STEALING THE CUPBOARD

The vortex vomited them into a backyard full of mud and cement. Luisa stood up, jumping for joy and clapping her hands.

“We are in my house, safe, thanks to The Creator.”

Guio cut her off in the middle of her speech because he couldn't resist giving her a kiss. She pulled her face away and looked at Luis, who also turned red in the face.

“Unbelievable, you sent us far away,” Marco said with irony. “His experience shows.”

They went out to the street to get some air since Marco felt dizzy, and two old men dressed in white crossed the street.

“They were both very happy,” said Michel.

“Master Michel,” Luis shouted excitedly, “I'm so happy.”

The two old men, changing course, turned to them.

“Hello, what a pleasant surprise,” said the fat old man Michel, “what a beautiful meeting.”

“Yes, it is good to meet five members of the Light,” smiled the other old man, or so it seemed by the silver color of his hair, because even his voice was youthful and strong.

“May the light bless you,” said Marco. “It is a great blessing to meet you, brother Michel, and brother Francisco.”

“I had the good fortune to meet Francisco when I was on my way to the forest to look for you, to follow Luis,” explained Michel. “Since he ran off without saying anything and was taking too long, I got anxious; fortunately, the meeting with Francisco calmed me down.”

“If we calm down with a few drinks,” Francisco added in laughter.

“Maestro, I felt a strong call from the forest. It served me,” Luis replied, “because I found Luisa and this companion about to be decapitated by some very powerful monstrous shadows, so much so that we would be dead if Marco did not arrive.”

“The good Marco; he is always very opportune.” Francisco waved his hands.

“Yes, I agree.” Luis answered him with his eyes blazing, remembering that one day, without wanting to hear him talk to another monk, something perverse happened about a conspiracy. He decided to avoid confronting him, after all, he could not question one of his superiors; he preferred to step aside.

Luisa took advantage of the opportunity and approached him to talk to him.

“Hello Luis, I was very happy to see you again.”

“It was good to see you again.” He answered her, looking at her with a sparkle in his eyes, “You were very brave in the forest.”

“Thank you; things around here have been a little strange.” Luisa looked at him, blushing. She couldn't believe that she was finally close to her beloved. Of course, there was the mistake with Guio; suddenly everyone would understand that it was a product of the situation. Before she could say anything, Luis spoke to her as if he could read her mind:

“I understand you. Many years have passed, and although I thought of you every moment, cherishing the idea of meeting on the best terms, I also knew that it was possible to find myself in a situation like this. At least you are not raising ten children like your parents.”

“Luis, you are confused; it's only been a few months, but it also seemed like a long time, and what I can't understand is that you left without saying goodbye.”

Luis stared into Luisa's beautiful eyes and commented:

“Your eyes are very beautiful; I love that yellow-brown tone. In the forest, I thought I saw them blue, and I came to suppose that it wasn't you.” Luis wanted to talk to her about something else, but he chose to keep quiet since he realized that the old man, Francisco, was paying attention to them.

“It seems to me that you are a couple,” Master Francisco insinuated, “but you know that one of the requirements of the warriors of the light is celibacy.”

“Yes, it is a rule that seems archaic,” added Michel. “I thought about it for a while, until I could see how my loved ones were dying over the years. Then I did not want to get others; it is good to live without suffering, and besides, our enemies could take advantage of it.”

“On the other hand, sexual energy is used to make strong invocations, like the one I made in the forest,” Marco interrupted, who already looked better.

“How did you get here, Marco?” asked Francisco.

“I was following the trail of a werewolf when I heard those creepy voices,” answered Marco. “It seems strange to me that those beings are around here; they don't like this climate; they are more from the desert.”

“We should go to investigate, although I was also planning to go to the barracks to ask for help because the sword Dármela has appeared.” Marco explained, waving his arms, waiting for a big reaction.

“If you know where it is, let's go right away.” Francisco proposed, pointing to all of them, “Come on, kids, let's go.”

“I know who has it,” Marco said, looking at the floor. “What I don't know is where this man is, he is a criminal, and he must be very hidden.”

“You have to look for a tracker,” Guio interrupted them. “I know a friend of mine who is a medium.”

“However, there is something in the forest that intrigues me.” Marco let these words slip out as he grabbed his beard.

“What could it be?” Francisco asked him. “The only strange thing to me is that we five warrior brothers are gathered here and that we are not celebrating as we should, with drink or crushing beasts.”

“No, the strange thing is that I have felt several presences,” explained Marco, raising his arms. “I was on my way to look for help to find the sword. When I found myself face-to-face with El Sombreron*, as they call it, I fought against it until a La Sayona** distracted me and it escaped. I tried to capture her, but she went into the forest, where I got distracted because I found the trail of some werewolves, and then I found these young men, almost lost, fighting against legions of shadows.”

“You're right, I also sense a lot of monsters; it's something that gives me a bad feeling,” Michel said, touching his stomach. “We should go and check it out, but first we should eat something and drink a lot; with an empty belly and a dry throat, we won't even beat a fly.”

“Yes, that's true,” said Luis, “a hungry dog won't hunt, and a full dog won't hunt either.”

“And the matter of the sword,” Michel questioned, very anxiously, “that sword can destroy anything, I heard.”

“I heard that it eliminates both the body and the soul.” Francisco added.

In the meantime, Luisa's parents passed by, and Father Don Carl greeted them very effusively and greeted Luis with a hug.

“Luis, you look very well; is it true that you were abroad?”

“Something like that,” Luis answered, while the mother, Mrs. Mary, also greeted him.

“Well, how are you doing? I am glad to see you.”

The teacher, Francisco, and Luisa's mother stared at each other, and their faces were glowing with color.

“I remember you. You were the saint who saved my daughter when that snake wanted to eat her,” Don Car said to Marco. “I will never forget a man so strong, so well planted, and, above all, who was our savior.”

“Master Francisco, please, I need some advice.” Guio interrupted the awkward moments, taking him a few meters away.

“Tell me, my student, what is it that you want? What is it that you have between your eyebrows? You seem to be very stubborn.”

“Teacher, you told me that you once retired and got married several times; I would like to take some time off too.”

“Dear student, that's very difficult; the League of the Knights of Light is not a hotel where you can come and go whenever you want. I could because I am one of the oldest members, and I am also one of the few who know how to forge magic weapons. Although we no longer need them, the day may come when I will have to heat the irons again. You must think it through; it is not good to saddle the horse before it is yours, and you are not stealing the cupboard from another house. You must think with a cool head; that does not mean that you do not act, much less that you put your head in the fridge.”

*El Sombrerón is a sinister character who always dressed in black and wore a big hat on his head. It is said that he rode a black horse at night, which helped him to be confused with the darkness. This figure would appear and disappear from towns without warning. He was in charge of chasing drunks and bandits, always late at night in lonely places. It is a Colombian myth.

**La Sayona, is a specter of Venezuelan folklore, which refers to a beautiful and elegant woman who seeks unfaithful men to seduce and then kill them. The legend originated in the Venezuelan plains in the mid-nineteenth century.