Aluka: A Tale of the Witch Doctors
Wayne Kyle Spitzer
- She
- steps
- to
- within
- a
- few
- feet
- of
- me.
- “The
- Power—do
- you
- have
- it?
- How
- about
- identity?
- Orientation?
- Do
- they
- know—the
- men,
- that
- is—do
- they
- accept
- it?”I
- hesitate,
- questioning
- my
- own
- motives.
- At
- last
- I
- say,
- “No,
- they
- do
- not—know,
- that
- is.
- I
- came
- to
- them
- before
- puberty.
- As
- for
- acceptance,
- they
- accept
- that
- I
- am
- a
- man
- with
- androgen
- insensitivity
- syndrome;
- a
- man
- who’s
- face
- resembles
- a
- woman’s.
- That
- is
- all.
- As
- for
- having
- the
- Power
- …
- my
- eyes
- have
- begun
- to
- change,
- at
- night,
- but
- clearing
- as
- the
- day
- goes
- on—if
- that’s
- what
- you
- mean.
- Now
- …
- please.
- Details.”She
- looks
- at
- me
- as
- though
- having
- achieved
- a
- minor
- victory.
- “That’s
- how
- you
- found
- me,
- by
- accessing
- the
- hive
- mind,
- though
- you
- wouldn’t
- have
- been
- aware
- of
- it.
- So,
- you’ve
- stayed
- among
- them
- and
- killed
- for
- them
- in
- order
- to
- survive,
- but
- now
- all
- that’s
- changing.
- Isn’t
- it?”I
- don’t
- say
- anything,
- only
- continue
- to
- stare
- at
- her.“And
- it
- is
- changing—make
- no
- mistake.
- That’s
- how
- M24
- progresses.
- Your
- eyes
- will
- remain
- white
- longer
- with
- each
- passing
- day—until
- the
- transformation
- is
- at
- last
- complete.”
- She
- scans
- my
- face
- as
- though
- attempting
- to
- read
- my
- thoughts.
- “Tell
- me,
- Witch
- Doctor.
- What
- will
- you
- do
- when
- that
- day arrives?”
