… meh tak sirl ta noch. Orda nirl mat pur tih ….
The incantations came and went. It was still a bloody day dream. The continuous ramblings of those nearby gave him a terrible head ake.
Why now? He was having a moment of peace and again the dreams. As usual, he didn’t know what to make of them.
Every time he had one, he had flashbacks of his past. Didn’t know why that happened either. He just had them.
- Da ya’ need anything else, man? The beautiful black girl, that asked him five times already, was standing a few centimeters away from his face.
He could smell her coconut scent and it was arousing.
- Da ya’ man? I don’t have all day.
- Nothing now, as I said before.
- Yell for me if ya’ be in need of something, aye?
She left, taking away that interesting allure that made him so attracted to her.
Try to shake it off, he said to himself. More important things should be dealt with. Not some scamp of some unknown tavern in that forgotten establishment.
He stood up, heading for the door.
- Man, man! He heard the girl shouting behind him.
- Man, hold on for a blazin’ second!
He turned, intrigued by what she could have possibly wanted.
- Ya’ shiny necklace fell right under the table.
- This is not mine.
- You had it around ya’ neck when ya’ came inside man. I watched you because we don’t get so many fine lookin’ individuals here. And you had it around ya’ neck. Whom should it be? If not ya’ own? Maybe you steal it ?!
- I said woman, that is not mine. I don’t have a such a strange necklace. And I don’t wear them for firsts.
- Need it be, ya’ will find it here, if ya’ll be looking for it in the near future. I see that we will meet again .
As she was finishing the sentence, he was pulling the door in his way out.
What now, he thought? Standing in the middle of some strange lands, having no known location but only some clues of where he should be.
Past noon, and the sun was not having a moment of rest.
The tavern was in the middle of a crossroad. Ancient as it looked from outside, lugubrious from within. Only wood and some clay was anything he could depict in its architecture. The roof was made from hay, as most of the buildings in that area.
But how did he get there? Having a recollection instanter of previous happenings, he observed that he did not remember the last eight days.
Last time, he was in Lagubia, on the west coast of North America, and now he was in South America?
He could not have got from Lagubia to where he was now just in eight days.
Sixteen forty-five it was and not by any known means he could have traveled so far in such a short period.
Something was going on. Something that had to do with that encounter after that deal. That deal.. That must have been !
That strange hooded contractor. The deal was simple : get in an abandoned ruin, go in the cellar, find the room with all those dusty old books, and bring the scroll that was hanging on the south wall, back to the hooded figure.
What went wrong? He couldn’t remember a thing after touching the damned scroll.
Why did I took the job? Why couldn’t I just leave and drink my hard earned coins with a red headed in a tavern in the capital city? I could have had a good time after five jobs.
He was greedy. That was the issue here. His greed made him take a job from someone he did not know personally or from another contact of his own.
But let the past be the past.
He thought he was on the right tack.
First things, get to a harbor.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
He was walking for more than 5 hours now and on the road there was still nobody. Strange thing, regarding the fact that the region where he was should have been rather populated.
No matter, he thought. By his calculations, he should arrive in the harbor of Jan Pellas by midnight. Finding an inn there wouldn’t be a problem. Getting on a ship the right next day was what he had in mind.
The twilight moved him a bit. The clouds were always something from which he was able to get some inspiration. His muse, if you may. That red color the sun had embedded transcended the casual form of art.
The wind was still for now. With the sun going away right in front of him, his retinas got used to the powerful coloration. He was a well fed man but athletic would had been a more proper adjective to use. Black hair, brownish eyes, he was possessing all the frequent features. Nothing special, nothing out of the ordinary that could have helped you to pick him up from a group of ten individuals. Maybe that is why he was so good at what he had been doing for the last fifteen years.
The scenery wasn’t at all diversified. The same trees, random bushes, occasional rocks and some birds of which he did not know their names. Boredom was catching up quickly but his goal, paying back that contractor, kept him busy in scheming.
From nowhere, a small hut appeared in the horizon. A trail of black, dark smoke erupted from the dwelling.
He rushed towards it. After catching his breath, he knocked once. No one answered. He knocked again. Still no answer.The third time he knocked was no different. He tried to push the door. It wasn’t locked.
What he saw inside made him tremble. It was the hut of some voodoo priest that wasn’t there for the moment. He didn’t see any voodoo priests before, but he could tell from what he had heard from other travelers he encountered in the capital city.
He took five steps inside the small sanctuary. When the sixth was in order, he felt he couldn’t move. Looking down, he saw he was standing on a kind of rune or protective drawing of some sorts.
- Told ya’ we would meet again man.
He couldn’t believe his ears. He slowly turned his head. Behind him stood the black girl from the tavern.
- Ya’ forgot the necklace.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
- Walk …
He was spinning. The fog was too dense. Awkward lights purged the veil from time to time.
- Among the shades you walk …
What shades? Where was he? What did he remember? One could say not much.
- Shades . Walk . Faith …
He couldn’t stop spinning. He couldn’t stop spinning but he wasn’t feeling sick at all. A strange sensation of emptiness kept his mind from focusing. He wasn’t able to put his finger on it, but he wasn’t himself.
- Said I walk ?
- Yes, you said walk. But I can’t . He wanted to do it. He wanted to walk. The direction didn’t matter at the time. A linearity would have been better. At least he thought it could have been.
- She … she is here ?
- Who she?
With whom was he talking ? The voice surrounded him but it came from inside. Was he talking with himself?
- The girl . You must know her. Remember. Don’t you remember?
- You. You can’t remember ! This is only about you.
- But I can’t concentrate … My limbs feel so weak. I’m cold …
- You must concentrate ! Forget the cold.
- But she …
- Forget her !
- But …
- Don’t try to explain yourself what you can’t understand . What do you remember ?
- The hooded one. The dungeon. The scroll. The flash.
The flash. Yes the flash ! But after that, nothing. Nothing at all.
Wasn’t there an inn? A black girl ? A necklace ? I walked outside, didn’t I ?
- Go back to the flash . Concentrate on the flash. What was before the flash ?
- The hood. Green eyes. Yes ! Green eyes under the hood. He rose his hand. He took the scroll ? At least I think he did.
- What was he doing with his other hand ? The other hand !
- I … I think … Can’t be sure … He kept moving it inside the cloak .
- Indeed. He was moving it . But what was he doing by moving his hand ?
- I’m trying … I’m trying to focalise . A pattern … I see a pattern !
- Now, the pattern . Look at it !
- It’s some kind of a symbol … Unfamiliar … But , I saw it … saw it elsewhere.
- Yes. Where? Think !
- On the wall ! I remember . On the right wall, near the stairs leading inside the dungeon. And in the chamber were the scroll was.
- Good . Good . But was it on the scroll as well ?
- I didn’t look at the scroll …
- You’re lying ! You always look ! Was it on the scroll ?
- Not always … But I think it was …
- Did he took the scroll ? Concentrate on that now !
- But I told you I can’t ….
- Can’t what ? Do you want to live ? Answer !
- Yes … I think I want …
- Stop with all that insecureness . Do you want it back ? Your life ?
- Yes !
- Did he took the scroll from your hand ?
- He touched it. It was still in my hand … The head, the eyes . Then the flash .
- One simple question : did he took it ?
- No … No, he didn’t !
- So, could have been a trap ?
- But , wh…
- But what? Could have been a trap ?
- Yes .
- You were played.
- By whom?
- That is for you to find out.
It came so simple now. He fell in a trap . Trap set in motion by whom?
- Don’t think out so loud. Try to get out of here now.
You were right. She is here. Watching you. Laughing as we speak.
- But who are you ?
- Unimportant for the time being . You stopped spinning.
- I guess …
- Good. Now walk.
- Walk towards what ?
- What were the shades walk .
- What shades ?
- The lights. Do you see the lights ?
- Yes. I do.
- Do you see the black trails behind the lights ?
- I … How can there b…
- Be what ? Darkness behind light ? You will get used to it .
He started to walk. Looked around and saw nothing. Not even a colour. Only the whiteness of the flash of time of past . The darkness upfront was of time of future ?
Must he had to agree to that strange order ?
Kept walking. Finally he past the lights. He touched the trail. He was stung.
- Already back, man ? She was standing on a chair in front of him. He was on the symbol. The same hut.
- Thought I had to waste more time with ya’ !
- Who are you ?
- You know who I am . She giggled.
The scent. Coconut.