The Puma C35.2 11-25-23 (1876) D3 2:15p – Cresha
As we were walking down the hall, Maria asked, “Did any of you see anyone suspicious as we were coming here?”
Mike and Ed just shook their heads.
I asked, “What are we looking for?”
Maria said, “Just keep your eyes open for something out of place. Don’t alert anyone that you may be suspicious. Just tell me. I am on the lookout for myself. I am hoping we have a day or two to train.”
The guys were goofballs and we were in the hospital with our baby lying in a bed. Mike made fun of a ‘suspicious person. “oooooh!!” with a slight tremor in his voice. Ed laughed. I gave them my look because they were so inappropriate. Nothing new.
I asked, “Are you going to continue telling us about our family? I really want to know more about Victoria.” I was trying to not be too excited. I was not sure if Maria was a little off base or if she really had something to help us. But she seemed to be genuine and my dad always taught me to be open-minded about people. Well, he also said to keep one eye open!
“Yes, Cresha. I am telling you more about Victoria but I am giving you some information that will help you tonight also. There are three people you need to know about: Maria, that’s me; Victoria, and Julia. You already know some about Victoria and Julia and I will tell you more now. Tonight, I will teach you how to defend against the people who are coming.”
“OK?” Maria had a smile on her face.
I nodded even though I could not imagine her teaching us defense. She hardly appeared to be that kind of person. You know with muscles. Anyway, I responded with a smile. Mike and Ed raised their eyebrows and nodded.
“Let me tell you some things you may not know about Julia, Victoria, and me. One of the ways I know about Julia and Victoria is through letters that Julia and my father wrote. I would often go into my father’s office and read those letters. I wish I had those letters now; I escaped in the middle of the night with my mother.”
“The letters with my father happened while Julia and Victoria were in hiding. Julia was our neighbor and as you will learn later, we are still friends. She is alive and well; she is really nice. When we were children, sometimes she would bring me something to eat. We played together a lot. We were poor and did not have toys or much of anything. We would make our own dolls out of anything including cow patties. I had to be careful because if my father saw me playing with toys or Julia, he would hit me. I would take our animals with me and go to Julia’s place. I met some of her relatives, two Uncles, and a cousin. They were very kind too.”
Mike got up from his chair. He heard some people down the hall. He said, “It appears the doctor is around. He has those other doctors following around him.”
Maria said, “Those are residents in training. He might be visiting other patients in the ICU. We can stop for now.”
“No! Please go on at least until they get here”. I was impatient to hear about her. While I was listening, I held my baby Gwen’s hand.
Maria continued. “Ok. Julia. Julia is different from other people. Her heart is very soft but she does not lack confidence or backbone. She is not afraid of Victoria who could be challenging at times. Victoria had beautiful olive skin and she is a beautiful person, inside and out. We were good friends when we were little. Unfortunately, her father did not like her whole. Now, she walks with a limp. I told you already about how Sergio would tie her upside down. I don’t want to start crying again. Sergio really loved Victoria, but not in a good way. What I did not tell you earlier is that one day, when he was drunk, he cut the rope while she was suspended. Victoria fell from a high height and hurt her leg and since then, she has walked with a limp.”
“Despite the limp, Victoria is very beautiful; the others in town say she looks like her mother. She looked so much like her mother, Sergio cut her face one day with a knife. Anyway, Julia became friends with Victoria. The three of us would go to school when we could go. Most times, only Julia and I would go to school because Sergio wanted Victoria to be with him as his wife!”
“The story I am telling you now, and I was telling you before, put into motion a number of events that are affecting all of us, especially Gwen. I am guessing this is the reason why Victoria told my daughter to tell you about why she disappeared. Victoria lived with her step-mom Paulina and her step-sister, me. We lived on a farm that had a secret building a short distance away from where my step-dad Sergio kept many girls prisoner before sending them into prostitution. Sergio had powers. Aiko, Laka, and Paulina all had special powers also but they did not know this at the time. The whole town was terrified of my father, Sergio. But they were even more terrified after the local Shaman gave him special powers. My daughter and I have spiritual connections with Victoria. Lakita has very special abilities as you will learn about. We sometimes talk to Victoria through telepathy and sometimes use spiritual messengers in dreams. But you guys should not be terrified… Cresha, You have powers also!”
“Really?” I was amazed that Maria was saying this about me. I had felt something most of my life but I did not expect to hear this.
“Yes really. And Mike and Ed, you have been given powers and that is what I will teach you about tonight.” Ed punched Mike in the shoulder. “This is why Sergio loved and killed them, he is protecting his turf so to speak. Julia and Victoria are hiding from this man Menga who is after all of us now. Victoria told us that he is coming.”
“But we don’t know when these bad people are coming, right?” Ed was paying attention but I sensed a bit of sarcasm.
“Correct. But I can protect you if you are near me. And I am going to train all of you to be weapons. Do not be afraid, we can beat them! There is a reason I know we can win. My blood mother loved Sergio. But she went crazy when she learned that Sergio raped other girls at his secret farmhouse when she was pregnant and she went loco crazy when she learned about the beating and raping of Victoria. She killed two of Sergio’s guards after she learned that they had participated in raping her stepdaughter. She was trying to kill Sergio when the shaman P’aqo stepped in and stopped it. My mother almost killed him too but P’aqo put a spell on my mother. Now, I know how to defend against that spell and much more. Victoria taught me. And what is amazing is Lakita is an expert in those types of defenses, This is important! You can learn to control spirits. The Shaman is a reality controller of spirits so if he is killed, in theory, Sergio is eliminated and we are safe. Until that happens, we are all in danger and these people never stop.”
Ed look at Mike and they both laughed when Ed said, “Reality Controller?!”
The Puma / Walking to Ed’s Place from the JHMC D2 5p – Ed
After the doc left, I got my backpack together. I walked out the doors of the hospital and the cool evening breeze hit me. I had spent so much time inside, I really appreciated the outdoors. I tried to stay in the moment as I started walking home. I saw the cars on the streets and I tried to appreciate the colors and the uniqueness of each vehicle. I saw food and furniture trucks, a few motorcycles, several bicycles, too many taxis to count, and a baby carriage. It was a bit after 5 pm and the sun was still casting shadows. By the time I reached my block, the sun had set.
I had been down this way many times and the dark was not a problem. The street lights were no help, they were there but the trees blocked their light and the impression of the branches with the moonlight was very creepy. It seemed that I saw a little object fleeting by, near the wirelines. A squirrel I figured. But then a larger object went the opposite way. This passed by numerous times so it was definitely not a squirrel and I could not fathom what it might be.
Then I heard a high-pitched, “Edward!” No one called me Edward. Something was calling out my name, over and over. The figures were becoming more numerous.
“Who is it?” I tried to sound brave. There was no answer.
A couple of minutes later, I heard, “Do you remember when we stole those coconuts from the store in Manila?”
“Whaaaat?”
“I still have the necklace you gave me with your picture inside”
“Nikki?” I looked around. From out of the shadows, Nikki appeared. Oh, she looked really good. Her eyes were like red and orange fire and her teeth were bright white. I could hardly see the rest of her because it was dark.
“Nikki, I thought you were dead.” The teeth surrounded by fire were a bit unsettling. But the next revelation was even more! I felt something swat me. And I felt a large knob of hair. As my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I realized that the figure was a black puma. “What are you?”, I exclaimed.
“My secret.”
“You are a giant cat! You were dead, now a cat. Tell me about that!”
“Edward, I am a shaman. I have learned a lot and have gained more and more power. But I need something. I need the Chavin coin that belongs to P’aqo.”
“Who is P’aqo?” And is that some kind of rare coin? I was getting a bit impatient. I just needed her to answer this question. I needed Nikki or whatever or whoever this beast was to answer the question.
“P’aqo is the one responsible for Sergio and the spell that is on your girlfriend, Gwen.”
“How do you know about Gwen?”
Nikki ignored my question. “Will you help me?”
“Sure, but I have no ….”
“Great, I just need you to trust me. I know that is hard to do since you thought I was dead.” The beast changed into the familiar person I knew and loved.
“Edward…”
“Stop calling me Edward. Ed is fine”
“OK, Ed, we have to be careful. The last time I tried to poke around Menga’s property, P’aqo captured me and imprisoned me for over 2 years.
“But you are fine now, right?”
“Yes. Don’t I seem fine?”
