[UA] Urban Witchcraft (another long post)

[Chris Cooper]

I was doing other writing assignments lasy night and
part of what I was doing popped off a thread about
witchcraft in inner city ghettoes. 

Not wanting to categorise ethic divides along
spiritual ones, I had a pop in my head about
religious-stereotypical cross-fertilisation.

It's very much street-level in structure.

I hope you all give it a read.

Cheers,

Chris. 


THE PINBALL WIKKAZ

In the inner city there are a lot of poor, emotionally
scarred single mothers whose lives have crashed and
bounced off the crime and tragedy that chews up and
swallows lives after smothering them with violence.
Sometimes these young women drift off penniless and
alienated into more crime and despair.

Then someone somewhere had had enough; enough of the
struggle and enough of the failing social services;
more than enough of the prostitutes and sharking pimps
and six-year old crackheads shooting their
grandmothers for twenty in change.

And she had enough of loss and the loser, shiftless
boyfriend.

Allaya Dominguez enjoyed university life, the change
in perspectives, the marvels of new things seen, heard
and tasted for the first time. Allaya found herself
moving away from the ghetto-life hip-hop scene and
moving around with the interesting black-clad
weirdoes. They listened to a different music and
dabbled in New Age mysticism, and made do with reading
books and witchcraft. And the novelty of a black
Goth-chick was too ironic for them to miss.

The bomb: Allaya suddenly dropped out of her
African-American history course with a pregnancy
abandoned by the father, whose sudden shooting star
athletic prowess had him touring the minor basketball
leagues in hopes he’d jump to the major leagues. 

She was already holding down two-part time jobs to
make her studies and her boyfriend was posing for
cameras and groupies. She came home embittered.

Her father reacted negatively in his weekday Nation of
Islam derision, spurting out that she was fucking
lucky not be stoned with the Qu’ran’s death threat to
all whores. Her brother didn’t care when he was home
maybe two, three hours a day. Her neurotic, subdued
mother asked if she could help out with house work.

On the weekends, her father came home from his
meetings smelling like vodka-and-coke, her brother hid
bundles of bankrolls in the bathroom, and her mother
binged on talk shows and processed meat sandwiches.

She took the little cash she had and rented an
apartment with two other single mothers and started a
much needed community childcare centre.

It became a small success. It became the meeting
ground for all the mothers of the neighbourhood. They
lived hand and mouth for a while, getting paid in food
and favours.

When a local dealer tried his hand at scoring a whore
or client things got violent. He left with a warning
on Tonya’s back-sassing cheek. When the cops
eventually dawdled upstairs, 2BoneDog stated that
things had better be different in a week. The cops
just escorted 2BoneDog downstairs, took some money and
left him on the curb.

That day their business dried up and the landlord
suddenly demanded all their outstanding rent. They had
become three single mothers in debt with no job
prospects.

When, out of the blue, Erin Corvingham, an old friend
from university, stopped over to spend the night
wearing bloody, unexplained bandages over her left
side of her body.

Erin was very quiet and slow with all that wincing she
did moving anywhere. Eventually she and Allaya got to
talking and discovered that Erin had dropped out too.
She had found Jesus or something just like it. She
said that she needed a place to stay, and throwing
four-inch nails led her here.

She needed a place to crash for a few days and could
pay with the pressed bills she had taped inside her
jeans. She didn’t want to get Allaya involved with her
shit, she just to sleep and rest a while.

Allaya then told her about 2BoneDog and his threat to
teach them to be his bitches.

Erin asked if she could deal with 2BoneDog, could she
forego her rent. Desperate, Allaya agreed. The Erin
asked for 2BoneDog’s real name.

Two hours of tracking her brother down got her the
name, Melvin Nelson.

Erin then told Allaya to devote her life to the
Goddess and sisterhood, to which Allaya did.

They propped a 2X4 against the wall, wrote Melvin
Nelson on big letters on a sheet of paper. Got a
handful of nails and carefully taped the three
mother’s names around them. Got a hammer from the
begrudging landlord and waited.

2BoneDog came as sooner than expected; the next day.
When Allaya opened the door, 2BoneDog slapped her,
Shareeza held the board as Tonya hammered the first
nail into the name-written paper, punching the tip
through. And Tonya hammered another nail, and then the
last. It was over before the second went through. 

2BoneDog had raised his arm for another swing, tilted
right back, lost his balance, screamed like a little
girl and was a paraplegic when he stopped bouncing
down the stairs.

Erin enacted a ceremony, ordaining Allaya in Wicca.
And before she left, told her a few tricks, a couple
of no-nos, and some advice about the Occult
Underground.

Hours later when the paramedics were fishing 2BoneDog
off the landing, Allaya and her two friends started
the first and only Wicca coven in their neighbourhood.

Allaya, Shareeza, and Tonya raise children, and
worship the Goddess in Maiden, Mother, and Crone
triplicate, channelling them as the Flying Woman,
Mother, and the Warrior.

Their small day-time operation has expanded from a
larger four-bedroom apartment (were they live) and to
possibly leasing a refurbished store across the road.

A brief overview of Allaya, Shareeza, and Tonya; all
of them channel an archetype and can use tilts.

ALLAYA DOMINGUEZ

As the avatar of the Flying Woman, Allaya is the
leader, high priestess, and director of the day care
facility.

Obsession: Making a better life herself and her baby.

Fear: Losing her baby
Rage: Assuming she’s yet another ho child-bearing for
the welfare tote.
Noble Passion: Giving people a chance to see them
better themselves

Sample Body Skill: Wallflower Ninja 30%
Wallflower Ninja is Allaya’s struggle and
anti-intimidation skill. She is a very slight, and
small woman and appears fragile. No one will think
she’s a threat until that point when she’s done
talking.

Sample Speed Skill: Be Everywhere: 20%
Those kids can get anywhere, and wherever they get to,
Allaya’s already waiting for an explanation.

Sample Mind Skill: Whip It Off 45%
Whip It Off is Allaya’s skill in racking up Tilt
rituals on the fly.

Sample Soul Skill: The Flying Woman: 15%
Allaya is very new at channelling the Flying Woman,
but given time she’ll get high up in the sky.

SHAREEZA BRETT
Shareeza is the consummate mother, she glues the coven
together. She tracks all the Wiccan festivals and
sacred days, makes sure the crucifixes are straight,
bakes brownies for the good children and sprays mace
for the bad adults.

Obsession: The coven and children are her life. She
will go out of her way to keep it bound together.

Fear Passion: To be left alone again.
Rage Passion: Slights against her rounding figure make
her… angry.
Noble Passion: Seeing the children do well.


Sample Body Skill: Housework aerobics 25%
Shareeza is a tall thin woman with a slow bulging in
her butt and thighs. Terrified she’s going to look
like her late mother, she works out doing the
housework.

Sample Speed Skill: Fast Crafts 40%
Shareeza can whip up fun activities for the children
and make decent handicraft to sell at the local
flea-market stalls.

Sample Mind Skill: Date and a Datum Cookbook 35%
Shareeza is a walking talking diary. She instantly
memorises all the important ceremonial dates, knows
everyone’s names and birthdays, and can track
appointment changes. And she does it with an
unflustered smile.   

Sample Soul Skill: The Mother 55%
Despite her calming smile, there is something in her
eyes that tells the children not to press their luck.
And adults too.

TONYA MICHAELS
Tonya is a no nonsense woman. She is the rather abrupt
public administrator of the three. She is the most
attractive of the three, except when she gets pissed
then her cute Asian-looking eyes bulge-out alarmingly.

Tonya is the vainest about her appearance; she dumped
her gangsta accent and keeps up with the high fashions
as best she can. The others keep her out of her way,
because she’s the best at what she does, getting
results. 

Obsession: Keeping the children safe. Heaven knows
what she will do to ensure this tenuous thread of
sanctity.

Fear Passion: Tonya doesn’t know who her baby’s father
is. It was one of three guys that gang-raped her. She
has nightmares about the same thing happening to her
daughter.

Rage Passion: The overwhelming cynicism that makes
people give up caring for children. Tonya is the first
one out the door and in the car if there’s a problem
at 4:00 AM.

Noble Passion: Selfless altruism makes Tonya want to
cry and if it’s from a man, a little romantic too.

Sample Body Skill: Sawed-off Hosepipe 50%
Sawed-off hosepipe is the result of Tonya’s
self-defence classes and street-savvy. It is a length
of flexible hosepipe with a bit of broom handle
inserted. It curls up in her bag or sleeve, ready to
be whipped out and on, repeatedly.

The Sawed-off Hosepipe is a submission weapon that
deals lots of pain but leaves few bruises. Treat the
attack as Firearms Damage (max cap equal to Tonya’s
Body), this lasts a round or three before the damage
reduces itself to hand-to-hand damage +0. If Tonya
continues to righteously wail on a target, and she
drops his Wounds to zero, the target just drops from
the shock. If violence can’t scare the victim, the
Sawed-off Hosepipe makes them do Self, Helplessness
and, when they’re all alone in their little world of
hurt, Isolation checks instead. A stress-check failure
means the victim will be meek and pliable. 

Sample Speed Skill: Hummingbird Arms 20%
Tonya has superb control of her reflexes and can
physically multitask everything in her vicinity,
without changing tone to whomever she’s speaking to on
the phone. It is quite a sight to see her on her cell
and moving things around her, away from children, the
furniture, and other children.

Sample Mind Skill: Tofu Fu 15%
Tofu Fu is Tonya’s highly structure diet and exercise
regime. She keeps herself in fine shape through
planning, willpower and disciplined training.

Sample Soul Skill: The Warrior 25%
Tonya’s the Warrior against Child Abuse. She has been
known for her daily dignified non-stop, two-hour
screaming sessions at Social Services to get something
done. She has quite a reputation at Social Services
although it’s pretty undignified.

The Hooks

Love Daddy
One of the children’s fathers came around with some
ammunition. He’s been checking them out for a while
and reckoned that these three are lesbians are some
sort of porno-threesome relationship and he wants to
taste that pie otherwise he goes to the authorities
and papers and spilling that the three are Satanist,
child-molesting perverts.

Tonya agreed to “let him in on the action” and led him
into the bedroom, and then led him out moments later,
hobbling, badly winded, and trying to button his shirt
with shaky fingers.

He didn’t go to the authorities because she’s got a
recording of his sex-wants. He’s now gone to a
porn-stringer photographer and told him. The
photographer is lurking about the opposite buildings
and snapping shots. He’s got a couple of naked shower
and bath exits and something like a religious
ceremony, but not those all at once. But he is
patient.

The father is not so patient. Every day that goes past
makes him want to teach that man-hater a lesson
that’ll make her change her mind.

The Crew Shows Some Respec’
Some of 2BoneDog’s crew recall his talking ‘bout some
fine bitches nearby. He was going to make ‘em his
Snoop Dog Style. He chilled aroun’ near that block
there an’ there’re those three hootchie-assed mama’s
wit’ alla them kids. Maybe they gone and done the
whack to 2BoneDog. Them bitches gotta get some hard
disrespec’ from the crew.

Fishing for Kessler
Derrick Kessler is a fucking nasty little shit. His
sense of humour is plugged one-way into his
spitefulness. What makes it worse is that he’s a
Sleeper and now he’s just discovered the obsessive
find of his tiny career. A bunch of pagan witches are
teaching these innocent kids black magic, and they’re
spreading the lies thick on those impressionable
minds.

They must be stopped! For the sake of the children, of
course.

This is despite there being any proof of mystical
wrongdoing (the three keep their religion and business
very far apart and quiet). The nearest link is the
accident of that guy on the stairs. They just left him
there for hours, and healthy basketball players don’t
just fall down stairs like that; so it must be
sorcery. If it isn’t sorcery, their cruelty justifies
Derrick’s actions.

The second problem is that Derrick works for Social
Services and has kept an extensive file of all Tonya
Michaels abusive phone calls. And she is not liked,
all the receptionist girls say so.

Derrick has already tried to have them shut down, but
forgot the proof-file in the taxi at the steps of the
court building (it has to be witchcraft) and now is
waiting so the court can go around the horn and come
back to his request.

In the meantime, Derrick is trying to slow down Allaya
Dominguez application for a business license, while he
tries to irritate authority to close the witch’s coven
for illegal business practices.

Unfortunately, if anything happens to Derrick, some
professional Sleepers will be sent out to investigate.
And the only thing they have to go is Derrick’s
one-sided reports and lethal weapons.

Lonesome Dovetail
Shawn Erwin returns like the prodigal beau. And he’s
come for his woman and son, Allaya and Brandon that
is. He comes sweeping in dressed like a prince,
confident and cool, he steps up to Allaya and slides
his hand into hers, pulls out a chunk of cut glass,
‘cause diamonds don’t come that big, and asks Allaya
to marry him and they can all live in his big new
house. In spastic emotional fit, Allaya agrees.

After she has a cold shower, she puts two and
something else together: Shawn is an amateur
basketball pro-wannabe, how did he get so rich so
fast? What is this new business Shawn is in?

And not too long afterwards something bad and seething
comes out of the Occult Underground looking for Shawn
Erwin.

Bullet Love

There is a young made-man with the Mafia that cruises
the neighbourhood with a thing for glittery black
chicks with too much blue eye-shadow.  

Through a wrangled testimony, two of the boys in their
care admit to being sexually abused for years by a
babysitter, for which the boys’ two-job mothers pay
ten-dollars an hour for the privilege.

Crunching numbers, statistics and funds, Tonya decides
to seduce the young Mafioso to get him to “accident”
this literal babysitting bitch for once and for all.

The Mafioso gets tangled with Tonya and illicit
sorcery and a hit against the girl that popped lots of
the neighbourhood boys’ cherries – whether they liked
it or not.

It can only get worse before it gets worse.

Epilogue
And old 2BoneDog, well it is said he gives mean head
for his cellmate’s cigarette habit. Sometimes life can
be very fair in quite the wrong way.

And Erin? Well, you do know that entropomancers don’t
really send postcards; especially when they charge up
from random, unprotected marriage to dipsomancers.



=====
The little bird that is the song in my heart
is too tired to be carried
by its battered wings.

It falls, crashes...
... and is still in its bone cage...

Dead Inside from Atomic Sock Monkey press.


                                      www.atomicsockmonkey.com

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