Devil’s daughter

            First voices could be heard very near to the council’s place, voices asking for help, warning Ann Patricia was dead.

            Soon murmurs spread and although intermittent were imposing over the voices of horror at the council’s place, it could be heard from the distance.

            Later there were new murmurs from many people crowded. Everyone in the village knew already they had found Ann Patricia dead. She was lying on a cart almost full of hay, hidden because she was injecting herself heroine, and her last words were It was him, he moves everything, it was a clue that took the village people to suspect of Francis, for some an enigmatic character who lived alone in the surroundings and of who others said he was a magician and had powers. They agreed in going to his house to speak to him after all neighbours knew about the past that joined Ann Patricia and Francis. As a matter-of-fact, the civil guards knew it had been Ann Patricia herself who had began to trumpet she saw levitations and auras of different colours and to say that she knew the prodigies’ author was Francis. Her friends and her family and later some of the village neighbours didn’t know how to explain themselves why levitations and auras of colours Ann Patricia saw were visible for them too.

            While many people wended towards Francis’ house some were trying to explain themselves who or what was taking them towards the house, only the deed that happened one time when Ann Patricia’s father wanted to beat up Francis and Francis had made the punch to both and had run away later. These villagers knew too that the father and Francis were precisely not of same social condition, rather one devotee of an ideal and therefore enemies, but many among them did not know the real facts and Francis explanation about Ann Patricia’s last words. Some people had seen Ann Patricia entering the hayloft alone and others knew in the last times she hid to inject. It seemed as if they were in need of Francis. 

            When the villagers made out already Francis’ house not far they began to see how the lights in the house were turned on one after another until the house was completely illuminated indoors. They saw some figures move in the house behind the curtains but only Francis came out to the porch to wait for them. The villagers took with them the rumours of what was happening. As though they understood it had to be so, they stopped by the fence and the bailiff said: We have come to speak to you. The figure did not move in the porch. I listen to you, they heard him saying. Ann Patricia has been found dead, said the bailiff from the fence’s wicket. Where has she been found? asked Francis from the porch. In the hayloft, said the bailiff. How did she die? She was injecting in a cart. Francis kept silence. She had a hypodermic needle stuck in the vein, said the bailiff. She had gone crazy, Francis said then. She said it was you, said the bailiff. Impossible, clear it is, although she said what she said, he said and after asked: Did she say it was me and after she died? No, they could hear a woman coming forward in the fence saying: She said It was him, he moves everything. That was what she said before she died. Well, Francis said, why then have some of you inferred she was not lying? There was silence and Francis added: If she said that, who moves everything? For a moment there was a rumour among the villagers. If she said everything we can think she knew that someone may move, let us say, her own father from a place to another. Rumours on sides contrary were heard. You can see, her father is not here, Francis said. He went to the city, some of them said. It will not take long to make you see her father not being able of consoling himself knowing he moves because someone in the village has the power. Perhaps you surpass yourself pretending to force wills, said the mayor. Well, Francis said from the porch, do not compromise, mayor, with these who dispose of arms and have got more lands than villagers. I limit myself to fulfil my duty, objected the mayor. And your duty as mayor is working for the Harmony in the village and you know you are not working for to that end, and we are rather volunteers in the people's army if the situation prolongs, said Francis.

            The ones who knew him well or better, to some of them he had made demonstrations of his powers, had gone with the others by admiration towards him. These did understand well the deeds. You use words choosing the ones that do not leave no doubt and are offensive, said one. I am hurtful with all that throng of governors who profit so that things are good for them and forget the many poor, the many workers poor, consequences of abuses of people like Ann Patricia’s father, and with these who are candidates in elections to be our rulers as if we would not know how, reasons had Socrates to unmask them all. It was heard then a rumour of encouragement and some murmurs not too clear of dislike. We do not want any problems, said a friend of the father. Nobody wants any problem! exclaimed Francis. Many are that suffer in need! exclaimed again after. That man, he said, got into trouble by himself joining the exploiters, being one of their henchmen, like all who knowing it condemn themselves. Do not do to face us, said another friend of the father. I can see you have a special interest; you would be capable of facing neighbours with a common soul, as henchman or as accomplice, responded Francis to him. There are witnesses who say you met up Ann Patricia in her house once at least, not too long ago, said the one with a special interest, and you did witchcraft to enrage her, her friends say you run away and made the damn to Enrique and Ann Patricia, it is possible that with bad arts you have caused her death. I did not only go to the hayloft several times, I had met her up twice in her house in a lapse of three years. First time was to assure myself she would remember it, and three years after to let myself been seen by as many people as possible the better. What do you mean? What she had to remember? asked the one who did not want any problems. Francis let a couple of seconds pass and said: That the guerrilla had killed an ass licker and that I would be a guerrilla soldier. You are compromising yourself, you will be arrested and sent to prison, and later you will have to respond to a jury, tried to put the civil guards in action the one of the problems. There is no case, friend, said the civil guard commanding. He said he wants to be guerrilla soldier, said the same one seeing himself already with problems. We shall not be on your side, said the civil guard to the friend. Then, three or four accused Francis of sorcerer. You killed her, sorcerer! shouted two of them. How well you are understood! exclaimed Francis. We can see you know that some way I work prodigies that you call witchcraft and you are afraid of the guerrilla. Friends of Ann Patricia’s father protested, but it was heard at once voices against and the civil guard asked for silence. I am going to speak, Francis said.

            First time I went to Ann Patricia’s I left a mark in her mind, knowing her father was a declared enemy of the people, and three years later I went again harassed by the need of seeing by myself the state of the haunted, knowing she saw spaces and forms movements, as I had supposed it would happen. Also, as I had supposed, the encounter finished in a quarrel almost and I run away euphoric, and everybody saw me, and I retraced my steps and began to read seated very near to their house because for me it was important already dedicating my time to another thing. What you want is to call your army against the guerrilla, but I have had friends always who defend me, witnesses of my powers, comrades who have asked me to do levitations and to move the sky, the sun and the moon. You, here Francis pointed them out, have confabulated since you knew of my powers, like your friend Enrique and her daughter. She was frightened from my being a guerrilla soldier and went crazy and her father could not do anything. She sought refuge in heroine and died in full trip. Her father and her mother know they are condemned because they are arrogant and despot, militant fascist he, and she her wife, stain forever. There was silence for a brief moment. If Ann Patricia said before she died: It was him, he moves everything, I only reach to understand neighbours would know in some way I was guilty of nobody knows what a sickly delirium and she was capable of assuring again, for she had done it already, it was me who did the levitations and the movements, and who was sending telepathic messages from which she does precisely not turn out favoured at all.

There was another silence for a brief moment. Then Francis went on speaking: And you cannot do anything. I have planned this situation. There were some who tried to speak but others make them shut up. You were probably waiting another thing to happen but yes, we have friends in the capital that cheated your Enrique and he killed one of yours not knowing it, and in exchange of money, so at this time, I am sure, he is arrested and in an unequivocal situation. He paused for an instant and then said: And, look how it is, Ann Patricia dies and said what she said the same day of our plan, and you, we were expecting you today anyway, have put yourselves in evidence and I order the people to arrest you this very instant and to call into account the mayor. Then civil guards manacled rapidly the henchmen confabulated and seized the mayor and villagers helped them and the figures of rebels with machine guns began to appear on the porch beside Francis, who had taken out a pistol, and the people were shouting Live the Guerrilla! The rebels were shooting up with their machine guns and Francis with his pistol towards the sky and shouting: They are coming! And then many other rebels’ shots were heard in the distance as they were coming down from the mountains.