Second Spirit -2- by Melanie Brown

Second Spirit

By

Melanie Brown

Advisor: Lisa Charlene
Copyright © 2024

Part 2

“Stay away from me, little girl,” said Sheila in a frightened voice. She was still in her nightgown. “Where’s my boyfriend?”

I looked at my small hands and then back to Sheila. “Sheila, it’s me, Jack. I know it sounds crazy, but it’s me!”

Backing away from me, Sheila demanded, “How do you know Jack’s name? Do you have an accomplice? Did you kidnap him? Dirty little heathens.”

I took a few steps towards her. “Sheila, I know it sounds crazy. That witch doctor or medicine woman or whatever the fuck she is put a curse on me! We have to find her.”

Sheila picked up the phone receiver and punched a few buttons. “Stay away from me, you little thief.”

She looked down a second and then said, “Hello, police? This is Sheila Anderson in room one oh one at the Desert Oasis and Spa resort. My boyfriend is missing, and there’s some … some Indian girl in the room. Our room was locked. I don’t know how she got in. No! I have no idea. She was in the bed where my boyfriend should have been. Please hurry!”

I took a few more steps towards her. “Sheila, dammit! Will you listen? We have to find that old squaw. She did something to me.”

Sheila stepped into the bathroom after hanging up the receiver. She removed a metal nail file from her make-up bag and waved it at me. “Back off bitch! I’ll cut you! What did you people do with Jack?”

“Sheila! Listen. I know it’s crazy, but…”

She jabbed the nail file towards me again. “Back off! I’m not warning you again.” She waved the file in front of my face. I was worried about her poking my eye.

There was a knock on the door followed by the announcement, “Window Rock Police. Someone called in an emergency?”

Sheila shouted, “Give me a moment!” She looked down at me. “Get away from me, you fucking brat!” She jabbed the nail file at me. “Get back, you little bitch!”

I climbed up onto the bed to give her room to pass. My voice cracking with a cry, I exclaimed, “Sheila! For the love of God, listen to me!”

Pointing the file at me as if it were a sword, she worked her way over to the room’s door. She jerked the door open, exposing two police officers. It annoyed me to see the cops were Indians like everyone else in this God-forsaken place. I had a mental image of them with long hair, a bone in their nose and a quiver of arrows in place of a sidearm.  But they looked just like cops everywhere.

“Thank God.” Using her file, she pointed towards me. “Arrest that little thief!”

The officer at the door asked, “May we come in?”

Angrily, Sheila shouted, “Yes! And arrest that little monster. I know she has something to do with Jack missing.”

The officer calmly asked, “And who is Jack?” The other officer came into the room and looked over at me.

Shaking on the verge of an apoplectic fit, Sheila shouted, “Jack! Jack McDowell. He… he’s my boyfriend.”

The officer said, “Give me the nail file before you hurt someone with it. Now tell me what’s going on.”

I jumped off the bed, startling Sheila. “I’ll tell you what’s going on! That old bitch squaw at the bar-b-que event last night put a curse on me. She needs to uncurse me.”

The second officer said to me, “Miss, making up stories isn’t going to help. Were you at the BBQ event last night?”

My eyes widened as I shouted, “Yes! Only I was twenty-two and male. I tell ya, that old witch did this!”

“Miss, please sit down. Were you there with your parents?”

I sat down on the bed and pointed at Sheila. “No. I was with her. We’re on Spring Break. Look, I pissed off the old squaw and she did something to me.”

The first cop frowned and said, “We’re going to have to take her down to the station and get her parents. I’m not going to put up with her bullshit.”

The second cop knelt down to look me in the eyes. “What’s your name, little girl? Where do you live?”

I frowned at the cop. “I told you. My name is Jack. I live in Dallas. Can you bring in that witch and have her change me back?”

The second cop turned from me and said, “Sam, to clear things up, do you think the medicine woman would come in to help straighten this little girl out?”

Sam turned from taking Sheila’s statement and said, “I guess you didn’t hear. She passed away last night in her sleep.”

An ice-cold bolt shot down my spine. “What? Are we talking about the same crazy old woman? She can’t be dead! I need her to change back!”

End of Part 2