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.They waited until she was alone and then all three ofthem came into the house and grabbed her by the arms and threw her on the bed.Pablito got ontop of her.She thought at first that the Genaros were joking.But when she realized that they wereserious, she hit Pablito with her head in the middle of his forehead and nearly killed him.TheGenaros fled and Nestor had to tend to Pablito's wound for months.""Is there something that I can do to help them understand?""No.Unfortunately, understanding is not their problem.All six of them understand very well.The real trouble is something else, something very ugly that no one can help them with.Theyindulge in not trying to change.Since they know they won't succeed in changing no matter how80much they try, or want to, or need to, they have given up trying altogether.That's as wrong asfeeling disappointed with our failures.The Nagual told each of them that warriors, both men andwomen, must be impeccable in their effort to change, in order to scare the human form and shakeit away.After years of impeccability a moment will come, the Nagual said, when the form cannotstand it any longer and it leaves, just as it left me.In doing so, of course, it injures the body andcan even make it die, but an impeccable warrior survives, always."A sudden knock at the front door interrupted her.La Gorda stood up and went over to unlatchthe door.It was Lidia.She greeted me very formally and asked la Gorda to go with her.They lefttogether.I welcomed being alone.I worked on my notes for hours.The open-air dining area was cooland had very good light.La Gorda returned around noon.She asked me if I wanted to eat.I was not hungry, but sheinsisted that I eat.She said that contacts with the allies were very debilitating, and that she feltvery weak herself.After eating I sat down with la Gorda and was getting ready to ask her about "dreaming" whenthe front door opened loudly and Pablito walked in.He was panting.He obviously had beenrunning and appeared to be in a state of great excitation.He stood at the door for a moment,catching his breath.He hadn't changed much.He seemed a bit older, or heavier, or perhaps onlymore muscular.He was, however, still very lean and wiry.His complexion was pale, as if he hadnot been in the sun for a long time.The brownness of his eyes was accentuated by a faint mark ofweariness in his face.I remembered Pablito as having a beguiling smile; as he stood there lookingat me, his smile was as charming as ever.He ran over to where I was sitting and grasped myforearms for a moment, without saying a word.I stood up.He then shook me gently andembraced me.I myself was utterly delighted to see him.I was jumping up and down with aninfantile joy.I did not know what to say to him.He finally broke the silence."Maestro," he said softly, nodding his head slightly as if he were bowing to me.The title of "maestro," teacher, caught me by surprise.I turned around as if I were looking forsomeone else who was just behind me.I deliberately exaggerated my movements to let him knowthat I was mystified.He smiled, and the only thing that occurred to me was to ask him how heknew I was there.He said that he, Nestor and Benigno had been forced to return because of a most unusualapprehension, which made them run day and night without any pause.Nestor had gone to theirown house to find out if there was something there that would account for the feeling that haddriven them.Benigno had gone to Soledad's place and he himself had come to the girls' house."You hit the jackpot, Pablito," la Gorda said, and laughed.Pablito did not answer.He glared at her."I'll bet that you're working yourself up to throw me out," he said in a tone of great anger."Don't fight with me, Pablito," la Gorda said, unruffled.Pablito turned to me and apologized, and then added in a very loud voice, as if he wantedsomeone else in the house to hear him, that he had brought his own chair to sit on and that hecould put it wherever he pleased."There's no one else around here except us," la Gorda said softly, and chuckled."I'll bring in my chair anyway," Pablito said."You don't mind, Maestro, do you?"I looked at la Gorda.She gave me an almost imperceptible go-ahead sign with the tip of herfoot."Bring it in.Bring anything you want," I said.Pablito stepped out of the house."They're all that way," la Gorda said, "all three of them."Pablito came back a moment later carrying an unusual-looking chair on his shoulders.The81chair was shaped to follow the contour of his back, so when he had it on his shoulders, upsidedown, it looked like a backpack."May I put it down?" he asked me."Of course," I replied, moving the bench over to make room.He laughed with exaggerated ease."Aren't you the Nagual?" he asked me, and then looked at la Gorda and added, "Or do youhave to wait for orders?""I am the Nagual," I said facetiously in order to humor him.I sensed that he was about to pick a fight with la Gorda; she must have sensed it too, for sheexcused herself and went out the back.Pablito put his chair down and slowly circled around me as if he were inspecting my body [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]