Strange Comings

“Here hold this” I handed my now 12 year old daughter- my late momma’s heart shaped locket -as we heard the police checking door to door for all weapons and valuables. This has happened to us many of times over some of us know some of us refuse to face the knowing of that pain. We heard about when the police come and round everyone up something serious was about to happen and ours lives might’ve been taken this night. When they find our bodies they will find my mommas heart shaped locket on my now 12 year old’s body.

We understood our position in world that hated us. In a broken world we dare not fix or even complain about the treatment of us.

Life wasn’t always like this. We lived in one of the nicer apartments on Monster Dr. Town and County. I don’t remember much but that my mother was a strange woman. She’d warn people about what is to come in the coming days and most times if it’s not about inheritance or something good most ppl refuse to listen to momma. Everything she ever said always came true whether it was right then or in the coming days but it always came.

I remember when Spirit first told her that her life was in danger. She was running a little quint medicine shop with very few relatable medications that you would actually be used for something that ailes you like aspirin, cough syrup, and some sort of small pills that helped with ending unwanted pregnancies. Everyone knew my mother for the other medicines that Spirit showed her. No one could duplicate them and they were secret but obvious. Like salt and burned paper, or dried out eggs that was crushed- weird things that I didn’t even know were useful for healing. She knew what was on you ( what ailed you) before you even told her your story. It was amazing to watch her whisper to the ingredients before she even spoke to the person. She always knew- momma always knew! It’s value that people can’t see in KNOWING.

One day this guy came into the store. It had to be right after I got to work from school. I was 9 at the time. I loved going to momma’s shop. This wasn’t unusual for us kids to work beside our parents. The guy had to be about 300lbs 6’5” I kid you not. He had to be one of the tallest men I have ever seen in my life with these here two eyes. Even now, as I sit and write I’m still in awe of a person so tall and big. When the man came into the store I noticed his brows they were bunched up. Like confusion and anger. I looked for momma immediately. I didn’t know what to do and the steam coming from his head I wasn’t dealing with him. I started to scream for momma but she was already watching the man. The man was searching for something and putting things in his pocket. Momma just watched him. When she felt he had his fill she politely told him “ Ok sir, that will be enough!” in the calmest voice that it almost sound like an echo. Like multiples of her was talking to the man. She had an authority she didn’t have to authorize. The man must’ve heard it too. He looked up in almost fear “ what did you say to me?” As if he couldn’t believe what he just heard either. He wanted her to repeat it again so he could really hear what he heard. I just watched. When momma says something once she’s angry when she has to repeat herself. Trust me I know this from experience. “ momma hopped her 5’0” self off that stool and walked towards him without making it look like her foot took a step. I knew then momma was mad. It damn neared scared the man right out of the store. I just watched because that was a huge man. “I SAID SIR. YOU. HAVE. HAD. ENOUGH. AND NOW. YOU. MUST. LEAVE!” Her tone did not change. Her authority to the right to have her things intact did. She had an authority that no man can give. That man started taking her things out of his pockets and proclaiming how sorry he was and he knew he was wrong. He promised that he would give momma a stipend of his check every week until he felt he had made it right by her. He honored his word that man was like clock work with that money and momma blessed him every-time he showed up. We grew to know the man and if you know how strange it was for two unlikely people to be together to be seen together where he was the one serving her every where we went you would understand how strange we looked to our neighbors and to the town as a whole. I enjoyed every moment. Mr. Jim was his name. He was always nice and sweet to me. Always!

One day, when Mr. Jim’s payment was due He came to the store with the biggest smile I have even seen on a man’s face. He seemed eager and more nervous than usual. I don’t think I’ve seen so many teeth in my life. I smile even now just thinking about it. He was looking for momma like momma wasn’t some where close by watching him. As usual momma appeared. He handed momma a box almost as big as my hand. Momma was always the best at receiving gifts. She let out a little yep of happiness to show Mr. Jim that she appreciated his gift. But, something tells me that momma already knew what it was. As she opened the small white box- inside laid a shiny gold heart shaped locket. Looked real expensive. I have never seen something so beautiful. She opened the heart shaped locket and laid inside was a piece of his red curly hair. Momma understood what it meant for a person to trust you with their hair. Knowing full well how dangerous it is to allow a woman like momma to have something like hair- is valuable. Momma loved the thoughts behind the gift. It meant he trusted her with his life. Momma took Mr. Jim’s hand and kissed it. And proceeded to put on the locket. When Mr. Jim died momma took some of the dirt from the grave yard he was buried in and put it inside the heart shaped locket along with the hair and spoke words of a different tongue over the locket. It sat on her altar for 9 days. When momma died from old age I too took her ashes and placed them inside the locket and placed the heart shaped locket on my altar. I guess it’s family tradition now.

My frightened daughter didn’t speak she just immediately placed the locket around her neck and inside her shirt. With tears filling my eyes I told her that if we don’t make it out of this situation that love will always find her and in that love I will be. To not have fear. We will live forever. I kissed her face and we waited.

This has been home for over 40 years and we never even had a murder or even a situation of a father going outside his house to other women homes. This town was quiet and full of love and peace until tonight when we were coming from the theater about 8pm. The police stopped us as we walked home told us that they were looking for two men that raped a young girl in two towns over. These types of stories are only passed down by word of mouth. Where outsiders and the police will come in- kill, rape, and burn the whole township including babies and animals and no one will tell our story and when it does come to light we are to blame for our own deaths.

As I write my name on my last rights and knowing my words will fall upon deaf ears. We did not do anything to deserve to be chopped down like we arent worthy of life. Of happiness. Of Joy. Of living without fear. I don’t know of a day that I lived in complete freedom. Where I didn’t watch the ppl entering the town and our stores. They mostly took. Never paying for anything because they were the Lords of the land. Freedom has always been non existent to people like us. So I write you this from beyond the grave since you couldn’t read my last words since they were burned along with my momma’s heart shaped locket and my now 12 yr old’s body as well as my own and everyone I’ve known in the last 40 years.

Channeled mgs.