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Chapter 13 The Moon

The school year began and with it the first series of blackouts. Almost every Wednesday, there was a blackout. The reason behind it did not matter much. Knowing the reason for an illness doesn’t make it any easier for a terminal patient. It was only a matter of time. It was during one of those hot nights that the shadow began to appear on top of the roof of the house. The couch always faced the interior garden. During those hot nights, the garden was opened to allow for the moon light to enter. Lucero had just received her treatment, and she was not feeling particularly well. To help her feel better, her mother was giving her soft tickles on her back with the tip of her nails. Lucero was resting her head on her mother’s chest. She was not looking at anything in particular.

It was then when she noted a shadow on top of the roof. It was sporting a white mask. The distortion of the darkness, and the fever, combined with the nauseas distorted the figure. Lucero thought it was the moon that had come for her. At the time, the family had been seeing a pretty cool Telenovela. Even after decades of seeing it once, it would stay in Lucero’s mind. The Telenovela was called Mujeres de Arenas or Women made of Sand. It was about a special fellow who used to make sand sculptures. He happened to be raised by the guy who killed his mother, though he is not aware of this at the time. Anyhow, every so often when he is feeling blue, he goes to the mountain and starts asking the moon to take him away.

Whenever this occurs, his friends track him down to the mountain and tie him to a tree to keep the moon from sucking him up into the sky. There was a lot of cool magic realism elements to it. In Spanish folklore, the moon is also a personification of Death. The reason behind this is that a lot of people tended to drop dead from exposure. Without proper shelter, humans can easily just drop dead. This is why having a roof over your head is so important. One never knows when the moon might just come and take you.

When Lucero thought she saw the moon, she closed her eyes and covered her face. She did so whenever she was watching a scary movie. She opened her hands a little bit, to peer to see if the shadow was gone. The shadow indeed departed when it noticed that the girl had seen it. There was a lot of bizarre superstition about the girl. It would get even worse the following week after she received her healing mass. Overnight, she would get cure by the Saint, or by the power of medicine. It all depends on which story you want to believe.

The following morning, Angelica and her children went to see Ricardo. He was at home with his oldest daughter looking rather nervous. His wife was in labor, and it was tradition for him to drink himself stupid. Whenever he drunk, he would beat his daughter within an inch of her life. To prevent this, Angelica was at home with him.

The children were in the back garden with Yanamaria. They were looking at the birds in the backyard. Ricardo made his money by repairing TVs and by selling tropical birds he caught. Lucero was looking at one of the bird traps. She asked Yanamaria, “How does it work?”

Yanamaria explained, “You put seeds here, and when the bird stands on it, the trap opens down and then he is caught.”

“Aww…poor bird,” said Eufrasio.

“It is for the best I suppose. Outside, it could get eaten by other birds, or it would starve to death. At least in this prison, it will have some degree of certainty,” said Yanamaria.

“I don’t know. It all depends on the owner,” said Lucero.

“Yes, there is one kid in class that gets a new bird practically every week. The dog eats it, or he squashes it. It seems like such a waste just to provide 5 seconds of amusement to an irresponsible brat,” said Eufrasio.

“Oh! Hoh! Is that why you never asked father for birds?” asked Yanamaria.

“I just don’t feel like I am ready to take care of something else, when I can barely keep a plant alive,” said Eufrasio.

“That’s because you don’t water them,” said Lucero.

“And you water them too much,” retorted Eufrasio.

“I suppose that is just how things are in life. For people to learn, a lot of creatures must die,” said Yanamaria.

“Aren’t we solemn today?” commented Lucero.

“I suppose… that stupid Telenovela has got everyone thinking about the Moon,” said Yanamaria.

“Well, the dogs don’t help much in the matter do they,” said Lucero.

The conversation continued candidly. Eventually, Angelica came to pick up the children. She said to Yanamaria, “I spoke with your father, he said we could go to the pool. Do you want to go?”

“Yes, if I must,” said Yanamaria.

Yanamaria hated the pool because she always got terribly sunburned. One time it got so bad that she had to get an ointment for burn victims. Angelica had acquired it from one of the nurses who was well connected. Remembering this, Angelica said, “We are not going to that drowning pool, we are going to another one, in Aguas Claras. It has some palms for shading, you can just hang out over there.”

“Neat,” said Yanamaria.

Yanamaria ran towards her bedroom. She took care to shorten her pace and look solemn when she passed by her father. There was nothing he hated the most than seeing her happy, when he was looking miserable. She took her clothing and her pink, polka dot bathing suit.

The girls wore elegant, white dresses and white shoes. On the bus station, they met with Angelica’s nurse and friend Kamila Santiago Dominguez Vargaz Cuella… Santa Cruz de los Monteros. Back in her younger years, Kamila had belonged to the Cuban “Intelligence” . They were tasked with bringing money and technology into Cuba by any means necessary. Their operations were usually carried out in the States. They did your standard Medicare frauds, money laundry, contrabands, and other such illicit activities. From time to time, they would rob the houses in the States any worms who spoke badly about the Cuban government. Anything and everything was fair game for the Cuban “Intelligence”. Then again, they were just one of the many Spy groups who made it their mission to be a torn in the States’ side.

Since Kamila was someone of importance, she was able to go to the tourists only resorts. Since it was the low season, the resort in Aguas Claras was empty. It had a nice pool, the type that actually had a bottom.

On that particular day, Kamila had a camera. She said to Angelica, “Do you want to take some nice photos of the kids?”

“Certainly, it has been ages since I have received film from la Yuma,” said Angelica. Yuma was what the Cubans called the United States.

“Next time there is a mission there I could see about getting you some film,” suggested Kamila with a gleam in her eyes.

“Oh, please, it is not important,” said Angelica. She knew that when Kamila said get, she meant steal. Then again, stealing was not seen as a true crime in Cuba. It was all about the poor getting what they thought they deserved from the rich. Time passes, but the people never change. Throughout history, there have been many people like Kamila, and they have used many ideologies to excuse their crimes. Stealing is a sin, no matter the reason. People can easily find any type of ideology to excuse their evil acts.

Angelica made her way towards the fountain. Her kids and Yanamaria followed along. They all took one photo in each of the fountains. After concluding the photo shoot, the kids went to the pool. Since Angelica was not feeling in a swimming type of mood, she went outside to take a nap while pretending to sunbathe.

As for Kamila, she started giving swimming lessons to the children. She really had a kind, maternal way towards the people she actually cared about. The hours rolled slowly by. Around late afternoon, Angelica awoke with a start. She was having a stress dream about riding a bicycle while surrounded by darkness. She then stumbled on her bike and fell. She was picked up by her mother Irina by the arm.

Her mother then started slapping her saying, “Get off the ground! We are not so poor as for you to be begging in the streets! Do you think I do not make enough for you? You thankless little shit!”

When Angelica woke, she was dripping in a cold sweat. She whispered, “Oh, mother, when I remember it, I sometimes cannot help, but hate you. It sometimes feel like it would be easier to just move to another country, and to never return to be with you. Yes. I am very much like you. I could cut you off as you did your own mother. I despise who you were, but I can’t help but to love you for what you have become. God, be willing, I will learn to forgive or at least forget.”

“Talking to yourself, are you?” asked Kamila staring at Angelica with mild amusement.

“No, I am not. I am praying,” said Angelica.

“Both are one and the same if you ask me,” said Kamila raising an eyebrow.

“Let’s not get into to it right now,” said Angelica jumping into the pool.

“Aww… you are no fun,” said Kamila.

“Jesus Christ! The water is cold,” commented Angelica after rising to the surface.

The day rolled slowly by. After the lessons, the children went to play with a ball. Meanwhile, Kamila and Angelica spoke about work nonsense. At the moment, the children were singing a silly song while holding hands and going round and round to become super dizzy, “Somos los mejores amigos que buscamos la verdad. Ewivando, Echichisnine y Gigante Mo.”  

As for the women, they were talking about another abandoned baby incident. It had been left in the cemetery to die. The G2 were thinking of staking out the cemetery to see who was the douche that was doing this to publicly repudiate her actions. As things stood, children were a precious resource. The Cuban population was quickly aging, and most of the kids were either leaving Cuba or were delaying birth. At the rate Cuba was going, most of its citizens would be too old to be of used.

While they were talking about this, Angelica remembered the story she had heard from her great, grandfather about her mother’s birth. Irina’s mother ,Anya, at the time had two children. Anya had been thinking about aborting her daughter. Eventually, her cousin convinced her not to do so. She told Anya that the child could be a partner for either her son or her daughter. When Irina eventually came into this world, her mother abandoned her in a barn. When she was found, the ants had already done a number on her. This story was enough to scar Irina for life. It also did not help her mood to hear from her siblings that she was adopted. According to Irina’s siblings, she had been found in a garbage can. This was part of the reason why Irina pretended that her mother, brother and sister no longer existed. She did not wish them death, but she would be rather relieved if they were no longer alive in this world. At least in her old age, Irina had found some semblance of peace in her little happy routine.

The night fell, and with it the rising moon. Since the children liked their own beds, the family and Kamila took a horse carriage home. Despite the shading trees, the kids got sunburned. Kamila made a mental note to acquire some ointment cream.

Angelica first took her kids home before walking Yanamaria back to her home. Yanamaria used the spare key to let herself inside. Everyone in the neighborhood knew that it was hidden under the rugs. The thieves never bothered to give Ricardo a visit because they knew he was dirt poor. Whatever money he made was always spent away on rum. Yanamaria found her father passed out outside in the garden. He was without his shirt, sitting on a rocking chair. He had barf on his cheek, and his head was sunken into his chest. Yanamaria saw his figure painted under the moonlight. He looked so peaceful in his sleep, his face was almost kind, even.

Yanamaria pondered if the moon was going to take her father tonight. Yanamaria was not so mean spirited to wish for the moon to come, but she did not mind as much. She sighed and she went to sleep in her small bed. She did not even bother to put a blanket over her father. That night, the moon did not come for Ricardo.

Chapter 14 The Moon Cometh

The last day the Mason family lived in the house started like any other day. The children ate scramble eggs for breakfast, with rice and beans. The mother and father had the same morning shifts, so they would both be at home at night. Since Angelica had spent more time with the kids, Eduardo had decided to go pick them up from school. On the meantime, Angelica would be sewing some curtains. She wanted to doll up the house a little bit. From time to time, the sewing machine would run for longer than what it should, which was a bit annoying. Angelica blamed it on the archaic mechanical pedal, but there was a different reason for it.

Meanwhile, Irina was throwing the cards. Smiling she said, “The cards tell me your son is going to be rich.”

“When?” asked Angelica.

“Eventually, he has the split tongue, so he is well spoken. His speech is going to get him really far in life,” said Irina.

“If you say so mother, but all the money in the world doesn’t matter in a place such as this,” said Angelica.

“Again, with this, I am telling you, I am not going, and neither are you,” said Irina.

Angelica did not press the issue. She was going to have her way, with or without her mother. She could not govern her life forever. The blood of her mother was strong within her, and so it seemed that any day Angelica would cut ties with her for good.

As for the children, Eufrasio was in school talking with his friend during recess. He said to the Penguin, “I am going to leave to you my Atari, with all the games.”

“Are you certain? Don’t you want to leave it to Yanamaria?” asked the Penguin.

“Nah, she is coming with us, Lucero said so, and when Lucero wants something, Mom and Dad usually gives it to her, for the sake of having peace,” said Eufrasio.

“Have you heard from Yuri?” asked the Penguin.

“No, but that is to be expected. Everyone stops calling as soon as they leave this island,” said Eufrasio.

“Do you think he is having fun in Spain?” asked the Penguin.

“I don’t know. I guess things might be different now, than how they were back then,” said Eufrasio.

The Penguin was silent for a while, not understanding what Eufrasio was talking about. He then said, “If you leave, I won’t have anyone to play with.”

“You can stop with the hypocrisy, Yivor. You just want my stuff, the same as anyone. I am not planning on taking anything with me, really. I just got to get out of here before I am old enough to be sent to prison,” said Eufrasio.

“Well, what did you think was going to happen with your little display?” asked Yivor sneering.

“I suppose I did not think things through,” said Eufrasio.

“Worms rarely bother to do so. Don’t you know that it is futile? Nobody cares what happens here, neither the people living here, nor the people in the outside world. We might as well be living in another world,” said Yivor.

“I suppose, you are correct, but I dream of being a real person one day. It may take me a lifetime, but one day…” said Eufrasio.

Inside a classroom, Lucero was talking with Ms. Perez. She said to her, “Can I have your daughter?”

“Sure, for how long?” asked Ms. Perez.

“Forever,” said Lucero.

“No, are you insane?” asked Ms. Perez laughing.

When the laughed at, Lucero changed her candid tone. Her face changed into a stoic frown. She then said, “When I am gone, I want you to give Yazmin all my dolls?”

“I don’t think you are going to die anytime soon, Lucero. I hear that you are actually getting better,” said Ms. Perez.

“Better yes, but one never knows,” said Lucero. Afterwards she knocked on wood, to remove the bad thoughts.

The following afternoon, the children were taken to the nearby museum. They saw statues of dinosaurs. Lucero looked inside the sewer grids because she thought she heard a strange hissing. Inside, she thought she saw a dinosaur passing by. The kids had heard stories about cloning experiments in Havana. It did not seem too impossible to imagine that the Cuban government already had living, breathing dinosaurs. The thing in the sewer was actually just a run of the mill crocodile.

When late afternoon came, Eduardo was there to receive his children. While they were walking back home, they were practicing the colors, by describing the houses. The kids already knew all their colors, still this was part of their happy routine with their father, and so they performed the same ritual naming with diligence.

Everything was going well till Eduardo saw a dog passing by. His heart started to race, and so he picked up both his children to keep them safe from the dogs. In response to his fears, old Silver Eye came to bark at him and so did the other dogs. The dog was just responding to Eduardo’s fears. Eufrasio panicked, and started yelling, “Dad, run, run!”

And so, Eduardo did, though fell when Silver Eye pulled at his sock. The fall caused Eduardo to land on top of his daughter, with Eufrasio on top of him. Lucero started crying, and the dogs smelled the blood. Silver Eye gave a sad look to the girl, and thus departed, with all the dogs following behind him.

Eduardo picked up his daughter feeling terrible. He noticed that her shirt was stained with blood. Worried, he opened it, and he saw that the girl had a terrible scrape. Other than that, she was pretty much fine. Worried, he said, “Oh! God, what am I going to tell your mother?”

Lucero kept crying, and she said, “I want ice cream.”

“I will get you some, but first lets go home to clean your wound,” said Eduardo.

Eufrasio smiled when he noticed Lucero using pity to get something that she wanted. Lucero had a high tolerance for pain. While all the kids in the hospital cried when they drew blood from them, Lucero had her analysis done without flinching. She would stare at the needle and control her nerve, as her life was slowly being taken away from her, drop by drop. It had been several months since her cure, but to Lucero it felt like a lifetime ago.

The father arrived home with Lucero. Angelica saw the girl, and her husband’s pitiful face. He cleaned the wound without saying anything. Before going out the door, he said, “I am going to get ice cream.”

“Why?” asked Angelica.

“Lucero wants some,” said Eduardo.

“Aren’t we saving for the trip?” asked Angelica.

“I have come to realize something. In the past, I said it was important to save while you had, cause when you have no money, there is nothing to be saved. But money in the bank is useless. I would rather use it now, than later to deal with some unforeseen calamity. Nothing in the future is for certain. We might get run over, or mauled by dog, and then that money will just be sitting there rotting,” said Eduardo.

Angelica said, “What is truly bothering you?”

“I don’t know. I just have not been happy in a while,” said Eduardo thinking of his poor, dead father.

After dusk, Eduardo returned home with the ice cream. It was partly melted, but Lucero dug into it right away. From time to time, she would take a spoonful and feed it to her pet brother. She was halfway done with the tub when she said, “Hoof! You eat the rest!”

Eufrasio smiling went to dig in, but Irina said, “No, you are going to spoil your dinner, and you Lucero, I hope you did not spoil your dinner with ice cream.”

“I’m full,” said Lucero.

The family had dinner, with the exception of Lucero. When it came time to go to sleep, the house was closed up. Around midnight, Lucero awoke from bed to go poop in the bathroom. After finishing her business, she noticed that the window in the kitchen was opened. It also had no bars. Slowly, on her tiptoes, she walked back to sleep with her grandmother. Standing over Irina was the shadow with a mask as pale as moonlight. Lucero noticed the man, and the man saw Lucero. Both froze on the spot, tense. Lucero’s cold blood kicked in. She then went to lie down back in bed, with her back against the stranger.

The man with the white mask breathed in a sigh of relief. He resumed his midnight looting before departing. On the way back to his home, the man ran into Silver Eye. The moonlight gave a strange, supernatural glow to old Silver Eye. Silver Eye howled in the same fashion as did the wolf that the dogs once used to be. The thief started to run, but Silver Eye was swifter. The man was mauled by the dogs, and he bled out in the streets, with his face facing towards the moon. With his last bit of strength, he removed the mask.

Laughing, Ricardo said, “So, you have come to take me away, moon?”  

Chapter 15 The Epilogue

It has been five years since the Mason family left the house and Cuba for that matter. Together with Yanamaria and her sister, they are living in the States in a comfortable two room apartment in the prestigious city of Hialeah. During their first year in the States, the Mason family were homeless. Eventually, a Jehovah’s Witness threw them a bone. With the help of Yelena Gracey, they were able to move into this small apartment. They are far more cramped than they have ever been, especially with two extra children.

Yanamaria and her sister Ofilia became fully orphans after their mother got the news of what had happened to Ricardo. In a fit of sadness, Yanamaria’s mother ate and ate guavas. She ate so much that her stomach ruptured, and she died. It is a rare cause of death, especially in a country such as Cuba where there is food scarcity. Still, it is known to happen.

The cousins adapted well to the States. The schools in Hialeah are all within walking distance of the Savannah apartment complex. Eduardo is working in a cement factory, while Angelica is working in a restaurant. At night, the two of them study. Eduardo is trying to get a coding and billing license, while Angelica is studying to become an Ultrasound technician. As for Irina, she is doing the same thing she did in Cuba, fixing clocks and palm reading. Lately, she has been working more on the whole psychic business.

Angelica had by now made peace with her mother. She had reconciled her feelings of resentment. She had even quit smoking. Irina too no longer smoked, in part because they did not have true Cuban Cigars in the store. She could tell by the smell. If Irina was to smoke something, it would be something she truly liked.

Eufrasio was getting straight As. He was also in the debate team. From Cuba, he had learned to be careful with what he said. Whenever he debated, he always picked, safe topics. His only regret was that he could never be the President of the United States, like he always wanted to. 

As for little Lucero, she had picked up the hobby of painting and drawing. She was in the process of designing the original character for her comic book. Her brother was also helping her in that department.

Meanwhile, Yanamaria was excelling, in math and science. She was planning to be a dentist, when she got bigger.  

The entire family is saving up to go to Disney world for the first time.

And what of the others? Well, crazy Judas moved to Spain with his wife Ms. Perez and little Yazmin. Judas opened a karate studio, while Ms. Perez is still doing the teaching thing. Little Yazmin, like Lucero also gave her dolls away when it came time to leave Cuba. Like her, she left by plane.

Mamadou too had left for the States. He changed his name and identity thanks to Kamila. He was currently living in Key West with the person he forsook name and country to be with.

The Penguin was still living in Cuba, surrounded by all the stuff the Mason family had left him. Yuri on the other hand was living in Nunavut, Canada. He had always wanted to see the snow, but after living there for a couple of months, the novelty was wearing thin. Still, the dogs were fun, and he was already used to living without electricity.

Little Yenifer too had left for the States. Since she had come at a different time, she lost track of Lucero. She is living a relatively normal life, in a mansion with her mother’s gringo husband. Her only problems were found in her private school. Due to her complexion and origin, she was the odd girl out, but this was something she was already used to. Yenifer was never cut out for school life. Though, she was getting by thanks to the ballet which she had been studying in Cuba since the age of 2.

Good old Silver Eye continued life as before. The departure of the Mason family did not change his happy routine. He died at the ripe old age of 9. The puppies he had are still a local nuisance in Pinal del Rio, though from time to time the government tries to cull their population. These days there is a movement designed to defend the feral dogs from being needlessly slaughtered. There was even a march advocation doggie rights. In response, the government forced its people to go on a dog and cat killing spree. The Russians had done something similar during the old Soviet years. As the saying goes, monkey see, monkey do.

Kamila now lives now in the States with her daughter and her husband. She lives in an enclosed neighborhood. At her age, she is semi-retired from the game. Her main focus is enjoying the few years left to her on Earth.

After Irina left Cuba, El Quique hung himself. By the time his family found him, it was too late.

As for the house, it currently sits there uninhabited. In the future, it might get some tourism action. Still, as of living there, nobody seems inclined to do so because of the rumors of that the place being haunted. The hallucinations did have a simple, logical explanation, though it was a lot easier to believe that it was haunted.