4
BEGINNING THE LEARNING
The night before the morning I would start my training, Victor Joshep, violating the Clause N° 2 of the rules of coexistence, came to my room at about half past nine, to deliver a letter which he collected from the post office and had not had a chance to give me because he had been absent from the house most of the day; but as it was a letter from my family, and he knew how melancholic I was for not having known anything about them, he risked up to my door and whispering softly handed it to me; disappearing immediately through the dark tunnel of the hall. Once on my bed, I looked at the envelope closely and recognized the fine writing of Beatrice. I immediately turned and tearing an edge with my teeth opened the folios and began to read:
"Dear Camila,
Five days have passed since you left and still we have no news from you. Do you remember your call from Bourlox? You promised to keep in touch and write every day. I guess that your travel to the land of Camelot, where there is no modern wonders of communication, has something to do with this, your silence. If you knew how much we miss you! ... And after all this missing you, you surges continuously in our discussions. Oh! How will be Camila? Mariana says with a sigh, throwing the question to the wind, but as neither the wind nor we have the answer, the question is always repeated at breakfast, lunch and dinner, changing only the interlocutor who pronounces it.
I will now move on to briefly explain: at breakfast, before swallowing the first bite, is little Mariana who asks about your whereabouts; at lunch, between the soup and the main course and before the dessert, the mulatto Salome and to close the journey, at dinner, after the coffee, it is Ño Josefina who does the honors. I, for my part, do not wonder or join this rite inquiring about your whereabouts, not for lack of love or interest, but because I have the firm conviction that even if I ask, the wind does not have the answer. This "How is Camilla?" is repeated throughout the day with slight variations: “Will Camila write today?” Or “Have you heard from Camila?” “What would have happened to Camila?”
But all these questions, by very different that they might seem, all, all of them, comes from the same root, in other words, from the original question I mentioned in the beginning. As I do fulfill my promises, I will write and narrate the facts, since I believe that you, back in Camelot, also must be wondering “How is Beatrice?” or “How is Mariana?” or “Would Salome write today? and I know that you do not wonder “Would Ño Josefina write today?” Because both know that she does not know about letters or writings. Now, I will follow to tell you what happened during the week, in order of occurrence:
The Monday following your departure the most wonderful thing that can happen to any girl occurred, and please, do not overtake guesses thinking that I speak of love, which, as you know, has a place very low on my list of priorities. That glorious day, Dr. Linares came very early to the house wearing his red taffeta necktie and his green crocodile briefcase. Do you remember? The one we used to inspect to see if it still had the teeth somewhere? Well, the lawyer locked up with No Josefina in the former studio of our grandfather and talked for a long time. During this long time, Mariana and I, outside, in the room, asked ourselves about the reason for such confinement. As it was early and the mulatto Salome had not returned from school, the reason for so much confinement was barred for her also.
At this point, I imagine that you may be wondering: If Salome was at school, why weren´t we? Isn't it? Calm and patience! Everything has its expeditious and accurate explanation. Do you remember the leaks of the north side of the school, those that when it rained, the father Bermudez chased with a metal pail so they did not crash against the hallway tiles, which were from 16th century, old and ugly; and that the passing of time and students were deleting the figures? Well, finally the School Board decided to give an end and a plaster to the cracks in the ceiling and that is why we had a free day, so workers could do their job without the worry of being pouring plaster on our student heads.
So we were in the house at the time that Dr. Ramirez came. Returning to the initial event, I tell you that we were intrigued and it was not until we were called to attend the meeting, when the mystery was unveiled. Ramirez, sitting at the desk, with a very serious face and tiny lenses that floated in the tip of his nose and the wide open alligator on the table, pulled out a brown envelope which proceeded to open. Ño Josefina watched us carefully from the chair and we, standing, mute of expectation and Oh, Camila! You could never imagine what Ramirez pulled out of that envelope! It was something so little, so tiny! And as I already imagine that you should be as expectant as we were until Ramirez unveiled the mystery, to put an end to your waiting, I reveal the enigma: Camila, Ramirez pulled out a credit card, yes! A silver one! One of those cards that when you go shopping, you do not have to worry about the credit limit, and with which you can buy from a bra to an apartment. Ah, Camila, you don't know the emotion with which I received it! Then, Ramirez went on to speak about responsibility, care and obligations, but the truth was, dear sister, I did not listen at all, and did not listen to it because my thoughts talked louder than his mouth, and what my thoughts were screaming were much more interesting that what Ramirez was saying. However, I decided to ignore his talking and followed my thoughts, that after all are with me all the time and instead I see Ramirez occasionally.
You should know that he also left a card for you, similar to the one he left us, but I believe, and correct me if I am wrong, that in those medieval lands where you are now, having no phones, no computers or faxes, much less they will have retail outlets or shopping malls, and as far as I know, and as history tells, neither Merlin, nor King Arthur, or the Knights of the Round Table never knew of this wonderful system that is the credit system, which is a modern and avant-garde invention; so your card will be kept in custody in the wood casket you have in your room.
Guess what happened on Tuesday? See, as I was very eager to start using my "Silver", as we affectionately named it, we got up very early and went to Zoe's, the new mall on Av. 5. There, all the stores were waiting for us, greeting us with winks and smiles and shouting: Here I am! Here I am! The same as it would shout a very loved and dear friend whom we had not seen for a long time. And as I am not neither rude nor ungrateful, I could not let my friends yelling there all the time, so I decided to enter into a very large and very fine store and purchase a set of jeans which was very sophisticated, very blue and very expensive.
Oh, dear Camila! You don't know how exciting it is to buy with credit card! It's like having a magic wand which makes your dreams come true! Mariana, on the other hand, although she was all morning at the mall and was also in possession of her wonderful Silver, she did not buy anything, but neither was she empty handed.
When we were on the way to the parking lot, next to our car, we found a dirty and abandoned box. Any other occasion, we would have gone without looking sideways, but the box snarled and moved, so Mariana approached to make inquiries. To make the long story short, I will tell you that what we found in the box was a small black kitten, with torn and greenish eyes, hairy as a speck with a forsaken face that even you would have grieved, not leaving another remedy that carry it with us.
Along the way, between the shopping center and the house, the kitty was baptized with the name of Nicanor... and there began our problems, because the case is, Camila, that Bartolomeo does not get along with Nicanor, and Nicanor does not get along with Bartolomeo. Mariana, with much intelligence tried to separate the doggy territory (kitchen, living room and rooms) from the cat territory (studio, lobby and bathroom), but it seems that neither dogs nor cats understand much of boundaries or restrictions because they continuously stepped beyond the limits in the mornings, afternoons and evenings.
Though the legendary calm of the house has been populated now of barks and meows and meows and barks. On Wednesday and Thursday there is not much to say because it rained all day and we could not leave the house to buy anything. And as I already had my fingers numbed by the effort of holding this graphite pencil so small that was the only thing I found to write these lines, I will leave what happened from Friday to Sunday for my next letter.
Regards,
Beatrice
"Note: Mariana sends her greetings and said that she will write soon, when she achieved the peace treaty between Bartolomeo and Nicanor"
I closed the pages carefully, kept them in the envelope and squeezed them against my heart. What a joy was to have news from home! ... But... how melancholic I felt after reading the small Beatrice’s letters! Will I be doing the right thing at embarking on this magic adventure? Was it worth the sacrifice of being separate from my sisters to pursue magic? What was I doing there? Was my stay at Eisenbaum really for magic or for Leonardo? My thoughts kept me asleep and had to make a supernatural effort to sleep because very early, the next morning, my training will start at last.
On the cobbled surface of The Fortaleza terrace with the winds of the ocean swirling our hair and clothes, all those apprentices that, as me, would start the first year as sorcerer apprentices gathered. Being located on the summit of a mountain, The Fortaleza offered a spectacular view of the sea; with marine, greenish, turquoise and blue stripes from the coast away towards the horizon. Below, the cliff, paved of large and powerful rocks, which as enraged giants broke the bluish mantle with white foams that roared through deafening the raging winds. Americus, Leonardo and the Wizards Council were the hosts, all dressed with the blue tunic, which held Arabesque embroidered in silver on the sleeves edges and that was the ones Magicians used in large protocol celebrations.
We, the apprentices, had the classic white tunic, unadorned, as symbolism of vacuum, the insubstantiality, the purity and lack of knowledge that accompanies all neophytes. With time and understanding of magical sciences, these robes would go across color gradation from white to purple, maximum magic grade held by a few.
Eisenbaum meetings were very colorful and very well provided, and fortunately not held on the terrace but in the halls. All of the magical world and non-magical beings attended. Nobody was discriminated, no one was told “no”, neither by its appearance nor by its lineage. All were invited, no one was left out. Thus, elves, of bizarre appearance and rough manners, were able to sit aside their rivalries, the gnomes, which always were very good dressed, and both drank without moderation, rum and beer kegs, until the alcohol intoxication made them dear friends, at least during the time that the party lasted.
The stunning erased the limits of moderation and good sense, and the groups then began to sing detuned melodies that later became serenates, whose repertoire was as broad as broad is the world. Thus of the moderation of a Gardel tango they passed to the spite of the Mexican songs, from there they jumped to the Colombian rhythms to fall into the numbness of the Puerto Rican bachata and continued up to the regrets of the Cuban boleros, and as the alcohol intoxication continued its course, they also went to the European continent and climbed to the exaltation of the Scottish bagpipes through the ardors of the Spanish flamenco, and from the Greek Zorba fumes flew to the twists of the Portuguese vira.
So much creative and musical activity was incomplete if it was not accompanied by the graphic representation of the dance in question, so between singing and juggling the evening passed slowly. The same exaltation was shared by the fairies and undines, thus Pegasus and unicorns, as well as sylphs and sirens. The only ones who did not attend these meetings were dragons, shy by birth, whose honor was settled on their solitary nature and total disdained for social events and Carnivalesque waste, preferring the entrenchment in their caves. The music was not missing, as well as the performers dancing at the rhythm that the melody imposed.
Americus ended his welcome speech to the apprentices and came up to my table in order to greeting me. After the greeting, he asked for my sisters and greatly rejoiced at knowing of their well-being. We continued talking about trivia until, after a while that I considered reasonable, I told him that I needed to speak in strict confidence.
Tactfully, he informed me that he would not stay longer as he should complete a delicate assignment outside Eisenbaum and that his departure was in a few hours. However he suggested that if the nature of my confidence required immediate attention I should discuss it with my tutor, and at his return he would talk to me anyway. As my tutor had not yet appeared, I stayed with the bizarre feeling of the one who is expecting to get rid of a weight and is informed that had to carry it one stretch more.
Captivated by the festive atmosphere and after Americus left, I devoted myself to watch my future classmates, who, as me, wore their bright and white robes, waiting to meet by the inspection of the eyes the temperament and character affinity that would allow them to select wisely their future friends. Hiding almost behind a curtain, in the distance, I spotted an Asian girl with long and black hair, very smooth, that was occupied in the same activity I was carrying out; just like me she was looking for an ally among the crowd. Once we established eye contact, I smiled and when I was already about to begin the ritual of the introduction, the presence of Dorian clouded me the picture.
-I was expecting with excitement the moment to meet you -he said sitting at my table without waiting for the invitation on my part.
I looked at him without exaltation and while he was talking I explored his blunt face that at first glance may seem attractive to some people, but as time goes by and after treating him, it began to show his flaws and imperfections, most belonging to the soul than the body. With the smile flowered in the face, an extraordinary repertoire of foolishness and two glasses of cocktails, he was trying to capture my interest, but I remained silent, responding only with polite monosyllables, abstracted in my own thinking. After a while of closed answers, he decided to let me in search of more cocktails, while I was engaged in a dialogue with myself in which the magician was the only protagonist.
I was hoping with excitement that my tutor and advisor would be Leonardo. But Oh, God! How banal my hopes and how useless my illusions! The implacable fate, voracious destroyer of illusions, dreams and daydreams thief, good fortune annihilator, twisted in the opposite direction the hope of my being and without notice handed me the more unpleasant of the surprises: Duprina, the former Leonardo’s girlfriend, my rival, hostile and fateful opponent, diligent adversary, black sorceress and expert in the occult arts, was my tutor.
There she was, standing in front of me, next to the table where Americus and Dorian had been minutes earlier, wearing a lilac tunic, very tight to her tiny waist, exposing a good portion of the bust, neck topped with a dolphins gold collar that slid playfully by the cleavage between the breasts, lost between the thickness of the two big mountains. She had belatedly joined the celebration and now enjoyed the moment, appearing before me with the triumphant smile that foreshadows the failure of an enemy.
My encounter with Duprina could not have been worse, mediating the circumstance of our mutual antipathies and the breaking of her courtship with Leonardo, back in the outposts of Saint Andre, which she blamed directly on me. I did not defend myself as she was indeed convinced of the verdict of my guilt. She gloated over her words:
-Who would say, Camila that you would end up at my fingertips? I as your tutor, you as my apprentice. The turns of life! Did you like the residence I got you? As you know tutors are the ones who choose the place where the pupils will be hosted. Severa can be a little uncomfortable at times and I am sure she will deal with you with rigor and inflexibility. Didn’t you think that it was strange that you were the only applicant who stayed on the outskirts of The Fortaleza? I have prepared an excellent curriculum for you and I can ensure you will receive exactly what you deserve, that is, nothing! We must also talk about your application; I think that there are some inconsistencies that must be discussed. I advise you not to discuss it with anyone else, especially not with Americus. After all, he was the sponsor of your application and with everything you wrote, tarnished his reputation and compromised his credibility.
If the shame talked it would have stopped there in the middle of the hall, with two legs and two arms, saying <present, here I am> to receive the punishment of the judgment; but it is funky, very funky, and chose to hide the embarrassment of the action between the commiseration and the self-pity. How coward the shame is!, especially when it sits on the hands of the truth! I was definitely in the hands of Duprina, as was David in the hands of Goliath, as was Paris in the hands of Menelaus and Cleopatra in the hands of the Roman Council. Not having a place to defend, I assumed the situation with resignation, rushing the goblet of hemlock like Socrates sped his.
To complete the picture, Leonardo came to greet me and sat down beside me, chance that Duprina took to sit down at the same time on the other side that was free. The magician greeted her with a slight nod, and she smiled with shark teeth. Ah! What skillful opponent Duprina was! With a single stroke she annihilated Leonardo developments in my direction; as a checkmate to the Board of love. Very skillful the sorceress was in matters of tactics, strategies, and necklines. With this movement that resulted overwhelming effective by plain and simple, she had assured that the conversation rested on trivialities and banalities of life, without even touching the depths of the heart.
Oh! Duprina... Duprina... for a moment I was obliged to admire the subtleties of your insinuations and cheapness of your primitive instincts that as a snake, you drag with deep Machiavellianism. The versatility of tones and nuances in your random talks! What skill in the proper use of the cleavage, whose dolphins attached to your neck, dancing by the constant rhythm of your breathing, jumped, blissful, towards the abyss of your breasts! And your hair? Not to mention! Not a single strand undervalues the set! And as in common agreement with the rest of the parties, together with the stealth game of seduction, your hair swayed their glares down cascading from the crown to your waist, with a delicious reptile zigzagging. I admired you as it is admired a dangerous opponent, with fascination and respect; carefully studying your maneuvers, scoring with prodigious objectivity and zeal your successes, but also your mistakes.
Enjoy with relish your success, my enemy! maybe you have won this round. But clean your weapons, dust off your shield, get ready to the battle that lies ahead, positioning your figurines; mine are already positioned. And my bishops and my horses, head towards yours, so thus my pawns. You can have my Tower twisted in your hair, but my King you will not draw neither with the check of your insinuations nor with the mate of your cleavage. Urge your bets! The opponents are preparing! ... Because the game has already begun.