Jenny's Healing Box

Three hours ago, Jenny had so many things on her mind.

Freshman year of college was ending, and she crushed it. A 4.0 GPA was no joke, especially in mechanical engineering. It was bad enough being the only girl in most of her classes with a bunch of incels. They all hated her because she was smarter than them, and she was hot. Her very existence pissed them off good and proper. People had been telling her how tough it was going to be since she was a junior in high school. And they weren’t kidding. It was brutal, but she knocked it out of the park.

Her social media was blowing up too. @buffengineerblondie had just cracked 10,000 followers on IG. She had a feeling people were going to love reels of a 20-year-old blonde hardbody working out, spliced together with shots of her lounging in her dorm room doing brainy engineering shit on her laptop. When she finished running track her senior year, she knew she wanted to keep the tight little physique she’d built through four years of sprint workouts and weight room sessions. After she started going to the campus fitness center and saw the army of girls in there shooting videos of themselves doing squats and deadlifts, it didn’t take long to see an opening. Most of those chicks were 7s or 8s, at best. She was a 10. The additional pics of her studying on her couch with the requisite big coffee cup and sexy librarian glasses put the whole project over the top.

Then, there was Josh. She’d basically given up on guys by the time she was eighteen because they were all horny and stupid, but talk about a gamechanger. When she met Josh at a house party seven months ago, he actually intimidated her with how handsome he was. After he talked to her and she found out he was confident, nice, and intelligent, she was done for. People called them a power couple. It was almost obnoxious how perfect they were.

These were the things that occupied Jenny’s time…three hours ago.

But not now.

Now, she wasn’t thinking about any of that.

Now, there were only two things she cared about.

She wanted to get out of this metal box she was locked in.

And she wanted to kill the motherfucker who tied her up and put her in here.

******************************

“You must understand something,” Horace explained. “When people think of witch doctors, images come into their minds. They visualize a spooky tribesman with a bone through his nose and a necklace made of tiny skulls. And yes, there are some of those in this world. However, many of us choose a more professional appearance. We are not monstrosities, contrary to common opinion. We are healers.”

“Well…yeah,” Ron said. “You got the professional part down cold. When they told me to come see you, I figured you’d look like a cook. Didn’t expect a polo shirt and dress slacks.”

Horace laughed. “This is a small community,” he said, sipping his tea. “I believe I would be noticed if I looked like, pardon the expression, a savage.”

They were sitting in Denny’s Drips, the town’s only coffee shop, which never got much business. Denny Falls had a population of 804, and everybody was too busy working their farms to lounge around and sip espresso. Horace finished his tea and leaned forward, fixing his gaze on Ron. “Please, tell me what you seek.”

“Uuuhhh,” Ron stammered. “I got trouble with some of my neighbors. They been stealin’ from my property, and I wanna…”

Horace’s eyes narrowed. “You want to do what?”

Ron peeked around the shop to make sure nobody was listening. “I wanna fix those bastards. I don’t wanna get thrown in the slammer, mind you. But my great granny told me about you. She said you been in this town for 200 years, somethin’ like that. She said you could do some voodoo that would blow out somebody’s candle.”

Horace leaned back in his chair and put his hands up like he was stopping an oncoming car. “Please, go no further,” he said. “You’re mistaken. I do not use my power to hurt others over trifling matters. As I said, I am a healer. My purpose is to make people well when they are sick.”

“You mean you ain’t gonna help me?” Ron said.

“No, I am afraid I cannot,” Horace said. “I do not want to become part of your vendetta, and I also have more pressing business to attend to.”

Ron stood up and put his jacket on. “Well horse piss,” he fumed. “This was one big waste. What the hell good is a witch doctor if he can’t use black magic to whoop somebody’s ass?”

Horace’s eyes went completely white. “Leave here, now. And tell no one that we have spoken.”

Ron’s entire body went rigid as concrete. “I shall tell no one. I will leave now, wise Mukawi.”

Horace snapped his fingers and Ron blinked. “Hey fella,” he said. “You know where the john is in this place?”

“I believe it is in the back, to the left,” Horace said, smiling.

“Much obliged,” Ron said as he hurried away.

As Horace left, he stopped on the sidewalk to watch the breeze float across the cornfield. Simple folk he thought. I remember his great grandmother, and her great grandmother before. I remember the night I took the soul of the man who violated her child. It was a kindness to her, as I have always done. It healed her, just as I will heal the young woman. She is sick with the ills of modern technology, with its sexualization and self-indulgence. But she will soon be well.

Horace’s instincts told him Jenny would only need one more day in the box. Then he would go into the cornfield, dig it up, and perform the necessary rituals to set her free from the dark impulses that had infected her spirit.

******************************

Josh always got miffed when Jenny didn’t answer his texts, especially because he knew she was on her damn phone every second of the day. It usually wasn’t a big deal, because whenever she ghosted him, she always made up for it by sending him a couple of good nudes.

This was different, though. He wasn’t annoyed. Now, he was worried. Two days without a peep. Her roommate didn’t have a clue either.

It scared him enough to jump in the truck and make the three-hour drive out to Denny Falls to ask her parents if they knew what was going on. Josh had never been there, but he felt like he already knew every inch of the place from how much Jenny ranted about it. She was born and raised there and as soon as she graduated, she hauled ass. Their college was 200 miles away. Jenny wished it was more like 2,000.

All Josh knew was that her parents lived across the street from the Dollar store. He figured that would be enough to find them. After turning off the freeway and bouncing down the ten-mile dirt road that passed by the "Welcome to Denny Falls" sign and led into town, he slowed and rolled along Main Street (which had a grand total of two stoplights).

I can’t even get a signal out here. Freakin’ Google Maps won’t open.

Where the hell is the Dollar store?

That is the biggest cornfield I’ve ever seen.

This dude sitting in front of the coffee shop can probably help me out.

Granted, it wasn’t manly to stop and ask for directions. Josh hated to look like a beta. This was an exception though. He rolled down his window and leaned out.

“Excuse me, sir,” Josh said. “Can you tell me where the Dollar store is?” Damn, probably not many guys wearing polos and slacks around this place. And who drinks tea in a dump like this?

“Would you like me to show you?” the man said. “I know the way.”

******************************

“Whoa!! That’s her!” Josh barked, tapping his passenger on the shoulder and pointing. “You see her, right there? In front of that house!”

Just like she’d always told him, it was a big two-story place directly across from Dollar General. And standing in the front yard, watering the grass, was his Jenny. She was as beautiful as ever…but what’s with those clothes? That’s some kind of church dress or something, goes all the way down to her ankles.

Josh parked on the street and hopped out, wrapping her in a bear hug. “Babe, what the hell? Where have you been? I’ve been trying to find you for two days!”

“I know, and I’m so sorry,” Jenny said. “I’ve been out here for a while. I just needed to get away and think. I need to make some changes.”

“Like the stuff you’re wearing?” Josh chuckled. “This is probably more clothing than I’ve ever seen on you.”

“Do you like it?” she said, twirling around. “I think it’s more modest, don’t you?”

“Yeah, I like it…definitely modest,” Josh said. “Look, I’m just glad I found you. I was freaking out babe.”

“You’re so sweet,” she said, kissing him on the cheek. “Come inside. I want you to finally meet my parents.”

“Okay, sure,” Josh said. “But hang on one second. This guy rode along with me and gave me directions. I need to thank him.” He turned and stepped towards the truck, but his passenger had already gotten out and started down the sidewalk.

“Hey, thank you!” Josh called out, waving. “I appreciate the help!”

“Oh yeah,” Jenny said. “I know him. He’s the man I always see at Drips!”

“You are most welcome,” he said. “I’m grateful I’ve been able to assist both of you.”

His eyes went white, and Josh froze stiff.

“Yes,” Jenny said. “Thank you, wise Mukawi.”

Horace snapped his fingers, and the happy couple went inside. The sun was setting beautifully over the edge of the cornfield as he walked through his beloved town, grateful for every chance he’d ever had to help these people.