John and Zeke by Noa Franklin, https://www.instagram.com/noa_franklin80/

Somewhere in New Orleans… 

“There you go, sweetheart. Drink your dinner.” 

A handsome dark-skinned man in his late twenties placed a small bowl of milk on the carpeted floor of his apartment. That’s when the most gorgeous tuxedo cat slipped in from the kitchen window and lapped at the milk in the bowl as her owner smiled at his sweet pet happily enjoying her evening meal. 

Suddenly, a flash of lightning from the rainy night outside his window pulled the man’s attention elsewhere. 

He tightened the waist-ribbon on his silky blue bathrobe as he got to work pouring some special wine into a silver libation bowl. After that, he made his way towards a door in the corner with a pentagram drawn on it. 

“It’s time,” he said to himself. 

Slowly, he opened the door to reveal a small room containing a stone altar covered by a black velvet cloth and surrounded by silver chalk markings forming the Wheel of Hecate. On top of the altar sat a double-edged steel athame with a jeweled handle, as well as various herbs, spices, and candles of different colors. The man quickly placed his silver libation bowl on top of the altar and lit each candle before kneeling down in front of the altar chanting: 

“Hecate, Witch Queen, hear my plea, 

Bring forth justice, I ask of Thee!” 

As he continued, the lock to his apartment door was quietly being picked by someone in a green snakeskin jacket accented by strands of long, blood-red hair. 

HIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!! 

The man’s cat made her feelings about the mysterious guest known immediately while said guest looked back at her with eyes hidden behind a pair of mirror-like sunglasses. The poor feline meowed sadly at her expression before rushing back out the window in search of a new home. 

Once the cat was gone, the stranger began walking quietly toward the pentagram-covered door and turned the knob slowly so as not to alert the man inside. He had just finished his chant and was now humming, eyes closed, with his hands held together like a priest in prayer. As the stranger stepped into the room, the floor suddenly let out a loud creak, which caused the alarmed practitioner to turn around frantically… 

…before instantly letting out a sigh of relief at the sight of who it was. 

“Babe, what are you doing here?” he asked as he stood up to face his beautiful visitor. 

The mysterious woman’s mouth curled into a toothy grin which rivaled that of the man’s cat. Finally, she used her long, poison-green fingernails to pull the sunglasses from her face and the man’s eyes widened in absolute terror at what was underneath. 

Nobody heard him scream as the sound was smothered by the raging storm outside. 

_

The very next afternoon… 

An old, Victorian-style manor house stood quiet and isolated with a small grove on one side and the murky waters of Bayou LaFourche on the other. 

Until… 

WHOOSH!!! 

…a young man in his early-to-mid twenties suddenly appeared in a burst of sparkling violet smoke. 

He had fiery red hair with light green eyes and was dressed in a purple leather jacket with the sleeves rolled up, a white tank top beneath it, and a pair of faded black jeans. Around his neck hung a silver pendant with a pentagram on one side and the symbol of The Horned God on the other. 

“We did it, my friend…!” he said, his voice accompanied by a suave Cajun accent, “We’re home!”  

That’s when he looked down at his side and saw a handsome fox with smoky gold fur and soulful amber eyes. He was coughing and waving his paw in front of his snout from the lingering wisps of smoke. 

“Yes, sir,” the fox said between coughs, “I believe we are.”  

Zeke cracked a smile at his little friend as he knelt down and scratched him behind the ears. The fox smiled back at him before the young man dropped a purse-like satchel covered in Pagan and Voodoo symbols in front of the fox. Broomy rolled his eyes before picking up the satchel in his teeth and following his owner up to the manor’s front door. 

All of a sudden… 

CREEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAA KKKKKKKKKK!!!!!!!! 

…a large tree growing next to the manor came to life and reached out toward the young man and his fox! 

Before Zeke had a chance to react, the branches wrapped around him and his little friend like a pair of giant hands covered in mossy bark. They lifted the two of them up into the air and brought them up to the trunk as something resembling a large human-like face slowly creased its way out of the wood. 

“WHO DARES INVADE THE HOUSE OF DUBOIS!?!” boomed a deep, raspy voice. 

The fox let out a shrill scream, while Zeke merely furrowed his brow and said, calm and composed, “Acacia? Is that you?” 

Suddenly, the tree-face’s expression changed to a look of shock and disbelief before the branches slowly put the two of them back down and the tree shrunk back into its original shape. With one more loud groan, the tree trunk rippled like water as a beautiful, dark-skinned woman stepped out of it. She had yellowish flowers from her namesake tree feathered through her long curly hair and she wore nothing but a sleeveless dress made out of fresh green leaves. 

“Zeke…?!” she said, her voice now lighter and more feminine, accompanied by a Haitian accent, “Is it really you?” 

“It’s me, old friend,” Zeke replied as the two embraced each other. 

The two of them held each other for almost a full minute until Acacia finally asked, “So, how’ve you been? Is your mother alright? What brings you back here after all these years?” 

Zeke frowned at that and let out a deep sigh before starting his explanation. 

“I’m afraid that’s some bad business, Acacia,” he said, “Very bad business that I wish I didn’t have to tell you. However, now that I’m on the run, I think you have a right to know why Broomy and I will be staying with you.” 

She looked over to the little fox resting on top of Zeke’s satchel like it was a pillow. 

“Is that…?” she asked, the corner of her lip quivering with repressed joy. 

Zeke nodded, “Oui, he’s my familiar; I made him all on my own. I named him Broomy.” 

Acacia raised an eyebrow and said, “Why?” 

“Don’t worry, you’ll find out,” he said, “Right now, we have to get inside where it’s protected. That is, if you don’t mind us sticking around?” 

After a brief pause, she smiled and said, “Zeke, no matter how long it’s been, you’re still my friend, and this house is still your home. Please, both of you, stay for as long as you like.” 

Zeke smiled back at her hopefully as he put a hesitant arm around her shoulder – an action which made Broomy jump to his feet in a momentary panic. Once he realized there was nothing to fear, the fox finally smiled too and gathered up Zeke’s satchel with his teeth. 

The three of them headed to the door, which was sticky at first, but soon it was unlocked and they were able to see the inner beauty of the old, Victorian-style manor: The varnished wood and plaster were still in good condition, as were the rolled-up carpets tucked away in one corner and the pictures still hanging on the walls with black veils covering them. Most of the furniture in the place was covered by large white sheets that made them look like dusty, misshapen ghosts among hardwood floors covered in bits of dirt and dried leaves. 

“Wow!” Broomy said, still holding the satchel in his teeth, “This place is big… and filled with so much stuff.” 

“Yes,” Acacia said, “It might take you a while to get everything cleaned and cleared up.” 

That’s when Zeke smiled and said, “Sooner than you think.” 

He closed his eyes and held his hands out in front of him as he began speaking a language that sounded to the normal human ear like a jumble of unintelligible whispers. However, to his people it was actually a language that only they could understand. It was called the ‘whispering language’. 

Suddenly… 

“Move!” 

…he spoke the final word out loud and opened his eyes to reveal that they were now completely purple, as if the eyeballs themselves had been dipped in metallic purple paint. 

All of a sudden, the white sheets and black veils all vanished from the various furniture and paintings in dozens of simultaneous bursts of violet smoke. Zeke moved his arms around and the bits of black and white cloth all suddenly reappeared – neatly folded and stacked – in a nearby corner. Acacia and Broomy watched in awe at the vanishing fabrics’ instantaneous display. 

“Oh my, my, my,” Acacia said, still staring at the young sorcerer’s display of power. 

Zeke smiled with pride at finally being able to use his magic freely before turning to the debris he had also moved into a little pile near the door. 

“Broomy…?” Zeke said, pointing to the pile of dirt and dried leaves. 

The fox looked at it and rolled his eyes with irritation before lying down on the floor with his body scrunched together and his long tail sticking out. Suddenly, right before Acacia’s eyes, the fox’s furry tail grew longer and thinner until it resembled a long, wooden stick, while his body transformed into a mass of bristle-thin twigs tied together with strong twine. It was at that moment Acacia now knew where Broomy had gotten his name from. 

“My goodness,” she said, surprised as Zeke nodded with pride. 

All of a sudden, the broom that was previously a fox began to float in midair all by itself and swept the pile of debris out the door. Once that was finished, Broomy quickly changed back to his original fox form. 

“Done!” he declared, “So, what are we going to do now?” 

The sorcerer’s smile faded slightly at that question as he knelt down and tenderly rubbed the little fox’s head with one hand and gripped the silver pendant around his neck with the other. 

“Now…?” he finally said, “Now I think it’s high time I paid a certain someone a visit.” 

_ 

Some time later… 

“God damn it, Manny!”  

Det. John Thalmeier mumbled begrudgingly to himself as he made his way toward Baron Samedi Middle School in his black 2017 BMW M3. 

He was a handsome, tan man of about forty with spiky black hair that hung in his face, squared-off sideburns and a patch of stubble on his chin. As always, he was wearing a white dress shirt, a black tie, khaki pants with suspenders, and black combat boots. 

Finally, he pulled up to the school parking lot and gave the Native American arrowhead necklace dangling from his rearview mirror a little tap for good luck. Waiting for him up at the school entrance was a young Creole girl with her hair tied up in a bun. She was dressed in an orange hall monitor vest with the name ‘SARAH’ printed on it. 

“John Thalmeier?” she asked. 

“Can I ask what he did before I confirm?” he replied, his voice accompanied by a slight southern accent. 

Instead of responding, the girl just motioned for him to follow her and they made their way to the principal’s office. There, a brown-haired, pale-skinned thirteen-year-old sat in front of the principal’s desk with the same dark brown, almost black, eyes as the detective. 

“I appreciate you coming here, Det. Thalmeier,” said the middle-aged principal. 

John rolled his eyes as he sat down in the other chair and asked, “So, what’s the damage today?” 

The principal looked sadly over at the kid who refused to look back and replied, “Well, as you know from our previous conversations, young Manny here has a tendency to cut his classes, start fights with other boys, and even openly mock his teachers in front of the class.” 

“Just one,” Manny mumbled, still not looking at either the principal nor his uncle. 

“Well, one is one too many,” John replied, raising his voice as he crossed his arms over his chest. 

Manny gritted his teeth and turned his head even further to the side. 

“Anyway,” the principal continued, “Today, not only was Manny caught cutting class yet again, but I’m sorry to report he was also caught in possession of this…” 

She reached behind her desk and pulled out a folded up piece of paper which she handed to John. He slowly opened it up and his heart sank at the sight of what it was. After another half-hour or so, John and Manny were free to go. Manny stormed out of the building first, saying nothing the whole time. By the time John returned to his car, the boy was already sitting quietly in the passenger seat waiting for his uncle to let him have it, which he did! 

“A fake hall pass?! As if cutting classes wasn’t bad enough,” the man said, “Where in God’s name did you even get it from?” 

Manny remained silent. 

“Fine, don’t tell me. But, you heard the principal; one more offense and she’s suspending you from school,” he said, “So, whoever or wherever you got that from, I don’t want you doing it again. Is that understood?” 

Manny rolled his eyes and said, “Whatever. It’s no big deal, anyway.” 

“To you,” John replied, “And that’s all you care about, so I’m afraid I’m going to have to ground you. No TV, no video games, no-” 

“Fair!” Manny shouted, staring at him in rage-filled shock. 

“Neither is me having to leave work early to meet with your principal!” John retorted, “I have a missing person(s) case from yesterday that I still have yet to crack and, every time I have to come down to your school because of what you do, that ain’t getting done!” 

“Stop it!” Manny sneered, “This is my life, Uncle John. You may be my legal guardian, but you can’t always tell me what to do… You’re not my dad!” 

SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEECH!!!! 

That’s when the car came to a screaming halt. 

Manny’s heart jumped as the car jerked from his uncle’s sudden, barely legal stomp of the brake pedal. When he turned to the man, he was staring straight ahead with his eyes wide and his jaw clenched as he gripped the wheel even tighter than he already was. After a brief moment, he finally closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

“Well, if I was your father, I’d…” he began to say, pointing his finger at the boy before his voice trailed off, “Look, let’s just go to dinner and we can talk about this, okay?” 

Manny said nothing as he gathered back up his defiant composure and just nodded to his uncle. The man returned his nod as they both stepped out of the car on to the bustling streets of New Orleans’ French Quarter. 

“Jesus…!” John thought to himself as they walked the rest of the way to the restaurant. 

_ 

“Bonjour.”  

Zeke gave a melancholic greeting to an old, derelict building in the middle of the French Quarter. The young sorcerer had been staring at the mass of scorched bricks and boarded-up windows for the longest time as if it would get up and walk away if he didn’t keep his eyes on it. 

Eventually, as his eyes started to glisten with unshed tears, he slowly walked toward the rusty plaque still half-hanging near the front door to try and push it back into place. 

Then, all of a sudden… 

OW!!!! 

…a well-dressed woman with hazel eyes and short, brown hair tied up in a bun walked past and stepped on his pale bare foot with her sharp stiletto. 

“Hey, watch where you’re going!” she said, looking over his bare feet and strange attire, which clashed considerably with her silk-satin dress, high heels, and star-shaped gold necklace. 

“Freak,” she said, rolling her eyes as she started to walk away. 

However, before she had the chance to get too far, the woman found herself viciously grabbed by the wrist and turned around until she was face to face with Zeke. His pale skin was now red like his hair and his eyes were filled with more flames than the fire that once consumed the nearby building. 

“HOW ABOUT YOU WATCH WHERE YOU’RE GOING INSTEAD, BITCH!?!” he shouted at her. 

“What the hell are you doing?! Get off me!!!” the woman cried in absolute distress. 

 “You think bitches like you have the right to pass judgment on men like me and simply get away with it?!” he said, pulling her in closer until he was looking down on her like a wolf with a rabbit under his paws. 

Suddenly, Zeke felt a strong hand grip the collar of his jacket. 

“Alright, buddy, that’s enough,” came a man’s voice from behind him. 

The young man turned around and suddenly found himself staring right into the face of a handsome, older man with tan skin, spiky black hair that hung in his face, and a patch of stubble on his chin. Zeke’s eyes blazed furiously for a split second before his anger instantly vanished at the sight of the man. He stared, almost entranced, into his dark brown eyes and the rest of the world just seemed to fall away from him. 

“Oh, thank god!” the woman said, “Please, I was just minding my own business and then this crazy guy suddenly attacked me for no reason!” 

All at once, Zeke was pulled back to reality and his rage returned as he shouted, “You lying cow! It was I who was minding my own business when you stepped on my foot with your sharp shoes!” 

“So, that makes it okay for you to start grabbing and shouting at her?” John asked. 

Zeke turned back to John, his anger a little softer than before as he said, “She called me a monster.” 

“Freak!” she screeched, still trying to get away from him, “I said, ‘freak’!” 

Zeke shot her a quick angry glare that quieted her again. 

“Monster, freak, doesn’t matter,” John said, shaking Zeke’s collar, “You don’t grab folks who call you nasty names; you tell them to ‘fuck off’ and walk away. Attacking this gal on the street ain’t going to make her or anyone else see you as less of a freak… or a monster.” 

That’s when Zeke stopped and looked around to see the small crowd that had surrounded them. Slowly, he let the woman go and looked to the ground, almost ashamed. 

“Thanks… sir,” she said, half-heartedly to John before running off into the crowd. 

“You’re welcome,” John said irksomely before placing a hand on Zeke’s shoulder, “Hey, don’t be so hard on yourself, son. Just try not to get so worked up again, okay?” 

As John began telling everyone in the surrounding crowd to move along, Zeke just stared in awe at the handsome man who had spoken to him in such a kind manner. He cracked a faint smile before disappearing into the crowd just as John and his nephew – who had been watching from the sidelines – turned back in his direction. 

“Where’d he go?” Manny asked. 

“I don’t know,” John replied, before motioning for Manny to come along, “Let’s go.” 

As they continued on their way, John’s eyes were drawn momentarily to the rusty plaque on the old, charred building in front of him: 

“JAMES EVERARD – PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR.” 

_ 

Meanwhile… 

The well-dressed brunette moved as fast as she could down the street, wanting to get as far away from Zeke as possible. She quickly turned a corner and didn’t slow down until she was halfway down the next block. Finally, she stopped to catch her breath and began rubbing her bruised wrist. 

“Damn it!” she whispered to herself, as she looked in her purse for something fashionable to cover up the bruising with, “What the hell was with that guy?” 

“Man-troubles, huh?” a soft, but confident female voice suddenly spoke from behind her. 

She quickly turned around and came face to face with a beautiful woman in a black and silver snakeskin jacket. The strange woman had long platinum blonde hair and her eyes were covered by a pair of mirror sunglasses. 

“No,” the brunette said, taking a breath, “Just some random creep who doesn’t know how to respect a lady. Ugh! The nerve of some men.” 

Suddenly, the mysterious woman held out her arm and presented a cuff bracelet made of serpentine and gold just large enough to cover the woman’s bruise. The girl eyed it funny before slowly accepting the bracelet, noticing the woman’s sharp, poison-green fingernails as she did. 

“Yes, Angie,” the stranger replied, “I know your kind tends to feel that way about men.” 

The woman called Angie froze as she stammered, “H-How do you know my name? And what do you mean ‘my kind’…? Who are you?” 

The woman smirked as she stepped closer to Angie  and ominously replied, “Your end.” 

Angie’s heart jumped out of her chest as she tried to run away, which is when the woman grabbed hold of Angie’s other arm – creating a new bruise in the process. She dropped her purse as the mysterious woman used her free hand to pull her sunglasses off, revealing a pair of stone gray eyes with vertical slit pupils. 

“Dear Hecate, what is it!?” Angie cried. 

Suddenly, the stone-gray eyes began to glow and the girl let out a split-second scream as she was turned completely into marble! 

The woman flashed an evil grin as she caressed the girl’s stone cheek, until… 

HIIIIIIII SSSSSSSS!!!!!!!! 

…her blonde hair began moving as though there was something alive hidden beneath it. 

“Shut up!” the woman said, seemingly to no one, “You’ll get your taste of her… once we obtain our third course, tomorrow.” 

_ 

“I told you, it has nothing to do with Mom and Dad!” 

Some time later, Manny stormed with angry defiance out of the restaurant and into a back alley nearby. John quickly handed the hostess his money and told her to keep the change as he ran out after Manny. Little did he notice the slowly closing door behind him suddenly come open again before continuing to close. 

“Well, if it’s not them, then what is it?” John called out, trying to catch up to his nephew. 

“None of your business!” Manny said. 

“As long as I’m your legal guardian, it is my business,” John replied, “And it ain’t a good idea to go storming off by yourself!” 

“Whatever!” Manny hollered back, waving his hand without looking at the man.  

CLANG!!! 

All of a sudden, the two of them were stopped by the clatter of an empty beer can falling out of an overflowing dumpster. It was like someone had walked past the dumpster and brushed up against the trash bag sticking out of it, but John and Manny saw no one there. So, the boy shook his head and continued to walk away in defiance. 

“Roman Matthew Thalmeier!” John raised his voice, “You come back here this instant!” 

The boy stopped and turned around to yell at his uncle again when, all of a sudden… 

“Help! They stole my purse!”  

…they heard a woman crying out from around the corner of another alleyway. 

The duo suddenly turned to see a young punk in a sleeveless black shirt running toward them, brandishing a crowbar in one hand and a lady’s purse in the other. Behind him was a large black guy in a gray shirt and steel-toed boots with a set of brass knuckles on each hand, followed by a tall white guy in a leather vest with a dark blue mohawk brandishing a hefty chain. 

“That’s far enough, punk!” John said, standing in front of the three street toughs. 

All three punks looked back and forth at each other before throwing their heads back and laughing simultaneously. 

 “Yeah?” said the head-punk, throwing the lady’s purse around his shoulder, “And who’s gonna make us? You?”  

John nodded as he reached toward his waist and froze when he realized there was nothing there. That’s when he remembered, he had left his badge and his firearm back in his car’s glove compartment before going to pick up Manny from school. 

“Uncle John…?” Manny said, stepping behind him. 

The detective turned back to the three punks who had pieced together from his expression that he was defenseless and said, “Uh… maybe we can just talk this one out…?” 

In response to that, the head-punk just shook his head and smiled sadistically as he tapped the palm of his hand with the crowbar. Similar looks spread across the other two’s faces as they converged on the man and his nephew: The bigger one with his brass knuckles and the taller one with his big chain. John gritted his teeth in preparation for the oncoming brawl. 

“Didn’t your mother ever tell you not to mess with tough guys, kid?” the head-punk said, mockingly to Manny. 

The angry thirteen-year-old growled through clenched teeth and put up his fists when all of a sudden… 

SHPLINK!!! 

…a tiny burst of bluish sparks like a cutting torch’s flames shot at the three punks’ feet! 

All five people looked to where it came from and watched as the young man from before with his fiery red hair and purple leather jacket magically appeared out of thin air. His eyes were completely purple like the eyes had been dipped in paint, while his middle and index fingers glowed from the sparks he had just shot at the punks. 

“You wish to see a tough guy…?” he said, his Cajun-accented voice now echoing like that of an evil spirit, “Try me on for size, mon amie.” 

They all stared in total shock at him before the mohawk punk ran toward him, swinging his chain in the air with a loud roar. Zeke smiled mischievously before vanishing in a burst of violet smoke and reappearing behind him. As the punk coughed and sputtered from the smoke, Zeke pushed him head-first into a brick wall and knocked him right out. 

“Next!” Zeke said, turning back to the remaining punks. 

The two of them stared in horror at Zeke before looking at each other, which is when the head-punk grabbed the black guy and said, “Well, don’t just stand there! Go get him!” 

“But…?” he tried to protest before the head-punk smacked his face to shut him up. 

Taking a deep breath, the black guy squeezed his brass knuckles and ran at Zeke, emitting a louder, more desperate roar than the last guy. That’s when Zeke’s eyes were drawn to a potted plant sitting on an overhead fire escape. 

“Flower pot!” he shouted, pointing at it with his two fingers. 

All of a sudden, the potted plant vanished in a burst of violet smoke before reappearing a few feet over the large guy’s head, knocking him unconscious as well. Zeke smirked with smug satisfaction until he heard a metallic clatter followed immediately by a click. Turning around, he saw the crowbar was now on the ground and, in the head-punk’s hand, he held a gun! 

“Got you now, freak!” he said, trying to look confident despite his obvious fear. 

Zeke said nothing. All he did was narrow his eyes as he opened his hand to reveal a hot, glowing fireball that magically appeared on top of his palm! 

John, Manny, and the head-punk all stared wide-eyed at the crackling flames reflecting off of his purple eyes as he said, “Do you…?” 

His nerve now at its end, the head-punk screamed and fired off a shot just as Zeke tossed the fireball at his gun, setting it aflame! The terrified punk dropped the burning pistol and ran away with a girlish shriek. 

“So pathetic,” Zeke snickered to himself as he basked in the glow of his victory, until… 

“UNCLE JOHN!!!” 

…his victory was immediately cut short by the sound of Manny’s scream. 

Zeke quickly turned around and his metallic purple eyes widened at the sight of John Thalmeir lying on the cement with a bullet wound to the torso! 

The young sorcerer rushed over to his side to see what had happened. John was in too much pain to tell him while Manny just stared uneasily at Zeke for a moment. Finally, he got a hold of himself long enough to speak. 

“The bullet bounced off of something and hit him!” Manny said, “We gotta get him to a hospital now!” 

“No, wait,” Zeke said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a black velvet satchel with a pentagram printed on it, “I can take care of this. He doesn’t need a hospital.” 

“What do you mean he doesn’t need a hospital! He’s bleeding to-” Manny began to say. 

As he spoke, Zeke quickly sprinkled some yellow-green herbs from inside the satchel on to John’s wound. He then quickly pulled out a big, green leaf and a vial of clear liquid from his other pocket and anointed the leaf with the liquid before placing it on the herb-covered wound. 

“Wh-What are you…?” Manny began to say before being shushed by Zeke. 

He placed his hand on top of the leaf and began speaking in the whispering language as his palm suddenly began glowing like the hot wires in a toaster. John winced in pain as the leaf slowly turned black and crumbled away to reveal his wound was gone! 

Manny stared wide-eyed as Zeke opened his hand to reveal the bullet that was previously inside of John. Zeke smiled proudly at his actions as John suddenly gasped for air. 

“Oh, Uncle John, you’re okay!” Manny cried, giving the man a big hug. 

John hugged him back and said, “Yeah, I guess I am… but how?” 

That’s when he and Manny both turned to Zeke as he quickly blinked his eyes back to normal again. 

“You…!” John finally asked, “You’re the guy from before… Who are you?” 

Zeke said nothing at first as he stared back at the handsome detective and his nephew. He already knew what his family would have to say about the matter, and how Broomy would be more than a little shaken to hear about what he had done. Maybe Acacia too. That is, until he  instinctively clutched the silver pendant around his neck and his fear seemed to melt away into something resembling hope. 

“Papa, I swear I’m doing the right thing,” Zeke thought to himself as he closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. 

“My name is Zeke…” he said, “I’m a sorcerer.” 

_

Some time later… 

“ARE YOU COMPLETELY MAD!?!?!” 

Broomy was letting Zeke have it after he finished telling him and Acacia what had occurred earlier that evening. The young sorcerer stormed angrily toward the stairway as the three of them talked. 

“Yes, Broomy! I’m completely mad… Mad as a hatter!” Zeke said, sarcastically. 

“But – but – but…?!” the fox stammered. 

“You exposed yourself, Zeke!” Acacia joined in, “Why?” 

Zeke said nothing as he let out a sigh and began walking up the stairs until he suddenly stopped upon seeing a formal portrait of a handsome man with deep brown eyes and fiery red hair just like his. He smiled at the picture and rubbed his fingers on the painted canvas. Acacia noticed this and stopped talking while Broomy continued. 

“Well, sir…?” he said, “Why did you do it?” 

The young sorcerer frowned and clenched his fist, both at the words of his familiar and at the sight of the artist’s signature – “C. DuBois” – in the corner of the painting. As he turned his attention to the fox, he used his thumbnail to cut a long, thin line through the signature. Broomy, intimidated by his master’s display, put his ears down and flipped his tail between his legs. 

“They were being attacked,” Zeke said, finally calming a bit, “I had to do something.” 

Broomy wasn’t too sure about that, but he kept his thoughts on the matter to himself. As did Acacia, who recognized that her friend probably wasn’t in the mood to be criticized. 

“Alright,” she said, “We didn’t mean to berate you… we’re just a bit worried is all.” 

After a brief moment of silence, the young sorcerer finally let out a deep sigh and gave them both a nod. That’s when Broomy jumped a few steps upward and put a paw on Zeke’s foot while Acacia complimented the fox’s action with a hand on Zeke’s shoulder. He smiled warmly at both of them as he gave Broomy’s ears a scratch and placed his other hand on top of Acacia’s. 

“I’m sorry I got so worked up,” Zeke finally said, picking Broomy up and holding him in his arms, “And I’m sorry I exposed us, it’s just… I thought it was what he would’ve done.” 

Broomy and Acacia looked up at the picture Zeke had been staring at. Acacia narrowed her lips as her hand on his shoulder turned into a full-blown sideways hug, while Broomy just gave an understanding nod. 

“I see, sir,” the fox replied, “Well, at least you saved their lives without leaving anything behind that could point them in our direction, right?”  

Zeke pursed his lips nervously and said, “Of course not… Come on, let’s sleep.” 

_ 

The next morning… 

“Sorry, Manny, but I just don’t think it’s a good idea,” John said. 

The man and his nephew were in his car and on their way to the boy’s school. Poor John was already tired thanks to only a little sleep and lots of arguing with his nephew about what happened last night. 

“Come on, Uncle John,” Manny argued, “The guy saved our lives and gave us a means of contacting him to boot; the least we can do is invite him to dinner, or to a movie or something.” 

John rolled his eyes and said, “Really… Do people like him even watch movies? And, again, the answer is no. I’m still not sure what exactly happened last night, but I do know that the guy who saved us is also the same man who attacked that woman just because she called him a nasty name. Trust me, we’re better off keeping our distance from him.” 

Finally, they pulled into the parking lot of Baron Samedi Middle School and John parked close to the entrance so he could make sure the boy actually went inside before he left. Too bad for him, the boy refused to budge. He just sat there, quietly staring out the window in defiance. 

“Time to go,” John said, “And don’t even think about skipping today, you hear me?” 

Manny said nothing at first, until he finally turned to his uncle, almost sadly, and asked him, “Why are you so afraid of guys who choose to be their own men?” 

In response to that, John clenched his teeth and pursed his lips before saying, “Don’t start with that again, ya hear! We can talk about it later tonight after school, that is, if you actually stay there all day like you’re supposed to. Now git!” 

The boy gathered up his bag and left the car in a huff as he headed into the building. 

Once he saw Manny go inside, John started up the car and drove as fast as he legally could toward New Orleans’ 8th Precinct Police Station. As soon as he pulled into the precinct parking lot, he shut off the engine and paused for a moment to cradle the arrowhead necklace hanging from the rearview mirror with his fingers. 

“I’m trying, Maggie,” he said to the necklace, “I swear I am.” 

Finally, John headed inside and went immediately for his cluttered, but still organized, desk. He took a sip of coffee from a thermos he had and then fired up his computer. As he waited for it to boot up, he took another swig of coffee and laid back in his chair to rest his eyes a bit. 

All of a sudden… 

“Hey John, wake up!” 

…he was pulled out of his momentary rest period by a man in his mid thirties with pale blue eyes and dark brown, almost black hair. The guy was dressed in a black police uniform with two stars on his shirt collar and a nametag with “S. SEKSAY” printed on it. 

“Thanks, Stan!” John thanked the man, as he pulled himself together, “What’ve you got for me today?” 

Stan handed him a manilla envelope just like the one already on his desk and said, “Same MO as the last one: Angelica Ernst, age 24, was supposed to meet her boyfriend for dinner last night in The French Quarter and she never showed up. When he eventually called 911, we combed the area and found her purse just a block away from where they were supposed to meet for dinner… along with more traces of marble dust at the scene.” 

John opened the report and stopped dead in his tracks when he reached the page with the missing woman’s photograph. She was the exact same woman whom Zeke harassed last night. 

“Something wrong, John?” Stan asked, “You look like you’ve just seen a ghost.” 

John shook his head, getting a hold of himself as he said, “Uh, no, there’s nothing wrong, Stan. Um… any signs of how she might’ve been taken?” 

Stan eyed him suspiciously and replied, “No, everything in the purse – wallet, cash, keys – was still intact when we found it, which seems to rule out robbery. Just like the first victim, it was like she just-” 

“Vanished,” John finished his sentence for him as he continued staring at the report. 

“Yeah…” Stan said, furrowing his brow, “Hey, John, are you sure you’re okay?” 

John didn’t respond, he was staring at the two files side by side: The one for Angelica Ernst and the other for Fred Midlar – the young man who disappeared from his own apartment the day before yesterday. That’s when he quickly noticed another thing the two victims both had in common. 

“The necklace,” John mumbled to himself out loud. 

“What was that?” Stan asked, pulling John out of his daze. 

“Uh, sorry,” John said, shaking his head as he stood up to leave, “Just tired, not a lot of sleep. Anyway, I think I might’ve just picked up a new lead.” 

Stan’s eyes widened with surprise as he said, “Really…? What is it?” 

John paused for a moment before continuing, “I’m not quite sure yet. It’s just a theory at the moment. I need to check it out first before I know anything for sure. Don’t worry, I’ll keep you posted”  

“Um… okay,” Stan said, confused. 

And, with that, John gathered his things and ran back to his car while his friend/coworker scratched his head at the detective’s strange behavior. 

_

Meanwhile, back at Baron Samedi Middle School… 

Manny Thalmeier was sneaking quietly through the school hallway with another fake hall pass. 

“You’re wrong about him, Uncle John,” he said to himself, “And I’ll prove it too.” 

As he said that, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a clay coin stamped with the same symbols as the pendant around Zeke’s neck. The same one that Zeke had given him and his uncle last night. 

“Here’s my talisman,” he remembered the young sorcerer’s words, “If you ever need my services, just turn it thrice in hand and call out my name.” 

Manny smiled at the coin before slipping it back in his pocket. 

Just as he rounded a corner to take the stairs down to the back door, he heard the sound of a door opening and quickly jumped back behind the corner. That’s when he spotted Sarah – the young Creole hall monitor who had caught him sneaking out yesterday – exiting the ladies’ room. Manny kept an eye on her from around the corner, hoping she would turn another way. He also thought that she would almost be hot if it wasn’t for her being a snitch. 

Finally, as soon as she had her back to him, Manny turned to make a run for the stairs nearby when all of a sudden… 

“Excuse me, Miss Tunney!” 

…both Manny and Sarah jumped at the sudden sound of a woman talking. 

Manny turned around to see a strange woman  who wasn’t there before. She was dressed in a black snakeskin trench coat with her head wrapped in a black turban. He couldn’t see her face, but he heard her soft, creepy voice loud and clear. 

“Do you know the time?” she asked the girl. 

“Sure, it’s, uh…” Sarah said, as she pulled the latest iPhone from her pocket before suddenly stopping to look at the woman suspiciously. 

“Wait. How do you know my name?” she asked, “And who are you anyway?” 

The woman smirked menacingly at Sarah before ripping off a pair of mirror sunglasses and showing her eyes to the girl. There was a sudden burst of grayish light from her face, causing Sarah to let out a horrified, half-second shriek. When the grayish light finally faded, Sarah Tunney’s iPhone was on the floor and the girl herself was completely turned into stone! 

Manny watched in horror as the woman raked her poison-green fingernails against the petrified girl’s white, marble cheek and said, “You’re our final course.” 

Suddenly, her voice sharpened into a high-pitched cackle as her turban began wriggling like something alive was underneath it. Manny let out a painful whimper as her cackle struck his ears like a fork grinding into a dry dinner plate. When he finally looked up, the woman’s stone gray eyes were glaring right at him. 

“A spy!” she shrieked, “Get him girls!!” 

The woman then ripped the turban off to reveal a mass of long, poison-green snakes in place of her hair! 

As fast as he could, Manny ran toward the nearby staircase as every one of the snakes immediately began stretching toward him like hundreds of scaly lightning bolts. In his panic, poor Manny didn’t see where he was stepping, and suddenly found himself tripping over his own feet and tumbling painfully down the stairs. 

Now lying at the bottom of the staircase, the boy had a cut above his left eyebrow and his right ankle was twisted too painfully for him to get up. Manny tried to crawl his way toward the back door just a few feet in front of him, just as the snakes slowly descended upon him with their fangs spread. His first thought was that he was done for, until he saw that the small clay coin he had in his pocket was now on the floor next to him. 

That’s when he remembered what Zeke told him and his uncle last night… and rushed to grab the talisman as quickly as he could! 

_

Several minutes prior… 

Zeke awoke from the bed his mother once shared with his father before he greeted the morning sun with a smile and a quick chant. After placing some leftover catfish and berries from his breakfast in the libation bowl on his window sill, he picked up his purple leather jacket and rubbed Broomy’s fur as he slept in. 

The young sorcerer crossed the banister to a door that had a pentagram drawn on it, which he unlocked with an old key from his jacket pocket. Inside was a room whose floor was covered in silvery rune markings with a bronze dish in the center. The walls were lined with shelves and cabinets that housed spellbooks, skulls, candles, and various jars and pouches with bizarre labels like “mandrake root”, “rabbit blood”, and “pumice stones” on them. Finally, the ceiling was hung with exactly one-hundred dream catchers each woven into the shape of a triquetra. 

“Whose house?” he said to himself once the door was closed, “Zeke’s house!”

He then threw his jacket into the corner and went immediately for a book on one of the shelves titled, Fire Spells. He skimmed through it until he came to the page he was looking for, which is when he grabbed some cups of black and white paint and began rubbing his face until it resembled that of a skull. He then closed his eyes for a brief moment and opened them again to reveal they were completely purple once more. 

Suddenly, three jars from the shelves vanished in bursts of violet smoke and reappeared at his feet, which he then began pouring into the bronze dish before him. Finally, he began chanting in the whispering language and the pile of mixed herbs in the dish instantly caught fire! 

The flames suddenly changed colors from orange to green to magenta; one after the other in just a single second. Zeke then stuck his hand in the pinkish-purple flames and they barely felt warm! 

“It’s my magic. I can do what I want with it,” he thought to himself. 

That’s when he gathered up a big ball of fire and molded it like clay into multiple different shapes. First, a butterfly that flew all around the room, then he molded it into the shape of a beautiful dancing girl in a lovely dress, and then finally – with a new kind of idea in his head – he molded the flames tall and muscular until they resembled the likeness of a certain detective Zeke had met last night. Except, now, he was now completely naked! 

“Bonjour, beau,” the young man whispered seductively to the fire-man, “Voulez-vous me favoriser avec un baiser?” 

He caressed the flame-John’s big, beefy chest and the magenta-colored flames solidified into a glowing, rubber-like substance similar to human flesh. His luminous eyes looked at Zeke and gave him a warm, almost fatherly, smile as the young sorcerer took his temporary creation’s waist and pulled him closer; pelvis to pelvis. He put his hand on the flame-John’s cheek, looked into his fiery eyes, and leaned in to- 

“ZEKE!!!!!!!!!!!!!” 

All of a sudden, young Manny’s voice shot right into the young sorcerer’s mind! 

With Zeke jarred by the boy’s voice, the detective’s flaming counterpart instantly turned into a red, crystalline substance and then exploded into pieces before Zeke’s eyes! 

A shard as big as a sword flew out and hit the floor next to the door, while another broke through the blacked-out window near where Acacia’s tree stood. The fire in the bronze dish rose briefly to the ceiling and then went dead. 

“What in the name of…!” the fox screeched as he woke up and ran toward the source of the loud noise. 

Meanwhile, the light peering in from the broken window of the ritual room was suddenly obscured by none other than Acacia. She stood on the branch of her swiftly growing tree with one of the red crystals in her hand as the branch moved towards the window. 

“Ezekiel!” she called him angrily by his first name, “Please explain why this almost hit my-” 

Suddenly, she stopped – as did Broomy who just came into the room – when they saw that Zeke was nowhere to be found… save for a small wisp of violet smoke! 

“Where’d he go?” Broomy asked, worriedly. 

_

Back at Manny’s school… 

“ZEKE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” 

Manny called for Zeke again as he held back two snakes with one hand and the twirling talisman with the other. He clenched his body so hard – barely keeping the snakes at bay as he did – that the blood from his tiny head wound began seeping down past his brow. 

Then, all of a sudden… 

WHOOSH!!! 

…a burst of purple smoke brought forth his one-man rescue party. 

Zeke stood on the stairs above Manny and the mass of snakes with his face was still done up like a skull and his eyes still metallic purple as he shouted, “No!” and shot little flares of bluish sparks from his fingertips at each snake. 

The snakes quickly retreated back from Manny and past Zeke as he ran down the steps to help the injured boy. 

“Are you alright?” Zeke asked.  

“Ouch!” Manny cried, trying to pick himself up to no avail, “My ankle. I think it’s twisted.”  

“My babies!” they suddenly heard the woman screeching from down the hallway, “Oh, sweethearts, are you okay?!” 

The two young men looked to the top of the stairs as the strange woman stepped into view with her stone-gray eyes in full view and the mass of snake-hairs slithering all around her head. When her eyes fell on the new arrival, she raised both her eyebrows in surprise and all of the snakes began simultaneously hissing and drooling ravenously. 

“Interesting,” she said as her lips curled into a devilish smile. 

“Oh my goddess!” Zeke blurted out, his eyes wide in horror and disbelief. 

All at once, every single snake on the woman’s head stretched toward them at breakneck speed. However, by the time they reached the bottom of the stairs, Zeke and Manny had already both vanished in another burst of purple smoke. Upon realizing that they were gone, the snakes all shrunk sadly back into the woman’s head as she stroked them lovingly with her hands and even gave one or two a little kiss. 

“Now, now, girls! Don’t be upset,” she said, “This is a good thing… for now we know that there’s someone out there who can make today a feast day for us.” 

At the sound of that, the snakes all perked up and hissed with almost sadistic glee. 

_ 

An hour or so later… 

“Let me try to understand this, Mr. Calabrisi,” John said, writing in his notepad, “In your report, you said Ms. Ernst was meeting you at 6pm, is that right?” 

John was at the apartment of Angie Ernst and interviewing her very distraught boyfriend who sat in a very comfy-looking armchair and was trying to keep his tears from coming out. As he asked the man questions, John looked around to see the whole apartment decorated with painted skulls, black cat sculptures, and even a ouija board or two. 

“Yes, yes, that was the time we were supposed to meet at the restaurant,” Mr. Calabrisi said, “I already said that to the other cops who were here before.” 

John looked sternly at the man and said, “I understand that, but I still need to make sure I know every detail of what happened if I’m ever going to find your girlfriend.” 

“I’m sorry,” the man replied, relaxing a bit, “I’m just… I’m worried about her, that’s all.” 

The detective nodded as he finished up the interview quickly before taking a look around the place. As he made his way into the small hallway, he noticed a door with a pentagram drawn on it and raised an eyebrow. 

“Please don’t tell me…” he thought to himself as he looked back to make sure Calabrisi wasn’t looking as he quietly opened the door. 

The floor inside the room had the Wheel of Hecate drawn on it in silver chalk, but with two mirrored crescent moons on either side. In the center of the room was an altar covered by candles of various colors, as well as a silver libation bowl filled with remnants of a special wine, a double-edged steel athame with a jeweled handle, and various herbs and spices scattered all over the black velvet covering it. 

“Well, whatever she was into, she certainly was into it,” John whispered to himself. 

“I wonder if Zeke would know anything about this,” he thought for a split-second before he shook the thought out of his head, “Stop it! Don’t go there, John, for Manny’s sake.” 

RING RING RING 

John was suddenly pulled out of his thoughts by the sound of his phone ringing. He took a look and saw it was Manny, which made him roll his eyes as he answered it. 

“Roman Matthew Thalmeier,” he said, “Aren’t you supposed to be in class right no-“

Suddenly, he was interrupted by a Cajun-accented voice that sent a cold shiver running down his spine. 

“Bonjour, Monsieur Thalmeier,” Zeke said. 

John froze where he was as his heart rate increased and he said, “Where – is – Manny!?” 

There was a brief pause and then he heard his nephew’s voice on the other line. 

“I’m here, Uncle John,” he said, “Don’t worry, I’m okay. In fact, thanks to Zeke, I’d say that I’m better than okay.” 

John closed his eyes and let out a sigh of relief as he said, “Thank God! Where are you?” 

“At Zeke’s house… so cool,” he said, “But I’m afraid I don’t know the exact location; we didn’t exactly drive here.” 

“Well, however you got there, tell Zeke to take you back to school before your principal notices that you’re gone,” John practically ordered, “In case you’ve forgotten, you’re still on thin ice with her.” 

 Instead of answering, Manny handed the phone to Zeke who replied, “I’m afraid I can’t do that, monsieur. It may not be safe.” 

John frowned and his heart began to beat faster again as he said, “What do you mean?” 

After a long pause, John heard Zeke let out a deep sigh and say, “Because, when Manny called me, he was being attacked… by a gorgon.” 

John’s eyes widened at what he just heard and almost felt his heart stop beating. 

“What…?” he asked in a frightful daze. 

Before Zeke could say anything further, Manny chimed in and said, “Uncle John, I know it’s hard to believe, but I saw it; it was a gorgon straight out of Greek mythology! She had snakes for hair, and I even saw her turn someone into a marble statue right before my eyes!” 

John was sweating buckets at that point, but then he got pulled back into something that resembled reality when Manny mentioned the girl being turned into a statue. 

“Did you just say someone was turned into a marble statue?” he asked. 

“Yeah, Uncle John,” Manny replied, “It was Sarah Tunney, the hall monitor. You met her yesterday when she escorted you to the principal’s office. Why do you ask?” 

John said nothing at first as the wheels of a detective’s inquisitive mind began turning in his head. As crazy as it seemed, seeing as they were talking about a mythological creature, he began thinking that maybe, just maybe, his whole case had just been cracked wide open. 

“Uncle John, are you still there?” Manny asked. 

The detective shook the daze out of his head and finally said, “Yes, I am. Uh… is Zeke still there?” 

After a brief pause, John heard Zeke’s voice reply, “I’m here.” 

With a deep, heavy breath, John said to the young sorcerer, “Zeke, I want you to tell me everything I need to know about this gorgon you and Manny encountered.” 

_ 

Meanwhile, back at Baron Samedi Middle School… 

The school principal sat slumped in her chair with a snake-bite on the side of her face and the strange woman going through her computer. She had her babies wrapped up in her turban again as she searched for a very particular student profile. 

“Now, if I were an eavesdropping little teenager, where would I be?” she said to herself. 

Finally, the computer pinged as a file with Manny’s school picture appeared on screen and the mysterious woman grinned as she looked over his records. 

“Bingo!” she said as her turban began wriggling again and the snakes hissed with glee. 

_ 

Some time later… 

VROOM! VROOM! 

John drove his car as fast as legally possible back toward the precinct. Part of him wished that he could’ve stuck his police light on so he could get there faster, but he knew better than to draw attention to himself. Especially at that moment. 

Finally, John pulled into the precinct parking lot and shut off his engine. He then headed directly to the observation room hidden behind the interrogation room’s two-way mirror. 

“Alright, let’s do this,” he said after looking around to make sure no one saw him. 

That’s when he sent the text he was asked to send when he reached the most private place in the precinct. At first, nothing happened. John waited another minute and still nothing. 

“Come on, man,” he said under his breath, “Did you zig when you should’ve zagged or something?” 

All of a sudden… 

WHOOSH!!! 

…they both appeared in a burst of violet smoke! 

“Bonjour, monsieur,” Zeke said with Acacia at his side. 

She now wore a slightly longer dress woven from the yellowish flowers of her namesake tree, as well as a pair of green, high-heeled boots. As she looked the detective over, she couldn’t help but crack a sensual smile at the sight of his muscular torso. 

“Wow, you were right!” she whispered to Zeke, “He is handsome!” 

Zeke smiled and nodded, as if to say ‘I told you so’. 

“Where’s… Manny…?” John finally said, still coughing from the duo’s smoky entrance. 

Zeke frowned and said, “He’s safe back at my place. There’s a protection spell on it so no one with magic will be able to find him, and I have someone looking after him that’s prepared to tear any uninvited guests to shreds.” 

“Broomy?” John asked, finally getting a hold of himself. 

“My familiar,” Zeke explained, “I created him myself.” 

John raised an eyebrow as he said. “And I can trust this ‘person’ to be able to handle my rebellious teenage nephew?” 

Zeke nodded and said, “Yes, he’s a very responsible, no-nonsense little creature whom I trust with my life. Believe me when I say, if anyone can rein in a rebellious young man like your nephew, it’s him.” 

The detective stood silent for a moment, eyeing Zeke suspiciously before loosening up a little bit and saying, “I’m sorry. I know I seem a little suspicious when, if anything, I should be grateful to you for saving my nephew from being turned to stone. It’s just… that boy is the only family I have left, and I don’t want anything bad to happen to him.” 

Zeke’s heart skipped a beat and he stared at the detective, awestruck and lovestruck. He then slowly walked over to the man and put a hand on his shoulder. 

“I won’t let that happen, mon amie,” Zeke said, looking the man straight in the eye. 

“And neither will I,” Acacia chimed in, placing her hand on the man’s shoulder as well. 

John smiled with gratitude before realizing who had just spoken to him. 

“Um, who are you…?” he asked the dryad. 

She chuckled at his sudden realization and said, “My name is Acacia. Zeke and I are old friends, recently brought back together.” 

John’s eyes widened a little as he said, “Are you, you know… like him?” 

Acacia frowned slightly as she shot a quick glance at Zeke and said, “Not exactly… I’m a tree nymph” 

John’s eyes widened even further before glazing over like he was in a kind of shocked trance over what he was told. Both Zeke and Acacia looked to one another with shared concern over the poor detective’s brain. 

“I feel like I’m going crazy,” he said, moreso to himself, “Okay, what do we have to do?” 

Zeke turned to Acacia who urged him to go on. That’s when he reached into the inside of his jacket and pulled out a jar filled with bright red liquid. 

“This is a de-petrification potion,” Zeke told him, “In order to stop that gorgon before she feeds on her victims’ magical essences, we need to turn them back to flesh and blood. That’s what this potion is for, but it won’t do what it’s supposed to without the main ingredient… and that, I’m afraid, is the problem.” 

“Why?” John asked, “What’s the main ingredient?” 

Zeke took in a deep breath and replied, “The eye of the gorgon, herself.” 

“You’re… you’re serious?” John said. 

“I’m afraid so,” Zeke said, “The potion works like a magical vaccine. We need the antibodies the original host has, which is why the gorgon herself isn’t petrified.” 

“Oh yeah, and how exactly are we going to get her eye, genius?” John asked, arms folded over his chest. 

Acacia raised her hand and said, “That’s where I come in. All I need is to get her within close proximity of a tree and I can use a branch to snatch out her eye without getting petrified. After all, trees don’t have eyes for a gorgon to gaze into.” 

“I see…” John said, “…but how do we find her so you can do that?” 

“With your help,” Zeke jumped back in, “I can use a locator spell to find the missing ones and, by extension, her… if I can gain access to something personal of theirs.” 

As soon as Zeke said that, John realized what he was implying and said, “Like Angelica Ernst’s purse, maybe…? Just out of curiosity, why are you helping me with this case? I mean, it sounds to me like if anyone should be scared of this thing we’re after, it’s you more than me.” 

Zeke’s eyes darted around the room as though he didn’t know what to say before finally responding, “Well… there’s your answer. A gorgon in the vicinity of my home is dangerous.” 

John eyed him suspiciously and said, “Fine… Let’s just get this freakshow on the road.” 

With that said, John turned around and reached for the doorknob when… 

CLICK! 

…the knob suddenly turned by itself and the door swung open. 

“Oh, John, I’m sorry, I didn’t realize you were in he-” Stan said, suddenly walking in before stopping right where he was. 

John and Zeke were practically invisible to him as a certain look appeared on his face. One that could only be described as the kind that would’ve had him with hearts in his eyes if he were a cartoon character. 

“Uh… John?” Stan said, swallowing hard, “Who’s your friend?” 

“This is Zeke, he’s-” he began to say. 

“No,” he interrupted, pointing to Acacia, “I meant the lady-friend.” 

The two of them turned around to see her staring back at Stan like a wild animal circling her potential mate. Zeke, who immediately recognized what was going on, smiled. 

“This is Acacia,” John said, confused, “She’s a friend of Zeke’s.” 

“Hi there,” Stan said, taking Acacia’s already outstretched hand and kissing it, “Are you free for lunch?” 

Acacia’s brown cheeks blushed green from the chlorophyll in her veins and she twirled a string of her long hair as she stammered, “W-W-Well, I, um…” 

“Sadly, she’s not,” John interrupted, rolling his eyes, “She and Zeke are busy helping me with that missing person(s) case.” 

“Oh, but she would be quite happy to call you some time,” Zeke jumped in. 

“Yes, please,” she replied, almost in a trance. 

“Anyway, you had some business in here?” John said. 

The sergeant shook his head and said, “Um, yeah. Matthews and Halliwell are bringing in that drug trafficking suspect, and they asked me to supervise.” 

“Okay,” John said, “We were just leaving.” 

“Acacia…?” Zeke said, taking her by the hand. 

“Bye,” she said, still staring at Stan with more stars in her eyes than the Milky Way galaxy. 

“Here’s my card,” he said, handing it to her, “Feel free to call me, any time.” 

She giggled girlishly as Zeke pulled her away and they rejoined John on his way to the evidence room. 

The precinct was big, and crowded with various people. From officers moving back and forth with files and evidence bags in their hands to criminals in handcuffs being led away for some reason or another. There were even a few pretty ladies in snazzy dresses coming in to give a kiss to their officer boyfriends – or girlfriends. 

“We’ll pick up the purse from Evidence and then get going,” John said. 

“Parfait!” Zeke said, almost excited, “I’ll cast the locator spell and that gorgon is as good as found.” 

“Speaking of that…” John said, “What exactly can we expect from her, other than eyes that can turn you to stone and snakes for hair? God, why did it have to be snakes?” 

“Well, she may have those things, but she can still feel pain,” Acacia explained, slipping Stan’s card into a hidden fold in her dress, “So, even if she can’t be killed by your bullets, they can still hurt her quite a bit.” 

“If she can’t be killed by bullets, then what can kill her?” John asked. 

“You’re looking at her,” Zeke said, gesturing to Acacia, “Gorgon’s are a class of creature that can only be destroyed by creatures of equal power, like dryads. After all, why do you think only the demigod, Perseus, had the power to defeat the gorgon, Medusa?” 

“Don’t tell me he’s real too,” John said, finally reaching the door to the evidence room. 

 Once the three of them were inside, they came upon a desk where a woman in a police cap and uniform sat with her back to them. Before John had the chance to show her his badge or even speak to her, the woman turned around to reveal the mirror-like sunglasses on her face. The trio were stopped dead in their tracks as the silvery glass reflected their shock back at them. 

“Oh, he was…” she said, answering John’s question, “…but I imagine you three will get the chance to find out for yourselves very soon.” 

_ 

“Well, isn’t this a fabulous surprise.” 

Zeke, Acacia, and John all stood frozen in the middle of the evidence room facing the very gorgon they were in pursuit of. At first, John didn’t know who the strange woman was until he saw the other two’s expressions. That’s when his heart began to beat faster. 

“You…!” he said, “You’re her…? The gorgon.” 

The woman’s lips curled into a devilish smile as she said, “Guilty as charged. You can call me Elina.” 

As she was talking, Zeke’s eyes slowly began to turn violet again. The gorgon known as Elina noticed and quickly grabbed her sunglasses without taking them off. 

“Don’t bother boy,” she said, “I can pull these off and turn you all to stone before you can even try it. 

“Are you sure about that?!” Zeke said in defiance. 

Elina laughed and said, “That’s some real big talk for a young sorcerer like you, boy. Shouldn’t you be off scrubbing some sorceress’s feet somewhere? Or has your family not gotten around to cutting you yet, hmph?” 

Zeke’s hands balled into fists at his side and began to shake. 

“Leave him alone!” Acacia suddenly chimed in. 

“And what’s your story, beautiful…? You his girlfriend or…” she said before suddenly stopping as the snakes beneath her stolen police cap wriggled ravenously, “Wait a minute… what is that?” 

In an instant, she was right next to Acacia and smelled the air right near her face as her smile widened further. 

“Oh my! A dryad!” she said, “What an even more fabulous surprise for me… and my hungry babies.” 

The moment she said that, Acacia’s eyes widened in realization. 

“John! Zeke!” she screamed, squeezing her eyes shut, “DON’T LOOK!!!” 

Just as all three of them closed or covered their eyes, Elina ripped the police cap from her head and let her scaly, hissing locks fall free. She looked around at the detective, the sorcerer, and the tree nymph all trying desperately to avoid her gaze, but fixated primarily on Acacia. 

“I was hoping to take your young sorcerer friend over there,” she said as her snake-hairs nipped ever-so-slightly at Acacia’s face, “But now I think I’d rather take you, my pretty.” 

“Don’t you dare!” Zeke screeched, his wrists eyes also squeezed shut. 

Elina turned to him and, in another instant, was close enough for her salivating babies to start nipping at his face instead as she said, “Or what, boy…? You’ll put a curse on me? Ha! It’d be far better than the one I’m plagued with already; scavenging for any magical energy out there, even if it’s but a few pathetic practitioners with only a fraction of sorcerer’s blood in their veins.” 

Zeke snorted one of her snake-hairs out of his nostril and said, “So, that’s why you came here. Why settle for gruel when there’s a hearty beef stew now in your grasp, right?” 

Elina flashed her serpentine smile and took Zeke’s chin in her hand as she said, “Alas, it’s true. However, I am prepared to offer you a deal, little sorcerer, for you… and your cop-friend to the right.” 

“We’re not prepared to discuss any deals!” John said, still covering his eyes, before Zeke even had a chance to speak. 

Elina then turned to the detective and, with the speed of a garter snake, became close to him like she was with the others before and said, “Ah, but this deal is one you’ll find rather hard to refuse. You see, I know you’ve been investigating the disappearances of those I’ve taken, and I’m prepared to deliver them, safe and sound, to you, in exchange for something else… like the sorcerer and his dryad.” 

The instant he heard that, Zeke began to sweat. For a brief moment, John remained silent, almost like he was actually thinking it over. As the seconds ticked away, Zeke’s heart rate grew even faster out of fear. Until… 

“Not happening!” he heard Acacia cry out, followed by three terrible sounds… 

CREEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAA KKKKKKKKKK!!!!!!!! 

SQUELCH!!! 

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!” 

“I got it!!!” Acacia shouted. 

As she spoke, Zeke opened his eyes to see Acacia’s arm now covered in tree bark and her fingers now long and stick-like… and dripping with blood! 

Meanwhile, the gorgon, Elina, was hunched over in pain and clutching her bleeding face where her left eye was supposed to be. The moment he saw her like that, Zeke gasped at the realization of what his friend had just done. As for John, who uncovered his eyes faster than Zeke had, he just stared in horror at what he was witnessing. 

“Zeke!” Acacia called to him, “Make the potion now!” 

As she spoke, the tree nymph tossed him the eyeball, causing some blood to splatter on the side of his face as he caught it and immediately got to work trying to mix it into the potion jar. However, as he was doing that with his back turned, he heard the gorgon get back on her feet, followed by John shouting for Acacia to look out as Elina turned to her and let out an intense, banshee-like screech. That’s when he heard a strange noise similar to water flash-freezing during a cold snap. 

Zeke turned back around after mixing and resealing the now-green potion. His eyes then widened in horror at the sight of his dear friend now completely turned into stone before him! 

“You stupid nymph!” Elina growled, “You’ll pay for this!” 

The gorgon and her enraged babies converged on the now-petrified Acacia, poised to consume her magical essence. Until… 

“NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” 

…Zeke charged at and grabbed hold of the gorgon with the potion still in his hand! 

“Zeke, no!” John cried, running up and grabbing hold of the young sorcerer. 

Then, before he could do anything further… 

WHOOSH!!! WHOOSH!!! WHOOSH!!! 

…he, Zeke, and the gorgon had all vanished in a burst of violet smoke, leaving the statue that was once Acacia all alone in the evidence room! 

_ 

Meanwhile, back at the old manor house… 

“THROW IT!!!!” 

Manny did as his foxy little babysitter said and threw one of Zeke’s red fire crystals for Broomy to fetch. The fox ran with a dog-like smile on his face to retrieve the crystal – which landed right in the middle of Acacia’s grove. 

The teenager rolled his eyes and thought, “God! Why do I have to stay here with the furry wet blanket while Zeke and the tree-lady get to go catch Medusa with Uncle Jerk-face?” 

All of a sudden… 

“ZEKE!!!” 

…his thoughts were interrupted by the sound of Broomy screaming like he was in terrible pain! 

Manny ran to the grove where the fox had dropped to the ground clutching his head with his paws. Right when he was about to kneel down to see what was happening with Broomy, he suddenly stopped at the sight of Acacia’s tree. Every leaf, every twig, and even every little crease and crack within the bark had been changed into solid marble! 

“What the hell…?!” Manny said, looking at it. 

“Zeke, no!” Broomy gasped, his eyes shooting open in terror, “He’s coming back… and he’s not alone!” 

“What!?” Manny said, turning his attention back to the fox, “What do you mean?” 

Suddenly… 

WHOOSH!!! WHOOSH!!! WHOOSH!!! 

…he got his answer as he heard an explosion of violet smoke coming from behind him! 

The fox and the teenager staggered to their feet and ran to the edge of the grove, which is where they saw John trying desperately to pull Zeke off of someone. Someone whom Manny had already encountered once before and widened his eyes in shock at seeing again. 

“GET OFF ME!!!” the gorgon screeched as she used her stretched out snake-hairs to suddenly whip the sorcerer and detective off of her. 

As the two men fell backwards a few feet away, Elina’s snake-hairs stretched out even further, pushing against the dirt with inhuman strength until the angry gorgon was hovering ten feet in the air. John and Zeke looked up in horror at Elina now hoisted high above them by her ravenous babies and with her bleeding, empty eye-socket now revealed for all to see! 

“You pathetic little witch-boy!” she screeched, “You think you can rob me of a meal as exquisite as that dryad…? Well, I’m going to make you wish that your coven had cut you when they had the chance.” 

Zeke narrowed his eyes at her and his free hand began to glow with magical fire power as he ominously replied, “You’re going to be sorry you said that.” 

That’s when he opened his hand and a mass of flames as big as a beach ball appeared in its palm. As fast as he could, he threw it at the gorgon and then worked to get John back on his feet as Elina and her babies braced themselves. 

“John! Are you alright?” Zeke asked. 

The man nodded and said, “I think so, yeah.” 

“Good,” Zeke said, helping dust the man off quickly, “Listen, I need you to distract her long enough for me to get back to your precinct and restore Acacia.” 

“What!?! You want me to go up against her all by myself?!” John practically screeched. 

“Just for a few minutes! The potion works fast and, once we’re back, Acacia can take care of her quickly,” Zeke explained, “Besides, you’re not alone.” 

As he spoke, Zeke motioned toward the grove where Broomy and Manny stood watching them. Suddenly, Zeke noticed the gorgon getting back up as her stolen police uniform dissolved into ashes to reveal a black, snake print crop top underneath. 

“Go! Do it now!” Zeke ordered, before vanishing in another cloud of violet smoke. 

John’s heart rate was through the roof and buckets of sweat poured from his forehead and temples. He turned to face the gorgon, now re-hoisted back into the air by her snake-hairs. 

“Well, detective…” she said, peering at him with her single eyeball, “…I’ve never eaten a human before, but a handsome devil like you could still make for a yummy treat.” 

Her hungry babies all hissed in agreement as she slowly began converging on him. With a shaky hand, John pulled his gun from its holster and pointed it at her, thinking he was gonna die before he could even get off one clean shot. 

Until… 

PLINK! 

…Elina was hit in the side of her head by Zeke’s fire crystal! 

“Back – away – from – my – uncle!” Manny shouted at her from the nearby grove. 

The gorgon turned her head in his direction and was pleasantly surprised to see the same boy whom she had seen eavesdropping on her back at the school. She then looked back at the detective and smiled devilishly when she spotted the family resemblance. 

“Oh, now I see what this is all about,” she said, “I threatened your kid and now you’re working with the sorcerer to kill me and solve your case… Well then, now I get to eat two for the price of one.” 

Striking a nerve, John’s fear quickly dissipated into determination as he pointed his gun at her with more resolve. That is, until he heard another voice from the side cry out. 

“Like hell you will!” Broomy shouted, charging at the gorgon at full speed and clamping his jaws down on two of her snake-hairs at the same time. 

“My babies!” Elina screeched, trying to shake the fox free, “Release them you stupid, mean thing!” 

BANG! BANG! 

All of a sudden, she fell back to the ground as John shot at the other two snakes still holding her up. He began walking closer to her with his gun now trained on her rather than her snake-hairs. The gorgon looked around at the detective pointing his gun at her, the fox still biting two of her babies, and the detective’s nephew now running up to her wielding a fallen tree branch. 

“ENOUGH!!!” 

Full of fear for the first time in a long time, Elina jumped to her feet as she screamed and had her babies all spin like a mass of whips, knocking down her opponents. John and Manny were thrown on to their backs a few feet away, while poor Broomy was thrown into a nearby tree and instantly knocked unconscious. 

Once the gorgon had regained her composure, she used her snake-hairs to snatch John’s gun and toss it into the middle of the grove. She then sent more of them slithering towards Manny and hoisting him into the air for John to see as she used more snakes to hold the detective down.

“You boys sure wanted to stop me,” she said between semi-heavy breaths, “Well, who’s going to stop me now?” 

John glared at her defiantly as his chest heaved with fearful breaths. 

All of a sudden… 

“I am…!” 

CREEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAA KKKKKKKKKK!!!!!!!! 

…a long, sharp tree branch sliced through the air like an assassin’s dagger! 

The gorgon’s eyes widened as the pain set in for a brief second before vanishing all together. John watched in horror as a thin red line slowly appeared horizontally across her neck. 

“…just wanted to give you the heads up,” Acacia said, finishing her sentence just as Elina’s head fell off. 

She stood off to the side near the house with her arm now transformed into the large tree branch that just beheaded the gorgon. Zeke stood at her side with the jar of potion in one hand and a little of it smeared on the other. He slowly began walking towards John while Acacia’s arm shrunk back down to normal as she went to check on Broomy. 

“Are you alright?” Zeke asked John, offering him a hand. 

The man didn’t move or say anything at all. He just stared as the outstretched snakes slowly shrunk back into the severed gorgon head with each final breath they took. Finally, when he managed to regain his faculties, there was only one thing he cared about. 

“Manny!” he gasped, rushing over to his nephew lying unconscious on the ground. 

He gave the boy a few firm pats to the face and he slowly came to. 

“Oh, thank god!” he said, relieved, “My boy, are you alright?” 

“Yeah, I’m good,” he replied with a slight moan before his eyes shot open with delight, “That – was – so – cool!” 

John rolled his eyes and laughed as he hugged his nephew and kissed his head multiple times. The boy laughed and told him to stop the whole time. Broomy and Acacia watched them from ten feet away and smiled at the sweetness of it all. 

“Hey, Uncle John…” Manny finally said once they had both stopped laughing, “…where’s Zeke?” 

John furrowed his brow at his nephew’s inquiry before turning around – along with Acacia and Broomy – to see Zeke and the separated head and body of Elina now gone!

 Only a few wisps of violet smoke were left in their places. 

_ 

Some hours later… 

Lafayette Cemetery No. 1 was completely overrun with police officers. 

Thanks to Zeke’s potion, Elina’s three victims had all been restored to flesh and blood. At that moment, Fred Midler, Angie Ernst, and Sarah Tunney were all in an ambulance and wrapped in shock blankets while Stan wrote their statements down. As for John, he walked among the commotion, looking for clues. 

Finally, Stan came walking up to John with the statements and said, “You did it man!” 

John tilted his head un-assuredly and said, “I’m not so sure about that. An anonymous tip and a missing kidnapper isn’t exactly the makings of a closed case.” 

“Maybe not, but at least the victims were found alive before the kidnapper could do… whatever it was they were going to do to them,” Stan said, “Plus, now you’ve got one less case to work on, right?” 

John’s eyes darted to the ground like he wasn’t so sure about that. After all, he still had to find the one who made the kidnapper disappear. 

Stan congratulated him once more and the two parted ways as John continued his walk around the cemetery. That is, until he caught a flash of a purple leather jacket out of the corner of his eye. He did a double take and, sure enough, it was the sorcerer himself standing alone in front of a nearby gravestone. John looked around quickly to make sure no one was looking before he slowly began walking in Zeke’s direction. The young man didn’t even seem to notice him as he remained fixated on the grave in front of him. 

“Hey, kid…” John greeted him once he was a few feet away. 

Zeke turned to look at him with a look of sullenness on his face, but said nothing as John approached him. 

“You, um…” John said, awkwardly, “You disappeared on us after, uh… we were safe.” 

“The gorgon was dead, and someone had to find her missing victims,” Zeke replied with a passive-aggressive tone, “After all, isn’t that the only reason why you asked for me; so I could help you solve your case?” 

John frowned at his words and remained silent for a moment before saying, “Zeke, I just wanted to-” 

“It doesn’t matter,” he interrupted, “I’m just glad that bitch is gone and everyone is safe.” 

“Yeah, about that,” John said after a brief pause, “What did you do with the body?” 

Zeke took in a deep breath and let it all out at once as he said, “I burned the carcass and buried the ashes. As you can imagine, a gorgon’s body contains some striking physiological traits that could raise questions in an autopsy.” 

John thought about it for a second and half-nodded in agreement. 

That’s when his eyes were drawn to the headstone that Zeke was standing before. He furrowed his brow at the headstone as he finally remembered where he had previously seen the familiar name chiseled into it. 

“Hey, that’s the name I saw on that old building,” he asked, “The one where Manny and I first met…” 

His voice trailed off as he realized what he was about to say. 

Zeke finished the man’s sentence and said, “Where you first met me. Oui.” 

As he spoke, Zeke got down on one knee and placed his hand tenderly on top of the grave while John watched. 

“He was a PI, right?” John said, “How did you know him?” 

Zeke turned and looked up at him before standing back up again. 

“My name…” Zeke said, looking the man right in the eye, “…is Ezekiel James Everard.” 

John’s eyes widened as he slowly put two and two together before saying, “You mean he was…”  

Zeke nodded and replied, “My Papa.” 

The man narrowed his lips sympathetically – knowing the pain of loss all too well – as he said, “And that’s why you were standing in front of that building the day that you saved us from those street punks… Speaking of which, why did you save us, if I may ask?” 

Zeke turned his face to the side, trying to hide an obvious blush without speaking. 

“Please…” John said, “I just want to know the truth.” 

The young sorcerer rolled his eyes and let out an exasperated sigh before answering, “Do you remember what you said to me that night… just before we parted ways?” 

He thought about it for a moment and said, “You mean when I told you not to be so hard on yourself, and to try and not get so worked up like you did again?” 

Zeke nodded and said, “After Papa died, Maman and I returned up north; to the place where her coven lives in the forests of Quebec. Unlike when the two of us were still living here in New Orleans with Papa, Maman’s coven wasn’t exactly a friendly and welcoming bunch of people, especially to young boys with non-magical fathers like me.” 

“I see,” John said, almost enraptured by Zeke’s story, “Go on.” 

“The men in the coven aren’t allowed to use magic,” Zeke continued, “In fact, the males usually have their magic stripped when they’re young because our family matriarchs believe that men can’t be trusted with magic. That if we’re allowed to use it, it’ll twist us into… Into…” 

“Monsters,” John said, remembering what Zeke had accused Angie Ernst of calling him. 

“Exactly,” Zeke replied, “But you didn’t treat me that way John. You may have called me out and told me what I was doing was wrong, but you didn’t act like I was bad just for being who I am. In a way, you actually reminded me of my Papa, even more so once I found out you were a detective, like him. So, that’s why I saved you and Manny. I guess I was hoping that maybe, just maybe, you cared about me.” 

John’s heart fluttered for a second the moment he heard that. To the point that a soft blush similar to Zeke’s began to show on his face. 

“However, after hearing your response to Elina’s offer to hand over the missing victims to you in exchange for me and Acacia, I guess I was wrong,” Zeke finally said before turning around and starting to walk away. 

The detective, all of a sudden, shook his head and was taken aback by what he just heard. 

“No, Zeke, wait!” he said, catching up with him and grabbing his shoulder, “You can’t do that, Zeke. You can’t just listen to a crazy person trying to make a fucked up deal with someone and suddenly think you know everything.” 

Zeke clenched his teeth for a second before saying, “Well, what am I supposed to think? You’ve been nothing but suspicious of me ever since you found out what I was, and then a gorgon offers you the chance to get rid of me for good, and I didn’t hear you tell her no. So, what am I supposed to think, ey?” 

John looked down at his feet with a similar look on his face to the one Zeke had after letting Angie go the previous night. 

“That’s what I thought,” Zeke said, turning back around before being stopped again. 

“Then let me make it up to you,” John said, grabbing his shoulder again, “Manny wanted me to do something as a thank you for saving us last night. However, now that you’ve saved him twice and I now have a debt to pay… is there anything I can do for you?” 

Zeke stood still as a statue at the man’s words. He didn’t know whether to disregard the gesture as an empty promise or to burst into tears at the idea that maybe John really did care about him after all. Either way, the man’s question needed an answer, so he thought about it for a minute before a sudden idea struck his brain. An idea that he, himself, would’ve called truly and utterly insane had he thought of it yesterday. But, after everything that’s happened between him and the detective in the last twenty-four hours, what did he have to lose? 

“Actually, there is something you can do, Monsieur Thalmeier,” Zeke said, in an almost mischievous tone as he turned to face John, “Remember how you mentioned my Papa being a private investigator…?” 

John nodded. 

Zeke smiled mischievously and said, “Well, seeing as you’re a detective yourself, I want you to help me follow in my father’s footsteps. I want to be a magical detective!” 

John’s eyes widened in absolute shock at that. The whole idea was crazy! Unthinkable, even! At the same time, he did now have a debt to pay to the young sorcerer. 

So, with a tired roll of his eyes and a sigh as heavy as his heart, he said, “Alright, deal.” 

Zeke’s smile went from mischievous to excited in an instant as he offered John his hand for a shake. Uneasily, the man took it and shook. However, when they let go, he realized he now had something in his hand: Another clay coin just like the one Zeke had given him before. 

“This one’s just for you, monsieur,” Zeke told him, “The next time you need my help on a case, just turn that three times, call out my name… and I’ll be right where you want me!” 

And, with those final words… 

WHOOSH!!! 

…he disappeared in yet another burst of violet smoke, leaving John in a coughing fit and wondering unironically what he had just gotten himself into. 

THE END… for now.

Acacia, Manny, and Broomy by Rosily Alex, Instagram: rosily.alex Alt. Instagram: anna.jordon90