“I send the spirit out of Jeffry into the ball of hair, and then I set fire to it and let the spirit free again.”
“What happens if he don’t get free?”
“Belial will send another spirit into my body to make me turn him loose.”
“Who’s this Belial guy?” Billy Jo said.
“He was one of the angels the Lord run out of Heaven,” Brother Samuel said.
“I never heard of no Belial,” Billy Jo said.
“That’s because you and Jeffry got no religion,” Benoit said.
“I don’t need none.”
“Mmpppppppht,” Jeffry said, beneath the clamped hand.
Brother Samuel held the ball of hair to Jeffry’s stomach and closed his eyes and began to speak in a language that none of the men could understand. He rolled the ball in a circle and his voice became a chant. Jeffry’s stomach started quivering under Brother Samuel’s hands. The pink and white impression of the cross had disappeared, and only the small smear of blood remained. Brother Samuel chanted louder and rocked on his knees, with his body bent over Jeffry.
“Is that all there is to it?” Billy Jo said.
“I got to set the spirit free.”
“You mean he’s inside that ball of hair?”
“Take it and hold it in your hand.”
“I don’t want it,” Billy Jo said.
Samuel offered it to Daddy Claxton.
“I ain’t touching it,?
?? the old man said.
“I’ll hold it,” Benoit said.
Brother Samuel put it in his hand.
“It jumped! My God, there’s something in it!” He jerked his hand away and let it drop to the ground. The men were grinning at him. “I tell you it jumped. I ain’t lying. I felt it bump in my hand like it was alive.”
“The sun must have fried your brains.”
“One of you guys pick it up.” No one did. “Go ahead, pick it up. See if I’m lying. It tried to jump out of my hand.”
“You been drinking the kerosene from the line shack again?” Billy Jo said.
“All right, bastard. You pick it up.”
“You can play witch doctor if you want. I ain’t making an ass out of myself.”
“Turn Jeffry loose,” Brother Samuel said.
Jeffry wiped his mouth with his hand and tucked in his shirt. There was spittle and pink finger marks around his mouth.
“You see this piece of string?” Brother Samuel said. “I’m tying three knots in it. I’m going to give it to you, and I want you to put it in your pocket and not look at it till tonight. When the knots is gone your stomach won’t bother you no more.”
“You mean them knots is going away by theirself?” Daddy Claxton said.