13 - THE BODY

 13 - THE BODY

  The whole village was in an uproar. And it was not for less. After all, they had found a lifeless body near the train tracks. A little way from the station, almost hidden among the foliage, lay the body of a man. Pale, apparently without any blood in his body. There were no signs of struggle, apparently the victim did not react against his tormentor. People gathered around the corpse, but no one had the courage to approach and see what had really happened to him. Finally the delegate arrived, accompanied by his two assistants. They dismounted, approached the body. "Seu" Duarte, the police chief, turned the body over in search of any sign of violence against him, but found nothing. The body showed no injuries. He scratched his head, not quite understanding what had happened. If only Doctor Alberto, the coroner in the area hadn't traveled, he could have given him a hand, tried to explain to him what had really happened there...

Not all villages had motor vehicles yet. The Capital had few automobiles, and there were plans to distribute them throughout the interior, but there was no prediction of when this would happen. Therefore, they still had the horse as a means of transport and, when there was a fatal victim as now, they had a good old wagon, or even an ox cart, to take the body to the morgue... traveling were never very long... today would be an exception... after all, from the place where they found the victim to the center of the camp it was a league, more or less... and as the wagon was not available at the time, Duarte asked to "Mister" Nardi to lend an oxcart, in order to be able to transfer the body.

It didn't take long and Zacarias arrived with his team. With great care, they packed the body in the car and finally started heading towards the center of the camp. People crossed themselves as the car went by, slowly, with the wheels creaking its characteristic song and Zacarias's voice encouraging his team to walk... "go, Malhado... go Brioso"... and so they continued their journey , until after a good quarter of an hour they finally reached their destination.

It was after noon when Maria met her father. The first question she asked was about the body he had taken to the camp. Zacarias just sighed and didn't answer his daughter's question. She was curious, wanted to know what had happened, but nothing got out of her father. Seeing that she wouldn't get any information about what happened, and as her lunch break was already slipping away, she started talking about amenities, things that happened at her workplace. But she noticed that her father had a frown on his face, with a worried air that did not match his good-natured manner. After all, he always had a big smile on his face, always making jokes, joking with everyone... but today, no... you could tell that something was worrying him. But it would do no good for her to ask about what was going on, as it apparently had something to do with the job he had performed that morning. And that made her even more curious.

When Maria was about to leave to go back to work, Zacarias made a sign for her to wait a bit. He went to her bedroom dresser, took a chain with a crucifix and put it around her neck. She looked at him, not quite understanding what her father was doing. Yes, they were religious, yes, they believed in the power of sacred symbols. But then using them on a daily basis, and even more so at work...

- When you finish the service, come straight home.

- There is?

- And tell your mother and brothers... they finished the job, come straight home. No straying from the path...

- Why, Dad?

- Just because. Come straight home. Oh, and warn that scatterbrained friend of yours to do the same. It's not good to wander around at night. Especially if you go deep into the woods...

- But she no...

- Look, the night has to be respected. After the sun goes down, it's time for souls to run around the world. And we must never abuse...

- Is looking for firewood to cook abusive?

- She can do it on Saturday, after finishing work... we only work until noon, so there's a good couple of hours to go get firewood, is it or isn't it?

- Okay, dad... I just don't understand what...

- There's nothing to understand, Maria. Just do what I'm telling you...

- Yeah, but why?

- Just because...

- It's because of the body they found, isn't it?

Zacharias was silent.

- Tell me, father... is that why?

He remained silent, looking at nothing in infinity.

- Father...

- Daughter, listen to your father and do what I'm asking. It's for your own good...

And considered the conversation closed. Seeing that she couldn't get any more out of her father, Maria shrugged and went back to her rice paddy. She still had a good couple of hours to work. And, yes, she would obey his orders. After all, she had never seen him as serious as he was now. And, although she didn't quite understand what was going on, it was better to follow what her father was asking. It didn't hurt to take her advice. And, moreover, she felt an aura of fear spreading throughout the camp...