A Bedtime Story, "You, Too, Voodoo"

A Bedtime Story, "You, Too, Voodoo"

A strange shop set up on the west side of town. In it was a mysterious woman with hair the color of night and face white like the moon.

Curious, many townspeople went up to her. They exchanged greetings.

Then they left, a bit confused, going about their business.

They gathered outside of the shop one Sunday, bored of the park and interested in the strange figurines in the window. They bickered at each other as was common.

The woman came outside.

“I can help you get the evil out of this town,” she said “I come from a place as pure as a blossoming flower. All your troubles will be over if you listen to me. I will give each of you a number, and when I call that number with my magical flute, you will come in and destroy the evil in your life, but you must try to hide as best as you can until I call you you back, or the darkness shall overcome everyone, and what is good will rot away.”

So the townspeople waited and waited for their turn to see the woman. They did not see each other at all, afraid of the darkness that lurked.

Strange things began to happen to the townspeople. Some of them yelled but they remembered to never see each other, thinking the other villagers must be the evil in the town.

Even when they received injuries or heard the cries of death, they believed it was for the great town they’d lived in.

Finally, one day, the enchanted flute played all of the numbers.

People came out of their houses covered in blood, rags, sweaty shirts, and soiled pants.

“How could this have happened? What happened?” One man cried. He accused the woman, “You did this!”

“I told you that I would get rid of the evil in your town. You each told me of the wrongdoers. But you see, we are all connected. When we wrong others, we end up hurting ourselves. You can’t hide your own wounds or the ones you give to others.”

They agreed, heads bowed in shame. They remembered what they had done: pinned a voodoo doll to get rid of the evil, to strike back. Now they knew that wasn’t the right way to fix their problems.

People had different injuries, pains, and disabilities, but they asked forgiveness from each other and started working as a productive town should.

Together we heal ourselves and others.