Entrusted

By now most of the townspeople in our neighborhood have seen the strange figure in some form or other. Auggie, herself , has run away from it a few times.

But it always finds her.  

It wants her. 

Why her? 

Her keen intuition is on red alert.  The figure is close…. 

Too f-in close…

“This right here…” Auggie complains, shaking her index finger back and forth for emphasis, “going out in a pitch black area on a Friday night…very bad idea right now.  It’s still out there. Any of us could be it’s next meal !” 

But the group of teens ignore her warning, continuing to make their way down the trail. She knows the boys are just looking for any trouble they can get into. The girls are just there for the boys.

But Auggie can feel someone’s eyes on the back of her neck, craving her wraith cadet’s blood.  She wonders why Darlene doesn’t feel it too. After all, she took the blood oath a year before her. 

But Darlene just laughs, raising her voice enough for everyone around to hear , “Oh so you’re worried about that ole black Bagman that people keep raving about on the news? You know that’s gotta be just an urban legend.”

“Too bad it isn’t,“ Auggie thinks to herself.

She smells the liquor on Darlene’s breath and turns her head away, quite revolted.

“ Um, I don’t feel well. can we go home?” 

“Are you friggin kidding me ? Darlene’s voice is shrill at first, then changes to a drunken sing-song, “ Well I don’t know about you, but I’mmm not gonnnna leave now and miss the party at Peckerwood’s house. It’ll be a blastttt. But hey, you do what you want, Eastwood.” 

Her eyes squint at Auggie, a befuddled expression crossing her face. Her hand trembles. She staggers a few steps back before regaining her balance. Her sky blue eyes twinkle under the moonlight, each of the orbs surrounded by a red-white cornea. She  smoked a bit of kush before they even got there. 

Auggie looks at Darlene and groans. 

“God, why didn’t I just stay home this time?” 

A frown creeps back onto her face and remains there like it plans to take up residence there for good.

Sometimes she truly felt like a gosh darn babysitter.  Why couldn’t Darlene at least respect the oath they’d taken? They were responsible for balancing the scales of Karma, for crying out loud. That was important! Not partying and acting a fool like this. Darlene was slacking on the job, focusing on what pleased her instead. Why don’t the mentors intervene? She thinks to herself.

“Why didn’t I move back to Mississippi with dad when I had the chance,”she says aloud, her regret clearly evident in the tone of her voice.

But Cleveland was her home. And she could never leave her younger brother, Heath. He still needed to grow into his powers, to take the wraiths’ blood oath, or to walk away from it altogether. He was 11. At twelve, the wraith masters would come for him and he would have to make the choice.

Never trifle with nature, and never do anything for self-gain, the wraith masters had told her during her own training. This lingered in her mind now. Up til June, she’d never had a real problem with that. Why hadn’t she listened better to all they’d taught her? 

That fateful night by the river she’d summoned a being to do her bidding , one that would take her revenge, against her own good common sense and now she was sure this was her fault. All because she wanted to make Sarah pay.  And she had succeeded. now Sarah and Mike were split up just like she wanted. Sarah was no longer popular. She was like a leper to everyone at school now. 

But at what cost? She knew now that the wraith masters knew what they were talking about. This thing was out of control and it would kill everyone including her if it wasn’t stopped. 

Her own powers were growing without a doubt. Maybe she could stop it before it hurt anyone else. And maybe-just maybe-that was why it followed her everywhere. It knew that since she brought it into this world she could also take it out. 

But how?

Gotta get away from here, Auggie says out loud before she realizes it. The drunken minds around her were interfering with her thinking. She had to focus on a plan. 

She turns around and starts trudging back toward the road. She’d figure out what to do once she got far enough away from the buzz of her friend’s thoughts.



By that time, though, her fear that she may not even be able to stop this creation of hers has crept into her mind. The wraiths had taught her many useful things including never to give things like that direct attention. She released the image of herself so helpless from her mind, shrugged her shoulders,  and thrust both hands forward as if pushing something away hard. 

Then she decided to focus on where she planned to send the terrible menace once she could entice it there. “Into the void you’ll go, you murderous beast, “ Auggie said in her mind, focusing intently .

Maybe she should add fire in her mental image as well, just to be sure. 

But it was becoming harder for her not to look back with pleasure at the memories of how she created it. How could she not feel pride in her accomplishment? It proved her skill. Her might. Her very worth. But focusing on the wrong thing could be deadly now or make the creature harder to kill. A wraith’s thoughts were very potent after all. 

She looks up to see that IT is near the edge of the road about 20 feet ahead with it’s eyes staring at her. The figure is now black as a raven’s feather. Floating above the ground near the edge of the woods where trees and grass grew, it finally lands softly, not yet moving any closer. She thanked Source that her mental barrier was keeping it at bay. 

What did it want from her? She sensed it needed something from her. There was more to this than met the eye. She just could feel it now. the air rose around her trying to whisper secrets to her that she couldn’t quite comprehend. 

And now what would happen to the others, she thought, if she couldn’t keep it away from them? What about Darlene? She had to end this quickly or scare the others enough that they’d go home then she could deal with it later. 

But then it happened. The moment she’d dreaded. The thing came charging at her. It shot toward her like a bullet discharged from the end of a 12-gauge shotgun. Once in front of her face, it levitated there. Laughed at her menacingly. But then she remembered the words the wraith masters taught her for this kind of situation. 

“Crea te beh. Obzolee. Crea te beh Mozalai. Phar te mea oblenah.”

She chanted the incantation over and over. The creature, stunned, begins writhing in pain. She continues, knowing she must keep up the chant awhile longer. She Must truly end this beast for the sake of all. 

The figure collapses in a heap to the ground a few feet ahead of where she’s now standing. Running over to make sure it’s dead, though, she’s shocked to find that it’s already beginning to transform, first the face, and then the rest of its body. Strange—The figure is someone she knows… none other than her mentor, Sari Keith. 

“You’ve gotta be kidding me!!” It’s been you the whole time? I could have killed you you know… I was about to send you to a hellish void!!” 

“I’d expect no less, “ Sari chuckled back at her, not really caring she was pissed off at his tricks.” Maybe this will teach you to respect the rules, though. We had to make sure you could be trusted before allowing you to take on the real issues of dealing out Karma. Looks like you need a short leash for now, dear child.”  

“But what about the people who died? Was that you then? 

“ Just a mental illusion we elders played on you, my dear.  You only thought that happened. Why else do you think none of your friends were worried? To them the old black bagman was just an urban legend. In your mind, we made it real. It was pure magic. Pure genius. I don’t mind bragging on my best work sometimes. “ Sari chuckled. 

A little ashamed, Auggie drops her head. But then is reminded of Darlene.  

“You’re always on my case, but what about Dee? She’s the one you all need to grab the reins and say woah to! She doesn’t even care anymore.

I gotta go back and make sure she’s ok. See ya, Sari. I gotta do your job for you looks like.” 

“Well, you make a great point Aug. It’s just that you don’t know this one thing. Darlene is fine. She’s just a test for you. Someone to help you grow into your future self, become the kind of compassionate wraith we will need in the future. The world is going to hell in a hand-basket you know. There’s no other way to change this than for karma wraiths to learn empathy. But I think when you return, you’ll find Darlene to be an improved version of her self. I’ll grant you that wish for your own good karma of having been so patient.” 

A smile spreads across Auggie’s face as she walks back to find her friend. Dealing out her share of future karma will be in her hands soon once the masters deem her ready. And she’ll be able to deal it out more correctly and compassionately after all this.