Day 23—Baron Kriminel 2

There was a special place in the cemetery where he preferred to dine when it was not a great feast-day and the others didn’t need him. Colloquially it was called Altar of the Dictators and it was located inside a mausoleum. Most of the time families of the murdered would go there because they knew le Baron visited the area. It was imperative that they remember those who did Evil in the world who had died or been killed in order to seek justice for their deceased. Nowhere else in the world did people pay active tribute to those who had committed war crimes.

It was not the cemetery attendants who tended and manicured the Altar of the Dictators, but the Slaves and the kept men and women, who arrived every other day. Some of the kept sat in luxury and were allowed to pretend to decide whether or not they wished to be bothered doing this duty. The slaves, of course, had no choice. Hitler, Pol Pot, Saddam Hussein, Noriega, Marcos. Each photo hologram lovingly framed by flowers and candles, sometimes in the style of worship mandated in their times and places.

“The altar is becoming controversial, K.” said Baron Samedi. “As you remember, Papa Guédé wan it removed. He been plagued by the decision for many years and he will not ignore the pressure from our constituents.” Baron Samedi grinned devilishly.

“What trick do you have up your sleeve about this, fucker? You know I don’t have time to think about these things, Samedi. And I be honest, I don’t have time to get on Papa’s bad side.”

“Easy one, Kriminel. We make big show that we gonna turn it into a tribute to the victims. Put pictures of skulls and mass graves and all.”

“But that’s not in my contract, Samedi. I can’t be summoned unless we got people who actually spilled the blood. Not them who’s covered in it. It says in the Contract and you know I reads them. Your clause about blood sacrifice not as explicit.”

“Loa, loa, Dieu, Dieu. You been reading bout Christo the Greek. He said we love all the dying. It’s in that contract.”

“But not the one of the Guédé, Samedi. We got other rules. That’s the point. I am not going to take it down and I’m not going to change it. I got to have the blood sacrifice. These new generations don’t understand how us Guédé work and what we need. I seen these churches called New Covenant. No New Covenant, Samedi. The contract’s the rules.”