The Musician by Heloisa Prieto

Author:Heloisa Prieto [Prieto, Heloisa]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2022-09-13T00:00:00+00:00

RIGHT NOW

“Marlui, let’s take a walk in the woods,” said Popygua.

It was dusk, and as they moved slowly toward a clearing, the full moon lit the way. They were used to night walks in the forest, and Popygua sang the secret songs to appease the night spirits. Marlui had not yet been taught the primordial language of timeless melodies, but she did her best to try and sing along. She knew the forest spirits must give their permission to allow humans to cross the night tracks in safety.

The sacred tree right in the middle of the clearing was tall and strong, the large roots spreading themselves over the soil. Popygua wrapped his arms around the wide tree trunk and held it for a few moments before taking a seat on one of the largest outspread roots. He waited for Marlui to copy his actions. Marlui placed a hand on the tree trunk, feeling a deep sense of gratitude fill her, being grateful for the tree’s presence and the forest that surrounded them. As Marlui stooped to sit next to her grandpa, he gestured for her to look at the sky before opening his arms, as if to gather the moonlight’s strength. Marlui copied him, and for the next half an hour, they both sat in silence.

Marlui caressed the large roots and felt deep peace and comfort. Her head rested against the trunk, and her eyelids grew heavy. She was about to close them when Popygua started talking to her.

“You should not feel guilty for his loss, my child . . .”

Tears flooded Marlui’s eyes. She knew Popygua was referring to the loss of her best friend, Kaue. She tried to avoid the memory, the moment he smiled at her and jumped off the waterfall. They swam together in the river every day, they spent every afternoon together, they confided in each other, and they knew their friendship was true and loving. But somehow, Kaue’s life was taken from him; he slipped and fell, death instantly taking him from her. “It was my fault. I called his name; that’s why he turned and lost his balance . . .”

Popygua cupped her face and waited patiently as she released the deep pain from within, sobbing openly as tears streamed down her cheeks.

“Kaue was our best swimmer, my child. How many times had you called him before and nothing happened? His days were over, that’s all. It was his time to move on to another land . . . When we go through our daily lives, we think we are living in one single world. But this is not true. We walk through many different lands day and night without really knowing. Kaue is just on the other side of the river, the third bank, the dwelling of all our ancestors, or maybe he chose to become a beautiful star in the invisible constellation of the afterlife. You cannot see him now, but I am sure he can see you. I know he still loves you, and he always will.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.