by K C Norrie
"What is the name of that village?" Paul asked Linde.
"That is Sao Cachito. We passed through it on our way here remember?"
Paul remembered. The ride on the horse-driven cart between the two villages was long, hot and bumpy taking the entire day. Paul dreaded the ride back. The road was barely a path. There was not enough travel or use on it to prevent the ever-thriving plant population from covering its way. They passed several bogs, which had muddied the path, and the wheels had gotten stuck twice, requiring Paul and two other male passengers to help pull them out.
But Sao Cachito had electricity.
In the following days there were invitations to Linde's friends' homes where Paul answered countless questions about life in the United States. He noted that three of the women had copied Linde's hairstyle. He saw his life through other eyes. To them, he lived a life to be envied.
A man named Emilio asked Paul about the movie theaters in the United States. He said a few years ago; he and his wife traveled all the way to Rio de Janeiro. During their time there, they visited a movie theater and greatly enjoyed a film.
"Most of the people here cannot even perceive the concept. It is my dream to bring a theater to Jai` Doro."
"You would need electricity first," answered Paul. "What's the holdup? Perhaps if there were a decent road."
"Of course," answered Emilio. "Once again I will prepare a petition for Manuel Consigo to consider building an adequate road to Sao Cachito. Once again, he will turn it down. But perhaps not. Maybe this will be the year he agrees." Then he laughed.
Paul was surprised.
"But why would he turn it down with so much to gain? It would open up Jai` Doro to the rest of the world."
"That's exactly the problem. He doesn't want to open us up to the rest of the world. The old people want to keep us secluded. You aren't from around here. You will not have heard the stories."
"What stories?"
"Ask Linde. She will know. The stories are handed down from long-ago generations. Jai` Doro is a village of superstitious people who live in fear. Long ago, a curse was cast upon it and now we must forever live in this isolation lest the curse spread throughout the world."
This time it was Paul's turn to laugh. He didn't believe in curses. He believed in science.
"I see he is up for re-election. Will someone oppose him? I've seen no faces on display but his."
"It is useless. We have tried opposing him but the older people like him and the lack of change. They are set in their ways. They like knowing that tomorrow will be the same as today. They live in content. For them the world is flat. The edge of what they see is their entire world and for them, it is enough.
"I have run for election twice," continued Emilio.
"Rodrico Lopez over there has also run. Others before us have tried as well. The result is the same. Manuel Consigo always gets re-elected. He has held the position for thirty years now. He may hold it for another thirty. You may not have noticed, but the residents of Jai` Doro live uncommonly long. Someone came to do a study once when I was still a child in school. We attribute it to a health potion we make. But I am getting off track.
"We need outside help to bring change. Someone with vision. Our townsfolk have watched us grow up from babies and still see us as children, not leaders. Perhaps new blood could make a difference."
Emilio gave Paul a quizzical look.
****
As Paul walked back to his in-law's home with Linde that evening, he looked around with new eyes. He saw a village lit with electric lights, a movie theater, and a paved road that led all the way to Texas.
"I see dreams in your eyes my husband. Did I not tell you that Jai` Doro was a place to dream?"
"You did my love. But you did not tell me it was also cursed."
"It is not a night to talk about the curse. It is too beautiful. Look up at the stars. Have you ever seen so many? And the moon is full. Up on the mountain in the meadows the flowers will glow like little pieces of the moon itself. I should have taken you up there to see them. Tonight, is a true night for dreams and wishes. But be careful what you wish for my dear husband. Wishes made beneath the Jai` Doro moon have a way of coming true."
****
A few nights later, he asked Linde about the curse again. Just the two of them sat on her parent's porch in the dark. Linde's parents were out visiting friends for the evening. They shared a pot of the red tea and a plate of biscoitos.
"No one likes to talk about it," she told him. "It makes Jai` Doro appear backward, but I cannot allow my husband to be ignorant of the village history.
"The story is about something that happened long ago. I have heard many versions throughout my life, from school friends, cousins, my own parents and grandparents."
Paul relaxed in the chair, sipped on his tea, and took a bite of biscoito.
Perhaps Linde would try to scare him. He was reminded of a summer he spent as a camp counselor. He had gotten quite good at telling ghost stories and this curse had the makings of one. He didn't believe in ghosts.
"The story always starts with a storm… The worst storm to befall Jai` Doro in its entire history. The lightning, thunder, and wind were so powerful, that the village quaked in fear for their lives. The storm lasted for hours; then it rained for days.
"When the rain stopped, the village found a stranger had moved into an empty abode that had been vacant for years. They welcomed the stranger as a friend… at first. To trust has always been the way of Jai` Doro. They say he brought the red tea and healing potion along with him and served it to the entire village. No one remembers his name now. It has been long lost.
"Eventually the stranger turned against the village. No one knows why.
"One version says he wanted payment for the tea and potion and cursed the silver mine when they refused. Another version says he killed a man over losing a chess game. Another version, a love story gone badly. Whatever the cause, the town ordered him away. Before leaving, he turned and cursed the village."
"Beware the souls forever restless
Roaming darkly in the nightness,
Trapped within eternal deathness
Adorned with fire to reach the lightness"
A strange curse thought Paul. The words meant nothing to him, but hidden meanings in poetry had always eluded him.
"That's about the essence of it, but there are many variations," continued Linde.
"Some say the stranger came from out of the storm. Some versions of the story say he was not from the earth. Another version says he was Satan himself crawled out from the pits of hell.
"Most say he just walked down from the mountain and served the red tea to the entire village. Others say he just appeared one day and made the tea later. Another version says he was injured in the storm and the village nursed him back to health after he revealed how to make the healing potion. He gave them the red tea as repayment.
"One story claims that it was not the stranger who cursed the village, but a priest who accused the villagers of making a pact with the devil for more silver in the mine. He said they sold the souls of generations to come, for silver and a hot beverage under the guise of prosperity and good health."
"What do you believe?" Paul asked her. His wife was an intelligent woman. He expected a laugh; a private joke they would keep just between the two of them.
"I believe in the pact with the devil," she answered without a smile. "Something extraordinary must have happened, otherwise why tell us the stories at all? Everyone who lives here is wealthy. There are no colds, no flu, and no childhood diseases. A spoonful of potion stops fevers. Broken bones heal within days. The devil has kept his end of the bargain, forcing Jai` Doro to keep theirs."
"What do you mean?"
"Did you notice the cemetery beyond the church, surrounded by that beautiful wrought-iron fence?"
Paul nodded.
"There are no bodies in that cemetery. All the graves are empty. There may be head stones willing
loved ones to rest in peace, but I don't believe they do. How could they? The dead in Jai` Doro, rise back to life as monsters that kill. I've never seen such, but others say they have. They swear to it. So, we burn our dead before it happens. They have always done so. We scoff at the elders' belief, but trying to prove them wrong, could result in proving them right. Whether or not one believes in the curse, we still follow along like obedient sheep."
****
Paul was running against Manuel Consigo. He worked late into the nights devising a campaign strategy, taking notes by lantern or candlelight and spent the daylight hours out meeting with the people,
He needed to convince them that he believed in the curse. A campaign lie. He substituted the words small improvements instead of saying change. He explained that small improvements would not affect their life or their way of doing things. The road to Sao Cachito just needed a small improvement to prevent the mud and plant life from obscuring the path.
He made the tortuous journey to Sao Cachito to purchase a few items he hoped they would have on hand. He'd won an award for a science project in high school by creating an antenna that could receive radio stations in remote areas.
First, he purchased a battery-powered radio and several batteries. Then he searched for and found the materials needed to create the antenna.
Back in Jai` Doro he created the antenna and placed it high on a tall church steeple with the help of Linde's friends. Then he searched the radio dial, finding a station that broadcast from Rio de Janeiro. He reserved the meeting hall for the coming Saturday and invited the entire village.
Nearly the entire village attended. With the help of Linde, Emilio, and others, he served the red tea with refreshments and then turned on the radio.
He had rigged up something to amplify the sound and everyone listened in stunned silence as the world's news, broadcast all the way from Rio de Janeiro.
A mystery drama followed the newscast and then a comedy. The news repeated before going off the air.
Paul said nothing about change. He let the villagers know that nearly every home in Sao Cachito had a radio in their living room. He did not add that Sao Cachito had electricity. They already knew.
"I am planning another broadcast next week. I will let everyone know when. Everyone is welcome to attend."
He returned to Sao Cachito.
This time he purchased fifty pounds of potatoes, batatas fritas, and enough lard and oil to cook them in. He also stopped at the local butcher shop and purchased sheets of butcher paper.
He rented space from the local market and set up a cauldron borrowed from Linde's parents, over a fire and brought the lard to the right temperature. He and a group of Linde's friends had spent the previous evening peeling and cutting the potatoes into long strips. He served the hot salted french fries wrapped in butcher paper cones.
"In the United States, these are popular. They are known as french fries."
And so, it went.
Paul kept his campaign focused on small improvements. He didn't just tell the people; he showed them. He made speeches. He met with the families. He shook hands. He urged everyone to cast his or her vote.
"You matter!" he told them.
All the work paid off. His strategy worked. When the voting was over, Paul was mayor. He had successfully wrested the position of power away from Manuel Consigo receiving the majority of votes… mostly from the younger generations, but a surprising number of the older people must have voted for him as well.
Manuel Consigo sought him out and congratulated him.
"I knew changes would come. I couldn't keep them out forever. I hope you meant what you said about believing in our curse. Some things should not be changed. Some ways still need to be respected for the good of everyone. Come see me if you have questions. I will help anyway I can." He shook Paul's hand and moved on.
The small improvements came slowly to Jai` Doro. First the road to Sao Cachito was graded and covered in fine gravel. Later it was paved in the boggiest areas where the water washed away the gravel during heavy rains.
Once these small improvements were completed, the opportunity to travel to Sao Cachito was increased. Paul rented out horses and carts and hired a driver to take passengers from Jai` Doro to Sao Cachito and back again. There were no automobiles here yet. He made the courtesy service available daily. Previously the driver and cart had come from Sao Cachito and was available only once a week if the weather permitted.
Gradually, it was considered fashionable to spend a day in Sao Cachito. Compared to Jai` Doro it was modern and glamorous. Eventually, even the oldest of the Jai`Doro residents ventured out into the world via Sao Cachito.
By the end of the first year, the road was widened and at last paved into a real road.
Electrical wires edged into Jai`Doro atop tall poles that blended in with the trees along the new road. The villagers agreed to have electricity installed in the meeting hall only. They had grown used to attending the radio events, and it would be more convenient for them to have an electric radio with speakers. People were invited to come in and listen to the programs any Saturday night in which there were no other events. A proper antennae tower was erected for better reception.
The churches proposed to their congregations that electricity would enable them to add an evening service on Sundays and evening prayer meetings during the week. When it came to vote, the people approved.
Manuel Consigo requested electricity for a small building because he wanted to open a restaurant with a deep fryer. When the people approved, he opened the first takeout restaurant serving the American French fries and deep-fried cinnamon bread along with more traditional fare. They wrapped everything in waxed paper and placed the food in paper bags to take home.
Enid Demetrio went to Sao Cachito and purchased his very own radio. He went to the counsel requesting to have electricity installed in his home. The resistance fell. By the end of Paul's second year, every home boasted a radio, electric clocks, and lamps.
Electricity brought daylight to the darkness.
****
The years went by.
Paul attended another ribbon cutting ceremony, this time for Emilio's movie theater. Paul cut the ribbon as cheers erupted around him. He looked proudly around Jai` Doro and how much it had grown and changed. Every home had a radio, electric lamps, telephones and modern indoor plumbing. For the first time, tourists came to Jai` Doro. They built an inn to accommodate visitors should they wish to spend a night. They had a new library, a new modern school, and a small police department.
And now, they had a movie theater.
His own life had changed much as well. He was nearing the end of his second term of office, getting ready to run again. He was a father now with two young sons. His parents had moved here from Galveston to enjoy their retirement years by living close to their grandchildren. They didn't wait for Paul to build a road to Texas.
The improvements and changes could have stopped right then. Paul's vision of the village had more than fulfilled his expectations, and he reveled in the triumph… but only for as short a while as the Fates would allow. A few short weeks later Paul received a visitor.
Chapter 28
It was accounts day. Paul was in his office with the police chief and two members of the council. The safe behind Paul's desk was open and its contents had been moved to the long mahogany table used for small meetings like this. The Jai`Doro money from the village taxes was counted and balanced against expenses and documented on a ledger. The books were balanced and signed, and the money was ready to be moved back into the safe when, the office door opened, and Paul looked up to see a familiar face looking back with a grin.
"Jonesy!"
Paul stood from the table and hugged his old friend as a torrent of memories filled the room. Memories as strong as if they'd happened yesterday.
He introduced Frederick Jones, to the council members and police chief. Paul had Jonesy sit at the table as they moved the money b
ack and locked the safe. It took Paul's key to lock the safe, and the Police Chief's plus the Council key to unlock it.
Once the others left, Paul brewed a pot of red tea, as a barrage of images came to mind.
Corporal Frederick Jones (Jonesy), Corporal Lance Carter and Sergeant Paul Mateo on various battlefields surrounded by the sounds of grenades and gunfire and screams of men dying. Off the battlefields in pubs, drinking beer and dancing, surrounded by laughter and music. In the camps, Paul writing letters to Linde, Carter writing letters to his own family in quiet solitude, while Jonesy gambled away his pay at the poker table.
The three had been inseparable since that first battle. "The Three Musketeers," they had been christened by the others.
But Carter wasn't there anymore. Paul still could not believe how it could have happened. Carter had been between him and Jonesy. He'd been smiling. He turned to say something to Paul and was as surprised as Paul when a bullet hole sprouted from his forehead. Then he was gone, just like that, as the sounds of battle erupted all around them. He and Jonesy managed to carry Carter's body to safety, intact except for the bullet hole. When the battle was over, it was Jonesy who reached over and closed his eyes.
The two Musketeers were never the same. When their terms of enlistments were over, Jonesy stayed on, saying he hadn't much to go home to.
Paul remembered waving goodbye as the bus drove away to civilian life… and then he rarely thought of him. He had intended to visit Carter's gravesite on his return to the U.S., but never made it to Georgia.
All of these memories were packed away separately and hadn't been opened until now.
Paul poured the red tea.
"You're a hard man to track down. I've been searching for you nearly half a year," Jonesy told him.
Jonesy did most of the talking. He started all his sentences with "remember when?"
They were interrupted by the telephone or knocks on the door several times before the tea pot was empty.
