Clo greeted me with a cup of Peppermint tea, my favorite. The windows are all wide open as usual, the curtains shift back and forth with the current, the house is dark and cold. Clo is close to ninety but she moves faster than I can, I have RA and am slow as a turtle by evening. I followed Clo to the back porch. She tends garden better than I do, many plants are still flowering. I see petunias in hanging baskets with huge flowers, she must use miracle grow alot. “I’m so happy you made it, Dollie, I made a very special dish, burritos. Mind you they are vegan.” “Oh, vegan?” I asked surprised. “Yes dear, I’m a vegan. I do not touch animal meat. Trust me you will love them. I made them with white beans and brown rice and big chunks of avocados. I fried them in coconut oil and we can add salsa on the side.” My stomach was growling, it sounded delicious. I love mexican food. My new friend was hispanic as am I, but “It sounds delish Clo,” I told her. I sat at the cute retro patio set. Bright blue, yellow, green, only three chairs, not many visitors, I am sad for her. I cut into the burrito. “This is outstanding! Clo! Vegan? Really?,” I shared heartily. “Oh, I wrote your poem up like you asked. Clo, let me ask you, how did you come to write such an interesting poem? “Oh! Well, Dear...it’s my story,” the old woman said casually. I chewed my food slower. “I have so many stories, Dollie, I want to share them with the world.” I remember the chilling poem, "I am a demon", I posted for her a couple of days earlier. “Clo, I don’t understand.” “It’s very simple, Dear, I will share my lives with you and you can write them up like your lovely childrens stories,” Clo said between bites. “Lives?” I tried to ask casually, my deformed left ventricle was palpitating. Clo was kidding and I fell for it. “You’re joking with me right?” I said nervously smiling at her. “No, Dollie, this is not a joke. I’m old, I want someone to know the truth before I leave again.” “Again!?! Like you died before this life!?! When did you die!?!” “Which time would you like to hear about?” she asked matter-of-fact. "The Spanish War, or... maybe the ‘possessed’ child story, that happened around the Civil War.”
My face was tingling and my ears began to ring, she noticed and eyed me curiously. “Oh dear, Dollie, blow all that nasty air out of you lungs.” I was hyperventilating. I exhaled slowly and inhaled slowly, she was watching me close like a cat watches their prey. “No I think too extreme for your first story. Oh I know, I have a lovely tale about my time in Louisiana. Is your tape recorder on?” Clo asked me. “I, yes,” I told her and started the tape. I decided to humor the old lady, just like she said, she just wants to tell her story. "My mother was brought over to Louisiana territory just after tea was introduced to the American Colonies, that was 1721. Lena was French, very beautiful, a former prostitute. She and others were promised a husband, freedom and land by the King of France. My father, Didier Michel, was a french indentured servant, he acquired his freedom later. I was born 1722. We had a small farm fifteen miles up the Mississippi from Nouvelle Orleans , my mother's dowry from the King. We had a wonderful life, me and my sister Cecelia.
"My family knew I was different but they loved me the same as my sister. We farmed the land and raised chickens, pigs, goats. Everything was good for us for many years, till the French and Indian War, another Hundred Years war, as if the first one wasn't fun enough.
While Clo told her story her eyes looked up and around like she was watching, once more, the people she spoke of in the story. "I met my husband when I was almost twenty, he was the son of an indentured servant as well, a blacksmith. I sure did love that man, he did not mind my eccentricities. We married, never had children, I am barren, being a demon sucks. My husband and I live in New Orleans, he was a smithy, they were in great demand in the shipyard. My husband had much work, he was well appreciated by all. "My sister, Cecelia had two children, she and her husband a master weaver lived just north New Orleans, up the Mississippi. Once a month, Big Henri brought his fabrics in a boat down river, picked my parents up and floated into town to sell their wares, mother made the best cheese, fresh Parmesan, so good, mother was very popular in town. Clo paused in her story. I thought she was about to tear up, I put my hand on her arm, "Cecelia returned home when her husband Big Henri was killed by 'riff raff'. "At one time we were told the British aligned with some Native Americans to drive out the French, later we were told Natives had aligned with the French against the British. The land to the east of the Mississippi became British Provinces, The people of Nouvelle Orleans had dealt with 'riff raff' for much time, we were handed over to the Spanish. The real quarrels began when the Governor and the Commissioner publicly accused each other of corruption, one man was recalled back to France and imprisoned. Politicians, I tell you, they never change. "That was the day my world was turned upside down, Gus was killed in the shipyards, I thought by a Madman who wanted his tools, that is what I was told. I ran and reached him in time for one last kiss, his last words were, “I Love you Clo, RUN!.” "I had no idea what he meant, I was sobbing so hard. I felt a hand grab my hair and yank me away from Gus. One man was yelling, 'witch'. A chorus yelled 'burn her'! I wasted no time, my voice rose out of my chest, I forgot myself. I called out God's name in my demon voice, I pushed at the air around me with my hands,. The four men who stood in front of me were raised off their feet and thrown twenty feet, they lay dead. The crowd gasped. I used this time to flee. "I ran till I reached my mother's home. I found my sister and father lay motionless in the doorway of an inferno which at one time was out lovely home. Soldiers had come because of me, my sister and father had been killed because of me. I could not find mother and the children, I ran around the fire all crazy, yelling for them. Little Henri saw me, he and Agnes and Mother came out of the woods. Mother said it was an accident. She knew my anger. I highly doubt it was an accident to this day. We packed what we could and made our way west, to the home of friends. We hid in the day and walked at night through the piney forest. We ate roots for sustenance.
"One day, halfway through our walk, I felt hot air on my back. I looked behind us many times but saw nothing. I told mother my feelings, that we were being watched. She knew I was right. We saw a small house in the distance, we began to run. I looked back and saw what watched, A dark shadow crept on the ground, a demon. He knew my kind and wanted my family, I would not let that happen.
We reached the small house, the people were locked down tight for the night. My niece Agnes, took the horse and mother and I and Little Henri took the wagon a distance so not to wake the innocents from sleep. We jumped into the wagon, mother, Agnes and I sat in the cart, my Henri drove like a “bat out of hell”. The we all saw the shadow at this time. The demon began to gain ground. Mothers said, “not again” and began to cry. I now knew what killed my Cecelia and Father. He was almost upon us, I jumped forward and put my hand up, the shadow was blasted back towards the small house, it was unmoving on the ground. I saw a man stand. He rose out of the shadow. He was too far away from us now to cause harm.
“ I turned to see my mother, her hand was over hers and Agnes’ eyes, I prayed they did not see. We never spoke of that night again. My family and I reached our friends, they took us in. My niece married soon afterward. Then we moved to Texas. Clo laughed to herself, then turned to me. “Well, Dollie, did you like my story?” she asked me. “It was a wonderful tale, Clo. I can’t wait to post it,” I said standing, “just one thing...you kept the name Clo?” “Oh, yes, I was born Clopatra Michel, of Lena and Didier in 1722. Dear Dollie I’m close to three hundred.” Clo smiled and looked out across the yard at kittens rolling on the lawn.
I didn’t know what to say. Clo got up and walked over to the kittens and sat down. She was in her other world, I left her playing with the kittens.
I forgot I had driven to Clo’s house, I walked a block and had to turn back. When I got in the car my recorder was on the front seat, I had forgotten it on the table. PS: I was dreaming about growing food and wearing long gowns and a bonnet. I also walked hand in hand with a very handsome man with red hair and blue eyes. I woke up.