The Peacock 603

 We have been walking for almost the entire day.  Now it is near sunset and I am hungry.  Juan and I have not exchanged one single word, which for us is pretty normal.  The cloud is bigger, and almost all day it has been covering the sun.  It is cool, perfect temperature for walking.  my feet hurt and I want to rest.  Moreover, this voyage seems quite useless to me.  The trail of the serpent seems to have no end.  I am staring at Juan's tattoo.  Now it is clearer and more defined, a feather, colour green.  I put my hand in the bag of maroon velvet.  It is heavy again, and I feel the forms of a large loaf of bread, and two oranges, and the silver bottle, now full again of the living water.  There is also the cylindrical roll of paper and I want to search again for the latest new message.  When we have stopped, I am going to read it.

John has stopped and says to me, "What is that?"

"What is what?"

"Listen!"

Now I am listening, the music, again from the sky.  The same voice, so sweet, so clear, so heartbreaking.  The bird, flying like a swallow, circles like a dancer in the air.  It is too distant to show its colours.  My brother and I have stopped in order to look at this incredibly beautiful bird, soon it approaches us again, stronger, more masculine, but still feminine in tone, a mixture so sweet and gentle, like two distinct arias, antiphons, like opera, but lighter, freer and more graceful, wilder.  The two birds both vanish although the music continues, a bit fainter.  At my feet, I see something shining, the colour of gold.  Another feather, which I place inside the maroon bag.  I don't know how to read the roll without Juan noticing.  He is already quite nervous, especially since his smartphone isn't working.  there is no signal in these parts.  I think we are walking in another dimension, maybe in a parallel universe.  This has put him in a grumpy mood, and I don't wasn't to send him over the edge.  The cypresses are now on all sides, though the cloud, now bigger and more dense than before, darkens the sun, there is still something cooling while resting in the shade of the tree.

  The angel calls them guardian vigilantes of the earth.  Juan is now asleep on the grass, I can read without him noticing me.  There appear again the beautifully written letters on the white paper.  "You have almost arrived at your destination.  The two golden feathers now have been turned into keys.  You are going to encounter two doors at the end of the path of the black serpent.  On the other side of the first door you will meet the Grand Inquisitor, and also his companions, behind the second door you will meet other friends."  

I hear something unusual although quite ordinary.  High up in the cypress, a finch is singing, a bird coloured red, very sweet, very ordinary, regular.  I have not heard any ordinary birds, not since finding myself in this strange land.  Now nightfall is approaching.  I cannot read anymore.  I stretch my legs and lie down very near my big brother, and for the first time the crickets are trilling.  I am almost asleep.

I don't know how much further we have to go.  The writing on the roll says we are almost finished.  The trail of the serpent is running more deep in the earth, almost like the path in a ravine.  Juan tells me that we will find Yolanda and Raúl before nightfall.  I want to sing.  There is something filling my throat.  I can't hold back anymore, and so pours out the ethereal and strange music from my lips.  We are approaching a tunnel, and the divine music is now coming out of my throat in a language that even I do not know.  Juan doesn't respond, only giving me a very furtive glance.  I continue the song while we are entering the darkness.  It echos on the walls of the tunnel.  Now the darkness is absolute.  Now the song is ended, and another anthem.  I listen to dthe footsteps of my brother just a little ahead.

"Juan."

"Here I am, little brother."

"We ae still close, eh?"

"Of course, friend, of course!"

We move on in silence.

"¿Carlito?"

"Yes, Juan."

"You sing very beautifully.  I didn't know you could sing."

"Me neither."

"Really?"

"Really, Juan."

"What were you singing?"

"I don't know."

"What do you mean, you don't know

"Just that: I don't know."

We are walking in the darkness, saying nothing, not able to see each other, only hearing our footsteps

and our breathing.

"Carlito."

"Yes, brother?"

"Do you know another language?"

"Only Spanish and English."

"In what language were you singing?"

"I don't know."

"You don't know?"

"I don't know."

Finally I can very faintly see the head of Juan. We are surely getting closer to the light that has always been there in the distance.  Soon we will arrive.

The light remains faint but now I can see it shining.  The tunnel is narrow, and often we almost bang the roof with our heads.  I am feeling tired and my head is beginning to hurt.  The air of the tunnel is rather rancid, almost like human shit.  I am also dizzy, and now I feel as if I am going to faint.  I know the side effects.  juan just gave me my medication.  Te tunnel turns into a corridor with little light.  We are the only ones.  The light is getting stronger.  We are again in the tunel.  I can hear something very faint.  Like a humming, almost musical.  There are voices, but very faint and distant.  We have reached the end of the tunnel.  There is only a door, open, with two lights in the wall, on either side of the door.  There is a stairway going down.  We are going down.

Juan, where are you taking me?"

"Yolanda and Raúl are waiting for us."

"Where?"

"We are going to be with friends."

I am not feeling comforted.  I feel fear rising up in me.  No me siento consolado. Hay miedo ascendiendo en mi.

"Where?"

"We are almost there, little brother."

I do not like his tone of voice, it sounds sinister, very unusual for Juan.  The humming returns, a bit stronger.  Also the voices.  The stairs go on forever.  Juan asks me in a whisper, "Do you have the keys?"

I reach in the bag of maroon velvet.  "Yes.  Both of them." I am surprised that my brother knows the route.  At the bottom there is a vestibule, and one door, very high of  heavy wood, and there is a doorknob and lock of gold.  I put in the first key.  It fits well, turns well.  The door is opening...