Chapter 3

As the sun rose that morning, Sheriff Mendoza found himself strangely elated at the thought of visiting the legendary ruins. He turned the idea over once or twice in the time he’d been sheriff, but the legend was clear that only three people from Esperanza ever made the trip. The haunted looks the Padre and the Mayor wore when they returned from the mountain had always put the idea from his mind.

He found he thought of it most when Maria and the mayor rode out. The day after each Harvest, they would quietly slip away before anyone woke, and return when the sun was high. But Randall always noticed.

‘Today I’ll finally get to see it for myself.’ But he knew it was really spending the day with Maria that had his heart beating faster. He stole a glance at Marie from under his hat as they rode.

The trip up the mountain was a long one, but Sheriff Mendoza was pleasantly surprised to find that Maria had packed a basket of food for them.

‘Looks like she plans to make a day of it.’ He thought as he studied it strapped to her mare. A rare, small smile creased his tanned face.

“Miss Rodriguez.” Randall tipped his hat. “As much as I want to spend the whole day with you, I’m needed back by this afternoon. I hope you don’t mind cutting the trip short.” He cut his eyes to the basket so she would understand his meaning.

“Maria, Sheriff, please.” Maria smiled back and gave a small bow. ” I already knew that. Do not worry, I shall not keep you from your duty. I hope you like blackberry jam. I have brought some biscuits and some sandwiches for later.”

“That was mighty thoughtful, Mis – Maria. I’m afraid I didn’t think to bring anything but water and some jerky.” He instantly realized he didn’t bring cups, and they would have to pass a skin of water between them – not something a lady would approve of. He looked quickly back down at the dusty road below him, wishing he could turn back and get another one just for her.

“Then it is fortunate that you had a woman to pack your lunch today. Might we pause here so I have some water?” she asked, pointing towards the skin at his hip.

 “I’m afraid I didn’t…” he stammered as he unhooked the flask and passed it to her. Before he could finish, she’d brought it to her lips and pulled a short drink.

Wiping her lips on her sleeve, she smiled again and returned the skin to him. “I am ready.”

She gently clucked to her mount, and they began their long journey up the mountain.
 

 

They rode in silence for an hour or so before Maria spoke.

    “Randall, I want you to prepare you for what you will see in Maldito.”

    “Alright.” Randall said slowly. The word “Haunted” was thrown around on the rare occasion Maldito was spoken about, but no one really knew what happened there except the Padre, Mayor, and his daughter. And they never spoke of it.

    “The people of Maldito, my family among them, they have never moved on. They stay there, waiting for their revenge, and watching over us. They thank Esperanza with the Harvest, as Esperanza sends them their vengeance. I am their only survivor, and they will always look after me. I need to come and let them know they are still in my heart as well; that I have not forgotten them.”

“I can understand that.” Randall replied, the picture of her laying flowers at a marker, kneeling in the tall grass as the wind lifts her hair from her shoulders coming back to his mind.

    “What you will see and hear today, these are things that most men would turn and run from. There is magic in Maldito – Death Magic. There are some who think it evil, even as they stand in line with their hands out at Harvest. I need to know if you think it is evil. Do you, Randall?”

    “Maria, I don’t begin to know all the mysteries of this world or any other. All I know is that an agreement was made out of friendship many years ago, and that’s not evil. I know a terrible thing happened, and I don’t believe that bad men being brought to justice is evil. And I know this.” Randall pulled his horse closer to Maria so he could look into her eyes.

    “I know anything that cares about you cannot be evil, or I would be a very bad man.”

    Maria wanted to kiss him then, but instead she smiled and spurred her horse forward. ‘Not yet.’ She told herself. ‘Let him truly see, first.’

A few awkward minutes passed before they crested the mountain. Seeing it from below all these years in no way prepared Randal for what he now saw before him.

 Maria had dismounted before he even noticed, his mind on the horror around him. Soot smudged the ground around small mounds of charred wood that were once homes. The burned remains of the town square were still marked by the pattern of the scorched earth at their feet and the brick of the collapsed well. In the midst of it all rose the ruins of the fabled Church of Maldito.

Randall shielded his eyes from the sun as his gaze moved up the shambles of the bell tower. The high sun reflected off the rusty surface of the bell as it hung there, dangling over the church by an old frayed rope. The doors still stood, blackened as they were, attached to what remained of the charred walls. The roof was mostly gone, a few random beams still suspended over the burned-out chasm inside.  Unconsciously, Randall removed his hat and placed it over his heart.

It wasn’t until he felt Maria’s hand on his thigh that he was able to tear his eyes away.

“What kind of animals could do this?” He slid off his horse, scanning the devastation around him.

“The kind we send here when we find them.” Marie replied quietly.

She went back to her own horse and returned with her basket and a smile that seemed out of place to his still-reeling mind.  As wrong as it seemed, he couldn’t help but smile back. They led the horses to a trough that must’ve been rebuilt, since it seemed untouched by the flames that killed every man, woman, and child, save one.

“Come. This way.” Maria beckoned and began to walk, and after a small hesitation, Randall followed.

Together they walked away from the old town square, through the new growth that had sprung up to reclaim the unused streets. Randall thought she would lead him to a cemetery that must’ve been established by the people of Esperanza, but was surprised as they ended up near two joined walls, a remaining corner of a barn. Maria spread her horse blanket in the tall grass and began to place dishes in the center.

“This was our neighbor’s stables. This is where they hid me when the raiders came.”

“We can move somewhere else, if it’s…”

“No. It must seem odd to you, but this place reminds me most of my family’s love for me.” Maria smiled brightly, and turned her attention to a jumble of weeds and other things to their right. “That was my home. My papa stayed home with me, because I was sick with fever. My mother went to church to ask God to save me. The whole town prayed for me that day.”

“Maria, you don’t have to tell me this if it brings up painful memories.”

“This is why I come; to remember. Do not misunderstand, Randall. What happened here to my people was a horrible tragedy, and it saddens me deeply. But what I come here to remember is the kindness of those people, and the love in their hearts that allowed me to live.  Being in this place is hard for others, because all they see is the horror. What I see are the hands that passed me to the next person as the flames rose around us. I feel the love that threw water on me and wrapped me in wet rags and turned an old washtub over me to keep me safe and hidden. No one had to do that. They all had family in that church, but the few who did not attend that day came to me instead. They all prayed to God to save me that day, and He did.”

Maria held her hand out to Randall, and he almost took it before he realized she wanted the water skin. He quickly held it towards her.

The silence grew between them as she drank some water, and set about spreading the blackberry jam onto the biscuits.

“I am told the people of Ezperanza heard me trying to push the washtub over as they searched for survivors, and it was the mayor who actually flipped it and found me. I was the only one.”

Finally able to find words, Randall said, “That’s an amazing story. Thank you for sharing it with me.”

“You are most welcome. May I ask you a question?”

“Of course, Maria. Ask me anything.”

“Now that you have heard my story, does it make you feel differently about being here?” She asked between bites.

Randall swallowed and really thought about it. Surprise was evident on his face when he finally answered. “Yes.  I can’t really explain it. Gratitude, safety. I feel protected, and very grateful to the souls that kept you safe at the cost of their own lives.”
Maria’s smile told him he gave the right answer, but he was only being honest. And it made absolutely no sense to him at all. ‘How is it possible this place  no longer horrifies me?’

They made small talk as they finished their meal, and once everything was all packed away, Sheriff Mendoza prepared for the long trip back. He looked nervously to the sky and judged the time as far later than he realized.

Maria could see that he was anxious to head back, and knew he was expected to be in Esperanza in case of trouble at the cantina, but the most important reason for this trip had not been fulfilled.  With a swift motion, she knelt down and placed her palm against the bare earth.

As soon as her flesh made contact with the ground, it began to quake beneath them. Randall made to grab Maria, but she waved him off as she stood. A rustling was coming from the other side of the barn wall where they’d eaten. Randall drew his gun, but Maria stayed his hand.

“Randall, remember what I told you – how you would see and hear things today that you would not believe?”

Randall’s instincts were sharp, and he kept his eyes peeled for the source of the commotion as he nodded a response to Maria.

“Please, Sheriff. Lower your gun. It is my family – they have arrived.”