Lady Black and the mysterious creature of the night

Chapter 4

The next morning, she was not so surprised to see herself leave her body again. She remembered that she heard the Clerk say that would happen. This was done so to hinder her from causing destruction and it was part of her punishment to make her weaker during the day. Her body lay on the hay once again while she wandered about. By now the place was perfectly clean, in fact the whole building was all cleaned up and tidied. She had spent the entire night fixing up the place.

She began to sense something or rather, a living soul somewhere in the building. She went to have a look around. Although, there was nothing to see her eyes saw perfectly, “Come out. I know you’re there.” There was no response…for now. “Come out or I will grab you by your neck!” Like that, the black kitten strolled out of the hidden. It was camouflaged in the shadow before she called it out. It must have thought it hide well, but oh, no. She was a super being who could see far better than the normal eye. “Why are you here?” she was speaking to the kitten that held a strong eye-contact with her but uttered no word. “Are you going to speak or should I pull that tongue out of you?!”

“Meow…”

“Oh, don’t play dumb with me! Who are you exactly? Who are you working for? Are you spying on me?” but all the kitten did was give her an adorable gaze with its full black rounded pupils. Black was not buying any of that, she started tossing and turning, “Oh, I hate when I speak and people don’t respond.” And the kitten quietly, copied her actions, it followed right behind her.

Soon, she paused upon catching it run close behind her, “Hey, what are you doing? Are you trying to bite me now?” Instead, it went closer and rubbed its little body on to her ankle. “Ugh! What is this? Can somebody come and get their cat? Get away from me! Shoo!”

“Shoo? Now that’s just disrespectful.”

“Ah, there she goes. She can talk after-all.”

With such an attitude, the kitten walked away from her, “And I’m a man, not a she. What have you hidden in there anyway?”

“Hey, you stay away from that room!”

The kitten walked into the room and found Black’s body. It bounced onto the body and started walking around on it. “Just as a I suspected, a body and so my vision was not a lie after all.”

“You get yourself off there!”

Instead, the kitten laid down on the arm, “Comfy, so comfy.”

“Oh, that’s it!” Black raised her hand almost as though about to grab the kitten and the kitten flickered its claws out. Threatening to dig into her skin if she tried. “No, you won’t,” she could not believe it.

The kitten had a feisty attitude to it. Cats are known to be feisty, “How about you try me?”

“Ugh! What are you doing here anyway?”

“Ow, sweetie. I should be asking you that,” it had a slow, calm but confident tone it.

“This is my territory.”

“Did I just hear you say this is ‘your territory’? Don’t make me laugh. Oh, and I love what you’ve done with the place. I think you are more valuable to keep on my side, unlike the other one. Always whining and grumpy. Oh, and a little dumb, I must say.” The kitten laid its head down now to rest, “But I like you, kid. Now, shoo-shoo. Go get me something to eat.”

Quick as a flash, Black summoned strong winds and slammed them against the kitten sending it flying off. It landed on its feet and held a posture like it would pounce on her, but she was fast enough to lift it from the ground with a chock-slam. She did this from the distance, she had her fingers circling a ball of air. She did not have to touch the kitten; all she did was manipulate the wind in the room. “Listen here, I am the queen around here. No. What is today’s word? I am the boss around here and you do whatever I tell you to do. Not the other way round.” The kitten could only dangle its paws and screech from fear. “And show some respect when talking to me. Understood?”

She let go and the kitten fell back down. “Ow, you have not changed one bit.”

“What was that?” she had heard a mutter.

“Nothing.” Now that she had set some boundaries, she began heading out. “Now, take me around town.” She matched out hip-swinging, and the kitten followed right behind her, “I may have a few things to buy.” Knowing very well that she had not a cent in her bag.

Now in the big city, they went in and out of furniture shops looking for the ‘right kind’. She saw many things and was wowed. Now she wanted a car, a sports car. A white sports car. A white Aston Martin One-77. Why she wanted that, apparently, it would look cool on her. To her dismay, this was a new world. She could not just take things as she wanted. She had to pay notes. She had no notes. She was broke.

“God, what does a person have to do around here to be rich?!”

“Get a job. But you don’t seem to have any experience in anything. Well, except killing and thieving.”

“There we go. And who do I have to kill around here to get their billions?”

In a quiet mutter, almost to himself, “Oh, ha-ha. Maybe, just maybe this desperate little one can help us with our common enemy. Oh, but is she strong enough to face him? Meh, we’ll see.” The kitten led Black to a huge mention, “The Gama household.”

“So, this is supposedly the wealthiest man on the planet? Wait here, I’ll be quick as a flash,” she faded and soon appeared standing inside the house, in the living room. There was no-one there. She looked around the room, loved everything she saw. She was a very materialistic lady, that just never changed. “Good taste in the vase,” she moved from one corner to the next marvelling at the furniture. “My—my. Not bad.” Now she went into the passage succumbing to the voices calling on her, there she felt something she could not explain. She heard voices muffed up in some hidden. No, those were not the voices of servants, who could not see her, passing by—it was something even stranger. Drawing closer to the end of the passage, she felt a dark and heavy force come over her. Almost as though, pushing her back.

“What powerful force is this?!” she whispered to herself. She kept pushing forward until finally, she could not go any further. Now, she turned back. She left that house and met up with the kitten outside the gate again. “Who is he?!” she was angry. More angry than shocked. “That is no ordinary man living in that house,” she was yelling at the kitten. By-passers were rather bewildered seeing such a well-presented woman talk to the cat like it could hear anything. Black was the kind to pay no mind to such judging eyes. She always did whatever she wanted. Now, she started chasing the kitten around, “I said who is he, you tiny wench?!”

“Okay, okay! I’ll tell you, stop chasing!”

She stopped and so did the kitten. “I have to catch my breath first,” the kitten was buying some time.

“Are you even a cat?”

“Um, yes. Why? What have you heard?” he began l*****g his paws. “Ayay! Look now, my paws are filthy. Why would you run me into dirt?”

“Shh” she quieted it down. Something had picked her interest. From a distance, on the other side of the street, she saw a man tailing a family. This family—a mother and her two sons—could not see this man but he was right by. “Ow, that. I see that a lot around here. Especially, in the night. They in come in their numbers, each with a target of their own.”

“He wants to take those boys,” said she, her eyes never leaving the family. She was very attentive, curious as to how he would go about it. Soon, she went over there just in time to catch his hand before it could strike one of the kids. She caught it in her palm, “What are you doing?”

His eyes met hers, and he quickly caught a fright. He set himself free from her grip and disappeared. “Where did he go?” the kitten had gotten closer. “Somewhere,” she started matching forward.

“Are we tailing him?”

“Yes.”

“Alright, cool!”

Soon they entered a hospital. Turned a few corners, walked through some doors and finally, they found him. He was in a room with a girl whom sat on her bed, scribbling nonsense on a piece of paper. He sat at her side. When he saw them walk in, he was shocked. He was sure he had lost them, but that right there was no ordinary woman. She had walked the earth for more than a thousand years. She could do things many could not.

Black noticed a resemblance between the man and the girl on the bed. “Is this your daughter?”

“I don’t know who she is?”

“Why are you here then?”

He said nothing.

“Why did you try to harm those boys?”

Nothing.

“You have been tailing them for a while now, haven’t you?”

He was on his feet, his form started fading as if he was getting away again. Black started caressing the little girl’s hair, endearingly. He knew what that meant, “Don’t touch her!” The girl was somewhere around 7-years-old. She looked so peaceful scribbling her nonsense like that. She could not see any of them crowding her in that room, she was only human. “I said get your hands off her!” he sprang from his stand having been separated by the girl’s bed and immediately pounced right by Black. Only, he landed in her grip. She had his throat squeezed. He dangled above the ground and his nails scratching at her hand that held around his neck thriving for a break free. “You think you can fight me? How pathetic!” she let go of him and he tumbled. “And so, you are a parent, but you’re out there wanting to snatch other people’s kids?”

Suddenly, he got up and grabbed onto her arm tight as though he did not want to go, but his form was diminishing—only this time, involuntarily. “Hold me! Hold me tight!”

“What is going on?” the kitten wanted to know, it was hiding under the kid’s bed not wanting to be seen by the kid. Black said calmly to the man, “Meet me at my castle. Look to the moon and call my name thrice. It shall bring you over.” And with that, the man disappeared once again. “What was that?”

“He is out on a time limit, every day. Looks like he ran out of time for today.”

“He’ll be out again, right?”

“Yes. It seems like it.”

“How do you know that?”

“I’m just guessing. Come, let’s go. We have a guest tonight. The castle needs furniture.”

By now she had learned to how to control her visibility. In her soul form she could show herself to the world or hide herself whenever she wanted to. One hard luck though, she could not touch or lift anything in that form. “Hey, I just remembered something.”

“Oh, no. Should I be worried?”

Hearing those words, she paused and looked down at the kitten, “Is there something I should not remember? Who are you by the way? Where do I know you from? You and that girl, of course.”

The kitten started marching forward, “Race you to the castle!”

“No, we are not going to the castle. We’re meeting a friend of mine.”

Soon, they were walking through a gift shop owned by some old man. It was all parked with different kinds of things. “Is there anything they don’t sell around here?”

“As a matter of fact, no. This is Oupa’s Grand Gift Shop. Everything ever existed on the surface of the earth, this is the one place you can find it.” Suddenly, she felt a hand across her cheek. She looked around to see who it may had been caressing her but there was no-one there, she brought her palm on her cheek. It was a weird feeling, same as that when the kitten leapt onto her body earlier on. There’s someone touching me.

“I could’ve sworn, you didn’t know a single person around here.”

She quickly, got destructed by the kitten and by now the tingling caress had stopped, “That’s right, you look at me and you judge me. Old friend, dear old friend!” she went all ecstatic and loud upon seeing the old man appear from the curtain behind his desk.

He laughed with her welcoming her in, “Ow, I cannot believe my eyes. I cannot. I heard you were back for the third time and I was shocked.”

“Honeybee, to be back you first have to be gone and I was never gone. I was simply in hibernation.”

“I wonder what storm you’ll brewing this time.”

“Ow, it’s a surprise. Hey, I may need a loan.”

“A loan. Ow! That’s right, you don’t need no loan.”

She was surprised, she always knew him to be a stingy and greedy old man who gave nothing for free, “Ow, so you’ll help out a friend for absolutely nothing in return?”

There was a pause. A long uncomfortable pause. It was mostly the kitten that felt uncomfortable. Each of the two friends thoroughly thought about Black’s words and suddenly, they burst out laughing knowing very well that there was no possibility of such ever happening. He was still a stingy and greedy old man. From below his table, he pulled out a large sack and threw it on the desk. “Many years ago, as I went on one of my collection journeys, I found this in your hiding place. I knew you would rise again, so I kept it all safe.” He opened the sack to look inside. The kitten leapt on a few furniture to finally reach atop the desk. He wanted see what they saw. Jewellery made of gold, pearls and precious stone, and some exotic sculptures, pots, vases, and paintings. Black was overjoyed by what she saw, she could not believe it, “I am rich! Wait… Am I? These are still pricy on the market, right?”

The old man could only laugh, he started picking out the pieces in the bag. “This is a gold headdress you stole from young king Adom from the Middle Bronze age of a small kingdom in Egypt. These sculptures were designed by Qalisayo Kaguqa—”

“Thee Qalisayo?” the kitten was amazed but the two paid him no mind. The old man could not hear the kitten’s words except for his meows, and Black was only just ignoring him. “This is amazing! She was the most talented artist of our time! Her sculptures cost hundreds of thousands today!”

Now she paid attention, “Say what?”

“Yes! Just a year ago, another one of her sculptures caused commotion in the market. It was in such high demand, that it was then sold for close to a million South African Rands.”

She was beginning to get some ideas about the sculpture she had, a smile flickered across her cheeks. It was more like a mischievous smirk. The old man saw that. “Did your kitten just let you in on the high demand for her sculptures? Well, this is the missing one. Everyone is on a wild goose-chase looking for this. With just this you could turn into an instant millionaire.” He then pulled out the beads, “These were made by chief Nyamande’s brother. He made a good fortune in his time making and selling these beads with his wife and son.”

“Where do I sell this stuff, already?”

“Look no further. I will buy them from you. All of it.”

“All of it?!” the kitten was shocked. “How much money does this man have!” All the old man could hear were screeches from the kitten. He was curious what the kitten was saying. “You know, you could be walking of here with a couple of Millions! We are rich!”

“No. We are not rich, I am rich.”

“Ooh, I’ve always wanted a good bowl of Orijen cat and kitten and thereafter, I would hop on a soft, comfy bed I can call my own. A blue Tasmania Tipi, to be precise. Hint-hint.”

“How much are you giving me for this?”

The old man jotted down the numbers on a piece of paper, and the showed it to her. “I’ll take it. In cash.”

“Of course,” he went behind the curtain and returned with a big bag. Inside the bag were a lot more notes than she had ever seen. “All is in there. I spent the past few years calculating the prices and collecting this money. I must say I have taken 25%—”

“20-what?!”

“Hey, be fair here! If I hadn’t kept this stuff here, someone might have stolen it. Go look at the place you once hid these… There’s whole giant mall there now.”

“Alright, fine. For the sake of our long-standing friendship,” she accepted the bag. “Say hi to your twin brother for me,” she said to him.

“Daughter. He came back as my daughter this time. She’ll taking over the shop soon.”

Black had the kitten pull the trolley with the money-bag as they exited.

By midnight, the warehouse had completely transformed. It was rebuilt and well furnished. It was magnificent, inside out. “Great. Now, what?”

She finally sat on the couch next to the kitten, a cup of tea in her hand, “Now we wait.” But the wait was not long, soon they heard a door-bell. “Go, get the door.”

“I’m a cat.”

She rolled her eyes, “Is anyone useful around here or do I have to do everything myself?” She got up, with her cup and saucer in her hand. She went and opened the door. “You found your way?”

It was the soul of the man from earlier, “I followed the moon, like you said.” She went with him back to the living room. There, she sat back down and when he sat as well, “Did I say you could seat?” and the bounced back to his feet. “Good.” A sip, “So, what brings you here?”

“Asked me to come.”

Suddenly enraged, she jumped to her feet, “I did not ask you here. I ordered you here!” A few breathes and another sip. She sat back down, “Who are you working for?”

“I don’t know his name. I don’t know his face. I have never met him in person. I only heard a voice in my ear telling me to go take those children’s souls if I wanted to keep my daughter safe. At first, I…” the man fell to his knees and began weeping. “I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t. And then, next thing I witness my daughter on a car-crash.”

The kitten had more sympathy than Black, “You poor thing. It must have been tough on you.”

“She is the only child I have, of cause, it was not easy…”

“And then, what happened next?”

Black was rather baffled at the kitten that suddenly took over her job, she sat there and listened to them converse and cry—she would rather that. “That was when I started following the two boys around.”

“So what happens if you take those boys?”

“They become his recruits and they have to recruit too.”

“You mean, soldiers of the dark?”

“Yes. Yes, that is how I was taken too. I was taken in my sleep. I was an ordinary man working 7 hours a day as a science teacher at a local high school.”

“Have you any idea who may have taken you?”

“A friend of mine. He’s there too. In the chamber. Please, you have to help me or the beast will take my girl and have me locked up.

Black saw a dark chocker-like mark around the man’s neck, “What is that?”

“This? It’s a chain he marks his prisoners with. He always knows where I am, what I am doing—”

With such fright, she tossed her cup down, being the first furniture, she broke, “And you’re only saying this now?!” and jumped to her feet. But it was way too late now, the building flooded with a heavy black miasma and soon started twirling in circles grabbing everything and all of them with. It started spitting out furniture, only taking the beings. It was headed outside, swirling heavily.

Black, in her flesh, gathered herself and pushed down to stand on her feet. Now, separated from the miasma, she stood her ground. She had enough balance to summon her powers from her core. It did not take her long to tap into her root chakra gathering her strength and the solar plexus chakra for her awareness and personal power. Now sure enough of herself and all she was capable of, she spread out her arms, Black created her own white miasma. It twirled around her for a while getting bigger and stronger. Finally, she sent it off to fuse with the black one. It spun in the opposite direct to counter and cancel out the turn. And it worked, all the miasma vanished. Quickly, she grabbed the man and coated his neck with a strap of Argenteuil cloth, “This will keep you hidden from him.”

“What was that?!” the kitten screeched after landing on its paws.

“That was obviously him, dummy.”

“Now, that he’s found us. What do we do, do we move?”

“Certainly not. I may need to coat the building and erase his tracks.” She started exiting the room, “You two, I want my house back to shape when I get back.”

She went into her office, there she found her Angel, “Well done. You handled that perfectly well.”

“You?! You’ve been here the whole time? What if we all died or got hurt or trapped somewhere?! Are you even an Angel?!”

“Ow, relax. I knew you would do great. So, now we need to coat the building and erase his traces. So that he never finds way in easily.”

“Yeah, but how do I do that?”

“Come,” he pulled her down to the carpet. There they sat legs crossed and facing each other. He brought his arms to his chest, “I want you to cross your arms and then twist your wrists bringing your palms together. Stay crossed. Just like that.” He was guiding her through it, she copied him and listened. “This means interior. So now, you will slowly push your arms up, let your chin follow them. As soon as they are high up, you will gently pull them apart, just like that. You’re doing great. Now slowly again, start landing your hands—palms first—on the ground. What we just did is the exterior. We made a circle around our house, okay? Now, start pulling—more like dragging—your hands back to your chest joining them like this. At this point, you give thanks. Throughout, the action you were saying a silent prayer accompanying all the movements of the arms. You ready?”

She took a deep breath, closed her eyes and began the ritual. When she was done, she opened her eyes. “So, what do you feel right now.”

“I feel… It’s gone.” Amazed, “It is really gone!”

He got up and helped her too up, “Right. Now, we have to unchain the man’s soul. Come.”

They were with the man in the consultation room. “Whenever dealing with that demon, always join your hands first and call on the most High. Remember; call, ask and give thanks. Then, you will put your hand around his neck gently like so, uncuffing the choker. And then send him off.”

 She brought her palms together, gave a silent prayer, and then gently placed her palm around the man’s neck. A few seconds for the choker to untangle from the ties or his veins. The kitten was concerned, “Don’t you want to say goodbye to your daughter first?”

“I’ve already said my goodbyes.”

Immediately, after the untangling process was done and the chocker went off, the soul diminished. “He’s off to the gate of the afterlife. Well done, Black. What you just did, required a lot of focus, skill and great power. You just freed your first soul. That man was once your saviour, he gave you a hiding place into his home from some bandits that were chasing you high and low. He got killed in your stead in his past life.” She had a flashback and it was true what the Angel said. “Well, I am off now. And I see you have made an acquittance in Mr Black Cat.”

“More like a slave.”

“Hey, if you have a better place to be you can leave!”

“I’m kidding. You know I am.”

The Angel started wandering around marvelling at the building, “I love what you’ve done around here. And I did not think you’d remember Mr Gideon from Oupa’s Grand Gift Shop.”

She went and confirmed that the man’s child had a home to go back to. Black found that she had a dotting and financially stable mother. She was headed back to her castle now as the night was coming to an end and she would deform any time soon. Quick as a flash, a black figure whizzed past her eyes, “What was that?” She tried following it, bounce from rooftop to another just like it did, but her body was becoming heavier sliding off her. She reprimanded herself and teleported back to her castle, in an instant.