THE CRYSTAL CUP Chapter Forty Six

THE CRYSTAL CUP

Chapter Forty Six

- Cecilia...

- What it was?

- I need to tell you something...

- Talk, uh...

- Lately I've been dreaming about you...

- Serious?

- Yes... and it terrifies me...

- Why?

- Well... they are terrible dreams....

- What kind of dreams...?

- Nightmares... every day I see you dying...

- Me, huh? I intend to live at least until I'm a hundred years old...

- So, please... be very careful...

- Take care with what?

- With your ex, for example...

- Are you dreaming about him, too?

- Yes... and they are not pleasant dreams...

- What kind of dream?

- He kills you...

- Like this?

- Well... it's like a warning... every night I have a recurring dream... dream, no... nightmare! In this nightmare you and Ricardo start to argue, so he...

- Helena, dreams are just dreams. Also, never heard that if someone suffers from an adverse situation, they are actually doing well in real life?

- I wanted to be sure...

- You give too much importance to dreams, girl...

- You know me, sister...

Cecilia shrugged, as if she didn't care what her sister had just said. But inside, fear rose. She knew that Helena, although she didn't accept it for religious reasons (if she said she was an atheist) had the gift of premonition... and was rarely wrong about messages from her....

It was just after two in the afternoon. Cecília was returning from lunch, to start the afternoon journey at her place of work. She was a little distressed, as the conversation she had with her sister that morning was on her mind. Of course, she didn't really believe in that vision of the future, but her sister had a certain gift for predicting misfortunes... well, she hoped that this time Helena was wrong. The hours were dragging this afternoon. It looked like the hands of the clock had been glued together, as the impression she had was that they simply didn't move... well, that was mainly due to her state of mind. And so the day dragged on, until finally Kronos allowed eighteen hours to finally arrive. Cecília turned off her desktop, said goodbye to her colleagues and went down to the street. She would walk to the next corner, where her sister had arranged to meet her. She hadn't walked even fifty meters, when she felt her whole body shiver... a few steps away from where she was, but on the other side of the street, Ricardo was walking casually... she turned her face away, and stayed that way until her ex disappeared far. After a few minutes, feeling a little safer, she started walking again. Helena was already waiting for her, she tried to get on board as quickly as possible. Helena was worried when she noticed that her sister was slightly altered...

- What happened, Ceci?...

- Anything...

- Who swims is a fish... tell me at once... what happened...

- I saw him...

- What did you hear, girl?

- I didn't say I heard whatever it was... I said "I saw him"...

- Okay, okay... so tell me at once... who did you see?

- Richard...

- Ri... he's kidding...

No, seriously... he was walking across the street... I don't know how he didn't see me...

- Maybe because I wasn't looking for you...

- Yes, but he almost found me...

- Ceci, sooner or later you will meet...

- I hope it's as late as possible...

- What can I tell you...?

- Do you know that sometimes I regret having returned?

- I understand you...

The two were silent, each immersed in their thoughts. Cecília couldn't stop thinking about the conversation she had with her sister that morning, Helena only thought about the nightmare that haunted her... and so they went towards their parents' house...

- Wow, girls... what funeral face is that?

- Nothing, no, father... I have a little headache...

- And you, Ceci? Headache, too?

- No... it's just that I saw a ghost...

- Phantom?!....

- And...

- I thought you didn't believe in those things...

- I don't believe it... but that there are, there are....

- I didn't understand...

- It's just that she almost ran into Ricardo, daddy...

- Ah... now I understand...

- I should have stayed where I was, Dad...

- Daughter, we can't run away from problems forever...

- That's what I told her...

- I know... I know... but...

- But what, daughter?

- I don't know, dad... I swear I don't know...

- You know what? Let's have dinner, which your mother did in the kitchen today...

And the three of them went into the living room, where Estela and Janete were finishing arranging the plates and cutlery. Little Selene was playing on the floor, next to her mother... when she saw the aunts enter the room, she started to clap her hands, and crawled towards them. She grabbed Helena's leg, and immediately gained her lap. She snuggled up and stayed still, with a little finger in her mouth, looking at her aunt, and laughing... that sweet, innocent laugh that children offer to adults... Helena started to rock her and the girl was quiet, satisfied for having found such a cozy and warm place to stay... Estela watched the care that her older sister had for her daughter... and smiled happily. Yeah, it seems that the time when she teased her sisters belonged to the remote past... today she got along very well with both of them, and was always ready to listen to any advice... or criticism... that they had to give you. Finally they sat down at the table and began their meal. I mean, everyone but Helena. The little girl refused to let her aunt sit down and started to cry, forcing her to get up... Estela got up immediately...

- Helena, can you give me Selene...

- What is it, girl? Go back to eating. Then you take it, okay?

Estela thanked her and returned to the table to enjoy dinner. Everyone chatted, bringing things up to date. Both Helena and Cecília avoided bringing up the subject that had upset them... Ricardo, Cecília's ex. For some reason they couldn't understand, the mere mention of his name sent shivers down their spines. All because of Helena's nightmares...

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