Girl with all the Pain

by Michael Herman

  “You’re wondering if you’ll feel any sort of link with her? I feel nothing.”

  “I know. It’s a little soon, but I’d like to keep a close watch on her. Gauge her reaction to it when it occurs.”

  Twizzle and Zed follow a dirt path from the greenhouse that takes them past a pen of sheep and alpacas. When Zed stops to admire the animals, one of the blond-haired alpacas ambles over to him. He extends his hand out to stroke its soft fur and says, “Sorry guy, no food from me,”

  “Interesting animals, aren’t they? The locals use them as guard animals for the sheep. They attack fox and coyote.”

  “And dogs?”

  “Dogs too, I guess, although, they seem to have acclimated to the resident shepherd mix that lives here. I’ve seen the dog in their pen. The animals pretty much ignore it.”

  The animal leans in to Zed’s hand as he rubs the side of its face. It makes several clicking sounds in appreciation.

  “So we going to start wearing alpaca fiber clothes made from their fur?”

  Twizzle holds her sweater-covered arm out. “My sweater is alpaca. Feel it. Nice material.”

  Zed slides his fingers over the soft fabric and voices his approval. When he looks up, he sees Isabel in the distance waving to them. He waves back and says to Twizzle, “Mustn’t keep our guests waiting.”

  At the breakfast table, greetings are exchanged all around. Isabel is spreading manjar (a wildly popular caramel topping) on a piece of warm fresh pan amasado (bread). Sister Mary is stirring milk into her steaming tea. In front of her is a plate with eggs and toast, and assorted jams off to the side.

  Once seated, Zed and Twizzle are served pieces of the pan amasado on small plates. Zed spreads jam on his. When he finishes, he leans back, inhales deeply and exclaims in Spanish, “I love the air in the country. The food, the flowers, the animals.” He looks over to Isabel. “How about you, Isabel? Is this better than the city?”

  Isabel radiates happiness. She points to the sheep and alpacas in the distance and says, “Vicugna pacos. That’s the genus and species.”

  Zed is amazed. “The alpacas?”

  Sister Mary explains, “Isabel apparently has a long history of fascination with animals. She is surprising for such a young child.”

  “You want to check them out?” Zed asks.

  Isabel looks to Sister Mary for permission.

  Sister Mary says, “Go, Isabel, have fun.”

  Isabel jumps off of her chair, grabs Zed’s hand and pulls him from the table. As Isabel drags Zed along by the hand, Twizzle studies Sister Mary and asks, “How are you doing? I know everything has been traumatic for you; the stadium bombing and Isabel being attacked and then the police interrogations.”

  Sister Mary’s eyes follow Isabel down the path. “It was no bombing.” Her face is grim. “Isabel’s attack was no ordinary attack. And your interest in her is anything but accidental.” She turns to Twizzle and says, “I’m no idiot. Who are you people? And what is your interest in Isabel? Should I be worried about her safety? She seems to have an unusual attachment to the huge man called Ángel. I assume he is the one the children call Skunk Mountain. I’ve never seen him before now, but the description from the children matches a homeless version of him. I’ll admit that cleaned up, he is not nearly as offensive as I’ve heard about, but his presence is ominous and yet Isabel has no fear of him, even speaks kindly of him.”

  Twizzle is unsure how to respond and so she delays and says, “I’m not sure what you mean.”

  “The two women, the twins, one called Sonnet and the other whose name I don’t know. They have an unusual interest in Isabel; one that worries me.”

  “We only want the same as you, Sister Mary. We want what is best for Isabel.”

  “You don’t know us. You don’t know Isabel and yet you appear out of the blue like you are family or relatives of the girl, and yet you aren’t, are you?”

  Twizzle slowly shakes her head.

  “But the twin whose name I don’t know, she took me aside, held my hands, looked into my eyes and told me that I must trust in her, that I must not interfere with her and Isabel.”

  Twizzle frowns at the twin’s possibly less than diplomatic approach to Sister Mary. “The twin is concerned for both of you. Having gotten a good night’s sleep, do you have a better feel for the twin today?” She is hoping that some of the linkage to the twin might be taking affect.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Just being around the twin helps for some people. Familiarity makes things easier.”

  “To be honest with you, I’m worried about all of this. Everything just seems so alien.”

  “Leaving Santiago and coming here was a bad idea, you think?” Twizzle asks, worried that the relocation was a mistake.

  “No, nothing like that.” She closes her eyes and rubs her temples with her fingers. “I just am having a hard time putting everything together.” She opens her eyes and looks in Isabel’s direction again. “Your family putting us up as guests is much appreciated. Having her here away from those boys, makes me feel much better.”

  Twizzle places her hand on top of Sister Mary’s hand and says, “Give it a chance, Sister Mary. Isabel is going to have fun here. Maybe you should try and let the farm get to you like it is for her. I think that in time, the pieces will fall into place for you. There is no time limit to your stay here and Father Donovan was adamant that you take as long as you like. I think he actually preferred you and Isabel here, if for nothing else, as an excuse for him to get out of Santiago every now and then to visit and enjoy the farm.”

  Sister Mary connects eyes with Twizzle. “When I say that your generosity is too much, I mean it. What do you want from us?”

  Twizzle lets out a huff of air and smiles wearily. “Only your company, Sister Mary. And your eventual understanding. Isabel is a very special child. If she chooses you as her guardian, then we’ll accommodate that in every way possible.”

  “And if I reject your hospitality?”

  “We’ll do nothing to interfere. You are not our prisoner. You can come and go as you please. I only ask that you give it a chance.”

  “But you aren’t telling me why you regard Isabel as special.”

  “You can’t tell?”

  The look of knowledge that flashes across Sister Mary’s eyes tells Twizzle everything she needs to know. Sister Mary is not going to leave. She presses for details of Sister Mary’s understanding. “What do you feel about Isabel, Sister Mary?”

  Sister Mary looks off into the distance. “It’s strange. Last night she was in my dreams, only she was not a child but was a huge black feline with glowing yellow eyes. She was so powerful and yet I felt no fear of her. Odd that I would make her into an animal. And then this morning when we woke, I felt a new affinity for her, something beyond what I previously felt. When I touch her, when she is near, I feel like she and I have always known each other, like we belong with each other. She doesn’t seem like just a troubled child.”

  “What does she seem like?”

  Sister Mary looks Twizzle in the eyes and says with grave seriousness, “She is not just an ordinary child, is she? She is someone who is blessed, someone hidden inside that young mind, someone of remarkable abilities, isn’t she? That is what you feel also, isn’t it? You know her to be someone who has much more to offer than what is apparent. I guess maybe her relationship with Ángel is a giveaway, isn’t it? He is not just a big man who has helped her in the past. He is her Guardian, her bodyguard. I feel it about him this morning. In fact, everything seems to be different for me this morning, as if I have new insight into things.”

  “Maybe just getting a good night’s sleep in the country was all it took,” Twizzle suggests.

  Sister Mary shakes her head. “No, I don’t think so. It’s more than that, but I can’t put my finger on it.”

  Chapter 35

  Day 4

  Santiago, Chile

  Sitting on a wooden stool at a small b
ar inside the main farm living quarters, Rafa waits patiently. In front of him is a shot glass filled with tequila next to two empty glasses. A few inches from the shot glass, a bottle of tequila with an orchid inside it sits half full. He watches in the mirror on the wall as Sister Mary and Twizzle pass through the double doors leading in from the patio outside. Both women are in conversation and not looking in his direction, but he can see that Twizzle is guiding Sister Mary to where he sits.

  Turning to them, he puts on his best morning smile and waits for them to close the space between them. When they stop in front of him, he stands and Twizzle, speaking in Spanish, introduces him as her husband, Rafa.

  Sister Mary, taken aback by his size, says as she shakes his outstretched hand, “What is it about the men in your life, Mrs. Mundoz? They are all so big.”

  Rafa drops back to his stool and jokes, “Better?”

  Twizzle ignores the interchange and says, “Do you drink alcohol, Sister Mary?”

  “Oh, wine occasionally. One cannot live in Chile without imbibing once in a while.”

  “Could I interest you in a small scientific inquiry?” She pulls the bottle of orchid tequila from the bar and holds it up to the light so that the orchid’s colors display brightly for Sister Mary. “This is one of our specially aged tequilas. The orchid inside enhances the flavor and gives it a unique quality that those who have even the smallest amount of it find terribly interesting.” She hands the bottle to Sister Mary to inspect. The clear tequila allows the orchid flower inside to shine under the light.

  “Beautiful,” she says.

  “Would you like a sample?”

  “Oh no, I’m not a lover of tequila. And it’s much too early in the morning for something like this.”

  Twizzle takes the bottle from Sister Mary and pours some in the two empty shot glasses. She sets the bottle down, picks up the two shot glasses and offers one to Sister Mary. “Just a taste. Just enough to wet the end of your tongue. I’m interested in what flavors you experience. It’s different for everyone. Rafa tastes one thing, I taste something else. It’s very revealing about the individual.”

  Sister Mary reluctantly takes one of the glasses and sniffs it. “It’s mild, nothing as strong as I’ve known in the past. What flavors do you get from it?”

  Twizzle looks at Rafa and says, “Believe it or not, I get butterscotch with a hint of my...” She hesitates.

  Rafa finishes for her and says, “She means me, she gets a hint of me. But it’s different for everyone, as she says. Her brother, Forbes, gets chocolate and some kind of kids’ cereal.”

  Sister Mary is surprisingly not embarrassed by Rafa’s and Twizzle’s revealed intimacy. “And you would like me to test it and tell you what sort of flavors I find?”

  “If you would,” Twizzle says.

  Sister Mary looks from Twizzle to Rafa and then brings the glass to her lips, where she takes just the tiniest sip. When the liquid flows back into her mouth, her face registers surprise. “Delicious,” she pronounces. “Like honey and jasmine with a hint of wind over wet earth after a heavy rainfall.”

  “Wow!” Twizzle comments. “Now that is a reaction I’ve not heard before.”

  Sister Mary brings the glass to her lips and pours most of it into her mouth. She swirls the liquid around her tongue and then swallows. “Smooth, so very smooth,” she pronounces.

  Twizzle knocks her shot back in one take. Rafa removes his from the counter and empties it into his mouth.

  Both Twizzle and Rafa place their glasses on the counter and then turn back to watch the effects on Sister Mary.

  Sister Mary looks from one to the other and then turns to the double doors leading outdoors. The light coming in through the doors seems to brighten as she watches. When she turns back to Twizzle and Rafa she is surprised to observe a faint aura around both of them. Rafa has a red sheen while the sheen on Twizzle is golden yellow. She blinks, thinking that it is the effects of the light on her eyes, and then notices that her arm exudes a similar aura, a bluish red.

  Watching Sister Mary’s face, Twizzle recognizes the surprise. “You can see the sheen that we all wear. Let’s go out to the greenhouse. I want to show you something.” Mild surprise is standard and no one ever panics about it the first time. The liquid somehow always makes itself easily accepted.

  When they pass by the animal pen, Sister Mary sees that Zed has a golden yellow sheen, and there is a brilliantly deep blue-purple around Isabel.

  Arriving at the greenhouse, Sister Mary observes an array of thin glowing wiggly lines, electric and blue connecting each plant, like a grid of energy pulsing in the air. Twizzle leads her up to a plant and has her place her finger into the airborne energy.

  “My God!” Sister Mary exclaims. “I feel them like they’re communicating with each other.” She whirls around and says, “It’s wonderful.”

  “You’re not troubled by this?” Twizzle asks. “You don’t feel that we have secretly given you some hallucinogenic drug?”

  She laughs. “It is a drug, of course, but what I’m seeing is real isn’t it? Not a hallucination.”

  “Yes. Nothing hallucinatory.” Twizzle can tell Sister Mary is making the change. “Close your eyes. Tell me what you sense.”

  Sister Mary shuts her eyes and stands perfectly still for a moment, then smiles. “You, I feel your proximity. And your husband, and Zed and even Isabel.” Her eyes snap wide open suddenly. “Isabel! She is such a presence. It’s like my dream last night. I feel her power. It’s like she’s some wild animal with enormous strength, overwhelming, so strong.” She pauses, looks around with worried eyes and then says, “But something’s wrong with her like she’s lost and damaged. Like she has amnesia and doesn’t know who or what she is.” She faces Twizzle. “She’s hurt, isn’t she? She’s so terribly hurt and yet I sense something that is changing her, something enormous and...”

  Twizzle is fascinated. This insight seems headed for new territory. Bringing Sister Mary into the fold was good thinking. “You sense her recent change, don’t you?”

  “I do. Now I understand her importance. But what is she? Is she some saint from heaven?”

  “She is someone the twin has been seeking for a while.”

  Chapter 36

  Day 4

  Santiago, Chile

  Isabel looks past Zed and the alpaca towards the greenhouse, where Sister Mary and Twizzle are. Beyond the greenhouse are shrub-covered hills that transition to rock- and tree-covered mountains. On both sides of the greenhouse are sculpted fields filled with rows of trim grape vines wired and staked in place. The scene is country idyllic.

  When Sister Mary agreed for the two of them to come to the farm, she was apprehensive. But now that she is here, she is entranced with its pastoral qualities. Maybe they can stay here forever; especially because it puts her far away from the police. Hopefully, Sister Mary likes it here as much as she does.

  Talking with the policeman in Sister Mary’s apartment was like sitting on broken glass. Knowing that she caused what happened to the three boys had made her feel regretfully guilty. It wasn’t like she wanted to hurt them. She just wanted them to leave her alone, just like the boys on the rooftop and the people outside the ministry.

  When the twin told her she was the cause, she didn’t want to believe it, but the more the twin spoke, the more she was convinced she was responsible, not some stupid guardian angel. So what did that make her? A monster? The twin said no. She was just a lost child with special abilities that were just now surfacing with her new level of physical maturity. All Isabel had to do now was learn to control them.

  Unfortunately, Isabel had no idea how to do that. Even the twin seemed unsure how to go about that task. In the end, it was just left hanging, and because of that Isabel did her best to not think about it. She certainly wasn’t going to admit to anyone outside of the twin’s family that she believed the twin. And she definitely wasn’t going to admit it to a policeman in front of her beloved Sister Mary. Wh
at if Sister Mary didn’t like her anymore because of that?

  Sitting on the couch, clutched tightly in Sister Mary’s arms, the notion of her harming the boys felt like a hairline breach between her and Sister Mary. She couldn’t let it grow. No one must know.

  But this morning was different. Unexpectedly, when she and Sister Mary woke, a new closeness to Sister Mary permeated the air, cementing their relationship. The way Sister Mary greeted her with warm eyes made her feel that their familial bond had grown overnight, as if being apart from each other would cause pain; as if being together completed them. This new camaraderie was a suit that fit perfectly. Blessedly, she could tell that Sister Mary liked it as well.

  Being under Sister Mary’s care should last forever, she decided. If they wanted her to live with yet another family, she was sure that if asked, Sister Mary would oppose it and ensure that Isabel live only with her. There was fresh magic between them, the innate magic that exists between a mother and a daughter.

  When they held hands on the way to breakfast, Isabel’s hand actually tingled with joy. The closeness she felt transcended mental to actually being physical. In Sister Mary’s company, she was safe and confident. Today she was the new and improved Isabel with stars!

  But the newness of it made her unsure. When the handsome man, called Zed, asked her to see the animals, she fretted over Sister Mary’s feelings about Isabel being with him instead of her. When Sister Mary consented, she knew, like never before, that Sister Mary was a “new Isabel” advocate who was willing to share the new her with the world. It was proof of Sister Mary’s love for her, and her affection for Sister Mary soared.

  “Isabel, you ever count lambs at night to get to sleep?” Zed asks, joking around and just making conversation.

  Isabel gives him a look of confusion. “Why would I do that?”

  “Maybe to bore yourself into slumber when you can’t sleep?”

  “When I sleep, I just close my eyes and sleep. Isn’t it like that for you?”