What is that Smell………Where Am I?

I couldn’t see anything, but I could smell everything. It smelled like must, mothballs, tea and garbage all at once and something else I barely recognized because it is new to me, a swampy smell. Where was I? How did I end up here? Slowly my sight began to clear, it was dark but my eyes were adjusting quickly now. I was laying on an old, hard, wooden floor on my side, as I try to move I realize that my hands are tied behind my back and my feet are tied at the ankles. Strangely, though, I have a pillow under my head and I am covered with a worn blanket. What in the hell happened to me? Have I been kidnapped? I cannot remember anything. I have no idea what day it is much less what time it is. Is it dark outside? Light? I can’t see out the windows they are all thickly covered in old newspapers and the doors have no cracks around the edges.

As I look around, I can tell I am in a small cabin, still not sure where though. Against one of the walls there is a small velvet green vintage couch with springs poking out of the cushions and stains all over it. It looks like it could have been pretty once upon a time. There is a wooden rocking chair that is all scratched up and the paint is chipped, it has seen plenty of use, I wonder what for? In the distance I can see a small round coffee table and on it set an antique tea set. It is an ivory color adorned with small red rosebuds and gold trim, the cups are so dainty and the saucers have little gold spoons propped on them. What a stark contrast of beauty in these ugly surroundings. There is steam rising from the kettle so the tea has to be fresh, but who made it and where are they?

All of a Sudden I can hear creaking. It sounds like it could be footsteps, but I’m sure, you would think I would be able to feel vibrations if it were footsteps. There are a lot of strange noises and they sound like they are coming from everywhere and nowhere all at the same time. As I listen more carefully I can start to make out all of the different sounds: crickets chirping, frogs croaking, and wait, is that water lapping? It is water lapping, I am somewhere near or on water, I swamp I would guess since I smelled that earlier.

Then the vibrations come now, closer and closer. What is going to happen? Do I lie still or do I try to move away? Do I speak or do I stay silent? Next thing I know, feet are right in front of my face. I try to look up but something about the positioning of my head won’t allow it. Then I hear his voice, it is a Cajun voice and I can barely understand what he is saying because the accent is so thick. “Mais, Ga de don, you done finally opened up dem beautiful brown eyes of yours hu sha? It be ‘bout time yeah!” What is he saying? Am I supposed to know what all that means? I reply as best I as can, given the circumstances, “Um, yeah, my eyes are open. What am I doing here, where is here, and what do you want with me?” I asked. “Sha, don’t you ‘member?” As he asked that, memories start coming back in rapid flashes. I was in New Orleans for vacation and it was Mardi Gras Season and I didn’t come alone. I had come with my boyfriend, Johnny. Oh my God, where is Johnny? Is he still alive? Is he somewhere in this cabin with me?

“Is there some way you could maybe untie me and let me sit up, please? This position is starting to become very uncomfortable.” I asked. The voice leaned down, his face turned away from me, and untied my ankles. Finally, I could move somewhat but tingles began running through my feet as they were waking up and pain soon ensued. It felt good somewhat, at least now I had some movement. “Der you go sha, dat will be better.” As I sit up I ask the question, “ so, I had come to New Orleans with someone else, my boyfriend, Johnny. Where is he?” “Oh sha, I’m sorry to tell you dis but he didn’t make it, not really.” What? My voice echoed in my mind, what happened? I started wracking my brain….what happened, how did I get to this point…….where was Johnny?

Then the pictures began forming. Johnny and I had decided at the last minute that we needed a trip, just to get away. We had once discussed that neither of us had been to New Orleans before and we knew it was Mardi Gras season so we said, what the heck lets go and we hopped on a plane last minute.

New Orleans was crazy from the start, but glorious. The airport was decorated to the nines in Purple, green and gold decorations. There were beads everywhere, in every color shape and size you could think of. They even had a Jazz player playing the Saxophone in the middle of crowds. We grabbed an Uber and headed off to our VRBO, the streets were teaming with people of all types, most drunk, just dancing in the streets and enjoying the heck out of themselves. We couldn’t wait to join in the fun so as soon as we checked in to our condo and put our stuff down, we were heading out of the door to join in the fun and celebrations.

We were having so much fun, doing new things and meeting all kinds of new people. I remember, we met this one woman, Marie, she proclaimed to be a voodoo queen and practiced in the arts. She said that if we wanted she could tell us our future using tarot cards. Johnny and looked at each other and at the same time shrugged our shoulders, why not. As we sat down in her little booth, she got up and fixed us each a drink. The drinks were green, with what looked like steam or vapor rising from the top and little voodoo dolls as adornment. “Please, enjoy, these are a part of the package and will help you get into the Mardi Gras Spirit.”

That is when things started to fade. I can get bits and pieces here and there, but never the whole picture. I remember being in a boat, a pirogue, I heard Marie call it. There was a man and a woman talking but the conversations were quieted and I couldn’t understand much of what was being said. I know we were in a body of water, but never which one or where we were. Then I remember a loud splash, I didn’t think much of it at the time because I was in a state on confusion and couldn’t put thoughts together. Then, I stopped hearing the woman’s voice, only the man’s, talking to himself. Johnny must be knocked out, I thought, because I never heard his voice at all and I knew he would be trying to calm me down if he could. I started to worry, but then I must have passed out again because the next thing I remember is waking up in the cabin.

I was jolted back to the present when the man started talking again. “I’m gonna fix us some tea sha, how’d you like yours? Oh wait, I ‘member sha, two sugars with a splash of milk. Right?” My head shot up, but all I could see was the back of the man’s head moving around pouring and fixing tea. How did he know how I liked my tea? I must have mentioned it when I was out of it. “Yeah, that sounds good,” I replied. “Hey, what did you say happened to my boyfriend again?” I asked. The man completely ignored the question and responded with, “Ok, I’m gonna cut your arms loose, so you can drink your tea, but you better not pull any of dat funny business.”

As the man starts to turn around, tea cup in one hand and a knife in the other. I realize that he looks familiar, but he is not completely facing me yet so I can’t quite make out his features. Trying to ease the awkwardness I ask, “What happened to Marie? I remember hearing her voice when we were in the boat, but I haven’t heard it since.” “Ah, dat Marie, her got a big mout’ yeah, I found something with a bigger one dough……..Hahahaha……..fed her to one of dem dere gator’s, no mo talking for Marie!” Shock surged through my body, if he could do that to someone he knew, how far would he go with me? What am I in for? “C’mon sha, I can smell dat fear oozing from your pores. You don’t have to fear moi, I loves you, you gonna be wit’ me forever!” Just then the man finally turns all the way around and faces me……..

”Johnny!?”