Chapter Ten
THEN ONE OF his hits missed-the creature had been able to back off a few steps. Its straining at the rope had caused the loose knot to give way a little. He resumed his attacks and after a few seconds, the creature was able to back away again, because this time the rope was only entangled in a few places of that creature's wing. He stepped forward, a move that proved to be almost fatal.
It was then that the creature was able to free itself from the rope. It twisted hard to the right, the other wing opening. Julio ducked and escaped the wing-but not its dangerous tail! It shot at him while the creature turned. He was able to duck but it still caught him. Too fast. The bony barb caught him on his back, again, immediately producing another tear.
Julio had to back off fast.
The creature faced him and screamed. It flapped its wings as if testing the damage. Julio did not like seeing that those wings were balanced as they flapped. It could still manage to fly! When its flapping got faster and stronger, Julio discarded all rational thought and sped off towards the great bird.
The same instant that its claws started to ascend from the ground, he screamed.
He saw the bird already swinging its wings high above its head. One flap down and it would be out of his reach. Four feet away, Julio jumped, straining hard on his calves as he took off, launching him high over the air.
He caught the bird's tail in time. The force of the air moved by the powerful wings was very strong that he had to shield his eyes. He used his right hand, still holding the pole, to land a series of strikes on the creature in whatever direction he was facing -- the base of its tail, its underbelly and even its feet.
Its tail did not try to pull him up. Its clawed feet did not try to reach him. The creature was having great difficulty in steadying itself with his weight in its tail. He would not let go when it tried to shake him off. They went around in dizzying circles. It could not get rid of him.
He rained his blows hard, giving it all the remaining strength that he got. He focused his hits on the base of the tail, the area between the legs, and on the creature's underbelly. His only hope was to weaken the creature, or it could fly with him above the treeline and drag him on the treetops until he fell!
Finally, his weight and his hits started to take a toll on the beast. The flapping of its wings became erratic and with each flap, they went closer to the ground rather than up. This continued until they finally crashed to the ground. Julio jumped and skidded on the ground as it crashed hard into one of the trees that marked the clearing.
Breathless and almost wheezing with exhaustion, Julio tried not to waste time. His muscles screaming, he willed himself to get up on the creature's tail again. The tree the creature crashed on was not one of the gigantic ones but one whose circumference was about two feet. He ran for it but found that it was not easy. The creature was going in the opposite direction!
Julio fought with every ounce of strength to steer the creature's body in the direction he wanted. It took a long time but he eventually won out. He dragged and pulled the creature's tail around the tree emerging on the creature's right side. The creature followed but Julio quickly circled and with each attempt, Julio scored on or two hits on the creature's back, neck, wing, and even its head.
The dance continued and with Julio safely out of the range of its wings, claws and beak. It took many shrieks and attempts to fight before the creature realized what he was doing. When it did, it fought harder.
It pulled itself away from him as if it had renewed its strength somewhere. Julio found it hard to fight to keep its tail wrapped around the tree.
Until one great pull finally got it free.
The bony protrusions wounded his hands as it pulled away. The creature did a quick run and tried to fly, but it came back down. Faint from his bleeding wounds and exhaustion, Julio did not try to follow. He remained behind the tree and observed from there.
It tried a second time, this time managing to stay on the air longer. It crashed still. The third time, the creature jumped up, flapped its wings, and just when Julio thought it would crash into the trees, it maneuvered a quick turn, gained altitude, and circled the clearing from above.
Its shrieking terrorized him. Julio knew that if the creature gained enough rest, it would come for him. He was seriously considering to make a run for it, even if he knew it would be next to impossible to outrun it. Its circling came faster and faster until he almost grew dizzy watching it. He almost fainted this time but managed to hold himself together. He could not faint. He was still too much in danger. He has to hide.
The great bird was still circling above with the same grace it showed before. It shot up high into the sky, executing a slow reversal. And when its head was pointing to the ground, it tucked its wings and fell.
Down into the well it went.
Julio waited with bated breath. He waited for what seemed like a long time. He waited for something to happen, for a sound to warn him. But for what seemed like an eternity even when it was but a few, long minutes, nothing else happened.
Was the creature really gone? From the beating he gave it, it seemed like a victory. But from all the wounds he had taken, it felt like a loss. If the creature comes out again, he didn't want to get caught out in the open.
But he was more afraid of running, looking back all the time, afraid that a moment of not seeing would mean his death from the creature's beak.
He has to be sure.
So he waited.
After what seemed like hours, Julio cautiously walked back to the well. He listened intently for any sound. None came. It was as if nothing had happened. He became acutely aware of birds chirping off in the distance. Content of these signs, Julio surveyed the area and could not help but be proud for holding his own in an encounter with a great creature yet unknown.
Scanning the clearing, he found traces of their scuffle. Disturbed earth and scattered pieces of wood littered the place. He saw the creature's feathers. He stooped to pick them up, collecting two. A few steps forward and he found a scale, shining in the sunlight. He picked that up, too.
As adrenaline eventually settled down, he became mostly aware of the stinging sensations all over his body. He inspected them all and found that there were minor cuts all over him, even when he was wearing a shirt. But none of them stung like the large tears in his flesh that were left by the great creature.
He decided to find his way back.
He located the spot where he emerged and headed straight for it. He hoped it would take him to the winding earthen pathway and eventually to the gully where he had followed the enchanting woman.
Remembering the reason why he was there in the first place brought a bit of sadness to him. He did not even see her. How long would it be when he sees her again? Would she believe him if he ever found the courage to ever tell her the story of what happened the day he tried to follow her because he was in love with someone for the first time?
He must be. After surviving something so unbelievable and going home still alive, the first thing he thought of was telling her about it. And he hadn't even been brave enough yet to start conversation with her!
Escaping with his life however, proved to be more than a cause for celebration. With that thought in mind, he continued on.
If he went home later than usual, he would have some explaining to do. And for the life of him, how could he explained what just happened to him?
Who would even believe him?
HE WOKE UP.
Rather, he was woken up. It was not the sun seeping through the leaves; it was not the hard trunk of the tree that his body was propped up against. It was Enrico.
Enrico was young man, a couple of months younger than he with whom he sometimes spent time with at the village during harvest season. Enrico was shaking him by the shoulder.
"Hey," Enrico started when he came to, "your bucket is full, mine too. Let's head back."
He dazedly looked around, like when a
person wakes up from a deep slumber. He was on the side of the mountain where the deep well was, seated next to a tree and apparently dozed off.
"What time is it?" Julio managed to ask.
"Two o'clock, maybe."
Immediately, he frowned. That did not make sense. Julio knew more time had passed than that. By his estimation, it would have taken at least an hour just following the lady until she disappeared. Then there was the incident with the creature. And then he would have had to walk back.
If Enrico was right about the time, either he went back after losing sight of the girl, or he went just went to sleep and never bothered to follow her.
But he remembered everything! As clearly as if it just happened.
Wait. Had he been sleeping for days?
He quickly stood up and immediately, regretted the decision. His entire body was sore, reminding him of his fight with the great bird.
But when he looked at his skin and his clothes, he was baffled even more.
Not only was there no cuts, there was no sign that he had bled!
He looked up to get an estimate of where the sun was, as they were taught in childhood, and found out that Enrico was being honest.
"How long have I been asleep?"
"I don't know, when I arrived here you were already asleep and your bucket was full."
His confusion became more pronounced that Enrico was able to read it from his face.
"I saw you head out earlier with your bucket then about half an hour later, I found I had nothing better to do today so I came here."
"And I was already asleep?"
"Yes. My pumping did not even wake you up."
Julio got more confused. Now that he knew it was the same day, the timelines didn't make sense! He inspected the parts where he remembered being gashed. There were no wounds, no scars -- nothing. Just the painful muscles underneath.
Then he remembered the souvenirs he collected, two feathers and one scale. He quickly searched and was relieved to feel it inside his pocket. Something that Enrico did not miss.
"Are you alright?" Enrico asked.
"What do you mean?" Julio asked back.
"Just a second ago you looked like you did not know where you were, and now you seem like the happiest man in the world!"
"Well, I thought I had been sleeping here for the whole day," he lied.
Thankfully, Enrico did not push further.
"Both our buckets are full," Enrico stated, "let's go back now."
Julio did not answer but headed to the deep well. Enrico took that as a yes and walked behind him. Julio bent down to carry his bucket and found that his muscles were too weary for that.
After only being able to raise it a few inches from the ground, he set it down. He looked at Enrico's bucket, it was smaller than his.
"Hey," Julio said, facing Enrico. "My muscles seem to be very sore, would it be OK if we trade buckets?"
"That's a large bucket!" Enrico replied, "And it's a long way!"
"I don't have money, if that's what you're implying."
"You don't have to tell me that, we all have no money."
"So, will you trade buckets with me just this time?"
"If you would go and help my father make brooms this coming weekend," Enrico stated, smiling.
"How many?"
"Not how many, how long?"
"What do you mean?"
"We need to make as many brooms as possible before we send it to the nearby town for selling."
"So, how long?"
"The entire weekend."
"I could do it, but only in the afternoon," Julio said.
"Great! It's a deal."
With their problems sorted out, the two carried their buckets on their shoulders and headed back to town.
There was not much conversation the entire time; Julio's mind was filled questions.
What really happened? Did he just imagine it all? Did he just dream that fearsome creature?
But if he just dreamt it, why was he feeling all the soreness and pain in the right places where he had been injured when he fought that creature?
What really happened to him? Was he played with? Was it the water in the well? Everything changed after he'd drunk that water.
If it was only a game, why did he feel that if he died, he surely would have remained dead?
Questions to which he didn't have any answers.