The Moon, The Cabochon, The Man

It was a chilly night. I was wearing a long dress inside my sweater. It was my first time to visit the province. I am taking a stroll on the sea shore.
The province was silent. The wind touched my cheeks. The sea was calm. I could smell the fresh air. I could hear the sounds of the crickets from the nearby woods.
The stars were sparkling above. The trees were whispering with each other. The flowers accepted their daily blessing of dew.
As I walked, I could hear the birds singing their last song for that day. I could feel the sea breeze on my neck. Splash of water touched my toes.
Being a woman from the city, I enjoyed the peace and calmness of the province while walking at the sea shore at night.
My grandmother owned a house a few miles to the sea, it is big, roomy and rather old.
In the woody part of the shore sat a big stone. I stopped at that stone and sat at the rough edge. From that stone, I watched grandma’s house on the moonlight. It was such a beautiful scene at night. You could see the garden, the large gate and the barristers and walls of the second floor.
The moon hovered above, it was the full moon. It illuminated the surrounding. The moons light reflected on the waters. I saw the yellowish riffles on the calm sea.
“Hello,” a baritone voice came from behind me. I almost jumped out of my skin in shock.
“You are absorbed with the scenery,” he commented.
“Yes, I am…” I answered glancing at him.
“I can see that. Can I sit beside you?” he asked.
“Of course,” I answered delightedly. The man had a broad shoulder. He had a prominent nose, eyes that invited friendship, lips that carried kisses, arms that shielded girls against fears and height that showed prominence. In other words… he is handsome and masculine.
The man told me that his name is Manuel, he is a worker in the mines and he came out in the shore every night. He was waiting for this certain girl but she never appeared in the place. We talked and laughed until I have to come home. Manuel offered to walk me home but I turned down his offer so he gave me a green cabochon instead to hang on my necklace.
I walked down where I came from and reminisced on the surrounding that in my eyes were brighter than before I walked down that same lane.
The house was dim from outside but the outline of the vast garden with its perfect rows of roses and fragrant dama-de-noche can be seen from the small light coming from the sala.
In the sala, my grandmother was still sitting doing her crochets. She looked at me and said, “Where have you gone?”
I answered, “I just took a walk at the bay, Grandma.”
She looked at me from her eyeglasses and said, “Don’t do that again, the bay is dangerous at night.”
“Why, Grandma? I think it is nice at night. It is kinda’ relaxing to take a stroll at night.”
“You don’t know the mystery of the moon, Maritsa.” She said and walked away bringing her crochet with her.
I seated myself on the couch. It is the first time that I saw Grandma disappointed. I stared at the open window and stared at the moon. “What is your mystery as Grandma said?” I asked the moon. I felt the pendant in my secret pocket, it is heavy. I put it out, it is supported by a great brass, but the stone itself is a blue cabochon, smooth in the surface where the light of the moon is refected. I carried it up near to the moon. It is in fact, a vivid resemblance of the moon in silver lining.
The moon illuminated the cabochon, my heart started to race. I felt myself being drag to my grandma’s room. I crossed the newly furnished floor to the stairs.
I knocked on my Grandma’s room but there is no answer. I found it is unlock so I came in. it is the first time that I am in Grandma’s room. The moon lit the queen sized bed. A lamp was burning by the side table. A large classic framed mirror was placed beside the equally classic cabinet.
I walked out. I went to the kitchen. The kitchen is clean and well-lighted. The front door was open on the other hand and Grandma’s cloak which she usually use when she go out and hung by the door was missing.
My heart raced faster. “Where would Grandma go this time of the night?” I asked myself. I saw myself raced to the ground faster than my heart did.
I ran to the pathways, I called on to Grandma but she was nowhere insight. The sounds of the crickets were heavy in my ears. I felt the cabochon heavy in my pocket. Above, the clouds were shadowing the moon. The stars started to dim. The air went still as well as the trees. The birds were no longer singing their melody. The surrounding seemed to be watching my every step; the crickets were shouting their pity.
My feet carried me to the bay. It ran to the woods and finally to the rock where I met my stranger. To my astonishment, the man was there. I sneaked on a trunk of a large narra tree. He was facing my direction but there is somebody else there. The person my stranger was talking had her back on me. She is wearing an old wearied cloak, a crochet vandanna that covered her head against the evening dew. She was wearing a flowery dress my grandmother had been wearing in the sala.
“I had love you once, Marrietta.” The man said
“You wanted my soul.” an old croaked came out from the person’s throat.
“I like to collect the soul of those I love.” The man answered
“Leave my granddaughter alone, Manuel!” the old woman said
“She was walking alone in the woods and she’s very pretty. She reminds me of you, Marrietta.” The baritone voice answered.
“You want her soul too, MALIGNO?! Not my granddaughter!” she exclaimed.
“Then tell her not to wonder at night like what she was doing this very moment.” He said then stared at my hiding place.
I came out of the trunk I was hiding. I crept towards them. I reached my grandma. She held out her hand and said, “Gave me the cabochon, Maritsa!”
I held out the cabochon to her and she picked it up. Grandma shoved it to the man and scolded, “Leave Maritsa alone!”
The man caught the pendant, he smiled then I heard a pop, he was gone.
Grandma and I went back to the main trail without talking to each other. Everything went back to normal, the trees were whispering the incident to each other, the wind kissed my cheek, the crickets were happily cheering, and the birds sang their most beautiful melody while the moon was smiling down to all of us.#