Clint Eastwood

Renato woke up today. He's been practically sleeping for twenty-four hours after experiencing the Obscure Police. It wasn't much for what he must have gone through. But he was way better, this I knew for sure. He ate well for breakfast what is good sign. My pantry is getting empty. I need to go to Souza's to buy things I need and replace the ones I lack.

"The kids were talking to me while I tried to sleep, Miss Grisam", the boy said it terrified as he remembered the experience.

"I know", I replied swallowing a gulp of coffee; he regarded me serious.

"I can see you don't believe in me. I know it's hard to believe it, but I swear, I'm not lying! The two were really talking to me. They only said bad words and swore at me all the time."

"I do believe in you."

He was eating without a word, staring at me, probably thinking of a way to "persuade" me he was being true.

"Nobody believes in me. Since I spoke about that man that was talking to Miguel…"

"I do believe in you and in him", I assured the boy; he almost choked with the bread.

"But how come the two things are true, Miss Grisam! How can't he be himself?"

"There are so many things in this town that got positively no explanation. How come two kids come and talk to you? Who's ever heard of talking kids? I believe it because I saw the two kids coming out of your tent and beside your bed up there in my guest room."

He was silent. Seemed not to have managed to think of something coherent to go with my argument.

"So you don't think it was your friend talking to Miguel?"

"I guess it was someone who looked like him but was definitely not him at all."

The Obscure Police appeared soon after, followed by master Danilo. I asked Anderson if he wasn't working as a shopper any longer. He told me his father was taking care of business during the Jamboree, while he patrolled the town with Renan. The two saw the boy scout and Renan was going to say something when I signaled to him to make him stop. They were quiet despite themselves because they were in my house. This never stopped them from fulminating the young boy scout with their fiery eyes. Renato was not afraid of them, what only made for greater risk; he had learned to smile in the face of difficulties early in his scouting life.

The boy scout excused himself and went out after washing the dish and cup he used in spite of my requests that he left it all in the sink. He passed the policemen by and greeted them even knowing who they were. He received a sulky silence as a retribution from them and went away.

"You need to control this hate that manifests in you sometimes, you know", said master Danilo when the boy left, prolonging their long face a little bit more,"it often disturbs much more than it helps. You'd be better off if you could save all this energy for your work and nothing more. People have nothing to do with this, kids."

"Fuck, one more scolding and I'll be fucked. My two ears are so hot from the scoldings that you could fry on either of them", the eldest flatfoot was infuriated and wouldn't stop the river of cuss words from running so soon.

"All that's wrong in town is wrong because it was done by the Police, I just can't stand it", added the the youngest flatfoot.

"Well I think you'd better stand it like the men you are", I said, "people who do things and never stand for them can be found in any garbage can. And you know this is absolutely not the case of you two. Another thing is I'll take you to Council if you come around again in aspects of black talking kids or whatever to torment my guests at home. My house is no ghost train."

"You can't stop criticizing us for a minute, can you? What the fuck!", Anderson was outraged and sulky.

"You did it wrong, can expect me to criticize you. The other day weren't it for my intervention you'd have killed three musicians from Rio de Janeiro. You stay up late watching those films on TV and think you're like the tough guys who can do anything. You're no Clint Eastwood."

Later on, master Danilo came to tell me what I already knew: that to the moment there were no signs of the troop leader who had vanished, Miguel. I'm starting to get nervous with the situation, thinking of what had become of the poor man. How did he disappear? Where was he right now? Who was the man who Renato saw talking to Miguel when he vanished, if not master Danilo? We had covered the whole town with Adriano, we even got back to the spot where the Obscure Police had its initiation. From there to the shores of the lake where Basilisk Island is and there was nothing of him to be found there.

We were interrupted by new voices outside. I'm nervous when it happens, I have regretted lending them the lot for camping so many times because of this. Andrés and Bruno were outside with the other scouts discussing something. At a distance I saw that Bruno had something in his hand looking like a little box.

"Did you start smoking again, master Danilo?", inquired Andrés, knowing the past habits of the old countryman.

The countryman glanced at me and back at him. Said he didn't. Andrés handled him the box Bruno had been holding. It was a box of Souza Paiol cigarettes. He looked at me not getting the hang of a single thing. I understood our current standings even less than him.

"I've just found it under my tent, half in and half out of the canvas", affirmed Renato, repeating what he had already said to Andrés and Bruno.

"If you're not smoking again, who'd pass by here and tuck this box under Renato's tent? He swears that the box of Souza Paiol was not there when he first put up his tent", questioned Bruno.

"I do swear for my honor", confirmed Renato.

Master Danilo turned to Renato again as though he had been enlightened by something new, "you were the last to see Miguel talking to a man you said looked exactly like me. Do you remember what they were talking about?"

The boy scout stopped for a while and thought back to that time. He didn't seem to be able to remember.

"It's important that you remember the most you can", advised the old countryman to the kid.

The boy scout thought back to that time a bit more. Still, he didn't seem to be able to remember.

"Nothing? No, nought, no nothing at all?", Andrés encouraged him.

The boy scout thought back to that time a little bit more. Now he seemed to be able to remember.

"He asked Miguel for a cigarette and Miguel said smoking was no good. I guess the man didn't like it but I didn't stay to hear any more of it, because it was none of my business anyway. Also I had to catch some firewood for the night. It was the last I saw of him."

"Lord, why didn't you tell us that before?", master Danilo glanced at me, reviving old echoes of ancient contacts with entities in the forest. Well, maybe not that ancient.

"Sorry, didn't feel it was important at all", the kid confessed, astonished.

I assured it made a world of difference, "now we practically know who it was who met Miguel before he vanished. But it was nice that you could remember what happened, we'd never have an idea weren't it for you. Actually, we only have to thank you."

"Do you know the man who took Miguel away?", he stared at us at the top of his suspense. Andrés and Bruno were in a state of suspense too, expecting to be surprised.

"We have an idea who he is. Master Danilo and I met him in a forest near here."

The old countryman confirmed. Said we'd need to get one or two boxes of Souza Paiol to get the man to return Miguel (of course he never told the kid it was the Caipora to avoid inspiring even more awe to the boy in such a weird town with talking kids and all). Bruno said he was going to town and could buy them. The old countryman said he'd go himself. That minors should never buy cigarettes even for the others.

"Did he abduct Miguel on account of cigarettes???", inquired Renato on the top of his perplexity.

"It seems so", replied the old countryman.

Renato made a point of coming with us. At first, I didn't want him to go, but in the end I thought it was good for him to see that master Danilo was not lying. The old countryman went to town and got back later, bringing two boxes of Souza Paiol. The five of us went to the forest.

It had been a while since we were walking maybe half an hour. Andrés discussed with me the best way to eradicate the Caipora of town, Bruno found his plan nasty, Renato understood nearly nothing, and master Danilo and I told him these things were not "eradicated". They were as part of everything else in the mental world of that forest as the plants and brooks of the place.

We were in a deeper part of the forest now. The three scouts followed us in suspense. Andrés looked like he was frightened. When we got to the clearing where I saw the Caipora for the first time we stopped and sat down on the ground, waiting. The old countryman opened the box of Souza Paiol, drew a cigarette from it and lit it. You could tell he took puffs from the cigarette despite himself as if it were an unalienable part of the ritual that he under no circumstances could skip. Renato looked, ignorant of what was being done, but didn't dare to ask us anything breaking the silence when no other did it, one more proof of both his sensitivity and sensibility. The old countryman smoked. It was Bruno who took our attention to a distant whistle.

"Here he comes. Well on the third puff I took… Hush now, everybody", master Danilo smiled.

"Master Danilo?! Is it you again, master Danilo?"

Renato was astonished. The voice was his voice. He stared at us in search of an explanation and only got requests for silence. The sticks and leaves were breaking on the way, trodden by something that approached us. Then it was time.

When he appeared at the clearing, it was the boy scout Renato. Appearing before the boy scout Renato himself. The young Varginhense shook and trembled all over, unable to move. Never thought the vision of oneself could inspire one with so much awe. Andrés and Bruno stared in astonishment; a bit less than Renato but astonishment anyhow.

"Eh, it's you again, master Danilo. And brought the best brand!"

The "boy scout Renato" and the old countryman sat together and smoked in silence. No one dared to say a word. The old countryman asked for the troop leader's whereabouts. The Caipora said he was in his tent. That he had never left the tent. I reasoned about it as being suspended animation or hibernation or something of the kind. He was there, but he was not there. Present and unavailable at once.

I ran into the boy scout Renato sitting by the porch wall in my house, still in the dark of the end of the day. I turned on the porch light and the moths and other nocturnal little creatures already started to land on the porch wall attracted by the light, casting weird and twisted shadows across the brick surface. I asked about Miguel and Renato said he had gone to bed after the day of discoveries. The boy was still in awe of everything he had seen and felt.

"This is why I told you I believed both you and master Danilo", I said when he brought up the subject.

"It was hard to believe until I saw it. We think it only exists in the Folklore Week at school…"

"Yup, they are not only stories people tell. They are alive in this town."

Master Danilo showed up soon later. Asked about Miguel too and got the same answer from the boy scout. Renato apologized to the old countryman for the confusion and the latter stroked his head slightly, "no worries, hadn't I seen it with my eyes I myself wouldn't have believed."

"I could never figure there was such a strange town right beside Varginha", confessed the kid, "what is this place where so many weird things happen?"

I glanced at the old countryman less than sure of what I had to do. He decided the issue for me, asking me if I had spotted any other constellation in the sky as on the other night. I said I didn't and we were going to start a totally new subject if it weren't for the boy's tenacity and persistence.

"What kind of place is this?", he insisted.

I made him give me his word of honor he would never tell anyone about it and told him about Taurinos. He heard me silent as if he were trapped in a well of wondering. Finally asked me if he had died. I said he hadn't. Asked me if Andrés and Bruno were devils. I said they weren't though I myself had my doubts.

""Sá" Stella, you might scare the kid like this…"

"He is a brave boy, master Danilo. Besides, now he knows exactly where he stands."