6 - THE DREAM

 6 - THE DREAM

Night was already deep when the entourage finally entered the camp. It was still a good couple of leagues to the farm, but being in the center of their community was a breath of fresh air. They were hungry and tired. Zacarias decided that they would spend the night there, and the next morning they would finish their journey. At the end of the main street there was a corral, already prepared for this type of eventuality. It would be more of an expense than had been planned, but both man and beast had reached the end of their tether. The sleepless night, combined with a not-so-quiet day, drained all of the group's energy.

There were two beginnings of the herd bursting, one because one of the cattle was startled by a bem te vi that sat on its horn and began to sing, the other, when a serpent suddenly appeared in front of the cattle and Zacarias had to shoot the animal before he bit any of the members of the group... yes, the animals were stressed and anything that deviated from the norm was enough to make them want to run away... as always, the great ally of the three companions was Whiskey, who didn't if he neglected for a second the fight with the cattle... the dog seemed tireless... he would run ahead of the group, then sniff the bushes that appeared in front of him, look at his owner, run back to where he was, then go back to run to the edge again, restarting the whole cycle of their journey... and that was what gave the knights a little heart...

After taking care of the animals, the three companions went to the inn, which was close to the corral. They would have a roof over their heads and a hot meal after three days on the road… and that's what they really needed. They sat at the table and while they waited to be served, they listened to the conversations at the tables next to theirs. Zacarias soon became interested in one of them, and he was attentive, listening to what they said…

- Seriously, that happened over at Pé Preto…

- Stop talking, boy… there’s no way…

- I'm telling you... when they found the body, it was perfect... there was no scratch...

- So it was natural death...

- Well, without flirting, it's normal for the living being to die...

- People talk too much...

- It wasn't the people who spoke... it was the delegate, after he talked to the doctor...

- You're going to say that the man was hollow inside...

- That! I had no guts, stomach, kidneys, lungs, figs... nothing... just an emptiness in my chest...

- And the doctor realized only later...

- That… the doctor was stunned… how could such a thing happen… but it happened…

- I still think this is a joke...

- Worse than not... it really happened... if you doubt it, just ask your delegate... he will confirm the story...

Zacarias decided to join the conversation…

- So they found a body there in Pé Preto...

- Yes, Mr. Zacarias… I saw the body myself, with those eyes that the earth will eat…

- Looks like it's not the first, is it?

- It's already the fifth this month... and last month there were twelve...

- And no one has ever seen anything...

- Neither saw nor heard...

- And the delegate has an idea…??

- If you don't believe in the other world, you won't find out what happened... there's a rezador near Pé Vermeio who says it's the Papa-Figo that's doing all this damage...

- Are you sure about that?

- Not me... who has it is Seu Firmino, the prayer...

- But it's been a while since we've heard Papa Figo stories around here...

- Yeah, but it looks like he's back... and hungry as hell!

- He just attacks people, doesn't he?

- Of course not... it's alive, it's walking, it attacks. At Seu Onofre's Farm, the animal killed ten cows and five horses last month... that's what we found out... but there may be more cases out there...

Zacarias went back to his table, thoughtful... yes, this Lent was a bit heavy... although, from what people were commenting, these attacks started around December, more or less... they would have to redouble their efforts. care, so that they would not be victims of the beast's attack... but, thinking about it... maybe the attacks would soon cease... the beast never stayed in evidence for that long... maybe it would soon retreat to its redoubt, like the other times and let the people live in peace for another seven years...

- What happened, Mr. Zacarias?

- Nothing, no... let's try to sleep because tomorrow there's still a road for us to walk...

And the three retired to rest after the day's journey... but Zacarias couldn't stop thinking about the story he had heard in the hall... he had to tell his daughter not to walk alone through the woods... the more she took care of herself, better...

Soon the tiredness of the day won and everyone was sleeping the sleep of the just... after all, they were in a safe, warm place... the mats spread out on the floor looked like clouds, they were so soft and cozy... not that they were really soft, but they were in a safe place. The warm skins protected the cattlemen's sleep. They were in the dream world, where everything was perfect...

Zacarias began to dream, and in his dream he was walking through a green meadow, so green that his eyes burned. It was a very beautiful place. In the distance, paineiras and ipês, all in bloom, making such a beautiful design that it left the herdsman in ecstasy... deep down, the mountains he loved so much... yes, the place was heaven on earth... .

Suddenly, without warning, the grass began to darken, as if it were drying up from lack of water. The flowers of the ipês and paineiras began to fall and their trunks and branches began to twist, until the trees simply fell dead to the ground... deep down where the mountain range began, heavy black clouds formed, and lightning cut the sky in all directions... the sun was hiding and the darkness of the night took over the whole place. And the water came with force, devastating everything that was in front of it... then, in the same way that it came, the rain was gone... but the environment was still charged, with a heavy aura, which caused terror in the soul without if he only knew the reason... and Zacarias began to pray, terrified with the fear he felt... then, little by little, he woke up, sweating, shaking, without knowing how to explain why...