..::Leaning my forehead through unfathomed waves
I sank, a single drop, within a sleep of sulphur
where, like a blind man, I retraced the jasmine
of our exhausted human spring::..
The Heights of Machu Piccu
Pablo Neruda
......
If thou remember'st not the slightest folly
That ever love did make thee run into,
Thou hast not loved.
(As You Like It, 2.4)
Who ever loved that loved not at first sight?
(As You Like It, 3.5)
. . . .
The following day, Josephina awoke and stretched in the
morning sun...
Morning sun?! Diosa, she was supposed to be out with
her sheep before dawn! Hurriedly she dressed and ran
outside, grabbing her waterskin en route.
'Esperanza!' she called, racing to the back garden. She
found her friend and mentor seated on her low vegetable
cart with wooden wheels which trundled along the garden
rows, busily weeding.
'Why did you let me sleep so late? How did it happen?
Where are the sheep? Oooh...' Josephina, hands on hips,
a worried frown on her face, glanced about...looking
like the famous Lady Who Had Lost Her Sheep.
Esperanza slowly raised her head and glanced up at her
sideways, tilting back the brim of her wide straw hat.
'Buenos dias!' she smiled.
'Esperanza the Exasperating!' Jo muttered to
herself.
'I am old, but not deaf,' the weeding woman told
her, returning to her work. 'Fernando is tending the
flock, as I told you earlier.' She glanced up at Jo,
who was still frowning down at her. Why was the girl so
bothered not to be working? 'Why don't you go to the
pools and have a soak?' ('You should go soak your
cabeza...' Esperanza muttered to herself.)
Josephina was not deaf either. 'I heard that.'
'Be sure you take Lobo with you!' Esperanza called.
Sighing deeply, she thought it was actually a good
idea. It had been long since she had been to the
mineral baths. She rubbed the back of her neck, stiff
from having slept in.
Back in the cocina, she took tortillas, dried fruit and
nuts, and filled up her skin. Grabbing a soft woolen
blanket woven in rainbow colors, she packed this and a
matching cotton towel as well.
for Lobo, they began to climb the rocky heights
surrounding Villa Encantata.
'Hot already, Lobito!' Jo grumbled as they trudged
upward. She shadow-chased between the trees and
towering boulders.
It was nice to have slept in though. Josephina had a
problem sleeping most nights...troubled dreams kept
waking her.
Si, it had been too long since the baths. She would
soak away her cares... And soon, perhaps Emmelina and
the gypsy band would be arriving from the south. She
perked up at that and, sipping water from her sack,
picked up her pace. Maybe they would even arrive today.
It seemed an age since she had last seen the dark
Saraswati-worshipping princess and her band of gypsies.
Had she been keeping up her mandolin practice Jo
wondered? She sighed, knowing that she, herself, had
not...
Far up the mountain path they traveled until they came
to some low pinon pines and turned from the deer track
into the big hulking boulders which resembled a buffalo
hump. Here the going was slower and more difficult.
Perhaps she should have brought her shepherd's crook,
she mused, belatedly.
At least here there was more shade under the pinions.
She kept an eye upon the sun, to gauge the time. She
wanted to have a long soak, but she needed to head back
long before dark. She did not want to chance missing
Emmelina and the others.
It had indeed been some time since she was here last.
She recalled when Jose had shown this place to her,
soon after her arrival. He was Carlos the woodworker's
apprentice, Esperanza's neighbor. Jose helped Carlos
fashion the most beautiful violins, mandolins, guitars.
'Carlos is truly El Maestro,' Jose often told her with
justifiable pride.
During her last trip here with Jose, she had been too
shy to strip down to the skin as had he. She had kept
her camisole, but even clothed thus, she had been, as
always, amazed and renewed by the languid, warm,
sulphurous water, slippery on her skin.
Sometimes, but not often, Esperanza and Carlos would
also venture along with them, but the journey was
uphill and difficult on the joints, and they would
complain about creaky knees and stiff backs all the
way.
They did not do so, however, on the return trip. And
upon arrival, Jose worked some magic on their old
bones, which would resound like rifle shots against the
hills...
Josephina found herself smiling at the memory. Suddenly
she missed Lobo. Oh, what was that diablo dog into now?
Jo hoped he hadn't gone hunting...whistling, she
climbed up on a large boulder and pulled her hat brim
downward, scanning the area. She saw no buzzards
circling near, so no carcasses nearby to entice a dog
nose.
Gazing at the ground, she saw no tracks, either. En
route she had noticed some rabbit and deer prints, but
those had veered off toward the nearby creek.
A short, sharp bark caught her attention. 'Lobo!'
Oh, that dog! He was going to make her late for her
soak.
Fine then, she would fill her waterskin at the little
creek, and fetch the wayward dog-fart.
Back down the bloody hill then...
Tongue lolling, tail a-wag, Lobo trotted up as Jo broke
through the young river willows and went to the creek
for water. She stepped carefully, however, noting the
tracks in the sand and soft dirt. Several deer had been
here, and not too long ago, she noted.
She tied Lobo's blue bandana round his neck, and held
him beside her. 'Just because you have a day off from
your flock, you go loco, Lobo!' The big dog looked at
her, and grinned happily, wagging harder. 'Oy...' Jo
sighed, as she crouched down upon a large rock and let
the stream trickle into her pouch.
The sound of a small stick cracking caught Jo's
attention as she stood and Lobo barked once, staring
into the trees across the creek. He didn't seem overly
concerned, however, tail wagging merrily.
'Deer,' she decided, tying up the waterskin and,
shouldering it, she turned back from whence she'd come.
'Andele', Lobo! You have made us late already!'
She released him and he sped off ahead. 'You stay with
me this time!'
Ayee...dogs.
Up, and up. Finally, Josephina could detect the
unmistakable yellow scent of sulphur on the wind.
'At last!'
She was getting tired now and her stomach grumbled,
having only snacked on a handful of nuts and dried
fruit along the way. Her tortillas were warm and she
need only lay them upon a wet towel over a hot rock,
covered. Turn them over; then, when ready, they were
spread with warm fruit paste, and nuts, and you had
sweet tamales, almost...
Rounding the familiar grouping of pale wide boulders,
Jo beheld the long-coveted goal of her quest...steam
arose from inviting thermal pools surrounded by tall
rocks which stood like sentinels about the healing
waters.
Although eager for her dip, Josephina still knew her
priority: lunch!
Wetting her small cotton towel from the waterskin,
she lay it upon a flat hot rock and then placed the
tortillas upon it, folding the wet towel between each
as she piled them, with a fold to cover them, and
topped the tortilla-tower with another smaller flat
rock. She set her water carefully in the shade, and
then called Lobo to her.
Removing her hat, she unfolded two tortillas that had
nestled beneath it en route, and fed them to Lobo, who
wolfed them down greedily. Jo then poured a little
water into a shallow of a shaded rock for him to drink.
'You will stay, Lobo! Stay! Watchdog, Lobo! Keep
watch now, si?'
The big dog sighed and flopped down in the shade near
the pools beneath the manzanita. He would stay. He
knew his duty, when On Guard; to watch the flock, and
Josephina.
The trick with the hat-tortillas was taught to her by
Emmelina, her gypsy friend. Although Em had suggested
she carry the food to be given the animal under one's
armpits, Jo found that the hat trick would carry the
scent of her hair and work just as well. The dog nose
knows. The animal would then be doubly-bonded to that
person and know their scent anywhere.
Jo simply couldn't get used to tortillas in her
armpits.
Lunch cooking, dog taken care of, she took a last
searching look about her, scanned the sky (much later
than she'd thought, caramba!) and with Lobo peacefully
on guard, she took the plunge...
Stripping to the skin, she eased herself into the
pool, inch by inch, the agua caliente a welcome
soothing balm to her tired muscles.
Gliding slowly to the shady side of the pool beneath
the tall rocks, she ducked her head beneath the hot
vaporous water and came back up, relishing the cool
breeze on her skin.
Diosa, but she needed this! She would come here every
day if it wasn't such a long uphill stretch. She sank
lower and leaning her head against a large boulder,
began to drowse, her body buoyant in the mineral-rich
water.
The sun climbed ever upward.
Lobo stood suddenly, and stared at the rocks over
Josephina's head.
She took note of this and was reminded that the day
was getting on. Lunch, then.
Heaving herself out of the pool, she grabbed her large
woven cotton blanket, dried off, and donned her
camisole and smalls.
Reclaiming the tortilla-pile from the hot rocks, she
took them into the shade neath the boulders above and
began spreading the soft fruit and nutmeats onto the
sol-warmed corn wrap and rolled them up and into her
hungry boca.
'Ummm...' she said to Lobo, who had come to lie beside
her, 'if only I could bring sheep cheese to spread on
these...with the sweet fruit and nuts, it would truly
be a delight for the gods,' she told him. 'It would
have melted before I got here though.'
A soft rumbling noise was heard above her then, and
Lobo stood once again, nose pointed to the rocks above.
'Was that you, Lobito? You ate before we left, you
know!'
Lobo barked at the rocks on high.
Josephina wasn't so sure they were alone now. She
dressed hurriedly, and pulled down the brim of her hat,
scanning the area. Keeping her knife handy, she hissed
to Lobo, 'Come!'
As they began scaling the boulders above the pool, she
heard the pounding of retreating sandals, and Lobo took
off like a shot, barking.
Jo raced upward, and crested the rise just in time to
see the fleeing figure of a retreating man, longish
black curls flying in the breeze, his hat dangling from
his stampede strap as he rabbited off.
A deer hunter, she guessed, noting the long bow and
quiver of arrows he carried.
Apparently he'd found a different quarry at the
pools.
She put two fingers to her lips and blew a piercing
whistle that split the air like an arrow itself. Lobo
halted, and looked back at her, then tentatively took
another step after the escaping peeper, now
disappearing over the hills beyond.
Lobo looked questioningly at Jo, then with one quick
glance to where the man was last seen, he turned about
and began trotting back to her, tail a-wag as if
nothing were out of the ordinary.
-- Curious.
Josephina stood, hands on hips to receive him. 'A fine
watchdog!' She admonished him, sighing. 'You could have
easily caught him, you know!' Lobo grinned at her and
sat, tail thumping. 'He could have accosted me!' Lobo
slurped his tongue back in his mouth, head tilted as
though he thought that unlikely. 'He could have eaten
the rest of my lunch!' Lobo yawned, unimpressed.
'Ayee...what a day. These hidden pools are becoming a
tourist spot! Come! We are late enough as it is!'
Clambering back down the rocks, Jo proffered a bite to
Lobo, then stuffed the remaining tortilla in her mouth
and poured a bit more water for him. She drank a
swallow herself then and packed up for home.
Josephina mused as she walked that Villa Encantata's
environs were a protected site, as Esperanza had
assured her; and that no one without 'access', (as her
mentor termed the wards), could penetrate the sacred
circle. 'Access' would be keyed to one's 'trace
signature', her mentor had taught.
Jo hadn't quite grasped all that was implied by this,
but she trusted Esperanza in most things, and had not
found reason to doubt the truth of this...until now.
Who had the interloper been? Whoever it was, he had
been hungry, maybe...if that was stomach-rumbling she
had heard.
Well, she would take the news back to Esperanza. The
day was getting on, and maybe there would be news of
Emmelina's traveling band camped in the valley by now.
Refreshed by lunch and her dip in the pool, Jo
decided to make tracks herself.
'Andele, Lobo! Like the wind! Va va va!' And off
they sped down the deer trace, disappearing nearly as
quickly as their erstwhile Watcher.
. . . .
'No, no Diego!' Raphel lowered his sword, and turned
Diego sideways once more. 'Again, you present yourself
a target! There!'
Rafe then returned to face the young stray adopted by
the tribe. He had made a gift of an espada, a sword, to
Diego, which he had found in the mountains. It had
appeared to be French, and as gypsies were wary of
gadjo belongings, he'd passed it on to Diego.
Raphel had his own beautifully unique espada, made
for him back in Brazil where certain relatives of his
were metalworkers of some renown.
He was now breaking in Diego, as Diego broke in his
found sword.
'Again! Atencao, jovem irmao! Watch my eyes!
Antecipar your opponent's next move, sim? And remember,
keep your body turned to the side and protect this,
always!' He thumped his left side. 'Your coracao!' He
smiled. 'Or, how else will you woo your mermaid, eh?'
Diego let his sword fall and glared at Raphel. 'I am
wooing no one!' He looked away, raking a hand through
his unruly curls. 'I never should have told you...'
Raphel laughed. 'En guarde!' He resumed his stance and
challenged the lad once more.
Turning with his right side toward his gypsy irmao,
Diego lifted the sword and prepared to meet Raphel's
attack.
'Knees bent slightly, good...' Raphel lunged, Diego
blocked his opponent's sword with his own whilst
stepping lightly backward, still maintaining his
balance. 'Bem! Not bad!' Raphel paused and studied the
sky a moment.
'Enough for now, I think.' He turned behind him and
sniffed the air. 'Change is on the wind, sim? Perhaps
our brothers will be here by tonight. Come!'
Rafe put an arm about the lad's shoulders, rather bony
still; Diego had shot up like a young colt and had yet
to fill out into manhood. They walked back into camp
where they found water and washed up.
'How is your violin practice? Mustn't neglect that,
either!' The older gypsy chided him, grinning. 'Also
good for the coracao!' He laughed and thumped Diego on
the back as he strode away, humming.
'Tonight!' He called over his shoulder. 'Be ready!'
Diego frowned at Raphel's smug retreat, then shaded his
eyes to appraise the south. He sniffed the air, but all
he smelled was sage and the scent of rabbit stew. His
stomach grumbled. 'Basta!,' he told it, hand on his
abdomen. 'You betrayed me badly already.'
He certainly had not meant to spy upon the girl, who he
knew must have been the flame-haired shepherdess he'd
beheld the day before. He had encountered her dog by the
creek where he'd followed the deer, and he'd chanced
feeding it a bit of his lunch. Diego had decided he may
as well try to make friends as he seemed unable to
escape the persistent hound.
When Josephina had burst upon the scene he was already
across the water and well-hidden. When she had left
with her dog, so had he.
Could he help it if he had been heading in the same
direction as she? And he had to keep an eye on that
dog, didn't he? Knowing his whereabouts would tell him
where the deer would not be found of course.
It was only logical...
Thus lying comfortingly to himself, he decided that he
would dish up some stew so that he could hear the
violin over his traitorous stomach, and get a bit of
practice in before tonight. Rafe was usually right
about such things.
He bit his lip, thinking that was not all his wily
imano had found to be verdade...
. . . .
'Lestat' on violin w/gypsies
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hgg_JM9BDCE
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