A cup of tea with Death

*The cabin in the woods had been abandoned for years, but one night, a candle burned in the window*

Hunh, that was a weird thing to be engraved on a tree in a creepy forest at night……..it was late July and with those words, it was as if a January frost had crept its way into my blood.

But I had to keep going, I used to come out here with my family as a kid and I knew there was a house by the huge lake up here. Everybody called it good time lake due to the intensive summer-long partying that it saw, but its actual name is Los Bados Lake.

It was odd, I knew we had spent time up here but I couldn’t remember ever actually going into the lake house. I DID, however, know that it had a phone and that it was furnished and would be a great place to wait on a tow truck.

As I trudged along, I heard the bonfire party before I saw it and made my way towards it.

It turns out that even in the middle of some creepy woods; a real party was exactly what I needed!

The group was all friendly and the guy with glasses - Billy - was really funny & super cute. Maybe this was my lucky night after all. Once I got to a phone, I was gonna see if he wanted to go for coffee.

As we all sat around the fire, laughing and talking over smores and cider or beer, it felt like a million worries came off of my shoulders…I was about to tell one of my favorite campfire tales when I saw a light come on in the cabin window…I was so relieved!

An older gentleman in casual dress clothes walked out onto the porch and I excused myself to ask if I could use his phone.

As I walked up to the cabin I could hear Billy spinning a yarn about the Kahbere, a deeply malicious spirit who wanders these very woods and traps lost souls inside of itself, it can mimic any appearance but is often seen as a black shrouded figure with a plague doctor mask and glowing green eyes, it is said to feed upon the souls that it takes but nobody knows that those souls are trapped endlessly within the Kahbere.

I shivered & thought to myself- wow that Billy can really spin a spine-tingler!! Which is unbelievably sexy!

“Hello! Um, sir ... could I use your phone, perhaps?? My car broke down on the highway and I need to call a tow truck but my cell phone has no reception.” I pulled out my silvery phone with its string of phone charms and waived it as a gesture of goodwill.

The sleeve of my black belled crop top fluttered aimlessly with the gesture, I really was regretting my aesthetic choices at the moment. My wide-brimmed hat, skater skirt, lace-up ankle boots, belly piercing, nail polish, and lipstick were all a matching shade of black offset only by my silvery stockings and ombre emerald green hair …it was too dark to see my brown eyes.

I knew that I was not someone who was going to get an invite to tea out in the country. I did not radiate the impression of normalcy that I needed to at the moment. But I soldiered on, I needed to call that truck!

“No Phone in the cabin young miss, one of those young people would have a phone would they not?” The gentleman didn’t look hostile, just patient. I found it odd that he kept his hair on the longish side. The light yellow tresses went past his upper arms blending in with his white shirt. He was handsome, quite tall but slender-built.

“Oh no, I need to get back on the road tonight! I have to work in the morning” I walked up to his porch, my boot heels catching on the gravel leading up to the cabin. Up close in the light, he looked to be in his early forties…not as old as I had thought.

“Hmm well, why don’t you come in for a cup of hot tea and we can figure out how to get you to where you are going” He smiled and his teeth were blindingly white.

I had great teeth but his were amazing! Blue eyes, great teeth, gorgeous hair….what on earth was he doing out here, and would he be willing to go on a date with my Mom. She had been single for the 5 years since Dad had left to find himself when I was 13.

“Oh wow! Yes, I would really appreciate that! By the way, my name is Amy Mitchell… and you are?” This guy was amazingly nice I thought as he headed inside, his shoulders broad enough that I was worried about the doorframe. The inside of the cabin was rustic looking and there was a cast-iron teapot steaming on the oaken dining table with weathered teacups surrounding it. It was a pretty place, even had a fire going in the fireplace……I felt an enormous sense of peace here.

“You can call me AZ, or if you prefer Mr. Du Mort” He smiled as he pour 2 cups of tea “Sugar?”

“Yes Please!” It smelled wonderful in here; some hints of cedar and sandalwood combined with the fire and oaky smells and finished off with the floral smell from the tea. I was so happy….it was going to be a great night; I was actually starting to think that my car breaking down was divine timing!

As Mr. Du Mort dropped 2 cubes of sugar into my cup-how did he know? - I was surprised at how sparkly the sugar was and that it seemed to give off a faint blue glow when it mixed with the steamy liquid in the cup that he handed me “ My goodness what kind of tea is this….I’ve never seen tea that turns blue with sugar?”

“It has blue cornflower in it that is what gives it the blue coloration.” His voice was quite soothing and I felt myself start to drift a little as he spoke “What brings you out this way at this time of night?”

I snapped my attention back to my host “I was at a party with some friends and we ran later than we were intending to. But it was a lot of fun so I can’t complain”

“Costume party?” He looked bemused

“A Coven party” I worried my lower lip and cast my eyes downward…I was really hoping he wouldn’t judge

“Ahh that would explain the jewelry & the outfit” He pointed at my crescent moon & moonstone pendant and ring and crystal point earrings with his nose “You know your outfit would be offset nicely with green eyes.”

I was taken aback, I hadn’t expected him to take an interest let alone offer fashion advice.”My contacts are coming in next week.” I sipped some more of the tea and let it lull me into a sleepy relaxation…heck, I might just blow off work and get some sleep out here. I also wanted the recipe for this tea!

That was until I looked up at Mr. Du Mort as he poked the fire and watched as his face faded to that of a skeleton, then to a glowing blue orb, then to some kind of bat-winged creature, then it blurred to a sugar skull mask…..I looked at my tea, looked at him, and bolted out of that cabin in a shot.

I heard him call after me in a worried tone but I wasn’t going to be drugged and sold into human slavery or goddess knows what else. Not to mention it was a terrifying sight to see.

My adrenalin was pumping hard and so I ran blindly through the trees with only patches of starlight to guide my steps.

I tripped a few times but managed to recover my footing quickly and keep going.

Every time I stopped to catch my breath, I could hear that man coming after me, and so I ran faster and faster, I saw and felt dark shapes moving through the trees around me. I was petrified of both Mr. Du Mort and of whatever was in these woods.

Every time I chanced a look behind me to see if I had put some good distance between myself and Du Mort, it seemed as though he was directly on my heels. It was a horrifying sensation.

He seemed to flow from one horrific shape to the next while pursuing me…at one point he looked like nothing more than a black cloud.

I kept running even as the forest tore at my clothes and hair, my hat was torn off of me by a low-hanging branch and my stockings were getting shredded, but I ran harder.

If I kept this up I would have a heart attack, and with that thought, my foot caught on a root and I went over the side of an embankment to roll down its side and land smack on my back at the bottom. That was going to leave a mark!

As I lay there gingerly in the mud trying to see if I had truly hurt myself or if I was just in pain, Du Mort’s head poked over the side and he called” Are you all right Amy??” He looked worried.

I was worried too, I should have cracked my neck in the fall….I should have a broken bone or two…there should be blood, that embankment was too steep….and no one is that lucky. Then I looked around and listened to the forest…and I realized that I didn’t hear anything….no water, no crickets, no nothing. No forest is completely silent. I hadn’t even heard the bonfire crackle……what was going on.

I also realized that I wasn't breathing. The only time my senses had come alive were in the cabin…that is it.

“I should be in an enormous amount of pain, I should be bleeding. What’s going on?”

“You’re a smart girl, you can work it out…you're almost there now. Now take my hand and I will pull you up” he called down to me.” which was strange as the embankment was far too steep for that…but when I raised my hand I seemed to float up to Az.

He clasped my hand and pulled me onto the top of the hill, while I sat and brushed myself off. And as I brushed off with nary a muddy patch to be found on my clothes……I knew , I knew what I had refused to accept….I was dead and Du Mort was here to take me to the other side. I just wasn’t sure what I was going to do about it.

"Wow, you know you really don’t look very scary now……not like you did...when you were chasing me." I looked down a little abashed at my reaction to Azrael.

I smiled internally- I should have known that a tall handsome man named Az Du Mort was probably not your average run-of-the-mill vacationer at a lake house.

He was actually a nice guy for being the Angel of death; the name was the tip-off.

"I was trying to keep you from falling into the multiple traps that various entities have set around this lake to catch souls such as yours. They have varying degrees of unfortunate fates. I have lost quite a few souls to them over my time here, and I feel for them…..but there isn’t much that can be done once they fall into one of the traps. Nature will eventually win out and they will all go to judgment, but I would prefer that their time here be as comfortable as possible" Az looked at the ground, his long lashes conveying the sadness that echoed in his deep voice

"As to my appearance, it is natural for the presence of death to be terrifying to those that are of the living…even more so for the recently deceased…..once you accepted your state of being, my true form became visible to you….when you cross over to judgment you will be able to see me in my natural form." He smiled; it was tinged with a small amount of sadness around his sapphire blue eyes.

Looking into his eyes, I began to feel the forest fade away around me…in the corners of my vision, I thought that I saw some of the shapes that I had only felt as a flicker before. Dangerous shadows danced just outside of the candlelight.

Wait, candlelight….that was how this all started…I had seen a candle lit in the window of that old lake house….. I stepped back and realized that Az was glowing.

"The candle…..why…..how…you’re...” I was at a loss for words

"Yes Amy, the "candle" that you saw was indeed me. It is how I attempt to guide lost souls to the lake house and on to judgment. The candle is a type of beacon….a lighthouse if you will." His glow was getting brighter, and the shadows moved further out of its radius

"So when I saw the candle in the window…….I was…" I chewed my lower lip

"Yes Amy, you were already here in limbo. But your mind was still disoriented. "

I looked at the shadows and a strange thought flickered through my mind and made its way past my lips "who are they…..what are they?"

"An assortment of mystical creatures, some drawn here by the lake …some drawn here by others that are here, some were once lost souls themselves….they just never made it where they belong and then were too afraid of what came next to move on. Fear is a good motivator for resourcefulness. “ Az frowned

“But I’m not ready yet! I don’t want to die.” I quavered…I didn’t want to start blubbering but damn it I was scared!

“You are more than ready Amy. We had an appointment at this exact time and I never miss an appointment, you have lived the life that you needed - the life you chose. Your far more ready than you were when you came here before.” he cocked his head as if listening to some sound that I couldn’t hear

“But I don’t want to go. And wait, that’s why this place is so familiar...when, was I here?” I began to survey my surroundings again.

“You drowned once as a little girl and found your way here. You were so afraid, it took a long time before you could move past your fear...a part of you never did.” it looked as though Du mort had not been a fan of that time

“We live more than once?” This was big news indeed

“Yes, your soul lives as many times as it needs to and experiences as much as it needs to” Du Mort was sensing where this was headed

“To what end?” I was going to go back and tell my coven all about this

“Now that’s cheating Amy” Du Mort admonished me

“Wait, all of the people at the bonfire…the nice redhead with the smores, and Billy and Bert and Jack and Brenda……..They are all dead, aren’t they? Do they even know?” I felt terrible for them.

“Not yet, but they will. Los Bados Lake is a spot in your world that borders the other planes. It is a special spot, a nexus if you will. Souls come here while they experience the disorientation that is common upon death. Those dear souls have been at that bonfire a long time, they have seen many souls like yours come, tell their campfire tale, and leave on to judgment through the gateway that is in that cabin. Telling their tale of how the spirit died, their favorite campfire tale, helps them to realize that they are dead and how they came to be here in the first place. Once this happens, they are able to come to terms with & accept what has happened to them and move on to where they are supposed to be.” Du Mort’s patience was endless

“Do you always look like this?” I asked shyly

“No, sometimes I have wings, sometimes I’m a skeleton, and sometimes an old man rowing a boat....I appear in your thoughts as the most comforting image for you.

You saw flashes of my other visages when you drank the tea. I apologize for scaring you… I put a drop of my essence in it to keep you safe until you reached judgment.”

“I appreciate that…..But I'm a Wiccan, shouldn’t you be a maiden with flowers in your hair?”

“You are attached to the myth of angels, so this is how I look to you. My appearance is for those whom I guide's benefit... It is to help them cross over….

But you are right, I stand corrected, you still have a matter to finish.” He laughed a bit….it was a deep baritone laugh and then his face went still.

Du Mort’s gaze drifted to beyond my shoulder and I realized there was a sinister green glow backlighting me, I turned in horror to find the Kahbere at my back. It was supposed to be a myth!

I wanted to cry and scream but nothing would come out, I stood paralyzed with dread, cold sweat dripping down my spine and my heart turning to ice in my chest.

It came closer, drifting like a black cloud through the night….green light coming from where its eyes should have been. I saw all of the souls glowing beneath its darkness, this was one of the fates that Az had spoken of earlier, and I didn’t want to be one of those souls trapped in that thing. My adrenalin-soaked run through the forest was nothing compared to this.

I couldn’t run, so I just stared at the thing ….I hated how helpless I felt.

But the closer I really looked at the Kahbere, the more confused that I got…..it was the oddest sensation.....the creature felt lonely and really sad and afraid.

I walked to it and it grew more menacing at my approach... then it flinched away. I really looked at it and a plague doctor mask formed out of the darkness where its face should have been…......I reached up for that mask and it tried to pull further away, turning its head away from me.

Du mort stood by; completely unafraid...he just smiled as I faced down what had been such a frightening creature just moments ago.

As I removed its mask, the Kahbere seemed to collapse in on itself, the souls inside reducing to flickering lights. It shrunk down until the top of its head was level with my stomach. I knelt down to it on impulse and peered deeper into its burning green eye lights and then its memories washed over me like waves. Images, feelings, sensations....it was terrifying and lonely. It had been here a long time and it took souls because it was lonely and it wanted friends to keep it company. It had been hurting for a really long time.

I saw it go to its family and felt its despair as no one could see or hear it. I saw it wander these woods with all manner of creatures, I saw it run from both Du Mort and Ed the caretaker and I saw the souls that it kept.

When I came back to myself I was kneeling in front of a little blonde girl- maybe 6 or 7 years old in her long frilly cream & pink nightgown.

She had huge green eyes and she looked as though she would cry soon.

The spirit lights swirled around her. She was so scared. And I realized "You drowned didn't you"

"I didn't mean to! I wanted to play by the creek, I couldn't sleep. I just wanted to watch the water. I got sleepy and I fell in. It was so cold and I ...I couldn't move. Nobody could see me when I went home. I thought Mama would be mad, but she just cried and cried and couldn't hear me no matter how loud I yelled. And then I was in the forest and there were scary monsters and so I hid. I found some friends...but they didn't want to stay so I made them stay. I want to go home, I want mama. Will you take me home?"

Tears ran down my cheeks as I remembered that cold night, and my 6 yr old flawed judgment.

"I'm so sorry, I never meant to leave you all alone....let's go home, Rebekah"

And with that, we embraced and I felt that scared little girl and I meld into one being.

The spirit lights flew free and joined the bonfire group.

"She was me all along, how did you know?" I looked up at Du Mort

“How could I not know? When there are things that a soul is unable to bear in their life....sometimes a piece will shatter off and be left at the site of the trauma. Rebekah was your missing piece." He smiled down at me fondly

"One of those souls was my - I mean Rebekah's mother. They didn't even recognize each other...she is hurting too! Why couldn't she see who the Kahbere was?" I felt so sad for her and for Rebekah...so many years together and none of them good.

"Because she was lost in her own bitterness and grief...in the life that she lost Rebekah, she became consumed by that loss and couldn't see anything else. That hasn't gone away for her." Du Mort stared at the bonfire in the distance with an agitated expression...…we had run rather far.

"I know I'm asking a lot....but could we wait for her here....so I can tell her that I'm ok?" I was desperately hoping that he would say yes.

"Sure, I have all of the time in the world Bekah" he smiled down at me and in his eyes, I saw my reflection… and I had a set of eyes that were a brilliant emerald green.