Erzulie

"Do you remember the day we met, Vincent?"

"I'll always remember that day, Elise. I couldn't decide if the beautiful woman who emerged from the jungle was a hallucination from the trance or a gift from the gods. Either way, the high was unbelievable."

"You, on the other hand, looked like death warmed over." Chuckling, Elise stroked Vincent's face. "Between the face paint, the hugely-dilated eyes, and the drool running down your chin, you really weren't a pretty sight. But I was referring to later that day after the shaman brought you out of the trance. We were discussing your reason for being in Peru."

"That's right. I was telling you the story of my grandfather – the man who was the last preacher here at Laurel Valley Plantation. The bastard."

"Does he still haunt you in your dreams, Vincent?"

"Sometimes, Elise, but not often. I have you to thank for that. Anyway, we had a long conversation that evening. I remember how fascinated you were by the fact that Papa Jeule had amassed a vast collection of information on Voodoo. I'd brought some of it with me, hoping the shaman would help me master the ancient rituals and magic."

"Yes, I was captivated by your story, and I remember wondering why you'd chosen Peru instead of Haiti or some other place where Voodoo was more ingrained into the culture. You told me that a small group of slaves on this plantation had come from a remote Peruvian village and that their tribe had migrated from Haiti to Peru for unknown reasons. You wanted to learn from the very tribe that had troubled your grandfather for so long."

"It was the best way I could think of to spit on the old bastard's grave. He would have been horrified to know that his grandson was practicing the very same Voodoo rituals that he'd fought to destroy. Just the idea of it made me happy."

"You know, Vincent, I never told you this, but I had plans back then to bring you on as a consultant at the institution. I wanted to incorporate some of your fear rituals into my mind control experiments. Mind control had previously been relegated to the neanderthals, who believed that physical torture was a necessary component of brainwashing. I find such methods revolting and unnecessary. Psychological manipulation enhanced via the suggestibility of mind-altering drugs allows control over both behavior and attitude rather than behavior alone. And it does so in a much more civilized manner."

"Really? I had no idea. I'm honored that you would consider using some of my techniques in your experiments."

"Yes, well, unfortunately, they locked me up before I could carry out my plans. But I've always believed that I could produce better results by combining my studies on psychological manipulation through the use of hallucinogens and reward/punishment choices with your knowledge of spiritual fear-based mind control."

"I'm very sorry you never got the chance. That would have been intriguing. What was the ultimate goal?"

"The short-term goal was to completely control the mind of a rich and powerful man without anyone being the wiser. And once I succeeded with him, to be able to replicate that success over and over again. In fact, the long-term goal was to be able to control entire groups of wealthy, powerful men at one time. I could have changed the world, my dear, as I pulled the political and financial strings of the universe's top leaders at my discretion. And, of course, there would have been additional benefits as well."

"Such as?" Vincent asked.

"Well, obviously, I could direct large sums of money to be 'donated' to me via various shell corporations. But the less obvious benefit was that it would have simply been fun to yank the chains of so many powerful men." Elise's shoulders shook as she laughed, and Vincent squirmed just a little. In spite of his momentary discomfort, he did not want to consider the possibility that he might be just another man that Elise was hell-bent on controlling.

"Elise, have you ever heard of Erzulie?"

"No."

"In Voodoo tradition, Erzulie is the goddess of love. She is the head of all witches, and she has extreme control and power over male gods. Very much like you, Elise (and it is interesting that her name is so similar to yours), her beauty and sensuality enable her to manipulate the gods for her own pleasure and desire. She is feared as much as she is loved."

Elise rolled her eyes and gave Vincent a condescending smile. "That's very quaint, Vincent. Perhaps that tidbit of knowledge will be useful one day. And after we make sure everything is in place, I'd like to discuss the role that Voodoo might play in our very near future."

Vincent bowed his head. "Of course, of course. Everything is ready, Elise. But there's no time for discussions right now. I have to hurry back. They could leave at any time, and I don't want to miss this opportunity."

"It's not like we can't get them later, Vincent."

"True, but the timing will never be better, Elise."

"Fine, fine. Go on then." Elise waved him away.

"Let the game begin," Vincent whispered as he left the cabin.