An elderly man in a white robe that conceals his feet confronts me. he is tall, very tall, withy white hair and a white beard that falls like a waterfall down to his waist. Juan is nowhere to be seen. My brother has abandoned me.
"¿Who are you?" I whisper to the old man.
He stares at me with brilliant light blue eys. I am paralyzed, and can hardly remain standing. The room is dark, except for a fire in the floor in front of a throne of carved marble. There is a small crown of iron adorning the head of the old man. The air is heavy, dense and sweetly fragrant with incense.
"My son, it is you who will have to answer the questions. Tell me, young man, who are you?"
I am siezed by panic. "Where is my brother? Where is he!" My voice is rising. "Juan!"
And louder, "Juan!"
"The keys", says the old man. "Give me the keys, young man."
"Where is Juan! Where is my brother!"
"Calm yourself, young man. Please. Give me the keys."
"I want my brother!" I scream, crying, "I want Juan! Where hsave you taken him Where!"
"Your brother is alright. he is in another room waiting for you. Calm down." Some sort of light penetrates me from his very light blue eyes Something very heavy and immobilizing overcomes me. But I resist with force and remain standing.
"The keyes," says the old man to me in a soft voice, extending to me his hand.
"No. No I can't. They are mine.
"No. No puedes. Son las mías."
With his other hand, the old man makes a gesture on his left. I hear something, like a door going up. he steps back a bit, and now I see something really horrific, a gigantic scorpion, the size of a horse, golden coloured, approaching me, its tail erect, ready to pierce me with its terrifying sting. I step back. I cannot escape. The scorpion overcomes me, and now I am paralyzed, closing my eyes so as not to see the stinger that is stabbing my shoulder, and I fall to the floor, while an intense pain hurls me into an unconscious stupor. My shoulder aches. It is the first thing I notice when I regain consciousness. This was the work of a nurse, nothing but. There was no giant scorpion, no angel, neither was there any black serpent. The old man was a psychiatrist giving me an interview. I remember well his cold and scary eyes. They were all hallucinations. And now here I am in a mental hospital. I know this place very well. My home away from home. I can count the many times I have stayed here. I was obviously causing a disturbance and that is why they have locked me inside this quiet room. Just a mattress on the floor, a metal toilet and sink, nothing else. I hear Juan's voice outside protesting to the nurses that they must release me from this cell. Without success. The pay no attention to me Nothing. Then I scream out my brother's name.
"Juan!" and again, louder, "¡JUAN!"
"Carlito." I can hear his voice, very faint, although my brother is shouting. Suddenly I recall Juan's other name. The name that only his family calls him, Yolanda and I, when we were younger. I remember my brother's tattoo, the feather on the left side of his neck. Where were the fangs of the serpent. Suddenly I want to touch with my finger that same tattoo, caress it, kiss it.
"¡Alonso!" I am sobbing. "¡ALONSO!"
There is silence, and I am afraid that he has left. Then, I hear my brother's voice.
"Carlito, I will be back".
"Tomorrow?"
"This sme night. I am bringing with me Yolanda and Raúl. courage, brother. Courage!"
I am exhausted and I collapse onto the mattress. I am about to go back to sleep. Just when I close my eyes, I sense something soft and warm underneath my right hand. It is the bag of maroon velvet.
They say that today they will bring me out of isolation. I am not cured, just tranquilized. Anesthetized. The drugs are very effective. I am surprised that I have with me now the maroon velvet bag. I do not dare look inside it...I did not bring it from the house when, more than a week ago, I was wandering in the desert, alone and without provisions. I am amazed that I didn't die of thirst and hunger. But the bag. perhaps it really was given to me by...by...i cannot pronounce his name...I have spent two, three days in this goddamn cell? They say I was there only for one and a half days, but in such a room, only in such a confined space, no window, the light always on. This is torture. lBut now I give up. They have conquered me, but I remember everything, or almost everything, and I still have the maroon bag? How come? There is a knock on the door.
"Yes?". The door opens. The nurse is wearing blue jeans and a green T shirt.
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