Chapter 13 Trust in your angel´s advices
She peeped from behind the pillar. The watchman seemed to be sound asleep. His head was resting even more comfortably on the desk now and there was a small TV to his side, playing an old, black and white movie loudly. She didn’t even need to be all that quiet with that thing shouting in his ear. She boldly continued, not taking her eyes off of him.
Three more steps to the door. Carefully.
Two.
One.
Her hand was already resting on the knob and she pressed it down slowly. The door opened silently. She thanked her lucky stars that someone obviously oiled them recently. She closed the door carefully behind her, then rushed off in the direction of the forest. She wanted to get there before that shiny thing disappeared. She wanted to find out what it was.
There was a high, brick wall all around the school grounds, almost like a miniature version of the Great Wall of China. She had overheard some girls in the bathroom the day before, when they were talking about some hole underneath the wall. Sure, she’d get all dirty and muddy but she had to find out what that light in the forest was. It was too small to be a fire and too contained. Someone was there, making it visible, then hiding it. But why? Were they calling someone? Was it a secret meeting of some sort? Whatever it was, she would find out. She ran in the direction of the forest, trying to avoid open spaces where she could be seen by someone who was unexpectedly there, like she was. She walked past walls, away from the street lamps and finally reached the outer wall.
There was no one around. Only a few lamp lights illuIzabellated the deserted area. Izabella bent down and tried looking for anything that might resemble a hole. For the most part, concrete joined in with the heavy wall but then, she found it. It was behind a small bench, all the way close to the wall. The concrete had been broke, and a few loose boards lay over it, in a lousy effort to try and hide it. Izabella moved them. It was a perfect fit for a person to go through it and safely get out on the other side.
She managed to squeeze through effortlessly, crawling on her hands and knees. It was almost fun. She got out, cleaned herself a little, even though most of the mud was already caked on her pants and sleeves, then gazed in front of her. The moon was shining bright, illuIzabellating an invisible path she was supposed to follow. Where would it lead and what would she see at the end of it, she wondered? Bravely, she ventured forth, covering her head with her hoodie and squeezing her fingers into fists, as she walked through the forest, not really knowing where exactly she was going or what she was looking for. It was slightly chilly and she praised herself for her choice of clothing. For a
second, she wished she was back in her soft, warm bed, instead of stepping through muddied soil in the middle of the night but she knew she was right where she needed to be. Her gut was telling her this loud and clear.
After what seemed an eternity of walking and wondering whether she’d be able to find her way back once this was all done, she started hearing voices. Soft and indistinct, they weren’t recognizable yet. Slowly, those voiced blurred into chanting, not far away from her. She stopped, in an effort to figure out where it was coming from. She pushed aside branches and bushes, all of which seemed to want a piece of her, clawing at her. Finally, she saw a little clearing open up before her but she herself remained behind, in the depths, hidden by a large bush.
Squatting behind it, she could see a fire in the very center of the clearing but it was no ordinary fire. It was red, then, blue, then orange, then green, changing colors every few seconds, as it tried to reach the skies themselves. A group of long haired women danced around it in long white dresses that reached down all the way to their bare feet. Their heads bobbed up then down, then up and down again, as their hair flowed wildly, following the rhythm of their chanting. Izabella had no idea what they were singing. It was a language she didn’t speak. She couldn’t understand a word of it. She doubted she had even heard it before. The women held hands, as their bare feet danced on the ground, creating a closed circle around the fire. They seemed to be in a trance, with their eyes closed, but they knew exactly where to move and how to stay away from the blazing flames.