American gods Part IV

My stomach lurched, but I kept the foul broth down.

I waited, wondering how quickly the effect started taking hold.

“What do you think, Ria, are my feelings about this matter correct?” You asked.

I heard her reply, but she was speaking more quickly than I could hear, and I was uncertain it was even in English. I felt fine, and wondered if perhaps they were feeling the effects more quickly.  They didn’t seem to be making sense.

“She hasn’t the anger to be Faumea’s spawn.” As she spoke, I felt dirty and crawling things in my vagina. “Nor Iktomi’s guile about her.”

I brushed some cobwebs away from my forehead. I held them out between my outspread fingers and they glowed silvery.  I always found them to beautiful and intricate, but these looked so complex, it started to confuse me.  I could get lost in this web. There were so many paths tied one to another, every time I followed one, I would get lost in a turn, and they were pulling me towards the center, pulling me…..

My ribs!  Ow! Short had nudged me,hard, then spoke to Ria.  “Tell her the story of Xtabay.”  He pushed my hands to my lap.  The web was gone.

I closed my eyes and listened.

“Two women who lived in a village in the Yucatán Peninsula. One was named Xtabay, but people called her Xkeban, which means “prostitute”,or “whore”; the other was Utz-Colel who held fine standars and was proper in all her acts.

The people talked badly and called her Xkeban, saying she would have sex with any man. Xtabay took this beratement humbly, and never spoke badly back, nor did she gossip about others, unlike Utz-Colel who loved to make speeches about Xtabay’s ways.

Xtabay did receive many presents from her male admirers, jewelry and the finest dresses; yet she sold them, for it was her way to give her aid to the poor, and the sick.  She could not stand to see anyone do without, even down to the animals people abandoned or abused.  There was nothing haughty about her, and she gave help and money as freely as he gave her love.

Utz-Colel only took care of her own, looking down on others as less virtuous than she. She was proud, unfeeling and had disgust for most of her village. 

One day, Xtabay was not seen anymore. Days passed and a fine delicate perfume was smelled all over the village. People found it came from Xtabay’s house, who had died there, alone.

Utz-Colel argued it wasn’t possible, that the perfume couldn’t be that of such a vile and corrupt body; nothing but decay and stench could come out of her. She argued that had to be bad spirits or demons still trying to tempt men. “If that is the odor of a dead prostitute, mine shall be incredible when I die”, she said.

A few people buried Xtabay, feeling pity for her. The next day, her grave was covered with beautiful flowers of a delicate perfume.

When Utz-Colel died, the entire village attended her funeral; they remembered her virtue and honesty. To the amazement of the crowd, an intolerable stench came out from her grave.”

 

I think I was sleeping, but I did hear the tale.  Other names flew around the room, Xochiquetzal who was Tchpuchtli, Abalone Woman, Changing Woman, words and names I could no longer pronounce or understand.  The words were fading, I could no longer hear them, just a buzz like a distant motor.

“Diyan Masalanta”

I awoke. “Diane Atlanta, what?” I asked. You raised a finger to your lips, and I fell quiet again.  I had been dreaming, but could not recall of what, except an Island.

“Why would any of the ancient ones choose to reincarnate now?  This is no time, nor world for Love Deities, we are at War, Writer.” Ria challengingly looked at you.

“Yet there is that in her nature, it is strong and untrained.

For one thing, you must get her away from here, it is not her place.  Your answers lie closer to the sea, if there are any answers for you. 

I have more questions than answers, El, and the Duties of your aspect are needed at hand.  We have little time for this.  This is a man’s world, a violent world, and no one has time for Goddesses or Love anymore.”

“Balance.” you replied.  I felt the word push through my pores. A God-Word, spoken with intent has weight and texture.  It rippled through me, and I was soothed.

There was a considered silence. 

This time your words came out even, normal. “If her aspect is not Goddess, then one, perhaps more are using her for a reason.  She has power.  You both see it.  It will play itself out.”

To murmurs of agreement, I gave way to a dreamless sleep.

I startled awake, expecting night to have fallen, yet the stew we had started had barely begun to boil. I looked around, embarrassed, feeling the imprint of rattan scratching patterns into my hot and sticky skin.  Impossibly, the clock did not yet read noon I noticed, as I heard you outside asking for a jar of sun tea to go.

I sprung up, startlingly refreshed and stepped out into the sunlight itching to be gone from this place. “Odd,” I thought, “I like Ria and Short, but damn I want out of here.“

I joined Ria at the steps, pausing to consider the fineness of your ass, as you fed a quart of oil to Shark. She glanced at me, and we giggled like schoolgirls about it as we made our farewells. Like the last hour had not happened, or was normal, we were once again two women and friends.

With a big hug to Short, we were off again.