Houngan's fame and news of his powers spread all over the town of Rakeville in no time, and he soon became a very wealthy man. He built a beautiful mansion right in the heart of Rakeville and kept Voodoo in the attic; from the attic, Voodoo could listen as people told Houngan their wishes and then he would perform his mojo, making it seem like it was Houngan's doing.
Houngan was both respected and feared by the people because of the power he wielded, as he was believed to possess the ability to control people and make them do whatever he so desired. Many a time, some would approach him and ask him to make them strong for a brief period, or give them courage. Other times he would be approached for more nefarious requests. Once, the owner of the largest farm in town approached Houngan and told him that the farm workers were planning to boycott work in protest of the treatment meted out to them. This would, no doubt, ruin the farmer's business and make him suffer a huge loss, which the farmer wanted to avoid, so he asked the Houngan to make sure the planned boycott never happened. Sure enough, the boycott never happened, instead, the workers went to work earlier than they usually would, worked harder than they ever did in their lives, and wouldn't leave the farm until it became too dark that they couldn't continue to work.
Such was the power of the Houngan, and also why he was greatly feared. His services never came cheap, and those who couldn't afford to pay him with bancoin paid him with assets, such as land and other valuable properties. As a result of this, the Houngan became one of the wealthiest individuals in Rakeville.

THE TWIN CLOWNS

Months rolled into years, and Houngan's son, Lami had turned into a young teenager, the same as Voodoo. Lami was alone in the house one day when he heard a loud crash from the ceiling. He wondered what could have made that sound. Deciding to go find out, he climbed up the attic even though his father had warned him never to go up there. The sight that greeted him in the attic had him screaming in shock; it was Voodoo, sleeping on a small bed in the attic. Lami's scream startled Voodoo and made him scream as well, and Lami looked around frantically until he saw a piece of wood which he grabbed, ready to defend himself.
"What are you? How did you get in here? What do you want?"
He asked the questions repeatedly, not waiting for an answer.
"My name is Voodoo and I live here. Are you alright?"
"Don't come near me? You live here? Impossible. How?"
"Houngan, the great wizard, created me. I am his assistant."

When Lami heard that his father was involved, he began to feel at ease.
"Really? He created you?"
"Yes"
"Whoa!"
Lami and Voodoo then began to talk and Lami concluded that Voodoo was not as dangerous as he thought initially. They continued their chit-chat until Lami heard his father's voice.
"I need to go now, father's back."
''Alright.''
Lami quickly got down and greeted his father.
''What were you doing up there?'' Houngan asked.
''Well, I heard a loud crash so I went to check what it was but I found Voodoo instead.''
"You found what!? Listen to me carefully – and I'm only going to say this once – you will never go up there or speak to him again. Do you understand? Voodoo is not an ordinary creature. He's very dangerous; only I, your father, can control that creature. He's not fit to be a good friend for you.''
"Yes, father."
Lami knew he could not argue with his father, but he had made up his mind to keep seeing Voodoo anyway, and that's what he did; each time his parents were away, he would sneak into the attic to visit Voodoo. This went on for quite a while, during which time the two bonded; Lami had grown fond of Voodoo and regarded him as his best friend while, to Voodoo, Lami was the only person who'd ever treated him nicely and with respect, and made him feel like he was a person and not an object. Eventually, Houngan found out when he came home unexpectedly from town and found Lami creeping out of the attic.
"How long have you been doing this behind my back?"
"Well, uhm, I—"
"I warned you clearly, didn't I?"
"If you don't want me playing with him anymore, can you make my Voodoo? Or give me powers so I can make my own."
Houngan knew his son was stubborn and wouldn't take no for an answer, so he decided to tell him the truth; everything he was doing was for Lami's future, after all. He sat Lami down and told him the full story, then he made him promise not to reveal the secret to anyone.

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