by R L Delaney
“Sure, Uncle," Justin said. "We'll let you know how it goes.”
Chapter Eight
It did not take long for Amy to find Father Gálvez’ address. The Father had apparently never moved, and was still living right next to the small chapel on Thompson Avenue. Amy had not been there for over ten years and as she stood before the small, whitewashed house, she marveled.
“Still, exactly as I remembered,” she said as she took in the area. Her eyes rested on the giant chestnut tree, right next to the house. “He used to have a swing on that tree,” she said, almost in a whisper. “I remember falling off the swing when Billy pushed me too hard.”
Justin’s brows were raised. “Billy? You mean our Billy?”
Amy grinned. “Yes. Our Billy, if you want to call him that. He has always been a bit of a rascal. I doubt he still remembers. He never did care much for Father’s efforts to keep him on the straight and narrow.”
Right next to the front door was a copper bell with a clapper, and as Amy stared at the corroded, weather-worn instrument, she shook her head. "Amazing, even the bell is still hanging here." Her eyes had a distant glance as she turned to Justin. "I always wanted to use that bell when I came here as a kid, but I could never reach it."
"Now you can," Justin replied with a twinkle in his eye. "Try it."
Amy licked her lips and swung the clapper. If Father Gálvez was taking a nap he would have certainly been awakened, as the sound was deafening.
But he was apparently not taking a nap, as almost instantly the door opened and an old man with white, wavy hair and heavy equally white eyebrows opened the door and stared at them. He was dressed in the usual garb of a priest and stared with curious eyes at Amy and Justin.
"Can I help you?"
"Hello, Father," Amy said as she looked up at the old man before them.
"Well…eh, hello to you too," the man answered, not quite sure what else to say.
"You remember me?" Amy continued.
Father Gálvez squinted his eyes, rubbed his nose, and finally let out a sigh. “Beatrice Gonzales… is that you?”
Amy smiled, a little embarrassed. “No, Father. It’s me… Amy Stenson. You remember my mother, Jeanette Stenson…? She used to sing in the choir…?
All at once, the light went on. The sun appeared on his face and chased away the shades of uncertainty. He lifted his arms high in the air and blurted out, “Amy Stenson… Of course. How good of you to come.” Then he stepped aside and opened the door all the way. “Welcome… Welcome.”
Amy cast him a grateful smile and stepped inside. She motioned for Justin to follow her. Once inside, Father Gálvez took Amy in a wide embrace, kissed her gently on both cheeks and took a better look at her.
“Now I can see clearly. How could I not have spotted that?”
“I am glad,” Amy said as she squinted her eyes, acting as if she was offended. “Beatrice Gonzales was the chubbiest of us all.”
“And that she was,” Father Gálvez answered, “…but my child, it’s what’s on the inside that matters. In the eyes of God the packaging is not all that important.” He turned to Justin and while he shook hands with him, he said, “Wouldn’t you agree with me, young man?”
Justin did not, but he wasn’t going to tell that to Father Gálvez. He was sure glad Amy looked the way she did, and hearing about Beatrice Gonzales, whoever the poor girl may be, he realized, to him the packaging was an important part of the deal.
Father Gálvez motioned for them to enter his living room. As Justin entered he swallowed. The place looked more like a disorganized library than a cozy room to relax and in which you would enjoy watching a movie. The walls were all plastered with bookcases full of dusty, old looking books, and the only table in the room was covered with folders, papers and more books.
The only thing that did not remind Justin of a library was the enormous plant that stood in the corner, right next to the window that overlooked the street. It almost reached to the ceiling, but clearly the plant was not foremost in the mind of the Catholic priest, as its leaves were shriveled and brown and it was possibly even dying.
The Father pointed to two chairs around the table. "Sit." He narrowed his eyes and said in an apologetic tone, "I-I… used to have Cola, but since I no longer organize activities for children, I can only serve you a glass of water."
"That's all right, Father," Amy said. As she sat down on the chair, Justin wondered whether or not the legs would give way. Justin figured Amy was as light as a feather, but still the chair protested in loud creaks under her weight, and the whole thing was swaying back and forth.
Justin decided to stay standing.
"How is your mother?" Father Gálvez said as he leaned on the table.
"She's fine, Father," Amy answered, "… but to be honest, we just wanted to ask if you would to listen to a sound clip."
"A sound clip?"
Amy nodded, and began to explain what had happened. When she was done, Father Gálvez raked his hand through his white hair and shook his head. "Of course, I will listen to the Latin." He looked up at Justin and gave him a wide smile. "I speak Latin better than English, young man. Amor vincit omnia. That means ‘love conquers all.’”
Justin did not feel like making a comment and pulled out his iPad. Soon he found what he was looking for, and, while holding the iPad in his right hand, he raised his finger. "Listen… Here we go."
There was the voice of Alfred Rodeo.
It sounded shrill, as the loudspeaker of the iPad was not the best, but the crackling voice was nevertheless clear.
"Quid mihi et tibi ad animam meam in conspectu meo: Tempus"
"Can you play it again?" Father Gálvez said when it was done. He narrowed his eyes in deep concentration. "It's an old dialect. Even Latin differed from place to place, and this is not what I would call pure, classical Latin…"
Justin nodded, and a fraction later the strange, hissing voice echoed again through the living room.
"Can you tell us what he said?" Amy looked up with hopeful eyes.
Father Gálvez nodded. "Literally, he is saying something like, "Why have I you in my life before my time?"
"Huh?" Justin nodded his head. "Drivel after all."
“Play it one more time, young man.”
Justin shrugged. “Sure.”
Father Gálvez squinted, then his face lit up. “It’s scripture,” he mumbled. “It’s actually a Bible verse.”
“Excuse me?” Both Amy and Justin said it at the same time.
The old man gave them an all-knowing smile. “It’s actually something a demon said to Jesus, when Jesus was about to cast out evil spirits.”
Justin frowned. “A demon? You mean, a little impish fellow in a red pajama that likes to plant a pitchfork in our fannies when we don’t do the right thing?”
“Sssh,” Amy curled her lips and motioned Justin with her eyes to be silent. “What did the demon say, Father?”
Father Gálvez leaned forward, rummaged around on his table and pulled out a big Latin study Bible. His eyes shone as he opened it. He searched for a moment, then his face lit up. “Here,” he said as he pointed to a Latin passage. “It’s in the Gospel of Matthew. Exactly the same words as on your… eh… sound clip.”
He looked up. “The English translation of your sound clip says, "Why have you come here to torture us before the appointed time?"
Justin scratched his head. “Really? It says that? But what does it mean?”
Father Gálvez did not answer. Instead he asked Justin to play the second clip again.
Justin moved his fingers on the screen of his iPad again, and seconds later the shrill voice of Rodeo was heard once more.
"Odio omnibus estis, et ego non quiescitis, donec penitus consumantur omnes. Nos, vehicula umbra, et praeessent.
Father Gálvez' face darkened.
"What?" Amy asked. “You understood?”
"It's strange," the priest mumbled, while scratching his head. "Something about
hate, and it's about walking in the shadows. Play it again."
Justin obeyed, and after Father Gálvez had listened to it again he said. "Here's my free translation. "We hate all men, and will not rest until we've taken over. We, the Shadow Walkers shall rule."
"That's it?" Justin blinked. "What a strange message."
Father Gálvez sighed. “Not strange, young man. Demonic.” His face had a grave expression as he stared at Justin. “Demons are not little imps in red pajamas, young man. They are actual creatures that live on another plane, or in a spiritual dimension if you like.”
Justin felt uncomfortable. He had never heard such things and turned to Amy for support, but Amy seemed to believe Father Gálvez as she stared with excited eyes at the old man. “Tell us the story of Jesus casting out the demons, Father?”
Father Gálvez smiled. “Jesus met a strange man by the seaside one day. The man was full of demons and when Jesus was approached by the man, these evil creatures used the man’s mouth and cried out to Jesus. That’s when they said those very same words that this man mumbled on your recording. Jesus didn’t like it and he told the spirits they could no longer live inside that man.”
Father Gálvez paused for a moment, while thinking about it. “Demons need somewhere to live, so they were afraid they would soon be… homeless I guess.” Father Gálvez chuckled. “So they pleaded with Jesus if they could move to a herd of swine instead, so they still had a house. It must have been quite a scene."
“And?”
“Jesus said they could, so they all entered the swine.”
Justin wasn't sure he heard right. "You mean there were spirits living inside a man, and then Jesus kicked them all out and they jumped into a bunch of pigs?"
"Right," Father Gálvez answered. “That’s what happened. But then all the swine lost their piggy minds, and they all ran off a steep cliff and killed themselves.”
Justin scratched his head. And he was supposed to believe that?
Father Gálvez seemed to understand Justin was struggling. “There’s more going on around us than we can see with our eyes, young man. There’s good spirits, like angels, and there are bad spirits, demons really… and the good spirits of God fight against the wicked, evil spirits of darkness." He pointed to one of his bookcases and licked his lips. “I’ve got some nice books on the subject. You can borrow them if you'd like."
Justin shook his head. "I am not much of a reader."
“I understand,” Father Gálvez answered. “It took me some time to figure it out too. But the fight is real and it’s all about who gets to rule over the hearts of us human beings.”
Justin felt his heart pounding. Could the words of Father Gálvez be true? Of course it was all a bunch of rubbish, but still… if it wasn’t true, why was he so shaken up?
"You don't believe in demons and angels?" Father Gálvez said as he raised his white, bushy brows.
Justin's face turned red. "Well… no… I mean, yes… of course... not." He shook his head and stared at the ground.
"It doesn’t matter,” Amy said in a decisive tone. “We did not come here to discuss Bible verses. We came here for your help on the Latin phrases.” She turned to Father Gálvez. "What do you make of it?”
Father Gálvez nodded. "I need to think… I think I’ve read about the Shadow Walkers before… but where was that?" He plucked at his eyebrows and walked over to one of his bookcases. For a long time he stared at the spines of many of his dusty books, and muttered something to himself about having to organize his stuff better. At one point he pulled out a thick, yellowish volume, looked at it, and then pushed it back in while shaking his head. But, at last his face lit up as he drew out a small grey book with a linen cover. "Here…," he said as he held the book in both of his hands as if he were holding a precious treasure. "…maybe this will tell us more."
He placed the book on the table and Justin could read the title. "Secret Societies and Their Secrets."
Justin frowned. That was what one would call ‘an enlightening title.’
"I remember reading about it in this book,” Father Gálvez said, "This book has a section about the Shadow Walkers. It’s a secret society." He opened the book and as he blew on the pages he released a cloud of dust. Justin feverishly waved his hand in the air as he felt the foul dust entering his nostrils.
Father Gálvez leafed through the book for a few seconds and then, when he found the place he was looking for, his eyes lit up. He cleared his throat and read:
The Ordo Templi Ignis in Urbe Est, better known as the Shadow Walkers, was a secret society founded by Matarch Giebuhm around the year 1650 in the Black Forest in what was formerly known as Bavaria. They especially concentrated on creating portals, gateways to other dimensions, through rituals, the use of herbs, certain types of mushrooms, and music. It was their goal to connect the spirit world to the physical dimension so spirit-beings could freely move back and forth between different dimensions, The Shadow Walkers were very advanced in their abilities of shape-shifting.”
“W-What’s that?” Justin mumbled.
Father Gálvez looked up. “Shape shifting, young man, is the ability of a being or creature to completely transform its physical form or shape. This is usually achieved through the help of another creature or by the use of magic.
“That is pretty dark stuff,” Amy whispered.
Father Gálvez nodded. “I suppose, I won’t have to read the whole thing, but it’s my guess these… Shadow Walkers, are being revived, and—“
“— they have come to Dewsbury to carry out their dastardly plans,” Amy finished Father Gálvez’ sentence. “And, what’s more, they somehow seem to be connected to the murder of Alvaro Ironbark."
"Alvaro Ironbark?" Father Gálvez looked up. "You mean Alvaro Cruz?"
Justin looked up. He had heard Billows telling Uncle Harry that that was Ironbark’s real name. "Yes, Father… That's him."
Father Gálvez' shoulders drooped and a wave of sadness seemed to wash over him. "I knew Alvaro as a young boy," he said in a low voice.
Both Amy and Justin stared at the Father.
The priest explained. "When I was still working with kids, Alvaro came over a lot. He came from a troubled home. His father was drinking… actually he was more than an alcoholic. He was a wife-beater too. Sad to say, his Mom wasn't doing much better, as she too had given her heart to the bottle. And Alvaro… well, he had to foot the bill." Father Gálvez' face took on a distant glance as he was peering back into the past. "Alvaro was a good kid but he was lonely and very withdrawn. I spent a lot of time with him. I really loved that kid. I think he became a fighter of sorts."
"That he did," Justin mumbled. "He was murdered just a few nights ago, and it may have something to do with match-fixing and illegal prize fights.”
Father Gálvez nodded. “I always feared for that boy. So sad.”
“The man whose sentences you just translated was involved," Amy added. “Maybe you know him too. His name is Alfred Rodeo.”
A shock went through Father Gálvez’ body. “Of course I know him. He too was part of my kids club. Actually, come to think of it, he was the best of friends with Alvaro Cruz. His mother still takes part in the Holy Mass. She still comes to confession too.”
Amy shook her head in amazement. “Thank you, Father. You have been a great help.”
“Glad I could help.” Then he mumbled, more to himself than to Justin and Amy, "Murdered… Poor Alvaro. What's this world coming to?"
Justin cleared his throat. "My uncle asked if he can call on you if he needs you to translate more."
Father Gálvez nodded. "Of course. Any time." He closed Secret Societies and Their Secrets, and stuck the book back in its place in the bookcase. Then he turned and said in a clear voice, "The man who said those phrases has an evil spirit. What are we going to do?"
Justin and Amy stared at each other. They were clueless.
“As a priest,” Father Gálvez mumbled, “I-I guess I could pray over th
is man… You know like an exorcism.”
Justin looked up. He had heard more than enough and he wanted to go. This was getting weirder by the minute.
“Thank you Father,” he said, “but I need to get going.”
Amy nodded. “I suppose he’s right, Father. But thank you for your time. It was most helpful, and I am actually pretty sure we’ll be back.”
The man nodded and opened the door to the hallway. “It’s been nice seeing you again, Amy Stenson. You sure have grown into a beautiful young lady.”
“Thank you, Father,” Amy answered modestly. Father Gálvez gave Amy another hug, and then he turned to Justin and smiled, while offering his hand. “Take good care of this angel, young man. She’s a jewel.”
As he said it, Amy’s hair shone in the afternoon sun as it was streaming through the window in the priest’s living room and Justin couldn’t agree more with the peculiar old man. “Thank you…eh…Father. Thank you for your time.”
As soon as they were standing outside, Justin heaved a sigh of relief. “That was sure strange,” he mumbled.
Amy nodded. “It was, Justin, but I believe what he said. I am afraid we haven’t heard the last of it.”
Chapter Nine
As they were walking back to the police station, to inform Uncle Harry of the meaning of the Latin phrases, there was one question that was on the tip of Justin’s tongue. He cleared his throat. “Amy?”
“What?”
“So… you really believe that stuff about angels and demons?”
Amy tilted her head and pressed her lips together. “I guess I do. I never really thought about it too much, but what’s happening in our little town is very strange for sure.”