We're about an hour north of the resort when Linda turns to me and simply says, "What happened?"
I look away. Somehow staring into the the distance is easier than returning to the conversation that she's started.
"You know," says Linda as we ride for another moment or two in silence, "when you can talk about it, is when you will have power over it."
I take a deep breath, and smile. I'm not ready to talk about it. I'm barely ready to meet this person that she is bringing me to.
Another minute passes.
Linda turns on the radio to break the silence.
I watch an eagle soar over the trees. My mind drifts as I wonder what it would be like to soar so high above it all; just like an eagle.
We turn onto an unpaved road and drive for a few more minutes before coming to the edge of a lake. A small wooden hut rests on the property. It's old, and falling apart. The wooden planks on the porch have rotted, and so it slants on one side.
"We're here!" says Linda as she kills the ignition and hops out of the car. I step out, and am careful not to slip in the mud that surrounds the vehicle. I look behind me to see what Consuela is doing, but she's simply knitting in the back of the pickup. I suppose she'll come inside if she gets bored or lonely.
I walk behind Linda to the front door; which is slightly ajar. A torn and tattered screen door hangs from rusty hinges as Linda calls inside. She begins to say what I'm assuming is 'hello? anyone here?' but since she's speaking in a native tongue -- I can't exactly follow the conversation.
A moment later, in the shadows an elderly man approaches. At first he just peers at us as he hobbles towards the front door; but eventually he recognizes Linda and gives her a big toothless smile, followed by a frail gesture for us to enter into the hut.
He looks like he's been here since the fur trade.
"Karen, this is Bob." says Linda with a big smile.
"Bob?" I laugh. I was expecting him to have a name with lots of syllables and a few clicks of the tongue.
"Hi, Bob." I tell him. He smiles and gestures for us to sit on his very old, and very uncomfortable sofa.
"His English isn't very good," Linda tells me, as he disappears from the room. We can hear him clanking around in the kitchen.
"Why does he go by Bob if he can't really speak English?" I ask.
"I think he really likes that name," Linda tells me as we turn our attention back to Bob who struggles to bring us some drinks.
"Thank you," I tell him as he hands me what looks like either rusty tap water, or iced tea. When Bob eventually manages to settle in the seat across from us, he begins an animated conversation with Linda. I have no idea what they're talking about. Once in a while they both look at me and chuckle before continuing their chat.
I just sit there looking around Bob's little hut. It's musty and dark. The windows are all smudged over from years of not being cleaned. I can't believe he actually lives here.
Bob makes eye contact with me again, and so I give him a sheepish smile. I have no idea what the two of them are talking about. I feel left out of my own party.
A moment later, Linda finally clues me in. She tells me that Bob had a dream about me the other night, and that he knew I was coming to speak to him.
I lean forward.
This is interesting...
Even though the hairs on my arms are standing straight up, I'm completely intrigued. "Really?" I say as Linda prods him to find out more information. A moment later she turns back to me and says,
"He says that you are surrounded by three winged Ancestors."
I look around. I don't know why I'm looking around. It's not like I'm going to be able to see them, but I still search the room to see if I can see them. Which I can't.
"He also says, that they are very protective of you. But that..." she trails
I make direct eye contact with her. There's something that she doesn't want to tell me, but I look to her with assurance as if to say 'you have no choice but to tell me. Isn't that why we came here in the first place?'
Linda takes a deep breath, "...You will have to face the beast."
"What exactly does he mean, face the beast?" I need clarification. I know what Bob is talking about. Linda knows that I know what Bob is talking about. I'm pretty sure that Linda has a clue what Bob and I know; but I still want specifics.
"Ah..." says Linda.
Bob continues to talk in his raspy little voice. From time to time, he turns to me and gives me a toothless smile, before smacking his gums and turning back to Linda with more pertinent information.
It would be nice if one of them clued me in to my pending demise...
I raise my hand.
They both laugh, and then Linda turns to me and shares,
"He says that the beast was not after your friends, but was intended for you. He says that you are writing something very important -- and that the beast is hoping to stop you. To never be afraid, for that is how the beast can enter. He also says that he thinks you have a very good heart."
Great.
I have no idea how to process what Linda just told me. My stomach starts to knot a bit. Linda can see that I'm stressed, so she smiles. I place my forehead on my knees and take deep breaths to slow down my racing heart. A moment later I can feel Linda stroking my hair to calm me down.
When I look up to thank her after a few minutes; I see that both her hands are holding her glass of rusty water.
How did she do that?
Linda continues to chat with Bob, and I sit there, trying not to be afraid -- and realizing that this is a lot more grave than I originally had hoped for.
The beast is definitely here for me.
How could I not be afraid?
