"Agent Witch," a short AI story by K.M. Berrios

Right out of the lively streets of the Dominican Republic, where the sweet aroma of tropical fruits and the upbeat rhythm of merengue embraces every heart, Marisol, daughter of Jarabacoa, hides a dark truth with her upbeat charm. With her degree in high-design and modern two-story house in the suburbs of New Braunfels, San Antonio, in Texas, no one could ever tell how she cleverly juggles her career in real estate and her hidden world of witchcraft. She loves her life, a complex weave of deception, love, and the supernatural.

On the surface, Marisol's every day seems perfect. She has built her life to be successful on purpose, something she boasts about to every friend she has. Her career as a real estate agent in the United States bloomed, after marrying her atheist husband, Sam, to secure her citizenship. Their marriage, lacking in genuine affection, though well-painted in friendly outings and trips around the country (soon, she hoped, the world) was a calculated move; she used every trick in the witch's book to ensnare him into loving her. Then, through her sharp instincts and business acumen, she thrived in a market where only the strongest survive. Her savvy strategies have helped her close deals worth millions, and she has earned the respect of her clients and colleagues alike.

But beneath her polished exterior lies a secret. Marisol practices Santería. She was always enthralled by the colorful hues of this Afro-Caribbean religion, which her family instilled in her; the cantos, the delp dolls, the ancestor worship, the midnight baths at the beach... It all called to her. Her mother and grandmother were proud of her, as a young witch. "She is going to be more powerful than your Titi Cuca, and she was the most powerful of us all," her grandmother said, mentioning her sister. "Yemanya loved her so much, she gave her a new boyfriend every month. Rich ones. Very handsome. Some with girlfriends,some with wives and five muchachitos, but none of them tigeres. They all worshiped Cuca. You watch and see, Marisol is going to have a rich life."

And so it was. Marisol's damp looks began to hook more men by the day, when she was in high school and began to pray fervently to the goddess of the sea. "The Little Mermaid," she would call her to her friends, so that no one knew what she really did in the nights she constructed dolls that looked like the teachers who reproved hr and the boys who didn't like her. "I like to watch 'The Little Mermaid' late at night, when my mami is asleep." She was always very cunning and a liar. She was no less a snake as an adult, displaying the role of a devoted Catholic, attending Sunday Mass and wearing a gold cross on her neck,"So that Jesus will always go with me," she would tell everyone she met and commented on its beautiful craftsmanship and diamond incrustations. But behind closed doors, Marisol draws upon the power of the orishas, channeling both protection and malice... And laughing at the misfortune of those she meets and silently hates.

Marisol was also successful to bring to life twin sons, Julian and Miguel. Though they appear like good kids, some of their habits bring out the whispers of the neighborhood. At first glance, the boys seem much younger than their years, with a peculiar physical trait: their almost non-existent ea,rs. This oddity fuels speculation. When their girlfriends visit, the tension intensifies as strange events unfold. Marisol, fiercely protective, uses her witchcraft to manipulate the young women her sons date, seeking to exert control over their lives. But she does so very covertly. "Mija, do you want something to eat? A little bit of mangu with fried egg?" She loved to coo the women into eating her spiritually-contaminated food.

And then she met Elisa. One of Julian's hopeful girlfriends, she becomes a target of Marisol’s dark arts instantly. She is just too bright and ambitious young woman, Marisol thinks. And a Puerto Rican! She hates Puerto Ricans.

Well, she hates other women, too. Black women, especially. Some white women, for being white and prettier than her. But she hates Puerto Ricans the most, because they have beautiful curly hair. Marisol was born with crusty curls. She hates them, so she wears a wig that makes her look like Becky with the Good Hair.

Elisa dreams of a future with Julian, unaware of the dark forces at play. Marisol sees her as a challenge. She crafts a voodoo doll that looks just like her: pretty brown curls, soft brow eyes, and a taut little mouth. Then, she begins inflicting pain on the doll, to make Elisa suffer. Each pin prick deepens her misery, and soon Elisa's health declines sharply.

Julian, too, is caught in a web of darkness. Since birth, he has been influenced by his mother’s powers, hearing voices that push him to worsen his mother's victim's symptoms. It has been like this forever. His "help" is really another spell that pushes Elisa's condition to the edge, instead of helping her. This creates a toxic competition between the twins, turning their relationship into a twisted game. Miguel, the more charismatic brother, knows how to charm while hiding his harmful intentions. They begin to take turns dating her, playing with her mind and body like they are evil gods toying with their own creation.

As Elisa copes with her declining health, she begins to search for answers. One of her friends, who visits her in her hour of turmoil, sees how thin she has become and wonders: "Elisa, I don't know much about these things, but I think you should start praying that someone in that house isn't into witchcraft."

"Witchcraft?" Elisa shakes her head. "No. They're... Catholics. Except her husband. But he doesn't believe in anything. He's an atheist."

"I don't know, girl. I've read online that some witches even cast spells on people with Catholic idols."

"What? That's crazy! Those are statues of Jesus and Mary and angels..."

"No, it's something called... Santeria. They think they can worship God and the dead. It's so stupid. But I've heard... Well, my abuela always talks about this friend of hers who began having weird symptoms, like yours. She couldn't eat anything, and she started hearing voices. She was diagnosed with psychosis and given lots of pills. They even took her to a hospital, one time. But later she and her daughter found out that a neighbor had been interring voodoo spells in her backyard. She always acted like she was their friend and even asked them for sugar!"

"Adela... Are you serious?"

"Super serious."

"But Marisol... She's always nice to me. Always cooking for me, tells me how pretty I am."

"What about Julian?"

"I don't know. He's... You know. He acts weird, sometimes. He says things that don't make sense. Sometimes, I feel like he's playing with me. There are days when he comes to visit and he seems like he's someone else. Like there is something evil living inside of him that visits only on Wednesdays and Fridays or something."

"Nena... You don't think that Miguel could be... You know... Switching with him?"

Elisa begins to sob. She has thought about it. She has even confronted Julian! But he has only told her: "Honey... It's all in your head!"

"I think you should come home with me tonight. Don't stay alone in that apartment, and don't answer Julian's phone calls. There's something weird going on here," Adela said to her. "Okay," Elisa said, though she and Adela were a little different. Her family was very religious. They went to church almost all week. Her family had only ever gone to church on Sundays.

"My Dad is a Deacon," she told her, when they met at work, two years before that day. They are both customer service representatives at a travel agency. "My Mom sings in the choir. You should come with us!" Elisa agreed, but she hadn't been to one of their services. Comforted by the care and love of Adela's family, however, Elisa decides to stay not one night but a whole weekend. That is how she ends up at church on Sunday.

"You don't need a boyfriend, right now, Elisa," the pastor and his ministers helped to pray for her and prophesied over her lie, that day. "You need people who have light within them, to help you combat all this darkness. We agree that this could be a spiritual attack, and we will help you fight it. But you have to do something, first."

That day, Elisa repents from all her sins and asks to be baptized. She instantly feels that something has "left her." But the moment that she hears from Julian again, the symptoms return.

Stuck in her darkest moment, she turns to faith, exploring the Bible and finding hope in its words. "No weapon that is formed against you can prosper," she reads in Isaiah 54:17. And in 1st Samuel 17:45: "You come against me with a sword and with a spear, but I come against you in the name of the Lord of Armies!" This newfound perspective gives her strength. Realizing that she had been caught in a toxic dynamic, she confronts the reality of Julian and Marisol's manipulations.

"I have to stop seeing him. Now."

Julian tries to call Marisol. He calls her many times. She doesn't answer. "Why isn't she answering?" Miguel accuses him. "You did somethng wrong. You didn't follow our plan."

"Shut up!" Julian tells him. "Or I will kill you."

Miguel becomes very quiet. "You were planning on killing her?"

"It's all these voices! They keep telling me I'll be king!"

Marisol hears her sons' arguments and becomes afraid. She senses this shift in her family has come from Elisa. When she asks Julian what's wrong, he shrugs in tears. "I think Miguel likes her... Or she likes Miguel... I don't know, Mom. Just make me something to eat."

The woman suddenly gets a bad feeling. "This little floosie better not be trying to play against my santitos." She could already hear her ancestors tell her that Elisa was going to escape. But wasn't that what she wanted?

Witches become obsessed. They become obsessed and then can't stop. They hurt more people that way, and they hurt themselves. They hurt even their family, every time they "bless them" with Santeria. But Marisol can't see that. She just loves to wear her white clothing and turban. She loves to dance in the moonlight for the orishas. She knows that all her success and power come from their favor, and, well, if she stops... Well, if she stops, they will leave her. They will leave her! And if they leave her, she will lose everything--everything! And then, well, she doesn't know very well, because she hopes she can pray to El Divino Nino and he will save her from the evil one--Santa Maria, Madre de Dios! But she has heard how some witches lost their lives, after making the santos angry. She certainly didn't want to be one of those!

Desperate, Marisol devises a desperate plan to reclaim Elisa. Believing herself to be invincible because of her magical abilities, she decides to cause a confrontation. However, when Marisol arrives at Elisa's doorstep, she encounters a formidable opponent. Elisa, empowered by her faith, stands firm in her beliefs. "I cannot be touched by your evil. I have Christ in my heart, now," she boldly declares. This encounter shakes Marisol; she realizes two things: Elisa knows what she has been doing, and her powers may not be as strong as she believed.

"Mamita, I only came to see if you were doing okay, because you haven't been answering your phone. Can I come in?"

"No, you can't. And you should leave, before I call the police."

As Elisa moves away to begin her healing journey, the weight of Marisol's deception becomes unbearable. Her reputation as a real estate agent remains intact, but at what cost? Behind her successful facade lies a woman haunted by her choices and ambitions.

Months pass, and Julian finds himself at a crossroads as well. He begins to question his mother's dark influence and seeks redemption for his and his family's wrongs. His struggle between good and evil reflects a broader truth: even those raised in darkness can find their way to the light. When he finally decides to leave the house where he thought he once was loved, Miguel stood at the door, mocking him. "You're going to leave? Because of her?" he referred to Elisa. "We raped that woman, Mikey," Julian told him. "There is a fine line between light and darkness. And I'm done with mine"

Julian never saw Elisa again, but he had heard she was doing much better than before he had met her. Her dreams were coming true, and she was now engaged to a good man who truly loved her. While it saddened him, it brought him to reflect on his mother's ambitions, and how much she had risked to undertake them. Success can sometimes harbor hidden dangers. The enchanting dance of love and ambition may lead to unexpected consequences, often leaving pain in its wake.

Every story serves as a reminder. For Marisol, the lesson is clear: not even the most powerful dark forces can overcome the truth that light brings.