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sudden urge to break his
finger.
    “ Shut up!” I snapped, unable to hold in my
annoyance any longer. “What‘s your problem?” I asked, as I faced
him.
    “ You hurt people! You hurt
people!”
    “ Simon, be nice to our guest.”
Thankfully, the bartender came to my rescue and the redhead stopped
his incessant poking and went back to talking to
himself.
    What kind of
strange- ass
bar was this? “Thank you.” I gave the bartender a half-smile, not
really looking at him.
    “ My pleasure, darlin’. Here,
this should cheer you up. I know it always makes me feel better,”
he said in that comforting voice of his, as he pushed a bowl full
of candy towards me.
    I eyed the bowl suspiciously, but quickly
became mesmerized by the colorful candy it contained. I was tempted
to grab what looked like a monster gumdrop but had to remind myself
that nothing good ever came from taking candy from strangers, no
matter how tempting it was.
    “ No thanks.” I pushed the
bowl away.
    “ You don’t know what you’re
missing,” said the bartender, as he helped himself to a red
lollipop.
    I perked up and looked at the
bartender carefully. Red flannel shirt, red lollypop. “Papa Legba?”
I asked with uncertainty. He didn’t look like a rock star. In fact,
he looked like a frail old man with a candy addiction.
    He smiled widely and peered at
me with his kind brown eyes. “Arelia LaRue, I’ve been expecting
you. Your friend Marie is certain that you’re ready to let go of
your fears. The question is, are you ready?”
    I was speechless. What do you say to a
spirit who is infinitely powerful, wise, and knows more about you
than yourself? I shrugged. “I guess so, but I don’t know why I’m
here and where I’m supposed to go, so that makes everything a bit
more complicated. I’m not even sure I can trust Marie.”
    His smile vanished and he leaned in
towards me. “Do you want to be like these people?” he asked,
motioning to the crazy patrons with his lollipop.
    I glanced around me. “No. These people
are clearly insane. Why would I want to be like them?”
    “ Little darlin’, this is
where you’re headed if you remain imprisoned by your own
fears.”
    I was tempted to roll my eyes. This
philosophy lesson was giving me a headache. “I don’t get
it.”
    Papa Legba laughed deeply and took another
red lollipop from the candy bowl. “These people may appear crazy to
you, but the sad fact is this is where most people end up and this
is where most people will remain. I can’t show people what they
refuse to see. I can’t offer clarity to those who choose to remain
in the dark.”
    “ Is that what happened to
these people?” I asked, as I looked at the bitter faces that
surrounded me. “They chose to stay in the dark?”
    He let out a low sigh and his
eyes appeared infinitely sad as he glanced around the room. “Yes.
These people are so full of fear that they refuse to believe in the
truth. They refuse to accept the truth about themselves because
it’s painful and uncomfortable so they sit here at the crossroads.
They’re paralyzed by their fears, so they do nothing at all except
blame others for their own problems. They’re so convinced
that their
way of thinking is the only way that they refuse to put themselves in their
neighbor’s shoes. They’re devoid of love. After all, how can one
expect to love another when they can’t even love themselves? They
see no goodness or joy in anything, nor do they have any compassion
for others. Do you know what happens to a soul that sees no
goodness in anything?”
    “ I have an idea,” I said,
as I thought back to all that Ivan had done to me.
    “ They become so bitter and vile
that all they want to do is poison every little thing they come in
contact with. Hate is their Bon Dieu and negativity is their
addiction. Of course, they’re so blind they can’t even see how
horrible they really are, nor can they see the impact they have on
others. I can offer them options but