venomous snakes that could escape and attack her. She thought that, until up to a few minutes ago, for her the forest was only an ideal place which she could walk through, while her aunt saw and knew thousands of things that she had no idea about. She liked the idea of learning things with her, of having the whole summer ahead of her. They continued to walk for a while. At times, Emma would walk away from the path to get to the roots of a tree or to look at a bush and then she would call Luna and explain the uses of the plant and how to distinguish them from similar ones.
Half an hour later the forest came to an end and they reached a group of houses lined up on both sides of a back road which seemed empty and dusty under the midday sun. Emma walked up to the second house and rang on the bell. A woman of about thirty years of age, wearing a pair of jean shorts and a white shirt answered the door seconds later.
— Hi, I was expecting you— she said, inviting them inside with a wave of her hand—. Well, I see you have a new helper.
— Yes, she is my niece. She has come to spend the summer with me— Emma walked inside, placed her backpack on the dining room table and began to look through the jars—. How is the little one today?
— Better. He has finally managed to sleep through the night without that terrible cough— the woman said, a wide smile on her face—. And to think that I spent months not believing this could work...
— It's not about believing or not— Emma explained—. Plants have been used in healing for centuries. In fact, most of them can be found in modern conventional medicines. If we have found what he needs, he will get better.
The woman led them to a room at the end of the hall. They entered a bedroom painted blue with yellow stars, where stuffed animals filled the shelves. In a small bed under the window a boy of about three years of age was sleeping. Emma knelt down beside him and touched his forehead. Then she placed a hand on his chest, trying to feel his breathing rhythm.
— Yes, he is much better. And just as I suspected, there is no infection as he doesn't have a fever— she stood up and left the bedroom, asking them to follow her—. Okay, he needs to rest. He must continue with the treatment that I recommended: eucalyptus vapor, rub-downs with rosemary alcohol and milk with honey. He will be completely recovered in a few months.
When they were back in the living room, Emma handed her the jars she had picked out. The woman picked them up, took them to the kitchen and came back with her purse in her hand. Before she opened it, she remained still and thoughtful for a second, as if she were wondering whether to talk or not.
— I heard in town that you read the future— she dared at last—. I was wondering if you could...
— No, I don't read the future of children so young. And any way, the cards would tell you what I have already said: he will get better soon— she calmed the woman with a smile.
The woman nodded, opened her purse and handed Emma a couple of notes. Emma put them in her jeans pocket, closing her backpack and slinging it on her shoulder. She then walked to the front door, with Luna following her.
— If at any point you have any type of problem, you know where I live. Come and find me whatever the hour— Emma said, waving goodbye.
— Wait a moment— the woman said, turning around and running back to the kitchen, coming back seconds later with a basket full of red apples—. My husband picked them, I have kilos and kilos. Please take some as a thank you for your help with my son.
Emma accepted them with a smile and they left the house. Luna carried the heavy basket but she still smiled. She had liked the visit a lot, to see the boy sleeping calmly, the mothers relieve, the care and love she felt in the way her aunt worked... She thought that it was a job that she would like to do in the future, although it would be better to tell her parents that she wanted to be a doctor. If she went home saying that she wanted to be a healer, her parents would have a heart attack. She began to understand why her mother, so classic and perfectionist, did not approve of her aunts way of life.
— You're so pensive!— her aunts voice interrupted her thoughts—. Didn't you like the visit?
— Yeah, of course I liked it. I was actually thinking that I would like to learn to do those things, cure people and all that...
— It's not always that nice, this was an easy case. There are times that I have to tell them to go to a doctor because my skills are not enough to heal their pain...— she sighed, staring at the trees—. And there are times that there is nothing left to do and, when you tell them, you can see that it's not the first time they have heard it, that you are their last hope because modern medicine has already left them hopeless...
— But it's still worth it, right?
— Yes, of course it's worth it— Emma sat down under a tree and signaled to Luna to do the same—. Hand me one of those apples, I've had my eye on them since we left the house.
— Can I ask you a question?— Luna sat down and placed the basket between them, picking out an apple for herself.
— Yes, I can also make apple jam. But I don't think it would be very healthy for you to only have a fruit and sugar diet.
— No, it's not that— Luna said, laughing—. It's about what the woman said, about you being able to tell the future. Is that true?
— Let's just say that I'm lucky and sometime get the right answer— seeing Luna confused face, she continued explaining—. Most of the time people's future is so clear that anybody could see it. How many times have you heard people say "Things aren't going to end well if something doesn't change"? People don't say it as if it were a prophecy and they are right most of the time. If you know a person, who they think, feel and act, you can foresee what they are going to do and the effects of this without the need of special talents.
— And that's it?— Luna asked, disappointed.
— Most of the time, yes. I'll explain the rest to you another day— Emma stood up and started to walk again—. It's getting late and we still have to get back to the house and find something for you to eat. I have some important things to do this afternoon. What will you do?
— I don't know— Luna replied, shrugging her shoulders—. I might walk into Estella to see the city. That way I can pick up a hamburger for dinner.
Luna finished her food and looked around her while she drank her coca-cola. The hamburger joint was full of groups of friends chatting and joking about. She felt lonely, sitting at the end of the restaurant without anyone to talk to and share her thoughts. She wasn't complaining about her holiday, her aunt was very nice and interesting, but she would have liked to have had somebody of her age to spend time with. And also, if her aunt was going to leave her on her own a lot because she had private matters to deal with, she was going to get very bored. Maybe she should bring up the possibility of having Cristina spend a few days with them. Cris would love the mysterious and hazy atmosphere that surrounded the house, the dark forests, and the idea that her aunt was a healer who also read the future... She remembered her friends' shelves, full of books about the occult and parapsychology. Yeah, it would all be quite an adventure for her friend. Now all that was left was for her aunt to say yes.
She looked at her mobile before putting it away. She thought about calling her mother considering she had signal in the city and telling her that she was okay, but her mom would most probably bombard her with questions and she didn't feel up to arguing. She began to feel like everyone was looking at her, sitting alone with nothing to do, so she stood up and left the restaurant.
She walked around Estella for a while, through the narrow streets full of old houses. She liked how different the city felt. There were less people on the street at that hour, and the shops began to close. Despite the fact that it didn't get dark until later on, she decided to walk home. It was possible that she would find it difficult to find the way back and, plus, she would prefer it to still be daytime if she had to walk close to the forest.
The walk back wasn't as long as she expected. As soon as she left the city behind h
er, the traffic seemed to disappear and the sounds of voices, steps and music vanished... She didn't feel scared however. The sensation, unknown until that moment, of having the world just for her, was nice. She walked up the old road leading North, while the sun began its slow descent towards the mountain range on her left, making the haze shine with a golden hue.
Half an hour later she left the main road and started to walk along the dirt and stone road that led to her aunt's house. The bushes rose up on either side of her, giving the impression that she was walking down a corridor with changing green walls. She could hear the buzzing of the insects and, a little ahead of her, she fleeting saw the blue shimmer of the body of a dragonfly. She stopped in the middle of the road, enjoying the feeling of life that seemed to vibrate from within, filling her with energy. At first she had thought the place where her aunt lived was strange, so far away and solitary, but now she understood perfectly how someone could fall in love with that land.
She saw a small metallic half opened gate on one side of the road she walked over. That must have been the place the taxi driver had told her about called "The Park of the Restless Souls". She thought about entering, even though it was already getting dark. There didn't seem to be anybody there who could stop her