Free Mask of Flies by Eric Leitten

leaving her family on the reservation for
Lily Dale. It’s the Spiritualist community northwest of here. She
returned to her family corrupted in mind, body, and spirit.”
    “I haven’t had any
exposure to psychics or the spirit world. Excuse me if I seem
skeptical . . . I have to ask, what made you drop her off at the
nursing home like that?”
    “I’m sorry, but I
didn’t leave her at your facility.”
    “The police have
footage of your car leaving the Silver Creek facility on the night
they found Angeni there. How do you think I found you?” Tony’s
Sicilian temper began to rise, frustrated by Kingbird’s vague
answers. Too many times had he seen the elder folk at Oak Leaf
neglected by their descendants. A trend that seemed to be pervading
every culture, even those rooted in a heavy tradition of respect for
elders.
    “Someone broke into
my house and took her out. Whoever did it took my car and returned it
the next day—it may sound like bullshit, but it is the truth,”
Elias said.
    “I’m not gonna
argue the point about your story sounding like bullshit, but let me
digress, I didn’t come out here to berate you either way. I came to
get information about Angeni, so we can understand what we are
dealing with—from a medical standpoint,” Tony looked Elias directly in the eyes, exposing his
anger.
    “I understand your
frustration, but if you enjoy your vision, I suggest you shrink them
eyes back down.” Elias’s excited presence made Tony feel like a
two year old having a temper tantrum. “My family kept great
grandmother secluded on our land for over a century, at our own
expense. I am the last of my bloodline; she’s destroyed everyone in
my family. So, Mr. Delgado, from a medical standpoint I’d say you
are dealing with a parasite beyond your comprehension. She will turn
your facility inside out.
    Normally
families in these types of abandonment situations are apathetic,
thinking that their elders lived a long life and now it’s time for
their disposal. There is something else at play here. “How
did she hurt your family?”
    “When I was little,
Angeni lived with my grandfather in this house—I was always scared
to come over here; the look and smell of her terrified me. My
grandfather, Angeni’s only son, showed me an old photograph of her
as a pretty young woman . . . I didn’t believe him,” Elias’s
even tone began to waver. “Grandfather was strong, but over time he
grew old and weary. His defenses broke down . . . He drank laundry
detergent and drowned in his own vomit.”
    “And you blame Angeni
for that. Perhaps your grandfather had dementia—”
    “Let me finish,”
Elias said. “Upon my grandfather’s death, my parents took charge
of her. Shortly after, I saw with my own eyes the life being drained
from them, in a slow trickle. They knew something pulled them down
through Angeni. They tried to purify her through various methods:
traditional healers, herbs, and potions worked for years. But in the
end, the darkness prevailed. I lived in Buffalo at the time and came
to visit for a weekend. I found my parents dead in their bedroom,
both shot to the head. I peeled the revolver from my father’s
hands.”
    “I’m sorry to hear
about your parents,” Tony said. “No doubt a difficult thing to
deal with, but I don’t see how their deaths can be linked to your
great grandmother.”
    “You people are
always skeptical, and sometimes for good reason. Now, you need to
believe. It could mean your life.”
    “What about your time
caring for her? Did she try to manipulate you in any way?”
    “Not me, my
wife—Meni. We took care of great grandmother the best we could.
Still, she latched onto Meni’s weakness. You see, Meni was barren,
once we came back to this land, she started having dreams of her son
that never was. She would tell me he looked like her father and
wanted to be a fighter pilot in the Navy. The dreams broke her
spirit, and she fell into a deep depression. While I