Page 11 of Bewitched By the Djinn
Once we’re upstairs, alone, I recount what happened at Ernie’s, and then after. The lamp, sitting innocuously on my desk, no longer calls to me. It’s only an object again—unassuming and silent.
She eyes me, face wreathed in concern. “How do you feel now?”
“Fine. Exhausted. That’s my normal state, though.” I wrinkle my nose. “I am kind of hungry.” Which is weird because I had seconds of Mimi’s red beans and rice and that always fills me up for a day and a half. Tendrils of anxiety, confusion, and fear weave around me, but after the day I’ve had, I wouldn’t expect any less.
“I have heard stories of?—”
My office door slams open with so much force, it hits the wall.
Kevin stands in the doorway, breathing heavy. “It’s Jackie. Come quick.” Then he bolts out of sight.
My mind races through a whirlwind of possibilities as we charge through the house, following Kevin’s frantic footsteps.What if she fell? What if she stopped breathing?The thought makes my heart lurch. She’s done that before. Stopped breathing, lips turning blue, and I almost had a heart attacktrying to help her get air in her lungs. What if it’s something worse this time?What if she’s gone?
We round the corner and burst into the front room, and there, at the center of it all, is the lamp man. He’s crouched next to Jackie, his hand on her back, and her face is a ghastly, splotchy red. A cold spike of fear jabs through me.
“What are you doing to her?” My voice is harsh, a growl rising in my throat. I should’ve grabbed the bat. Why the hell didn’t I grab the bat?
Jackie breaks through my spiraling panic. “I let him in. He helped me.” The words are barely audible, her voice ragged as she breaks into a violent coughing fit.
“Remember, slow, deep breaths.” His tone is calm, reassuring.
A cool breeze sweeps through the room, rustling the curtains. Rain patters against the windowsill. It’s open, not broken.
She let him in.My stomach twists.
I drop to my knees beside her, hands trembling as I rub her back. “Are you okay? What happened?”
Mimi hands Jackie a glass of water.
She takes a few thirsty gulps, wiping her mouth with her arm. “Thank you. I’m sorry, I just choked a little.”
“On what?”
“I don’t know. Air.” She shrugs. “I tried to swallow and then I just... couldn’t breathe anymore.”
I stifle a whimper, then point at lamp man. “That doesn’t explain him.”
“I needed help, but I couldn’t yell or anything. Then I saw him outside, so I let him in. He got me sitting upright and breathing again. Then Kevin came in here.” She shrugs again.
“Why are you still here?” I ask, still pointing at lamp man. My voice shakes, just a little.
He rubs his head. “Jackie needed assistance. I could not leave her alone, not until air was flowing freely into her lungs again. Besides, I can’t leave. I tried.”
“What?” I stand, the urge to pace growing. The shock of his reappearance and the relief that Jackie is okay all churns into an emotional maelstrom vibrating through my limbs. “What does that mean? That doesn’t make sense.”
“I know,” he says, his tone almost apologetic.
What the hell is happening? Why can’t he leave?My thoughts are all jagged edges, none of them fitting together. “Explain yourself.”
Jackie places a hand on my arm. “You don’t want him to leave.”
“Um, yes. Yes, I do, actually.”
Jackie purses her lips, biting back whatever words she’s struggling to find. Then she shrugs.
The lamp man pats her back. “It’s fine. I’ll go out the way I came in.” And without another word he ducks through the window, his movements smooth and assured, like he leaps through windows in a single bound every day.
I stride forward and slide the window shut, locking it in place. But it doesn’t bring the relief I expected.
