09.2 First Infiltration

Don Raha joined Shakir by the pond.

“The magic of orchids makes a woman invisible. Nobody can see when she is without a dress,” explicated Raha speaking in polite speech with him, “A female spirit enters her body through the front orifice and reigns her soul. She needs sex. Vigorous sex. She looks for lust. This spirit is called Fariké Handi. That is why we use a female body for a vessel.”

“Have you seen this apparition?” asked Shakir.

“Of course,” affirmed Don Raha, “she appears in form of a manjé in black kandiki wrap and silver girdle on the hips. She wears a golden necklace and an orchid on her hair to spread its fragrance. Her eyes are white and drawn in eyeliner. She wears an armband with an amulet on her left biceps. She comes to fulfil desire.”

“It’s dark,” cried Shakir, “I’m scared.”

“First dark is pitch dark,” he said, “Let’s light up a fire and eat some pudding.”

“Habib said not to show a light!”

“Habib is a labour in love. He does not need a gun. Nobody comes this way or bothers about what we do here.”

“Alright. Tell me about this girl.”

“I have been working on her to put her in spell since she arrived. For that she had to sleep naked on the beach for seven nights with seven kinds of ornamental flowers. Have sex with seven women and bathe in seven tides for seven days.”

“She slept with women?”

“Oh yes,” chuckled Raha.

“Can she become invisible?” he asked bluntly.

“Oh yes, pretty much,” uttered Raha, “the surrounding mirrors on her. She becomes camouflaged and therefore disappears from your eyes. Like the stars you cannot see during daytime but they are still there.

“First time I wore huvand on her, I took her for a walk in the morning. Nobody around and she felt quite comfortable. Second time to the mosque during dawn prayer. On the third time, she stole a pint of sugar from Varuge. She said that the door came open in her hand. Finally, she repeated all this in broad daylight. She has to build trust in her and be confident to attempt on a job like this.

“There is a chance one might come to see. If someone was hiding and on the lookout for something, she could be seen but not for long. If given away cover, she’d be gone. If you faced her, she could vanish. If you try to alert someone, she’d disappear.”

“She’s taken by a spirit?” asked Shakir.

“She is a lover. When this is over,” said Don Raha, “I will draw a talisman for her to wear. Hopefully it will cure. For now, yes, she’s a victim of a spirit.

“When she enters a pairing transformation, this spirit inside her body will try to approach men to have sex with. I cannot undo the process as long as the mission goes on. She is attracted to the spirit or it stays inside her and thus poses a threat to men. She has powers of levitation, walk through solid walls and doors open if touched. Risky thing is that she might enchant a white man in the camp. She can be seen in some form if she wants to while having sex.

“Habib will have an intimacy with her before letting her out into the ground.”

Footloose Habib got drenched. Though it was dark, he could see her in full form. Mala fastened the fosha around her hips.

“Let’s cross Areyfé!” he said exhausted.

They advanced in pitch dark, tumbling over fallen coconuts, tangled vines and roots. He used a tiny flash to find a footing in thick undergrowth to cross some 200 metres. They peeped through the leaves. There were lights on posts around the units like a sports arena in the middle of the clearing. Antennas and two beacon masts towering 360 feet tall on the south side of the field.

If they attempted from the Link Road on the southwest side, they could reach there within ten metres but they won’t be able to go very far. There stood a guard post and a dog.

“When you return,” whispered Habib, “if you do not find this spot, flash your light when you are fifty feet close to the woods. I’ll flash back.”

“What is the time?” she asked.

“Seven-thirty,” replied Habib, “Are you ready?”

“Yes,” said Mala.

“Remove the wrap and footwear. Don’t stay long. An hour at the most.”

She undid the wrap and vanished into the dark. Habib passed the camera. Mala put inside her fist, “Can you see it?”

“That’s fine. You’re holding it well.”

“Okay, I’m going.”

“Listen!” he warned, “If something goes wrong, I try to escape. You walk to Fanas and wait until Don Raha comes home. You can get out quickly if you head to the Link Road.”

“Alright. I feel very naked.”

“And, Deeni, don’t scare me…” She was gone.