Rise of the Wadjet Witch - By Juliet C. Obodo Page 0,11

and words had been burned into the door.

“This is the Gate of Mercury. You have left the Gate of Man.” She didn’t want to touch the door; she was afraid it was still hot. She did not have to, however; it opened for her.

She had been to this place before. The bright orange hues enveloped her, and she felt warm and safe. Her feelings of joy grew as she walked toward a wooden door. There were no words, but she knew that this doorway would lead her to Venus. She turned the copper knob and entered.

She followed a short and golden path to the Gate of the Sun. It was made of gold. She entered and arrived in a rock garden. The rocks in the center formed a path. She hopped onto each to get to the next door. She counted one, two, three, four, five, six; she was almost there. She was almost to ten. She was almost to her center.

She reached the door marked with the symbol of Mars. There wasn’t a knob. She waited for it to open. It did not. She moved closer, but the door remained closed. She knocked. No one answered. She knocked harder, but still no one answered. No! She had to continue her journey.

She began to knock harder and then pounded on the door with both hands. She had to get to the other side. She felt the ground beneath her begin to shake, and she was relieved; this must be another way in. A black hole formed. It was a void; it was not the way. Frightened, she began to move backward away from the hole, but it followed her, and it was growing. She turned to run back to the Gate of the Sun, but she could not escape the ever-expanding hole.

The Sun’s door reappeared but it was too late; she had already fallen through the hole. She screamed.

“Miss? Miss, are you all right?”

Memphis opened her eyes to find a young woman looking down at her. She was on the couch in the doctor’s office. Memphis just stared at her blankly.

“Miss, are you all right? Are you here to see the doctor? I can schedule an appointment.” The woman’s brow furrowed with concern.

Memphis’s mind suddenly went blank, but she managed to speak. “No, that won’t be necessary. I’ve already seen the doctor and I think she cured me.”

“You have? I didn’t know she was in today. I’m sorry I wasn’t at the desk. Come, let me help you up.” She pulled Memphis onto her feet. “Do you know where the doctor went?”

“No,” Memphis answered mechanically.

“Oh, well. That’s fine. What did she treat you for? I’m so glad you’re cured. She’s a great doctor.”

Memphis couldn’t find an answer for her when she noticed a stop smoking sign on the wall. “Stop smoking,” she read.

“She treated me for that, too. It’s amazing. I haven’t had a cigarette in weeks,” the receptionist gushed.

“Yes, it is amazing. Neither have I,” Memphis agreed.

“I thought you were just treated today?” she asked with a confused expression on her face.

“Yes,” Memphis simply answered.

“Yes? Yes to what?”

“Yes,” Memphis repeated. She picked up her bag and walked out of the office, leaving a very confused receptionist behind.

Chapter 5

A cool breeze woke Memphis out of her trance. She shook her head to clear her mind, but it seemed that someone else beat her to the punch. She couldn’t remember anything about her session. One minute she was lying on the couch in Dr. Thompson’s office, then the next she was outside on the street. She glanced at her watch; she could not recall the last two hours of her life. Could this be one of the side effects of hypnotherapy? She would have to look into it, but right now she was extremely thirsty.

She decided to stop at the news shop before taking the subway home. She walked stiffly into the store to purchase a pack of Marlboro Lights and a bottle of water out of habit. She walked past the cashier before heading to the back to grab the water. By the time she returned to the register, there were two people in line. She was too thirsty to wait; she opened the bottle of water and drank all of it. She was still thirsty. She went back and continued to drink until her thirst was quenched, which was several bottles later. She took one full bottle and the empty ones back to the register.

She needed to get home.