A Stamp To Mail My Mind Away Chapter 6. "LINKS SURROUNDING DIVINITIES" (C) 2022

 

           6.

Links Surrounding Divinities

“It’s gotta’ be a sign.”

“It’s a sign alright.”

 

Peter got all excited when he saw the sign that said “6 miles to Indianola, 66 miles to Clarksdale.”

 

“Well. They do say that is the number of the beast,” Mammie goaded. Both Jude and Samuel had their own road atlas. Fred was driving. He was always in the responsible role.

 

“Exactly, we’ve got to be close to seeing some supernatural stuff…”

 

“How long have I been on this trip? I must be at home. What time though? “Is the army recruiter going to pick me up? What time is it now?”

“Dude. Are you okay?” Carlton tapped me on the shoulder.

“Agh,” I moaned from the cigarette burning my fingers.

“You’ve been standing here looking up to the sky,” Carlton said. I then looked at the statue of Jesus again. The Red Moon’s light projected a red hallo above Jesus’ head. I think I was walking to Jesus. Then a light projected off the halo. God was pointing to a cat that was comfortably sitting on a grave.

 

“Well, there’s a road sign that…”

 

“The road is speaking to us,” Peter interrupted.

“Cemetery Road,” Fred read the street sign out loud. Then they turned into the grave yard.

“I guess this is a good time as any to start this thing,” Jude said while digging in his pocket for the envelope.

 

Inside the envelope was the tin foil that wrapped the ten strip of lsd (acid).

 

“I guess shit getting real now,” Mammie replied.

 

“I don’t think so. You, me, nor Barry are going to partake in this.” Sam said.

 

A few seconds later, they went on the other side of the tombs. There was a bridge.

 

“The bridge is closed. That means the spirits are trapped here,” Mammie said.

Sammy grabbed his ghost gear and exited the Jeep.

 

“You follow where the Loh’Rd sends you,” I heard someone say. Not sure who or where I heard that. It is one of those things said so much, like an affirmation, like a breath.

 

My God,

My life is one big run on sentence. What was I doing?

All goes dark as clouds slowly walk in front of the RED MOON.

I see two eyes blinking before the Red Moon’s return.

Oh yea, there’s a cat. The rays are you pointing your finger toward the cat.

I light a cigarette and open up a beast (Old Milwaukee Beer)

I took a few long seconds (that seemed like minutes.)

 

I remember Hendrix saying,

‘Is it tomorrow or just the end of time.’

 

It wasn’t a real cat, just a statue. I use the light from my cigarette lighter to see around me.

Oh no it can’t be.

 

“I’m getting strong readings from this area,” Sam said as he paced quickly to the bridge. His hand-held electric meter ghost gadget thingy was beeping quickly.

 

Minutes later, he was so enthused about walking in the graveyard with his meter in one hand, and a polaroid camera, in the other. He didn’t mind about the ritual that Mammie, Peter, Jude, and Catalina, and Barry were partaking in. He assumed there would be no drug use involved from Barry, and Mammie.

 

The LSD (acid hits) had tiny pictures of skulls on it.

“Where did you get all of that?” Fred asked as Mammie drew occultic sigils with white chalk. Next, she lit candles outside of the circle that had sigils drawn inside of it.

 

“Links Surrounding Divinities.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I saw Carlton’s gravestone. It had the date of his birthday, with a slash. On the other side of the slash all I remember is seeing the year two thousand fourteen.

 

“Jesus the Lord of The Dead, my God forgive me of my blasphemy. I’ve known Carlton for most of my life. Please don’t take him away,” I pled as I looked up into Jesus eyes. He looked down at me. Then he extended his arms. I placed my hands into his hands.

 

“I swear to live my life for you,” I stated.

 

“Dude, what are you doing?”

 

“Two circles like a…”

“Dog chasing his tail. Like the Yin Yang, one world light. The other world is black,” Fred interrupted Peter.

 

“Peter, you have to be quiet. If you don’t, you might attach an evil on you, that you can’t get rid of!” Mammie warned.

 

“I think that would really be cool,” Peter replied.

 

“Peter, stop it. You’re ruining a good time for all of us,” Jude demanded. Jude was the only one that Peter would listen to.

 

Less than a minute later, they were all in the circle of lit candles. Mammie instructed Jude to give them all a hit of acid (skull print).

 

Jude was sure to give Peter that ‘You better be on your best behavior,’ look.

 

Mammie instructed everyone to not leave the circle until told to do so. Fred didn’t want any part of the ritual. She then passed the bottle she had, what little was left, around. She declared it,” An Offering to The Gods.”

 

I felt Jesus then place his calming hands on my shoulders.

 

“Dude, what are you doing?” Carlton’s voice.

“He’s a ghost now.

“LohRd look after him,” I plea. Then I saw and smelled the smoke.

 

“GOD PLEASE! NO!”

 

“Dude!”

Then I looked up. Jesus. Wait, no.

“Dude are you having a bad trip?” Carlton said. He was standing in front of the statue of Jesus.

It was all a hallucination. And so. And so, I placed God back in my mind in a safe place. A safe place until I needed him again.

“I’ve almost smoked a whole joint waiting on you. You sure you don’t want some. Might help calm you down.”

 

I never told him that I saw his grave that night. Maybe, if I would have it could have saved him.

 

“I think I saw Jesus,” Peter whispered playfully in Jude’s ear. He was trying to disguise his nervousness that the… “How are the candles staying lit?” Fred whispered in Catalina’s ear.

 

All along the while, Mammie was reciting the spell.

Seconds later she paused, “It’s important that we’re all quiet now.” For a few seconds they all felt the hot summer night’s temperature lower. That was enough to convince them. Mammie continued, as she asked different named gods to protect them and show them different things. Barry looked around for Sam to stop him and Mammie from taking the acid. Fred pretended to take the hit. Took it out of his mouth when they weren’t looking. Then they all drank from the bottle of dark red fluid. Of course, Peter drank whatever was left.

“Okay, now it’s time for our great adventure,” Peter said. Then he stood up and stepped out of the circle.

 

“Is that a bad thing?” Catalina asked.

Mammie glanced at her coyly, “We shall see.” As she started speaking her “Reveal yourself to us” spells, the winds around them howled. As though someone was screaming but muffled. A few minutes later, after she spoke the last evocation, everything went silent.

She then said, “Now we can leave the circle.”

 

“It’s her again!” Peter screamed.

 

Mammie was the first to find him.

“You silly fool. It’s just a statue of Mary.”

 

“What?” Peter didn’t believe her. Then they both heard a loud annoying beeping.

“Oh my God, what is that ringing in my ears? Is my head about to explode?” Peter said.

 

“Relax,” Barry whispered in his ear. During Peter’s panic he didn’t notice Barry coming. “Damn, man, I thought you were God whispering in my ears. It’s just for you,” Peter said very relieved.

“She’s right you know,” Samuel added and paused.

“About what?” Peter asked.

“It was just the moon’s light bouncing off of the statue of Mary,” Samuel answered.

“I got him,” Mammie said with a devious tone as she grabbed Peter’s hand firmly, steering him to walk away.

“Oh Peter,” Samuel said.

“Yea,” Peter replied.

“You might be right,” Samuel added.

“Right about what?” Peter asked.

“God whispering in your ears,” Samuel replied. Then he continued following the beeps of his ghost gadget thingy.

 

I was at the entrance to the Saint Louis Cemetery number 1. I think that is where it happened. When I started to have the belief that I could save lost souls. Release them from hell.

“I was hallucinating,” the doctors would say.

 

I gripped the black iron gates outside of a plot inside the cemetery. There was a white man drinking heavily while driving a 1950’s Chevrolet. He had two of his friends with him. They were drinking heavy.

 

They drive slow down the country dirt road, yelling all sorts of hatred. Hunting down the blacks. It was a sport to them. Like wild game, hunting animals. I see a vision of every black person he killed. Why is God showing me this?

 

“What you must remember Peter, is that water is a conduit to the spirits.

The bridge we were on for a while. I picked the bridge for the Invocation. I knew that there was no water underneath the bridge. Therefore, I deduced that there is no water outside the boundary of this graveyard. That means the spirits who didn’t transcend to Heaven, nor descended to hell, are trapped all around us,” Mammie explained.

 

“Did you awake all of these people in their graves up? Am I going to get hurt because I left the circle?”

 

 

 

I see a storm. I see a whole city underwater. I see people drowning. I see the deaths of hundreds. I feel their pain. I see their lives. It’s too much “Please Stop.”

 

“Oh Peter, Peter, Peter,” Mammie said. Then she patted him on the head, like someone would pet a dog. “I also did a protection spell. You were in the circle when I cast the spell. You’ll be fine.

 

“I’m not really into this,” Fred whispered in Catrina’s ear.

“Oh, come on honey. It will be so fun. I’ll give you the biggest kiss ever if you come out of that cage on wheels. Then, Fred looked around the inside of the huge SUV. There were empty beer cans everywhere. Then he looked at the full red moon.

 

“Well, you gotta come catch me,” she said playfully as she ran into the graveyard. The moon casts a moving shadow as she ran.