“Mama!”

There it was again! Wherever it was coming from, it was getting super annoying. Finally, grumbling oaths under his breath, he took one more look around. A ha! This time he’d found it! A tiny black peasant girl, clinging to a rock in a desperate attempt to not get washed to sea, which had probably been the fate of the mother she was crying so piteously for. Poor little thing....He couldn’t just leave her there....

Smiling, the water god lifted up the tiny child, whilst she still shook and shivered with fear, and took her back up to the mountain with him, allowing his storm to do its work.

Once again, he was right in the assumption that Asaka would be pist, and he kept the little Ti Moune, Little Orphan, behind his leg, whilst she clung to his cloak, not knowing where she was or what she was doing here. Erzulie ignored it all, preening herself in her mirror, while Papa Gè was conspicuously absent (Probably raking up the dead souls that he’d harvested, contemplated Agwe.)

It was then that Erzulie, tired of the arguing, gave one glare from the corner of her eye, returning to her mirror, and tilted it in just the right direction.

“Ah!” she cried out. “It’s a little girl!” she squealed with feminine glee. Oh boy, this was going to be fun.... Ti Moune popped her head out from around her Loa’s leg, looking inquisitively at the goddess of love, who put down her mirror and rushed to the child’s aid.

“What are you doing with a child?” Asaka asked, helping Erzulie scoop her up. Erzulie began to dry her as she placed her on her lap and bounced her on her knee.

“And such a pretty little thing, oh yes you are,” Erzulie cooed.

“She got caught in the storm,” Agwe said sheepishly. “I couldn’t just leave her there.”

“Oh, so you couldn’t leave her, but you could leave my trees?” Asaka asked impatiently. Ti Moune looked up at the goddess with her large black eyes, and Asaka relented. “Oh fine....She’s probably hungry.”

And so the two goddesses cooed and cuddled her and made a fuss feeding and cleaning her until they both found it satisfactory, and then cooed and cuddled some more. It was then that the only remaining god ascended to the mountain top, his top hat perched on the right of his head, his cigar clenched in bloody brown teeth (A.N.: Ewwww....wrinkles nose). Papa Gè, god of death, clad in black, stormed up to his fellow deities, madder then hell.

“What on earth do you think your doing? That child is mine!”

Erzulie put a protective arm around her and pushed the child behind her. “Absolutely not. We won’t let you kill her!”

“She’s only four,” he argued, pointing an accusing finger at the goddess. “There’s no way she could have survived!”

“That’s because she’s not dead,” Asaka said smartly, sticking her nose in the air.

“What?” the death god said incredulously.

“Agwe saved her, and we’ve taken care of her,” Erzulie tartly responded.

Papa Gè now turned to face Agwe, fuming. “Anyone who dies down there is my responsibility! You had no right-”

“Right? I had all the right, it’s my storm!”

“They’re my souls!”

“She’s my child! And I say she lives!”

Papa Gè wheeled onto the two goddesses who, no longer finding interest in the argument, were feeding the girl again.

“I don’t believe this! We’re arguing about a life and death matter, and you’re just sitting there....stuffing her face with mangos!”

Asaka wrinkled her nose at the demon. “You can’t have her.”

Agwe echoed this sentiment, and took Ti Moune from Erzulie’s arms. “I’m putting her back down on earth.”

“Fine,” the demon responded.

“Oh no its not!” Asaka said, getting up. “If you put her back down there, she’ll be dead in an instant.” Papa Gè seemed to have already thought of this, for he grinned maliciously.

“Well she can’t stay here!” Agwe argued.

“I’ll take care of her,” Asaka said, taking the tiny child from the water god’s arms. “I’ll place her in a tree.”

“And I’ll make sure some good people find her and take care of her!” Erzulie exclaimed, not wanting to be left out of the plot. “Do you have anything to say?” she asked, turning on the demon.

“No, nothing. Put her down there, I don’t care. She’s still mortal. She’ll die eventually.” Erzulie shuddered at his black humor, but gave Ti Moune one last gentle pat on the head.

“Don’t be afraid Ti Moune. We will watch you, from now, till forever.”