Out in the Open by Jesús Carrasco

Author:Jesús Carrasco
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
Published: 2017-07-03T16:00:00+00:00

Seven

When he opened his eyes, the brief shadow cast by the wall had grown wider and longer, stretching out before them toward the empty horizon. The old man was lying awake by his side, hands folded on his chest and eyes fixed on the sky as if he wanted his gaze to linger forever among the machicolations and corbels above. The boy sat up and gazed off into the distance. The old man spoke:

“How many goats are there left?”

“Three.”

“The billy goat doesn’t count.”

“He’s not here.”

The old man closed his eyes and sighed.

“Did they kill him too?”

“I don’t know. I’ve only seen dead nanny goats so far.”

“Take another look.”

The boy got to his feet and surveyed the area before them. He counted the bodies one by one, pointing with his finger.

“Yes, six dead and all of them nanny goats. The dog and the billy goat have both disappeared.”

The old man thought that, sooner or later, the dog would return from wherever it had gone. As for the billy goat, he assumed the men had taken it for its horns. Perhaps the bailiff would sacrifice the goat and add its head to his other trophies.

“You must go and find water as soon as possible.”

“If you’re thirsty, I can milk one of the goats. I know how to do it now.”

“They’re the ones who need the water.”

The boy took the milking pail and set off to fetch the water. A few yards from the well, he saw several crows perched on the edge. When he got there, he shooed the birds away with his hand and peered in. He heard the sound of buzzing and feared the worst. The scarce light entering the well was just enough for the boy to make out the decapitated corpse of the billy goat floating in the water, its stomach ripped open. All the flies in the area had gathered for the feast. They came and went like guests at a party. The arch over the well was thick with black dots.

It was almost dark by the time he got back. He told the old man what he’d found, and the old man gave a deep sigh at the thought of what awaited them. For the first time, the boy saw despair on the goatherd’s face.

“Don’t worry,” said the boy, “we’re bound to find some water nearby.”

“No, there isn’t any.”

“How do you know?”

“I know.”

“We’ll go somewhere else then.”

“I can’t go anywhere.”

The boy fell silent. If the goatherd couldn’t move, then he would have to go in search of water on his own. He remembered the previous days, the sunstroke, the thirst, the nighttime walks, and felt afraid. He had survived then only because the goatherd had been there.

“You’ll have to go for water on your own.”

“I don’t know where to go.”

“I’ll tell you.”

“I’m afraid.”

“Nonsense, you’re a brave lad.”

“No, I’m not.”

“You’ve come this far.”

“Only because you were there.”

“No, because you had determination.” The boy didn’t know what to say.

“Have you seen the halo surrounding the head of the Christ up above?”

“Yes, it has three rays of light coming out of it.

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