Family Treasures
Blanche Facilier, Michael's mother, who I will sadly never have the pleasure of meeting in the flesh, neither will I ever even see her face on a photograph. The blurry visions from my unstable magic was all Michael had to remind him of what she looked like. Apparently she was just how he remembered her, feisty, charismatic and proud of her family of three.
Michael's grandfather owned and ran a small theater since before Michael's mother was born. One of the French Royals who was born after the revolution visited New Orleans and stopped by the theater. She ended up having an affair with the theater's owner and she soon found herself with child. To prevent a scandal in her family she ended up hoisting the baby girl onto the gentleman and after which she simply disappeared, never to be seen again.
Blanche was raised by her father, even when the theater business started to fall apart, he always found time for his precious little daughter who he thought the world of. Blanche grew up into a woman and tried her luck in love, unfortunately she had nothing to show for it except a pregnant tummy. Despite his daughter being unmarried and pregnant his love for her still would not falter. He was even there for her when his grandson was born and of course congratulated Blanche on being a mother.
The theater was in a state of disrepair when Michael was a young child and business wasn't very good. This was evident in the vision I made when I saw him wearing a jumper which was too big. His mum was hoping that it would last him a year or two since he was growing up so fast.
Just before Michael was a teenager his mother and grandfather weren't making enough money to keep up with the mortgage of the building. After a word from the charismatic Blanche she managed to come up with a deal with the agents. The building would be divided up. Blanche and her family kept whatever amounted to the money her family had paid so far, the rest was forfeited along with her father's once booming business.
They struggled for money from that moment forward, all throughout Michael's teen years they were borderline poverty. And then there came nineteen-fourteen, the first world war. Michael's grandfather joined the war effort, pressured by society at the time. It was surprising to know that being a soldier was easier than living in New Orleans poverty. But sadly, that would be the last time his daughter and grandson would see him again. He died in service.
As if that wasn't bad enough, Blanche became ill after she lost her father. Her son, who was already dabbling in the voodoo his grandfather taught him, decided to make a dramatic and terrifying decision. He could never afford medical care with the pittance his family had, but he knew a force which might be able to heal his mother and save her life. But instead of money, it would cost Michael Facilier his eternal servitude. He made the dangerous decision to summon the Loa.
They gave him a solution that would improve his mother's chances, and indeed she survived another year. But the Loa couldn't guarantee that she would heal completely, they could only guarantee an increase in her life-expectancy.
Blanche Facilier
Eighteen-seventy-three to nineteen-eighteen.
Doctor Facilier might have lost his mother, but that didn't mean he would have to face life alone. He became a respected friend of the Loa gods, their personal servant in the mortal world.
This was the story Michael told me that day when I was in his Emporium using my magic to see into his past. Since then, over the next seven days I couldn't get his sad family story out of my mind.
I wished I could use my magic to see what his grandfather's old theater looked like, but that part of the building was blocked off by brickwork and probably belonged to someone else now. It would be like trying to see through a wall that divided up a semi-detached house and see into the past at the same time.
But I was curious, as often I am. And I wondered what happened to the building after all these years. Who owned it after Michael's grandfather? Who owned it now? Was it still a theater? Or had it been transformed into something else entirely?
I decided to do a bit of research as I scrolled through my smartphone and tried to see if the search engine recognised the theater's name. 'Le Paradis Des Messieurs', which translated to English basically means The Gentleman's Paradise. It sounded rather posh, even though Michael told me that it was nothing upperclass. It was just a business that made money, if only just.
I should say, I had a small problem looking for such historical information on my smartphone. I'm not very technical, even for a woman in my time period. But I lacked the computer skills to research in this way. The internet wasn't exactly a grimoire, and surprising as it sounds I find reading my magic book easier than reading the web. But there was a young lady in my family who's technical capabilities far outshone my own.
"You want me to what?" My little sister complained at my request, as I regrettably expected.
"I just want you to find out what happened to the business's establishment." It should have been a simple concept for her to understand. She may be young, but she knows just as much about the business world as I do, or maybe even more since she spends so much time with mum.
"It's next door to Dr Creep's hideout!" Jenny threw down her open palms and widened her eyes. "Why don't you just walk to the next street and knock on the door?"
"I did." Which was something I had forgot to mention. "But it was all boarded up."
I had already explored the possibility of going to the building in person and asking the current owner some questions. Very, very politely of course. You know how much I hate social situations like meeting new people.
"Then why don't you use a spell to break in?" Jenny queried. Perhaps I had underestimated my sister's understanding.
"Just because it's boarded up that doesn't mean that no-one owns the building." I informed her. "That's what I need you to help me uncover."
Jenny leaned over the side of her wheelchair and grasped hold of the back of her folded laptop. It was a light-weight with a touch screen and had been designed for a wheelchair user. There was a metal stand that snapped onto the arm of Jenny's chair and the laptop slid into that. "You know a computer has its limits." She screwed up her lips as she unfolded the screen, separating it from the keyboard.
"Not for you." I knew that she had to be exaggerating. "You spend hours on that machine every day. You told me that after you finished school education you wanted to study technology at college."
"I know. I know." She moaned as she sighed and relaxed her shoulders. "It's just that…you know how I hate doing chores."
Maybe a small incentive would be appropriate in this situation. "Would you feel better if I rewarded you for your efforts?"
Her eyes looked up from over the top of the screen and gave me a particular frown. "You'd have to pay me in she-rry~."
"You'd have to hide it from mu-um." I replied, mimicking her suggestive tone. We both know that mum doesn't like her fourteen-year-old daughter drinking alcohol.
"I'll do it. With one last condition." (Here she goes, trying to be clever again). "Answer one question, and no lies." Jenny was about to ask me something that would test her trust and my truthfulness. "Does this have anything to do with your 'boyfriend'?"
I rarely ever lie to my sister and this was not going to be one of those occasions. "It does." I declared honestly. "And I shall speak of the matter no further." I then decided to diverge away from my sister's suspicions. "Sherry for research. Take it or leave it."
She took it. "Deal." I shook hands with my little sister, who was still very dubious about the information I'd asked her to uncover.
But I honestly couldn't tell her any more than I had already. I made a promise not to breathe a word to anyone about Michael's painful past. And I understood why he hesitated to share such information with me until now. He still misses his mother along with his family home. The Emporium was only a fraction of what Michael's grandfather once owned and he hadn't seen the rest since he was very little. Now it only exists in his childhood memories, just like his mother.
"And another thing." Jenny had one last sentiment for me. "Don't forget your priorities. Remember you've got to bring Suenamoon here by the twenty-third and it's already the first day of the month!"
She didn't have to remind me. It had been a week since my failed attempt and I knew that I only had little over three weeks left before the next full moon and that would be my last chance. I had to be ready by then. I would be ready by then.
