So is 2nd Person. P.S. How many grammar Nazis are going psycho right now?So, in a few chapters, there may be some writing exercises that fit in chronologically with what's going on in the story. Sometimes they will be focused on Nieve, sometimes they will be from the POV of another character interacting with Nieve, sometimes they will have a connection to her. With this idea of the book being a series of documents, I want the reader to feel included, like they are the ones who are piecing together this lost event. Once the second draft is over, these writing exercises will be integrated much more seamlessly into the overall novel.
The Anchoress as it was meant to be.However, that is not what is happening with this post here. As I started out on this second draft, I wanted to add more chapters. Since the NaNo WriMo schedule was so specific and fast, I did not have a lot of time to get in all the installments I wanted on the first run. Characters like Captain Alejandro Gonzalez and Olvida were relegated to much smaller parts, and as a result, in the first draft, they pop in and out of the book very willy-nilly, and I don't like that... except that it gives me the chance to say "willy-nilly". Elias was another character that suffered this fate in the first draft.
So, in this chapter, I finally got to give Alejandro and Olvida the introduction they deserved.
5
Adan, I have just finished my tour of such a stately manor!
Did you know Captain Alejandro had his manor built floor to roof? Oh, everything from the shadowy, cool wine cellar to the fine stonework of the sun-soaking shingles. He even helped the Tairona who built it. Such labor aside, he must have had a wonderful builder on hand. Perhaps from the Yucatan. What a strong and resourceful man! I was captivated by the history of his home. Built by Tairona hands, influenced by his late father’s estate back in the Spanish countryside. As Captain Alejandro gave us the grand tour, I could not tame my straying eye.
I peered closely at his wife, the lovely Olvida. A silent smile was always on her face, and occasionally she would stop and whisper something to Tairona servants in Western clothes. For the most part, she was attentive to the husband giving us a tour of the home she already knew every corner of. She was the lady of the house after all! There was something about her, Adan. I could not place my finger upon it. Just an odd feeling I had from her. For though she stepped smoothly with a fine posture, much like a dancer, I still found her shoulders tense, her face tight. Her hands had a way of clenching close together in front of her, the way one might hold onto a stairwell’s banister to keep from tumbling.
Once we returned to the foyer, which in this case was a long main corridor with rivers of hardwood floor leading off to other rooms, a servant was waiting for the Captain. On his right was a soldier, a man I did not recognize. He had broad shoulders, his appearance was sharp as the blade at his hip. He inspected those he did not recognize, namely Carmen and myself, with an untrusting and even contemptuous disposition. Those eyes were intelligent, and light in color, like yellow stained glass. Instantly, I did not feel welcome. Captain Alejandro’s smile was little comfort to me.
“Excuse me, but I must meet with this young man.” His eyes slanted to Olvida, who took the tour over with a graceful smile and polite flourish.
“Please,” she said in a beautifully alto voice, “follow me, we will have our discussions in the sitting room.” As we made our way past Olvida, as Captain Alejandro met the soldier with a letter in his hand, I heard Olvida add in a soft whisper: “Not too long, husband.”
As far as I could tell, he did not answer.
Then again, we had already moved further on.
We were in the sitting room, Adan, I am not sure how long. Olvida was gracious in this period though. Asking Carmen and I about “home”, and about our trip. Seeing Olvida with Spanish landscape paintings behind her, I had the impression she was as homesick as my traveling companion. I saw a moment for Carmen to connect to someone of her own nostalgia, and kept my answers brief to give Carmen all the room she needed to reminisce with the lady of the house.
“We do appreciate your hospitality, Signora Alejandro,” Padre Alvarelo remarked, his two hands pressed earnestly together as he smiled. “I know the notice is so short - ”
“Please, I would rather you here in my husband’s den then in some predator’s,” her smile was toothy, the lips spread awkwardly, as if her cheeks were suddenly unaccustomed to such behavior. Odd, considering how well she beamed only moments ago. “The jungle can be dangerous at night, I much prefer you here. You are always welcome in my home,” she eyed Captain Alejandro as he entered. “In our home,” she rose from her chair by the fire, and the captain took the seat. A servant came to collect the remainder of our impromptu tea time. Captain Alejandro smiled distractedly as he tapped a letter on his knuckles.
“A letter from the mission, Captain?” Padre Alvarelo questioned curiously.
Captain Alejandro, who had seemed so removed from reality, returned with a quick blink. “Yes,” he folded the letter. “They are well, I am visiting tomorrow,” and the letter was squirreled away into his pocket. Padre Alvarelo nodded up, but his chin hovered, unsure of whether or not to commit to the agreeable motion. He seemed unsure of this latest event. “Sorry to keep you waiting.”
“It is no trouble, husband,” Olvida said.
Again, I felt out of place and the sudden urge to leap out one of the windows seized me.
Captain Alejandro clapped his hands. “Shall we to dinner then? After riding all day, I can only assume you could use a good meal.”
And a good meal we had! Though Carmen and I enjoyed a simple feast of soup, bread, and milk, our host still presented us with a parade of food. They were pushed around our table in separate carts by Tairona servant women. Riding these carts were rich dishes of roasted pork and chickens, grilled fruit and potatoes, buttery bread and flat white tortillas dotted with brown dots and deflated air bubbles. There was wine, milk, and liquor, rattling away on one of these carts that circled us throughout the meal. I had not come to mind such delicious food in my presence, but Carmen, I know, was another story. Before she had entered the cloister she had come from a particularly noble family. Fine foods were the normal in her home. Now that her diet was much simpler, she often found such murals of food, like this one, somewhat offensive.
Captain Alejandro was neck-deep in a monologue about the importance of exploring the jungle. He was very passionate about -
“Moving! What we need to do is keep moving. We need to push further into the jungle. Expand Spain’s territories.”
And finally, a very contained Padre Alvarelo carefully leaked his opinion. There was an air of familiarity there, though. Perhaps they had had this conversation before. “But we have expanded Spain’s territories. The heart of Spain beats in the Yucatan, and each beat reaches us all the way here. And all the way up the Amazon, and through the southern peninsulas. Should it push further, the strength of such a beat would diminish. Thin and peter out.”
“More land for Spain is more strength for Spain. She is a muscle that must be challenged. How else can she grow?”
“The foundations furthest from the Yucatan are what need strengthening-”
“I agree, that’s what you have us for,” Captain Alejandro’s smile was a predator's, every tooth pronounced and glistening in the fluttering light of the candelabras.
This was not Padre Alvarelo’s point though, he had been interrupted, so he pressed on as if the captain had said nothing. “But to press past this point would snap such expansion. We would collapse.”
Captain Alejandro leaned over his dinner, planted his elbows onto the table as if he were claiming land. “Our king is strong. Our capital in the Yucatan is thriving. Our military is more than capable, it is in its prime. Colonization and missions have also settled the natives. Such foundations are enough to support further territories.” He had filed his points off across the tips of his fingers, and for a moment all Padre Alvarelo could do was stare as the captain worked his jaw to finish off the morsel in his mouth.
“You remember what happened to the Jesuits on the Amazon - ”
Captain Alejandro burst into laughter. “What is a Franciscan concerning himself over a Jesuit for?”
“If this is for Spain, this is for all of us. So all of us must be considered.”
The Captain took a deep breath, Olvida went to hold his hand, but he sat back, and met Padre Alvarelo‘s expectant gaze. What the padre was expecting, I could not say. Captain Alejandro cleared his throat, he forced a smile. Carmen and I remained silent. This was a whole different world of conversation, one we could not dare to enter and explore, not on our first day in Santa Marta. We could only watch. Captain Alejandro stood, wiping his mouth.
“I heard they need more politicians in Yucatan. Perhaps you would make an appropriate candidate.”
“My place is with God, Captain, I merely suggest,” he was interrupted.
“Then stay in his place,” the Captain was off for the door, the heels of his boots clapped sharply against the hardwood floor. “Good evening to you all,” he closed the doors behind him, the slam echoed through the silent room. Olvida looked at the place her husband’s hand had been. She drew her own two together, and smiled warmly to us all.
“My husband has been stressed, and I know you have had a long day. Perhaps some tea before we retire to the rest we have all so rightfully earned.”
But I did not sleep for long, Adan. Carmen and I hit our pillows like heavy sacks of grain. We shared a bed, but this was hardly a problem. I think Carmen could have been jumping up and down and I would still fall asleep. Our covers and sheets were thin, the heat no longer bothered us as we drifted off. Carmen shifted to get comfortable only a couple times before she sighed to sleep. I soon followed her. Starlight and moonlight mixed in the sky and poured through our window. The only sounds I heard were the creeks and draft of an unfamiliar house. I anticipated dreams as I nestled into my pillow and shut my eyes.
I was not sure how long I had been sleeping. It could not have been long, Adan. The sky outside seemed so unchanged. The house was still and silent, save for a mewling that only now had reached my ears. My first thought was that this rattling, high pitched sound belonged to a sickly cat. I sat up slowly from my pillow, I clutched the edge of my cover as silence overcame the house once more. Just as I was about to sink once more to the bed, the howling began again. This time louder, this time clearer. At this point, I knew this was no animal’s cry. The screams were a baby’s.
My heart beat in my chest, and a nervous pang suddenly churned in my stomach. Though a cold sweat had broken out, my mouth had gone suddenly dry. This was no cry for milk or comfort, these screams were something helpless, lonely, and afraid. I turned to Carmen, I took her shoulder.
“Carmen,” I whispered, I meant to speak louder than this. “Carmen, wake up,” I shook her, and she groaned.
“No…” Carmen waved blindly at me, but I caught her hand.
“Please, wake up,” I held her hand close to my cheek, I was so afraid. “I hear something.”
“It is like a new house, of course you hear something. It’s nothing. Please, Nieve, I am so tired.” Carmen drew the covers around her tightly, and that was that. There was no disturbing her further. I chewed my lip, and realized I would have to venture out on my own. No one else was, Adan, I had to.
The house was so different now. During the day it was colorful, and the walls and floors were gilded with sunlight. There was so much noise earlier today; footsteps, conversation, racket echoing from an unseen kitchen, whinnies from the horses in the stable outside. Now? There was nothing to accompany me except the baby’s bellow. Was I truly the only one moving through the sleeping household to find this child? Surely, I would run into Olvida or one of the Tairona women in no time. At least then I would not be so alone.
But the more I searched, the lonelier I felt. I knew by now that no one else was coming. It was just me, and such solitude was gut wrenching. I was truly afraid, Adan, but I had to find this baby. I went down the stairs, through the hallways, through the rooms I had seen in daylight earlier. It was not until I made it to the front of the house that the screams grew louder. The squealing was coming from the dining room, I knew it now! I pushed open the double doors leading inside.
The room was immaculate, the table was sparse and uncovered with the chairs tucked in. The bawling was at its loudest here in the dining room, a chamber spacious enough, but still so suffocating in the dark. I did not need to search the room long. I glanced around the table and chairs only to find a pile of linens in the corner. The folds and edges were squirming. I dropped to my knees and opened the pile up with shaking hands. Inside was a naked baby, hiccuping from crying so much. I turned to the window where the silver gaze of the uncovered moon came streaming in.
As I gathered the baby in the cloth, I could tell he was a boy. He was trembling all over. His arms were outstretched, his fingers would unfold and then ball into tight red fists, white only at his knuckles. A swirl of dark hair crowned his round head, and his dark eyes were like Olvida’s, so big and round. He was staring frantically at me. Just to be in my arms was not enough! His fat cheeks and a little chin were drenched in tears, and his little mouth was wrenched open, a dark hole that issued scream after scream.
I began to retrace my steps through the manor, but I was lost in a maze. The hallways twisted and turned, I felt I was in another world. Surely, the walls could not have moved while my back was turned. I would have heard the heaving groans of the foundations’ efforts, I would have caught the walls in the act! Yet, here I was, lost, a screaming baby in my arms’ embrace, the manor made of dark and winding tunnels. I could hear forest leaves under my feet, like I was lost in the woods all over again. I finally cried:
“Help! Someone help, please!” I collapsed against the wall, I held the baby close, I whispered over and over: “Please, be still, please, be quiet.” My hands clenched into the blanket surrounding the quivering pair of legs, arms, shaking sternum, and hot red face. “I am right here, we will find your mother, I am right here.” The servants, armed with candles and clubs, found me rocking back and forth, I thought I could calm the little one with this gentle gesture, but he only shrieked.
“Hermana!" The servant exclaimed as she dropped her club, and seized my shoulder. In the candle like I could see she was an older woman, her skin was dark, and so were her eyes but they flashed with urgency. There were small holes in her ears and nostrils, dots of scar tissue that now replaced piercing. She was wrapped in a shawl that even in this minor light shone brightly in all of its colors. “What has happened?”
“I need the lady of the house - I need her! - but I do not know where she is. Please, help me - help me find her!”
The Tairona servant woman, by the look on her startled face, was unsure whether to run or to help. She seemed just as disturbed as I, but nonetheless, she nodded as she retreated. Her hands were held out to me, she spoke calmly with only the slightest tremor to her tones. “Wait here,” she said, her Spanish a lilting sing-song sound, though halted by perhaps an incomplete grasp of the language. “I will fetch, wait here. Please,” and she took off, the darkness of the hallway swallowed her whole.
I waited with the other servant, who watched me cautiously, and kept reassuring her grip on her club. I did not care about her nervousness, how could I focus on anything except this baby that now screamed louder than before. I thought I was waiting an eternity, like maybe the world had gone on without us, that I would forever be with this baby I could not stop from weeping, shaking, coughing and sputtering as it choked on its own tears. I was terrified, and like the baby, I, too, was shaking, my eyes were overflowing with tears. I sank to the floor, and I held the baby to my beating heart, but the thundering rhythm was lost in the sound of the howling parcel in my arms. The Tairona servant and Olvida found me like this.
They surfaced from the darkness, the servant pointed fervently at me, and Olvida rushed to my side. A candle was planted next to her, and I could see her clearly. She was in a pale blue robe, her dark hair was loose and hung low past her shoulders. Her face was a mask of confusion and fear, much like the baby’s in my arms. She touched my shoulders, she gripped them tightly .
“Hermana. Hermana Nieve!”
“I found it. I found him like this in the dining room.”
“What? What is it? What is wrong?”
“I did not know what to do, I had to find you.”
Olvida wrapped her robe around me. “Good Lord, child, you are shaking!”
I looked at her. “Is the child yours? Is the baby yours?”
“The baby?”
“Yes, look, you have to look.”
Olvida shook her head, in the semi-darkness she had gone pale. “Hermana.”
“The eyes, they look just like your eyes.”
“Hermana!”
I stared at her. She poured her gaze into mine so deeply that I thought she would strike another reserve of tears. I could not stop shaking, and she could not blink. She only stared, her features shifted like oil on water; slowly and smoothly. At first, concern, and then a pity that made me feel so tiny and more alone then ever before.
“There is no baby.”
And I suddenly realized the silence, that my arms were empty.
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