No Day Like Today (A Pact. Impact)

- You shouldn't have gone out in this weather!

He laughed. He expected a less rational welcome, but someone had to keep both feet firmly on the floor.

- Well, I thought that…

- It's really awful! It doesn't stop raining!

- Only out there. Not in here, no. Or maybe it does… But I like the rain… you know…

This time he didn't smile.

- Has anything happened?

- Not yet!

- What do you mean?

***

The room was still dark. It was hard, almost painful, to open the eyes. The blinds were lowered to the floor level. Getting up and reaching the switch was an extra effort, almost not achievable. The sound of the engine slowly moving the thin blades up and allowing light to enter the room, seemed louder than usual. Sunlight getting in felt like thorns piercing the eyes.

Had they had too much wine? That uncomfortable sore head was not welcome at all. It seemed like spinning around amongst those not so clear thoughts and memories that came and went, in and out, in and out.

That secret knocking code at the door. The heart beating fast under the promise of a secret loving. Secret lovers, sharing love-making like the last living lovers on the planet and creating inexorable new memories, never to be shared with anyone else.

How unfair and how unavoidable. How sad and, at the same time, how indescribably pleasurable and satisfying.

Looking around it was noticeable that the bed was totally untidy. Unwelcome small red spots still stained the white fabric. All that mess should be fixed right away.

The sheets were immediately tore off the bed and placed into the laundry basket without much thinking.

That bed should always be seen spotless and with clean sheets. It would look great with those white linen with hand-painted red poppies.

***

Seagulls. He envied those birds. He liked the ones with white bodies and huge grey wings with black tips. They were really frightening at times when they brushed over his already so tormented head. All those strange ideas kept tantalising his mind.

Maybe he would be like the birds, one day soon, when… He tried to divert the thought…

‘Not yet… but soon’…

The sky, full of heavy grey clouds, anticipated a storm. Another tempest. None as big as the one that had unleashed inside him, however. He hoped, even without much conviction, that that time it would be easier.

The iodine scent of the sea filled his nostrils with life and memories. He felt the wind blow harder against his body. There was little left… and yet so much…

***

- Promise you’ll understand?

- No. I'll never understand.

- Do you remember that stormy night?

- Remember what about it?

- Can you recall that night?

- Recall what, for heaven’s sake?

- Everything. The pact.

- That damn wine! We were so drunk. It was such a crazy thing!

- It wasn't... or maybe it was, but... it was a pact... of blood...

- You're not going to take this forward, are you?

He looked into that beloved face, now showing great concern, and considered whether to tell more than the known truth. He couldn't keep his gaze steady. He looked down, as if turning inward once again, after so many other times in those last days.

- I will… eventually…

***

The seagulls. So white and so loose, soaring, with their huge wings, supported by the wind that blew against their bodies and against the cliff, celebrated, in their own way, their freedom to fly.

He opened his arms. He felt lighter, like never before. The sea below roared like a huge dragon… patient but merciless.

Thunder echoed in the distance. The thunderstorm was coming closer… but it did not matter anymore.

***

From the window of a particular spot in the city, two tired eyes watched a lightning strike across the sky, followed by the inevitable thunder.

Those same eyes stared at the small scar left on the wrist by the short, sharp blade of a pocket knife, which appeared almost playfully in the man’s trembling hand, that night of heavy rain, like the one that was approaching quickly.

A shiver went up the spine when the pact came to mind...

‘How stupid!’

That should have never been agreed to and now there was that discomfort making its home in the worried mind.

It was a cruelty not knowing the exact day, not being able to help, not being able to interfere. But a pact is always a pact. The feeling that something horrible was about to happen was even more gruesome than anything else. The mind was still processing the fact and the heart was already reacting to it.

One more lightning bolt. That one fell very close, by the sound of the thunder that followed almost immediately.

***

‘Be bold now. It can't be that hard’…

He took a step forward… and another… until the ground dissolved into ether and his body was diving down in the open air.

And he savoured the victory. That war was finally over, before the damn illness would make him invalid for good.

He would have hated being a dead weight on anyone’s shoulders.

There would be no other day like that.

***

The Big Rocks (Part 3)

- Beware of what you believe. The human mind is very powerful.

- She was very generous.

- Was she? Those two are completely deranged. Be careful…

She laughed, but I realized that there was something behind that smile. Perhaps it was only concern or even doubt, but a shadow crossed my heart, disturbing my peace.

***

The south wind blew mercilessly into the bay, stirring the waters and staining the tranquil blue-green with agitated tones of ochre and natural sienna.

As much as I listened people swearing against it, I always loved the windy afternoons. I used to have fun. Maybe I had fond memories of those afternoons when going to school was almost an adventure, and the wind that was blowing wildly through the streets leading to the sea tangled my once long hair.

I went out onto the porch and closed the door behind me. It was cool, not necessarily cold, but I did not want the doors slamming or things messed up inside.

I watched people walk, arched against the wind, along the shoreline. The rough sea carried my thoughts, free, beyond the waves and far beyond the island in front of me. There were several memories, some deeper than others, but did not stay long enough in my mind to have me worried.

I was born on the island. I have always had the sea as the background, from childhood, to my mental journeys. I learned to forecast weather, reading the indications of the sea and the sky. That wind was a harbinger of bad weather. The lead-coloured clouds were already coming down over the Cambirela peak, bringing rain and lower temperatures.

The fishing boats and canoes had been put in safekeeping boathouses and the nets rolled up. It was bad weather for fishing. The group of fishermen finished the task of collecting the vessels and containers, and walked up along the beach toward me.

- We’re gonna have heavy rain tonight.

The announcement, in the simple wisdom of the sea-men, was only a confirmation of what I had already foreseen.

- Certainly. Tomorrow must be calmer.

- No way! This is bad weather for three days, at least. It comes without the thunderstorm. A thunderstorm would come and go fast, but not this...

- It is true. Well thought…

The man laughed. The skin on his face was creased and tanned in a natural way. The smile was open and spontaneous. He was glad that he had said something I had not thought of. It made him feel superior. He adjusted his old hat and continued on his way along with the others.

I looked up at the sky. The clouds were approaching fast, bringing dense precipitation with them. Even before nightfall we would have the weather worsening.

- The rain is going to fall sooner than later.

I turned around without saying anything. She was standing behind me, but not smiling, which was unusual, when she drew attention to some fact, out of nowhere, catching me by surprise. With that wind, I had not heard the sound of the door opening.

- No doubt. There is going to be a lot of rain. Are you OK?

She took two steps closer. The wind intertwined her hair.

- I am... I think...

I looked at that face, which I knew well, and I was not convinced.

- Did anything happen?

- I don’t know. I feel a strange anguish in my chest.

At that moment a gust of wind blew against us and, opening the door, violently, messed up the carpet and the other things in the living room, slamming doors and causing overall uproar.

- What the hell! Let's go inside!

The rain fell down soon after, rushing us inside the house. I went in and held the door, waiting for her to come into the house.

- I’m glad we were on the porch, not the street or the beach.

A shadow crossed the threshold of the door, as fast as the south wind, while I was still holding the door.

- What was that?

The livid face was looking at me with wide open eyes, as if she had seen a ghost.

- I don’t know!

I searched in the kitchen and in the laundry area. I did not find anything. When I was on my way to the living room, a noise made me stop and go back. I took a flashlight because the light was sparse and I checked carefully behind the washing machine.

The large green eyes reflected the lantern light. A cat, as black as a moonless night, had come in, probably frightened by the rain and wind, through the first open door he saw... and that was mine.

- Come here, but carefully, without making a fuss about this.

- What's it?

- He's scared. Be careful. I don’t want him to attack you. See if we still have some tuna, to try to calm the little moggy down with some food. He will only come out when he feels safe. Or he'll try to run away, if he is too scared to stay in.

We still had, fortunately, some cans of tuna. I put some on a saucer and, speaking very calmly, I pushed the food close to where it was. A little farther, I left a little bowl with clean fresh water.

I turned off the light and got out. We sat in the living room, hoping that the best would happen... even if it were best for the pet to walk away through the open window of the laundry room.

- I left the open window in case he wants to leave. I do not want him to feel trapped or scared.

- He gave me a big fright! I thought it was something else.

I laughed.

- You did not think it was a ghost, did you?

She opened her mouth to say something, but said nothing. She passed her hand over her chest and stroked the small amulet, hanging from her neck. I pretended not to see it.

We were still there, without saying anything else, when a very low noise made us look at the kitchen. The cat had come from behind the washing machine and was walking, still half suspicious, towards us. Without ceremony and without looking at me, as if I were not there, he jumped from the rug to the lap of my daughter, who was surprised by his attitude. He leaned on her legs and rubbed his head against her hands, as if to beg for a cuddle. She looked at me and, seeing that I was smiling, opened her hand, so that the cat would know he was welcome. He offered his head and then the back to be stroked in a gesture of extreme confidence. Then he snuggled into her lap and looked at me, his eyes half closed, but serene.

- I think you got a new friend.

- It does not look like a stray mistreated cat, nor badly fed. He is so adorable. But he’s probably someone’s pet.

- We'll look for the owner tomorrow, then.

- When the rain is over…

I nodded. The cat closed his eyes and dozed right there on her lap. He was comfortable.

I was not surprised. 'Amazing how animals soon realize who is trustworthy,' I thought to myself.

***

Rain and wind whipped the place mercilessly for three whole days. The cat was always close to her. In those few days, they seemed inseparable.

- If we do not find the owner, I already have two names for him.

- Do not get too attached, otherwise you will suffer. And what names did you think?

- Either Mr. Crowley or Mephisto.

I laughed.

- Both very seductive names, for sure.

- They both fit well.

- Then why don't we call him Mr. Mephisto Crowley? That way you will not have to choose.

- All right then. That’s better.

The cat, as if aware that we were talking about him, lifted his head and jumped to her lap, where he offered the body for a snuggle.

- Hi, Mr. Mephisto Crowley. You're a good boy, aren’t you?

He blinked, slowly, as if answering ‘you’re right. I like you’.

We searched the neighbourhood as soon as the rain stopped, including at the local veterinary clinic, to find out if someone had complained, but no one seemed to have reported any lost animals.

After a few days, we decided that Mr. Crowley would stay with us for the rest of his seven lives. Properly dewormed, vaccinated and tagged with a chip and a red leather collar, the puss used to spend his days dozing on the living room sofa or at his favourite spot in her bed. He paid little attention to me except when he wanted to be fed.

When we were going to walk on the beach, however, he followed us, with his tail upright, all proud and full of himself. He was fearless and curious, but always remained close to us, as if he were worried about not losing sight of us or willing to protect us. The fishermen were amused to see a cat behaving like that, and sometimes they offered him some fish, which he gladly accepted, though he preferred cooked food. It was almost as if he knew that he should keep the network of contacts very active and available.

Late Sunday afternoon we were on the balcony enjoying some of the spring air, with the cat lying on the last patch of sun still shinning on the wooden floor, when he suddenly stood up and looked in the direction of where the big rocks were. His ears were like two small radars searching for some sound, which only he had detected, with his sensitive eardrums.

We saw nothing but the huge boulders on the beach. Mr. Mephisto Crowley jumped up and ran across the sands by the sea, to where the rock most resembling a huge person sat undisturbed.

- Mephisto! Come back!

He did not turn around, nor did he pay attention to the girl, who was running, followed by me, through the sun-drenched sand.

- Mephisto!

The cat was standing on one of the rocks, staring behind one of them. The tide was calm but suddenly a strong wind began to blow. The cat stayed there, until we got closer. He jumped from the rock and waited for us.

- He's a very special animal!

- What?

The man, who came out from behind the rock, squatted down and held out his hand, as if he wanted to touch the cat, but the feline stepped back, with the hair on his spine standing up. He hissed and puffed up his tail, preparing the attack. The man, all dressed in black, smiled in a strange way.

- So, Mephos, don’t you know me anymore?

The cat hid behind us.

- His name is Mephisto!

- Of course. Coincidentally, it was a very well-chosen name, if we take into account his past!

***