Bad, Bad Shadowman

So I was gonna teach this shy little femme fatale all about magic, eh? And all because she saved ma soul?

Pff! Have you folks forgotten who I am? I'm a sly devil with a talent for talking people into things. I wasn't lying when I said that I'd help her out, but I sure as hell wasn't telling the truth either.

Y'all should remember from the last time I was here, my magic has a few strings attached to it. I can't make nothing for myself. But that little witch? She wasn't bound to the same voodoo mumbo jumbo that I was. Oh, she could conjure up things for herself alright, and more besides.

You would not believe what a saw when I took a little peek inside that doll's soul. Here I thought she was just a rookie with some old hag for a master. But I was wrong… This old Shadowman must be losing his touch because I couldn't be more wrong! She was a hidden gem! Inside that fragile little body she had magic fit for a God~! And she was just the apprentice! Who in the Loa's name was her master?

Now I knew why my friends couldn't refuse somebody like her. That broad was worth more than every wayward soul in all of New Orleans! I bet those guys couldn't wait to get their shadowy hands on her.

But she wouldn't have to worry about shadowy hands dragging her to the other side just yet. I don't know why my friends gave her all that time to pay off a debt like that, it's not like she'd ever find another soul that measure up to her own. Not in a million years, never mind in eight measly weeks!

But why should I complain? This gave me more time to use the doll before her time was up. I'd best make the most of that magic of her's, if I can help her figure out how to use it. I guess that gave me something to look forward to when she returned. That is, assuming she was gonna accept my generous offer.

Just where'd she go running off to anyways? She said something about getting back to her hotel before her mom woke up. It didn't surprise me that she was staying at a hotel, I already gathered by her accent that she wasn't exactly from round here. So what? Was this little British lady vacationing with family? So many things I didn't yet know about her. Why didn't I read her palm when I had the chance? Heh, something tells me that with her shy demeanor she would never have allowed me to run my finger across her skin. I seriously doubt this doll had a boyfriend, or any other friends for that matter. She was terrible around strangers. She wasn't too bad around me though, (and I'm probably the strangest man she could ever hope to meet in this town).

But seriously, I spent my whole like talking people into deals they might not have made otherwise and this innocent little angel was no different. I had my ways of persuading her to come around. All I had to do was wait until she came running back to me, just dying to take me up on my offer. And she would. Just you folks wait and see.

In the meantime I wasn't about to hang around this old place with it being as dusty and run down as it was. Don't get me wrong, it was still home to me, but let's just say things had changed a little since last time. I needed some fresh air.

Say, a thought just occured to me. This wasn't my time any more! Same city, different decade. Ahaha! Now this was really something! Spend a few dozen years on the other side, come back to your own world in the future! Hmm, just how much had the old city changed since I last laid eyes on her? Things can't have changed that much, right? After all, my old place of business had stayed the same all this time, besides the dust. A few broken sidewalk slabs fixed and maybe some new stores? I couldn't wait to find out just how far behind the times I was, I reckon I had some catching up to do.

The moment I stepped out the doorway and into the morning sun I saw some familiar sights, the place was a little overgrown but that same dead old tree let me know that I was back where I belonged. And I wasn't about to hang around this little square for long, I had the whole of New Orleans to explore!

The same old balconies, the same sidewalk but certainly not the same people.

What the hell were these folks wearing? The craziest looking fruitsuits I ever saw! The girls and the guys all looked the same 'cos all the girls were wearing pants! Hardly a dress in sight. I would never of known they were women if it wasn't for the long hair and the obvious breasts that gave them away. I saw three skirts and that was it. The rest of the women hardy stood out from the men!

And get this, they all started looking at me like I was the one who was dressed like a goddamn monkey. What was with these people? You can't honestly tell me that this is what folks are wearing in this century. Where was the class? Where was the style? And where was the jazz? What happened to all the marching bands that played from dawn 'till dusk? All I could hear was faint sound of cars coming from a few blocks away.

Least that's how far away I thought they were. Of course, I was used to cars in the twenties making a noise like shotgun whenever they started up or drove by. So when this silver machine came gliding by like an eagle I never would have noticed, it was that quiet. That thing sped right past me and I almost missed it, so silent all but the humming of the engine. Smooth and shiny. And just when I thought that thing was one of a kind I noticed that they were all the same. Heck, the whole street was shining. Even the walls had be spruced up so they shined with the morning sun. Heh, this was the one makeover that actually appealed to me, unlike the town folks and the mad get up there were all wearing.

But I couldn't admire the streets for long. I gotta admit, I was starting to feel a little self conscious with folks giving me so many funny looks. What's the matter? Ain't they never seen a top hat before?...

Hey, maybe they haven't. Maybe my style no long existed in this world.

...It suddenly dawned on me. I needed new duds! And looking at the state of my old place I needed new stuff! If my friends on the other side hadn't have protected their investment then I wouldn't even have my emporium!

'Hold on' I thought to myself. 'I ain't got nothing'! I had so little before, scraping for a few dimes a day, but now I didn't even have that. I had no money, no new threads, no place to say except my old place of business but all that gave me was roof over my head. I ain't got no shower, no bathroom, no bed, no food…

...I tell ya what I did have, that little doll~

Maybe I could persuade her to use that magic of her's to spruce things up for me. Ha, she wouldn't take much persuasion. I knew she wouldn't mind helping a poor sinner like myself with her kind and gentle nature. Sure, she needed a little help getting her magic out there, but I could show her how it's done.

You know at first she was just an added extra to my new found freedom, but now I saw that I actually needed that magic of her's! How else was I gonna get back on my feet? I can't exactly make things for myself, so I guess that meant that she'd be doing all the work for me. After all, I'd already made her an offer she couldn't refuse. I knew it wouldn't be long before she showed up again, simply dying to see me.