Sage Smoke and the Demon

A female friend in the Virginia City area called because she created a problem for herself.

To hear her tell it, she used crystals and sage smoke to clear what she called a demon from her apartment. After placing the crystals in different rooms, she poured a thin line of salt across the window jams and the front doorstep.

Next, she took an abalone shell purchased somewhere on C Street and put the bundled sage in it. Then she lit it and walked from room to room, offering its smokey essence.

When the smoke became too much, she set it in her kitchen sink and went out for fresh air. Minutes later, she tried to enter her home but couldn’t.

“I think it worked too well,” I said.

“Meaning?” she asked.

“You’re blocked from your home.”

“But I was trying to get rid of…”

Silence.

“Shit! What should I do?”

“Go talk to Buffalo Mike or Crystalle at the Silverland to see if they can reverse it for you.”

“What if they can’t?”

“Go to St. Mary’s Church and get right with God.”

“That’ll kill me.”

“And so will tonight’s freezing temperatures.”

“Damn it. I should have talked to you beforehand.”

“Why?” I asked.

“You would’ve told me I was the demon.”

While we laughed at the time about it, as of now, I have yet to hear from her.