wet, coated in something. He can’t tell the color of the substance but he knows what it is. It’s blood. The figure on the floor seems to be switching forms. A few he’s unfamiliar with but one appearance pops up that he knows very well. The body gets up and stares him down.

  The body says, “You don’t think you could’ve done this? You don’t think this act could’ve prompted being cast out?”

  Sopona gets a look of disgust.

  Sopona responds, “So these trials will keep being turned back on me? Is it always going to be about that ONE MISTAKE?! I’ve done more good than that, more evil than that, so why do you keep referring back to that one day?!”

  The man simply stared at him.

  Sopona continues, “My biggest failure was when I was a Orisha, is that what you’re implying?”

  The man still didn’t respond. But the corpse does a knowing smile, a quiet confirmation. Sopona scoffs and pulls himself out of the vision. Njagua looks at him, she fell on the ground once he left go of her. She was resisting the whole time.

  Sopona calmly says, “You killed someone in your past, didn’t you? Or at least got so close too many times. Am I right?”

  Njagua is crying, still keeping eye contact. Sopona sighs and meets her at eye level. Gently holding out his hand out. She smacks it away.

  She spews, “You have pity on me, but not a child? Your pride is THAT damned you can’t comfort a child in pain? I don’t need any help from you. I never will.”

  Sopona looks at her, small Flies begin to fly around him as his soft expression begins to crack. The bugs begin to scream in agony until he notices they’re there and they disappear. Maduabuchi almost begins to talk but is silenced with the wave of his hand. Sopona gets up and approaches the little girl, she simply looks at him.

  Sopona says, “Do you accept your judgement?”

  She shrugs, “Let’s say I do, what do I gotta do to prove it? Act better later on and you believe my word? You can’t be that gullible, so what do you want from me? My soul? Everything comes with a price. You should know I learned that lesson long ago.”

  Sopona says, “You mean the fire? Well yes, everything does come at a price but sometimes the price is low. I take your marking but you keep the scars it left, you must redeem yourself. That is the price.”

  The little girl begins to laugh, suddenly she sheds her skin and it seems everyone around Sopona is decaying. They shift into women covered in smallpox. They all begin to start laughing and cackling. Sopona knows this laugh.

  The women say, “YOU? ACCOUNTABILITY? IMPROVEMENT? That’s a joke! Probably one of the best you’ve told. Wait, I know that expression…”

  The women smile.

  Sopona says with annoyance, “Eshu.”

  Eshu cackles, the void erupts with laughter.

  A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  Eshu responds wagging his finger, “Ah-ah-ah, you should watch that tone. Remember last time you stepped out line to your fellow Orisha?”

  Sopona grits his teeth, “You must take great pleasure in my suffering.”

  Eshu tries to stop laughing, “I only do so because you must be reminded of your place. When the others decided to make their plan, you were the first to agree to it. And Last I checked, you were the furthest from pure. So I don’t think you’re qualified to tamper with humans’ imperfections.”

  Flies begin to swarm out of Sopona’s mouth as he speaks, “What did you say?”

  The bodies begin to morph into one and the pile of flesh molds itself. Bones cracking and blood gushing from each orifice of the abomination until it begins to resemble a man. A purple loin cloth begins to form around it and its hair flows with the endless glimmer of the cosmos, galaxies twisting and stars twinkling with the cosmic strands. As the figure leans forward, its grin still smeared on its face that reveal sharp canines. The gold chain around his neck, almost as if he were a slave, drips with glistening Aurum.

  When Eshu begins to speak, his voice is a chorus of young and old, “You are JUST like the humans. Don’t act like you’re any better than them, you’re the biggest hypocrite among us.”

  Sopona comes closer to him and stares deep into his soul but, there’s nothing staring back. Simply an anomaly, it angers him.

  Sopona says in a hushed fury, “So what? Do you want me to admit I’m a hypocrite? That I’m nothing but a man? Hm?“

  Eshu’s skin was folded over his eyes so he couldn’t stare at Sopona but he can sense his anger. Making him only begin to laugh louder.

  Eshu replies, “You know staring is rude, I don’t have eyes to enjoy that wonderful expression you’re making.”

  Eshu pats on his back and swirls around him, “SoI’ll let you prove it. Both of you, win. But, once you slip, your lil gift goes POOF. Same applies to the other you.”

  Sopona scoffs, “Why are you going easy on me?“

  Eshu tilts his head to the side slightly, “What ever do you mean, friend?”

  Sopona replies, “Don’t play dumb. You didn’t let the trial play out fully, did you? You broke character, that’s not like you.”

  Eshu’s smile turns softer and he straights his back, no longer leaning forward. He puts his forehead against Sopona’s.

  Eshu says softly, “You’re a bastard, nothing more to you honestly. With a bastard, you need more time to see them change…These *hollow* reflections aren’t enough, so I want you to leave this place and try to change when the world doesn’t revolve around you. Where things aren’t a played out fantasy. My tricks can’t compare to the machinations of Olorun…or maybe I’m just bullshitting you. Maybe I’m still the same kid you knew when we first met, I don’t know truly. You can come to your own conclusions but I can’t give you a full answer.”

  Eshu then head butts Sopona where he falls onto the ground and notices he’s falling into an abyss.

  Eshu waves, “BYE BYE!”

  After only a few moments, he hits the ground hard and sees that he’s outside that void. Outside the trials. A loud sound is heard, it’s a pounding melody. Drums of Olorun. Everyone comes to attention and he appears from the clouds.

  Olorun proclaims, “THE WINNERS HAVE BEEN CHOSEN! BABALú-AYé RECEIVED HIS GIFT”

  Then silence, the constants let the revelation sink in. They lost. The once overwhelming chaos now gone. Then a sudden scream echos through the land, it’s of agony and horror. One that slowly fades, then another. And another. The screams begin to multiply, all in slowly meshing into a chorus which begin to mix with a buzzing sound. Once that happens, a large swarm of flies begin to circle around the corner of the land, little liters of the bugs are scattered around but they’re all coming from the large swarm. People walk over to that swarm and there’s a chorus of pain.

  Babalú-Ayé yells at the sky, “TAKE IT BACK! OLORUN, PLEASE TAKE IT BACK!”

  Eshu stares at Babalú-Ayé with horror, he looks at the sky. Confused on why Olorun would be so cruel, ask people flocked at the spectacle happening in front of them. The boy’s body only kept changing, his skin now decaying faster than he can itch. Every scratch feeding the rot and the few parts of flesh he has left were pulsing with boils. His face began to be covered in bumps which made his smallpox only more obvious and no longer subtle. Said boils started leaking, something like star dust. His head suddenly started ringing, his mind being overwritten with suffering. His new found omniscience making him aware of diseases he’s never even seem before as well as diseases that people have currently. The suffering only got worse, he began to split and multiply. Those copies warping to different locations and now Babalú-Ayé sees different locations along with feeling different textures. His senses becoming overloaded as well. His pleads last for hours, and it almost seems like everyone is in a trance.

  Babalú-Ayé cries out, his face pouring with tears, “ORUNMILA! OLORUN! OBATALA! PLEASE! PLEASE HELP ME!”

  He was then hears a calming and commanding voice seep into his head, “Hold on for a moment longer.”

  All of Babalú-Ayé’s bodies yell out with flies spewing out of them, “Why do you make me suffer like this? Aren’t I your chosen? Do you hate me for wanting?”

  He’s only met with no response. The pain only everlasting. One of his other bodies are in the middle of the Oyo Kingdom. Every street merchant running, trying to avoid the flies alongside their fear of catching Smallpox. People running and screaming, yet they’re even sounded out by Babalú-Ayé’s own cries. Time begins to become a blur and the only constant was pain. He began to hear hoofs and couldn’t tell where the sound was. Until he looked up and saw a silhouette, it was tall and strong. He reaches for the boy but stops, noticing the smallpox. But he sits down with him, Babalú-Ayé now being able to see the man fully. His eyes were as calm as the sea and his expression seemed understanding as if he’d been through this before. He obviously hasn’t but, he let off the vibe he did.

  The man says softly, “So, you must be the boy Olorun was talking about. You were blessed with a gift, even if it doesn’t seem like it. Forgive me if this is a foolish question but tell me what you’re feeling?”

  Babalú-Ayé responds with his voice shaking, “Pain. Everywhere. I hear it, see it, feel it. I don’t know where I am…I don’t know what I’m feeling expect pain. All of these voices screaming…all I hear is suffering. I want…I want it to stop…”

  The man looks at Babalú-Ayé with a mix of pity and sorrow but the look fades.

  He says, “Breathe. Center yourself. Focus on my voice.”

  Babalú-Ayé shutters, “You’re not…listening. I can’t. I can’t!”

  He says, “I know it hurts, I know all too well. Don’t fight it, just let it flow through you so you can slowly shift your focus.”

  Babalú-Ayé’s breathing is rigid and he tries but it doesn’t work. The man then takes off his fur cloak, it seems to have a certain animal hide. He hands it to Babalú-Ayé. He caress it and notices the texture. It has bumps all over it and wrinkly, he knows this texture well. He pet this texture before. So long ago. His breathing calms down slightly.

  He asks with a bit of pain in his voice, “What animal… di-…did this belong to?”

  The man replies, “A Inostrancevia, Sasabonsam were kind enough to gift me it after their hunt.”

  Babalú-Ayé began to tear up. He knew this texture, it belonged to his pet. His only friend, his mother.

  He muttered to himself quietly, “I miss you, so much. I miss you, more than you can ever know.”

  The flies begin to disappear and the voices quiet. The voices now longer screams but gently cries too, they all missed their loved ones. All lost something, he feels all of it too. He’s not alone in his grieving.

  The man says, “You have history with this species?”

  The boy nods, his tears being that of stars which make the same as his blood.

  The man says, “They kill whatever they see, I wonder how you were able to bond without it killing you.”

  Babalú-Ayé responds, “She…was hurt. We both were. We both didn’t want to hurt anymore, so company kept it at away. She was the kindest creature I’ve ever known…Thank you, sir. My king.”