III LIVRO: POVAREJO - NATAL, RN - 2013

TRADUÇÃO: SINVAL MEDEIROS

            This book is dedicated to our. children  Otávio  and  Mauricio, to our Nieces, Jailma, Mayara,  Maraisa, Fernanda  our nephews  Jailton,   Renato, Robério, Wendell, Welldson, Emerson,   Eberson, Marcilio, Leonardo and  Erivelton  Junior.and for all the children who were born at tv  and pc  time and    so they didn´t listen stories  said by their grandmother sitting in illuminated sidewalk  by the moon

                                    

                                                       M.C.  GARCIA  

INDIFFERENCE 

The week was starting while Sunday was ending through the  sunset, the moon  let  me see it was already for over  twenty   o´clock. as it was summer; we  had  privilege to  delight with a light Marine breeze across the ways  and streets, and it got  into  through the gate touching  my  face  sweetly and our son  we  are keeping  in  a deep sleep and the  door of the livingroom   was half open-half closed All   of a  sudden  I’ve seen something passing and  It  was  very  fast. It   looked   like   the   wind. That  passed  very next  to  me  and  to my  child’s  mother. 

She  distressed  asked  me  if  I  had  seen  what  had   passed.  I   told   her   without   hesitating 

 “It was a cat”.

In my soul, this answer came of my intuition.

I   asked   me   to myself   this answer.

Yrla   , on the other hand, decided   to clear up our   doubt   and   before She get to the door, She saw into our home, in   piazza, a man. 

“ My  god , a man!”

Yrla got desperate.

I figured out. if that  was  a  man . it was  odd  very much.

because in spite of he’s a two-legged creature. He’s walking with four legs on the ground he’s walking very next the wall and looked like a real animal and he made me remember Manoel Bandeira. He was going toward rubbish brass in the back yard.

It was unbelievable when that little man invaded our hospitality.

Even with tall walls and closed gates he was able.

And I meditated without talking anything:”

“A hungerer  person never beg to come in.”

Let me tell you reader woman, that animal got small. so small getting  the least  in height. I  mean, It  had  eliminated  itself all but  utterly, only can pass over the meanest  space between  our iron  gate and  the ground. It had passed easily and  wisely like a  thief  and  hungry animal. 

It was endlessly hunger.

It was very thin and it would die about that.

I was lying down and I went on this way. I was playing with our child. and at the same time I  considered…

The hunger makes blind.

Yrla was desperate and frightened calling me asking to me catch the man who coming already been banished by someone else. the man  was already in the rubbish brass and made himself owner of  the first rubbish. due to the hunger that  corroded his stomach.

He made the garbage to be only his.

The owner of the garbage’s brass were born a real crusher, who to feed himself would had to search for his prey. He, therefore, had own features of a cannibal.in essence of his kind.however, He had developed  too much, to refuse his natural nourishment to feed of leftovers now. in deposit of remains, by night.                                           

Without satisfaction, with  the invader next  the super thin foreigner. the owner of the trash would  have to defend  himself  really using teeth and nails. because that was his territory, where were his provisions from everyday, his existence.

When the invader wasn’t waiting, the other man jumped off  the wall. and as clever as a  cat astonished the careless and  hungry visitor and he made him come back to his original place. the street.

And one more time, the man had to shrink with his very empty belly. and he had  to pass by tight  space of  the gate again. this time sad and utterly disappointed by lacking food.

And I was in my trap playing and I thought…

 “Rubbish also means food.”

 When the poor man came back, he passed as fast as the visage that had passed  before. however this time crying out stridulously and hopelessly making any human being to feel a lot of pity even Yrla and I. Yrla was at the door waiting for me to banish the invader.

I didn’t move a finger to go out from I was, and still in trap when I saw the poor man pass running nearly crying. He was been taken by the owner of the rubbish who was his provisions’ brother too. in particular I had gotten very happy ´cause I didn’t go out off my trap to catch that poor man. but what drove me plot was I have seen fast a tail on each of the men. long tails.

It was that the only thing I could see about those small and odd men.

“But that how much indifference!”

Said Yrla turned to me smiling and I was in a doubt.

THE MAN BAT MAN

In a decrepit library where there are several mangos tree around it, in which hardly ever comes someone to study, in spite of the pleasant place for reading. as it hasn’t any persons, it attracks another kind of animal: bats. They are attracked by the sweet smell of the fruits competing with a single reader. Memor, a middle age man who reading is his favorite pastime.

At the time of the year, the old library is an attractive place only for night-owl creatures take over for the day, as the place is always closed, and they think they’re safe in dark rooms.

When  the   afternoon  comes down, Memor, retired man, enjoys  appreciating by  reading a  good  book  of  choice  modernist  novels  like  Jorge  Amado  and  others  of  them.

One  day , when  He  was  alone  in  his  world  of  reading  and  pleasure, Memo felt  a  cold  wind  blowing his  neck. It  was  a  so  intense  cold  that  ran  down  his  whole cord  making  him  very  nervous.  And  his  heart  beating  very  speedy. His  hair, arm airs horrified  showed  his  fear. But  right   before  him  there  were  an  answer.  

It  was  a  bat  that  flew  and  had  gone  sit  down  on  an  wood  of  the  home,  right  before  his  very  eyes. Up  there, it  began  to  swing  like  a  pendulum.  As  if  Memor  believed  it  wanted  to  hypnotize  him  to  suck  his  precious  purple  liquid  of  human.

Memor  watched   the   animal  and  he  was  fearing.

Before   the  animal  decided  to  attack  again,  memo  decided  to  attack  before  and  He  tried  to  hunt  the  defenceless  animal.                    

He  had   only  one  leathern  slipper  and  threw  towards  the  small  creature  and  He  nearly  hit  it.  However, the bat  couldn’t   understand  anything  about  that  surprise – attack.                                                                                                                                          

It  was  as  innocent  as   the  man. Then  as   He  came  always  to  read.

It   had   always   flown   when   the   afternoon   was   over. But   it   was   starting   to   rain  and  it  getting  dark  too  much    early.  It  had   awaked  to  exercise  its  body, afterward, to  begin  its   routine  of   somnambulist.

And  that´s  why  a   tragedy  was  going  to  happen  with  it.                                                   It  didn´t  know  what  was  going, but  It  was  sure  a   thing, It  would  have  to  get  away  of  furious  man’s  violent  attacks. And  then  it  flew  from  corner  to  corner, it  flew  the  fastest  it  could  to  save  its  life.   

But  every  time  the  man  went  wrong  his  attack  he  got  angrier.and  more  furious  He  came  back  to  put  an  end  to  defenceless  night-owl  animal. It  found  a  rift  in  house  top  and  it  flew  straight  to  get  away  the  siege.  But , by  the  time  it  was  already  reaching  the  exit  it  felt  its  left  wing  that  staggering, hit  in  the  wall  and  fell  on  the  ground  like  a   fluffy  packet  full  of   anything, now  without  strength  unconscious, dead  the  winning  man, happy  by  having  executed  his  mission, held  it  by  the  hurt  wing, poor  and  useless  bat,  still  hot  with  its  last  moment of  live, and  put  it  inside  a  bottle  with  alcohol, to  exposing  to  a   lot  of  hundred  of  ignorant  laymen  the  cruel  scene,  like  a   trophy  of   his  mediocre  victory.                              

When  the  enigmatic  man  recovered  of  the  fear, took  back  his  reading.  He’s  reading  an  early   time’s  realist   novel,  style  Jorge  Amado, in  which,  the  scene  is  developed  by  the  boyfriend   being   fondled  by  his  darling.  She  was  behind  him   passing  her  hand  in  his  hair  and   grazing  his  nape  with  her  ardent  wishful  lips.  This  time,  reader  and  personage  start   to  live  a   fictitious   reality, in  which, the  proper  reader  seems  to  get  involved  much  more  and   utterly  by  scene  that’s  read. It  makes  feel  so  concentrated  in  a   pleasant  and  inebriating  reading.    Memor  makes  himself   an   alive  character  by  acting,  because  He  feels  himself   like  real  character, with  the  same  sensations, with  the  same  joys  of   the  fondness.     He  utterly  consumed   by   the  reading  and   by   the  reality  around  him,  He  feels  a  hot  sweat  running  down  his  breast  and,  at  the  same  time,  falling  on   the  table, the book, the  ground  a  scarlet  liquid.  

He’s  benumbed  by  the  fiction  and  by  the  reality,  He  tries  to  understand   whether  He’s  been  dreaming  or  sleeping.  When  He’s  awoken  truly  off   that  snatch  and  apathy,  He’s  seen  right  before  his  very  eyes,  a  bat  flying  happy  and  its  mandibles   were  still  bloody  and  tasting  that  human   sweet   scarlet  liquid.  

It  was  exactly  the  female  of   the  bat  which  he’s  had  just  to  kill. 

 Bloody, now  without  a vision,  he’s  got  before  his  eyes,  more  than  one  bat.  And  he  had  still   the  same  gun  which  belonged  to  the  first  casualty,  He  tried  to  act  but  he  didn’t   have  any   good.             

He got   small all of a sudden.     It was all what he   got.  And  all  of  a   sudden  again  he’s  felt   a   mouse  creeping  on  the  table, and  exceeding   the  proper   blood  He  distressing   the   pages  of  that   unhappy  and   wicked   book  which   made  it  die. 

When  He  jumped  from  the  table, He  thought  he  would  fall  on  the  ground;  He  felt  to  arise  like  a  happy  bird  because  he  achieved  freedom  that  all  man  wish  to  have  one  day.   

However, He isn’t a   bird. He isn’t   a   mouse. He isn’t a man. He is the own figure of man bat man. When  He  leaves  the  library  He  meets  the  same  love, which  got  involved  in  the  novel  He  read  moments  before.  And everything very odd  and  confused  for  him. However  He  is  sure  the  love  in  his  heart  makes  to  fell  free  as  He  cannot  explain  of  so  light  forever.  Well, He’s  in  motion, but  He cannot  distinguish  sure  whether  he’s  flying  walking  by  or  walking  flying.

Liar  independence         

  I  was  walking  by   the  empty  streets  in  Natal   and   having  fun  in  the  end  of  the  afternoon  in  that   wonderful  day,  because  I   Wanted   to  be  in  peace,  to  be  calm,  in  silence  in  that  day  of  grace,  however, It  was  an  afternoon  of  burning  light,  which  invaded  streets  and  avenues  in  that  peaceful  city. It  was  a   holiday,  independence  of  Brazil  was  celebrated. Our  independence.  

 The  whole  avenue  wound  in  the  horizontal  of   the  curves  and  in  the  vertical  which  happened  illuminated   ebony  of  the  asphalt,  when  the  sunlight  reach  it.  There  weren’t  many  cars.  And,  therefore, all  was  more  silent  than  nowadays  when  everybody  is  working.    

The  king  star graced  the  name  that  one  day  someone  chose  for  it. And  that  also  exalted  without  knowing  the  name  of  city  that  had  its  name  or  was  said  belonged  to  it. ‘city  of  the  sun’.  because  of  all,  It  shone  like  every  other  days  of  before.  But  everybody   could  see  like  a  few  few   passer  were  happy.  The  happiness  was  stamped   in  their  faces  softly  and  clearly.  

Out  of   the  noisy  cars,  out  of  the   people  making  tumult,  birds  can  be  heard: sparrow,  kiskadee  birds  that  got  used   to  this  mean  to  go  on  their  kind. In  spite  that’s  why  was   a   day   of   grace.  Holiday.  For  sure,  Natal    deserved   that   name  in  that  day   very  much! 

 This  is,  for  the  light,  for   the  peace, for  the  empty.  The  few  people  walking   were   free  day   by   day  situation   and   they  seemed   to   broadcast   happiness  like   all   the  birds,  to  streets,  and   specially,  to  day.  Well,  that  day,  was  over  and   any   sadness  inside.  Because  It  was  day  of   our  independence  and   It  was  holiday  in  our  country. 

 And   everything  was  an   only  happiness, a  perennial   satisfaction.  I   was   sure  that  day  lived  and  witnessed   with  the  metropolis,  literally  our  quieter,  more beautiful,  freer   and   more… day  of   independence.

But, for  well  of  the  veredict,  in  that  endless  joy,  in  that   endless  peace,  paradoxically  that  day  hide  me,  an  also    endless   melancholy. 

The   afternoon  was   over,  the  warm  and  only  night  came.  And   the  paradox  established   itself  to  deny  the  peace  the   afternoon   had.  Lighted  stakes  imitated  the  moon  light  to  afford  me  the  same  peace.  Switched  off  utterly  and  everything  turn  into  darkness  and  fear. 

 And,  our  wonderful  independence ‘  paradox,  now  was  a  prision  for   me.  When  I  saw  a  poor  mongrel   dog,  sleeping  in  street.  There  wasn’t   anything  between  it  and  the  cold  ground  in  that  night.  When  It  saw  I   closing  it  up,  It  followed   me   along  the  road.  I   wanted  to  prevent  it.  But  it  wasn’t   possible.  The  dog  needed  food.  It   was   so   thin  I   was   sorry.  It  followed  me  to  my  home.   I  got  home;  and  because  of  darkness  that  still   remained,  I   served  it  leaftovers   that  would  go  to  the   rubbish.  And   I   tied   up  in   the  piazza.   I  put  a  little  water in  a   vessel  and   I   went  to  the   bed   with   justice  in   that  day   of   independence  of   Brazil. 

 Next  morning,  the  upset   servant,  called  me  to  tell  me  someone  had   left   a  child  in  our  piazza.  I   ran  to  see   her.  And  I  had  a  sad   surprise,  the  child  was  still  tied  up  and  She  was   crying  a  lot. 

OIREB:  AN UNQUIET BOY   

 The small   Oireb   was   only seven years   old.  He  was  a  little   ordinary  boy  to  the  other   dwellers  of  that   people’s   little  place  called   galo.  Oireb   was   different from his friends because He   was   playful   too much, creative, intelligent.  He had   talent   for artist.  He knew to tell   jokes.  It   was exactly because   of   that He stood   out   and   because   of   his   childish   smartness   too.  From all   things He   tried   to   make fun of people.  Few   people   dislike his   funs, even so, He  was   admired  by  his  talent.  The  time   was   spending   and   when  Oireb  was  getting   greater,  made  people  believe  his  skill,  prowness   and  his  real  talent  to  tell  merry  and   intelligent  jokes.  At  school, for  instance,  his  friends  liked   to  listen  his   stories,  lots  of  times  invented   and   took   off   his   own   mind.  And  his  reputation  of   teller  attracted   even   adults  like   happened  with  geremil,  the  school’s  janitor.  When  the  fast   stories  were  told,  an  usual  joy  could  be  seen  in  classmate’s  face.  Geremil  took  advantage  of  it  more  than  everybody;  sometimes  He  seemed   a   little  sad,  but  It  was   enough  to  listen   the  boy,  the  sadness  was   end,  and  then  He  was   smiling  very  happy,  attracting  curious  glances  of  other  adults  such  as  some  teachers.    

Oireb  was  not  a  ten-grade-student,  however   He   could   be  among   the  ten  better  in  the  classroom. Teachers,  who  never  demonstrated   interest  for  theirs  students,  started   to  see  Oireb  of   a  different   way.  They  were  demonstrating  an  private  attention  that   it  was   getting  even   notorious  very   much.  When  everybody  hardly  ever  wait  for,  teacher  were   exalting  him  or  mentioning  him  like  reference:    

“Oireb is a very applied student.   He doesn’t   give   us   trouble.  Every  time  He  has  to  do  a  task,  no  matter  where  is:  at  home  or  at  school,  He  does!  He  is  very  intelligent  boy  and   I’m  sure  He  will  have  a   good   future!  But, Beril, that’s a naughty boy!  And I   don’t   know   whether He will have a   good   future about   this!”   But  one  day  happened   of   the   intelligent,  devoted, the  very  hard-working,  creative  and   playful  Oireb  started  to  lie! He  really  started  to  lie!  Oireb  started  to  tell  the  biggest  lies  of  the  world.  However,  few  people  didn’t   believe  It  was  really  He  who  made  all   that. Nevertheless  He  started   to  tell  so  many   lies   It  was  even  a   pity.  Now  Oireb  was  telling  lies  for  his   parents,  for   his  teacher,  for  his  classmates  and   for  everybody,  even  for  Mr  Raimundo,  He  started  to  lie!  Oireb  invented  things  so  easily  so  told  jokes;  the   worst   of   all  hardly  anybody  believed  He  was  able  to  make  so  many   disasters.  Few  people  believed    that   his   temper  was  end   in  that  way,  so  tragical,  so  harmful,  so  vulgar,  many  people  thought   and   even   laid   his   lies   to  his  older  brother,  who   was   guiltless  and   had  no  blame  for   what   was   happening.   Premeditated  time,  Oireb  proclaimed   holiday   to  his  school.  And   He  called   that  day   of:   the   day   to  stay,  that  is,   I   will  stay  here  over  that   telephone  and   I   will   call   to  my   classmates  up  saying  that  there  will   not  be   class   today. Coincidence   or   not,  Oireb   had   met   the  principal   in   the  traffic,  with   her  crashed   car.  She  had  had  only  a   crash. It   wasn’t   anything  serious.  All  was   already  healed.  Clementina,  in  spite  of   is  right   was   very   nervous  and  was  taken   to  the   hospital,  but  at  once  she  had  come  back  home  to  get  back  the  fright.

It  was  exactly  what   Oireb  needed   to   make  his  lie  up.  He  then  made  up  the  principal  would  have  gone  to  the  hospital  and   wouldn’t   have  class  in  that  day.  All  happened   by  the  time  he  was  coming  back  the   supermarket   with   his  maid  and  saw  the  principal ‘s  car  involved  in  the  crash,  as  it   was  said, It  wasn’t   anything  serious  but  that  was  a  opportunity  to  there  isn’t  class  that  day,  neither  to  him  nor  to  his  classmates,  would  get  to  talk  to  over  the  telephone.  By the time he got home, ran  to  the  telephone. First,  he  talked  to  the  teacher,  always  she’s  appreciated  his  qualities  to.  However,  she  didn’t  know  the  child’s  radical  change;  was  very  sad  when  she   knew  what   happened.  She  wanted  to  know  in  which  hospital  the  principal  was  in  order  to  visit  her, but  fast,  Oireb  convinced  her  that   the   principal   was  well   and   was   already  at   home   getting   over  the   fright.  He increased   in the following   day   she’ll be  at  school   and   the   teacher  believed   his  story.  It  is  known  that  in  only  45   minutes   Oireb   got   his   so  craved   exploit:  to  call   to  everyone  convincing   them   about   the  day   to  stay.   The  outcome  is  that  his  teacher  and  no  students  in  his  class  came  to  school   that  day.  However, Clementina gotten over the fright.  Arrived   and   found strange  the  empty  of   that   classroom.  A strange  emptiness!    But,  it  know  also  his  father  had  an  enormous  debit  with   the  telephone  exchange.  And  he  had   his  line  cut  off  because   he   didn’t   pay  the  debit.  Oireb  then,  was  punished   without   playing  videogame  for  ten   days,  without  watching  tv   for  ten  days,  without  walking  for  ten  days,  beyond  the  suspension,  at  school,  with   one  week  because  of  the  day  to  stay.  In  Galo,  as  in  any  other  people’s   little  place,  there  will   always  be  a  Sined   to  open  and   close  hole-in-the-wall  with  his  eternal  bad  habit. 

There  always  will  be  a   Sined  lying  on  the   pavements, in  serge  of  the  life  like  a   dead  man  murdered   by  the  drink.  Then,  Oireb  had  passed   by   the   street,  very   relaxed,  by  the  time  he  saw  that  fantastic  scene  for  one  of   his  tall  tales.  That  is,  he  saw   a   lot  of  things  on  the  ground,  like  a  human  package,  in  the  Sined’s  odd  figure. He  was  still   in   your  way  when   he   met  a  neighbor,  he  was  Mr  Raimundo  and   he   said: 

Do  you  know   who  died?  Sined.  By  the  time  I   came  over   there  just   now. And  his  neighbor  was  surprised: _ Is  it  true,  boy?  Right  today  he  was  there  in  xicó’s  bar  having  drink  a  lot.  Everybody  was  really  ready  to  his  death,  all  of  a  sudden  this  way!

Oireb  and  Mr  Raimundo  proclaimed  to lots  of  people the death of  then  alive Sined.   In  the  following day, Sined  was  in xicó’s bar, very early, like always, having his drink. The whole district  started  to  see  Oireb in a different  way, now, he was sentenced  the most  deceiful  boy who once lived in that surroundings.    Mr  Raimundo,very  dissatisfied  by  the lie who Oireb told to him. Censured him very angry  because Oireb stave off him to get one follower. Oireb made Mr Raimundo to lie beside him. 

But Oireb, sarcastic and laugher, said to the poor old man:__Mr Raimundo, I don’t know why you’re so angry with me, because Sined is already lifeless long time; but anybody didn’t remember to bury him.  

Mr Raimundo, instead of increasing his anger, laughed a lot. Afterwards, he went out telling:   

This street urchin really doesn’t have a solution, we want to be angry with but we finish having fun with his jokes.

What a flirtatious boy! 

When Sined truly died, Oireb insisted to warn to Galo’s people. However anybody didn’t believe this time. And  Sined was buried like an indigent man. Because nobody went to his funeral procession.  The most and the worst lie Oireb invented was with his own liar’s end, because this time he was together with it. The lie of Oireb swallow him. Happened that Oireb lived next river potengi, place in which people usually tell plenty of tales about giant fish and alligator that appeared in winter and they swallowed a full man at a time. Without remaining vestiges to anybody didn’t have proof of what happened.    

These were tales told by older people and fishers of that people’s little place. In that same vision, Oireb giving wings to his imagination invented his big lie. The most lie of the world.  

Then, sitting in the roots of an old mango tree around the way that led to the river. He told very seriously to children, youths, old men, old women the following lie:

 Look, listen to me! Don’t go to the river this moment, there are enormous fish and alligators that can swallow three persons at a time.   

He repeated it to everyone that passed thereabout almost the same thing:

Look, listen to me! Don’t go to the river this moment. There is an enormous fish and alligator that can swallow five persons at a time.

And  for the third time he repeated almost not always the same nonsense: 

Look, listen to me! Don’t go to the river this moment, there is an enormous fish and an alligator that can swallow seven persons at a time. The afternoon was over and he didn’t have knowledge of it. He had come there at three o’clock and it was after five, almost six o’clock. He continued in the same place.

Oireb lied too much and was tired and feel asleep right there everything went by: the time, the people, the hour, and he didn’t see anything go through. Only the weight of his lie. 

It was already dark when he awoke. He had slept so much he dreamt. He saw in a dream the fish and the alligator had swallowed all that people that had gone down to the river. He was very afraid, so afraid a strange fear made his heart hesitate. As a matter of fact, he was very sorry for his lies.

Oireb shocked felt guilty. Then, he made a decision to put to the test about what concerned him. 

And he was alone toward the Grande Rio. The sun had already hidden utterly and the night had come quietly. The river inert seemed to be sleeping after an excited day. People had fished and taken a bath inside it. Now, It was resting in peace of its liquid existence. But, that beginning of night’s tranquility didn’t make small Oireb’ soul quiet because when he brought near Grande Rio, a bad presentment with big remorse stunned his conscience. His soul was fragile.

He was deeply sorry for everything he had made, for he feel guilty of so many innocent people. He hadn’t met even an alive soul of that  people that had come down in the end of the afternoon and hadn’t come back. He thought that everybody had been swallowed and eaten, respectively by the giant fish and alligator.

The night growed very fast; Oireb was bitten by the river’s deepness silence mysteriously and turned into a fish-alligator.

Now, He was a tail of a fish’ boy and from seven in seven years he appears in Galo again, like a dear and cheerful boy, that is, telling his jokes and tales; but by the time he starts to lie, disappear mysteriously and turn into a fish-alligator again.                                                                                                                          

THE WIDOW MACHADO: 

THE EATER OF WOMAN LEGEND

It was very odd Eulinda Lucina Machado has lived in cellar of an ancient house in tall town Natal. Lucina was a very rich woman; she had inherited many lands by her parents: but she was very stranger and therefore she was known by “The widow Machado” almost throughout city. She even turned into legend. It was said the widow Machado had enormous ears and because of them’ size she would have a long life. At the time, she was over one hundred years old. But her fate of rich woman was to live isolated of the world and of the people, except from Lady Marileon, her maid-servant and single company of all hours.   

The widow Machado had a big disappointment in her life when she was still a very young and beautiful woman. As Marileon used to say, a black woman who would be slave in that century of horror, she was very old, but she never told anybody how old she was. 

Not even her family knew her birthday. It known, thus, she had face of a centenarian person and big ears like widow Machado’s ears, she worked to for eight decades or more. Anybody doesn’t know exactly how many were them. It known, therefore, she was as old as her “horrifying” matron. Lady Marileon lived in Galo’ people ‘s little place, at margins of the railway Natal Macau, with her son Adud, a very respected fisherman. In spite of advanced age of bent crookback life of galloon of water’s wood, Lady Marileon never stopped working with hoe cleaning the yard of her home, in which every two weeks the land invaded the whole yard over and over and over again. With her head almost reaching her feet, she hadn’t any trouble separating and gathering with her own hands, clipped bush in great quantify, with a reserved of senile parsimony. Her trade was part of her existence. A stimulus of life. A hard and cruel work under burning matinal sun. a reserved gesture of someone that is always talking to God. Some young people understand it like caducity or thing of old people. Nothing of the kind! Own of senile wisdom when she thinks it better is alone than in bad company, and making exercise, talking to herself like in slow oration of may’s beads. She thinks like Socrates: “know you yourself”, One day, Lady Marileon told Mr. Oivatom the real plangent story about Eulinda Lucina Machado, her matron:   

It’s exactly that, my child, the girl Eulinda had gotten married when she was still very young. Maybe she was thirteen years if I`m not wrong, when a very rich man took her to the lord`s table. She was the single lady Benelinda`s daughter, who cried a lot when saw her unique wealth, her gift of God go away, the little Eulinda. At the time, when the century nineteen was ending, that was the most commented marriage in province of Rio Grande do Norte. Natal had become the centre of attention and the whole Brazil turned to single event the future turned into legend.  

You know boy, even Maria Leopoldina came to the marriage like a special guest female. Specially to be godmother and she came along with D.Pedro her husband. The party lasted two weeks. There were so much food… there was everything you thought of delicious food. There was music for all likings to dance; an orchestra came straight from Rio de Janeiro, for demand of Leopoldina. At the time I was thirteen years and my mother took care of Eulinda very carefully. In that day we ate and danced a lot! Mistress Eulinda was a very good girl. She didn’t care about her servants. She kept us easygoing. Because she wanted Negroes came even from other next farms to work in the party. Boy, you had to see as Eulinda was beautiful. If she was already beautiful became a fairy tale’s princess. A cinderela beside her enchanted prince that was also a very beautiful fellow. 

When the great party was over, the just married went away for honeymoon in a pretty crystal carriage and it glittered the morning sun rays. Some days afterwards the misfortune happened.      

When they were coming back the honeymoon the carriage feel in an abyss. The prince died at once and little Mistress Eulinda escaped with not even a scratch and was a miracle of God. After that she has gone down that cellar and she hasn’t wanted to know someone else anymore. She hasn’t gone up from there for anything.    

My mother died. Then I started caring about the little Eulinda that everybody started to call of´´ Widow Machado`` and created the most dreadful stories about the little poor woman. 

Ungrateful people, my god! So far I’ve been caring about girl and I don’t understand why they invented that such foolish story! 

Of this matter when was full moon night, the boys invented several ways to entertain themselves. They played of hide-and-seek, small flag, whistle-my-canary. But what they liked more were fairy tales told by the mother Amelia sitting on frame. The boys took up the whole moonlit terrace to listen to her.  Mother Amelia told a lot of tales. She started by the crooked Moura, next the stepmother which buried the living girl in the jungle, next the werewolf, next the big potato of fire and she finished with the Widow Machado’s tale, the most waited tale by the boys.    

It is the story about a very old woman who lived in a cellar and to extend her life, as she was over one hundred years old, she had to eat children’s liver.  

Every boy who heard the Widow Machado’s tale got afraid. Every they felt a full cold that the whole body was terrified. All that because Lady Marileon lived very over there. They saw in poor old centenarian woman the Widow Machado’s frightening figure only because the poor woman had worked for her like maid. Many boys believed that. They thought it was true. The old woman had really something very odd. 

That mother Amelia told wasn’t a fairy tale, it was really true. So, Lady Marileon had to travel every weekend. It was a mysterious trip. Where a such old woman went to alone every weekend? That is the big enigma. One day, a man saw her in tall town, going to the widow Machado’s old mansion. She was always with a bag on her back. Is that bag full of children’s lived? Isn’t it?     

For the boys the widow Machado’s story was the realest fairy tale that could have among all they heard tell, that only because of Lady Marileon’ nearness    

By the time, actually, in truth, the old centenarian was a well of silence. However it was that mummy’ silence that scared most of the Siqueira Campos’ children. Mainly when they passed by the railway and they saw her cleaning the backyard with a hoe with her head put down almost buried on the ground, they told some to others:  “ Look at, She’s there covered up. She want to get one of us. Any fool to take to the widow Machado to eat the liver.”  

When the old woman, without seeing what was happening around, she looked up to see the time… the scared boys saw in any of her movement, a threat. Then, they went away running very fast and anything could reach them.     

The old Marileon wasn’t a talkative person. She talked to few people. One of the few people she talked to was Sir Oivatum, father of Ossiab. To who she admitted to talk once in a while. However she didn`t talk a lot of matters. Only things of her interest.   One day, Sir Oivatum believing closeness he had with the old woman he wanted to know how old was she. Nevertheless she answered that way:    

“What’s that? That can’t happen anyway”.    

The old woman hated the Sir Oivatum`s question and she told him several unpleasant things.    

“Respect me. Anybody with my age can’t say how old is! I can be your grandmother over and over and over again. That can’t happen anyway!”   

Lady Marileon was of a time in which old people wasn`t related younger people. the children mustn`t hear what adults were talking     

“Go to the kitchen_ boy, we`re talking now!”          

It was this way. When Sir Oivatum realized she hated his question, He tried to change the matter. Lady Marileon talked but when she noticed she was over talking, she sent him way with no discomfort. Even so, he got on well with her.  

It know that one day every and any stone will dry water above it to the string pass by. Then, it happened with Lady Marileon, Which actually didn`t like children. However, one day she opened her doors to the boy Ossiab and every fear and ghost they had with regard to Marileon ended.   

 Ossiab lived for everyone in that people`s little place. As everybody needed his precious water of gallon. But he had never put water for Lady Marileon. Ossiab trembled when Adud asked him to put water for his mother. And like all boys, he was also afraid of old woman. Ossiab even dreamt about the Widow Machado. And, even frightened, he took water for Lady Marileon. It was a big surprise: as soon as she saw him, small, thin almost malnourished carring all that burden over him, she said amazed: “Oh my god, you are a very small and young boy to carry so much weight. I wonder if Oivatum don’t see that. Little poor! My son, come here, but be careful. Help me take water to my bedroom. Watch out for the doorjamb. Watch out for the small chair. Adub really have no shame, he always put that small chair here. We can fall and hurt ourselves”.   Ossiab avoided making the smallest noise and he didn’t say a word. The old woman that didn’t talk a lot to the people was talking. Ossiab was who didn`t say anything. he was there, but it was as if he wasn’t. She carried on talking to herself. Ossiab was quiet, dumb. Each favor the old woman asked him it was the crucial moment.   ``Now She will get me and she will take my liver off !``. He remembered the eater of liver. And this wasn`t man as the people said. It was a woman. It was there, in Lady Marileon`s figure. He was taking the gallon of water to the dark bedroom and she was going behind him, in a staggering step. There, in the bedroom – he thought – a misfortune would happen.   

Adud arrived by the main door and a light in the street lighted up inside house. The soul of Ossiab was pacified, at once he was going back to the kitchen, he looked full of life. Everything was enlightened by the presence of Adud.   The old woman, satisfied, put the hand inside her printed lace dress` pocket_ Ossiab was still eyed opened_ got a fifty centavos coin and paid for the work. He felt the happiest boy of that people`s little place. Very happy, he went away saying that he would come back the following day, before he get to the well he cried happy and successful:    “Wonderfuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuul, she paid me in cash!”      Ossiab was friend of the widow Machado and of the Lady Marileon that always paid him and gave him very fairly sweet-smelling bars of soap like gift.     

THE ENCANTED WOOD  

 For the dwellers from Belém  

Tavik and Maurik were walking by the enchanted wood. It was Sunday, the afternoon was cheerful and peaceful. A good moment to drink an ice cream, eat popcorn and have a good fun. It was exactly what they were living with intensity 

They had already covered nearly all the attraction points` wood and it was almost time to come back home. But, there was a place they had kept to later: the cavern. This was too dark and frightening caused shiver. Even so they decided to come into.     

 The sun disappeared slowly behind the giant trees of that place.    

Tavik was the first to come into the cavern and when he came into he felt something strange blowing his back. It seemed as if anything was trying to scare him.  Next, It was the time of Maurik who felt the same cold wind blowing his backbone.  

All of a sudden come down of the cavern`s ceiling, an enormous shadow, a black cloud toward them. Causing a big noise. 

 Scared, they went away running by the streets of enchanted wood. They were running toward ramparts of the castle. They came to the castle, went up the stairs in which the wolf was. ]the guardian of the forest.] the forest`s guardian. 

when they saw it lain down, looking at the endless jungle, like an eternal and real watch. Were much more scared.  

However, the wolf it was a tame animal. He didn`t damage anybody. He guarded the Amazonia`s jungle and the flowers. 

When Maurik and Tavyk realized they were in castle beside the wolf that was saying worried  ``Let`s go children, climb fast I have to take you from here.  

 It`s not time to take a walk in the enchanted wood.``  

The wolf took them from there very fast, running away of that awful and strange thing that was still following them since the cavern.   

The wolf was running away of that horrible thing. Running at top speed to set the boys free. The wolf was running so fast that it seemed to be flying. And the two boys were over it, They held its hair to not fall.  It appeared to be an everything they saw in the wood’s retrospective. Because the wolf was used to staying on the castle’s ramparts. It wasn’t used to taking a walk for these streets, exactly afternoon that time. It really couldn’t  meet the exit main.   

They passed by the bridge in which Iara protected the wood’s rivers and lakes. At the time, She was taking her of all afternoons bathe beside the turtles. She used to wait the visitors to go out for she to bath. 

But, if she knew the children were who went on wolf’s back, she would have had too much shame, and, maybe she never again appeared that time to bath.

 As the wolf was very fast, Iara tried to identify who were over the wolf’s back, but fortunately she couldn’t do. Even so she thought very strange the wolf running so fast, so early. She thought to be the Saci-Pererê with one more prank, oh Had the Caipora changed the savage pig’s back for the wolf?

 _She asked full of doubt to mother of water. However, the wolf realized Iara was there bathing, exhibiting her beautiful and long hair like the most precious forest’s ebony towel. Involving her beautiful naked mother of water’s body. Then, It did its most to she don’t realize it was taking the children. Therefore, It passed so fast like an aircraft.    

 The guardian wanted to save the boys of that monster. He was in a hurry to take them from there and to come back its place at once. its duty it was to watch higher part of forest. From the top it could see the whole forest. So It ran like a scared animal running away from predator. He had to take its place on. The boys, unwillingly, went on retrospective.   

After the bridge where Iara was, went on until cowfish and pirarucu’s lake. Very fast they got to the electric eels’ dwelling passing by the piranhas and other species of  fish from the Amazonas’aquarium.

 Next, they went to the playground passing by the place in which turtles lived in harmony among a lot of alligators, they were in monkeys, macaws, parrots and paroquets’ space.   The wolf’s speed got almost all animals of the wood more and more scared and an uproar of parrots, macaws, monkeys, cicadas, crickets and other animals of the forest invaded that world, getting that end of Sunday afternoon a very different day for all dwellers of the enchanted wood, because anybody didn’t know what’s going on. 

 The trouble was the wolf trying to help the children, ran a lot throughout wood and making plenty of noise. And the worst thing: It didn’t find the exit. 

All because it hadn’t never left its place before. That had been the first time only to help the children. Maurik and Tavik got so scared that they couldn’t speak but they tried several times to show the way for the wolf, but they weren’t successful. Everybody was afraid to look back to see what was really following them since when they left that cavern. The cold wind was still blowing their back terrifically. Neither they no the wolf looked back.  

 Very long time later, in spite of they are near the exit, it was when they found it. When Tavik let the wolf still in trouble: ‘Hey, hey dear wolf! The road is that way. There is the exit.’’ 

 Then, the wolf remembered that it had two friends guardians of the forest as well, with duty to protect the whole ground part in enchanted wood’s entrance.     

They were two men whose the children were too much frightened and at the time, over than six o’ clock p.m. their main attraction it was to frighten the children that were still in enchanted wood.  

It was when the guardians felt the smell and they realized the boys on wolf’s back. They got ready to frighten them as  they deserved. But the wolf was smarter. As It knew what its friends wanted to do, It started to run more and more toward to men, It told the boys to hold on it very well ‘cause it will jump on the two ‘’intruders’’. 

The wolf was approaching more and more and they were still on its way. Then, with about three meters away the two men, the wolf sprang so high that the forest’s little men couldn’t see it and they didn’t feel the smell of the children either, when they passed over their heads.       

When the wolf got to the enchanted wood, It left the boys lit with the lights of the posts and stores across the street. 

Because of lighting Tavik and Maurik got their conscience back and they were calmer and they were courageous to turn around and to look at into the enchanted wood What did they see? The immense forest that presented itself for them as if it was a giant cavern Open-mouthed..inside the frightening big dark mouth there was an awful and enourmous animal’s figure that had followed them as far as there.    

It was an enourmous animal with opened wings flying everywhere, to hide from the external light not to dazzle its eyes of night owl. It was the owner of the cavern: the big old bat.      The boys could still see the wolf talking to three small men that looked like more dwarves than adults. Surely, they weren’t the snow white’s dwarves. However they were brazilian fauna and flora’s protectors, mainly of that oasis in Belém. 

 But, the strangest thing of all that it was the three men the boys saw were characters of some story they had ever read or heard but they couldn’t remember them.  One of the men had only one leg; the other man had two legs but his feet were turned backward; and the third man was the strangest of all because he had three legs.

 When all of a sudden, the boys’ parents arrived and one of them asked:      

“Did you like walking by the enchanted wood?”   

Maurik and Tavik looked at one another without talking anything and started to smile.    

 That was the first day of class after some long vacation by the north of the country. Little Távio and Little Maurício were smiling and still sleeping by the time their mother awoke them to take a shower and to brush their teeth.   

THE BIG POTATO OF FIRE’S LEGEND   

Dedicated to the fishermen from Igapó and Redinha  

It is reported that two very experienced fishermen invited a friend of them to fish. That friend didn’t know how would be a fishing at night.

 He thought very strange those men leaving their houses when the afternoon was ending and they coming back home only the following day. He was dying to record that reality. In a book maybe, the night-at-night of that men. 

 Eventually the day has come. That’s the night. And the journalist followed the fishermen very happy. He was really happy and He was also afraid. 

  While the two fishermen wore simple clothes, their friend was wearing so many clothes he had looked an apiculturist. He made that to protect from mosquitoes and flies. His friends laughed at him. But he was quite aware about what he would face and said only:

 Prevention is better than cure.  And they all went to the mangrove, to the tide. Actually the fishing was a kind of farce. Therefore, they would have to leave their home when the night was starting, before the tide fill. They had to prepare and stick the wands in the mud covering the whole ditch; right away they would have to extend the long net over the wands, keeping it high while the tide was coming in. when it reached its level they would lower the net to get it caught by forks on bed of the river.  

By the time the tide started to go out, it was time fishing. A very hoped moment.  That was a slow and hard work, but they thought so natural they didn’t show any tiredness. While the journalist like a real writer sitting on the prow of the canoe with paper and pen in his hands, he didn’t even miss a detail. He recorded everything what he saw interesting in his report.   

It was over than midnight when the tide started to leak. The net tied up by forks closed the whole ditch to confine all fish that the tide had brought. The researcher was observing by far, concentrated with such a wonderful spectacle made by those men and above all by the nature. Well the ditch was full of food, lots of fish: carapebas, carapicu, tainha, shrimp and much more. The canned new person saw that all effort made by those poor fishermen was worthwhile.             

  Really the two men had never seen so many fish. They thought even their friend was a very lucky man.    

 The night was very dark. There was a lighted oil lamp in other extremity of the canoe that was blown by the wind. The wind was blowing stronger and stronger and it blew the oil lamp out.     

Now everything was utterly dark. Even the conscience of the researcher was dark. A quick sensation of fear-fright-horror took up his soul. But that sensation was soon attenuated when he saw a light in the dark. But he noticed the light came from inside the water.   “Had it been the oil lamp that was lit and floating?” But the light came in the back flow of the water toward him. “How could that happen?” he was afraid, but he wanted to record that fantastic moment. After all, a good reporter couldn’t miss such an important opportunity. And the fear would be the only thing that couldn’t exist, he ought to control it.                 

He was quite aware, that light wasn’t the oil lamp when it had fallen on the river.                                                                                         

It was an intense, growing and destructive fire, burning mangroves and incredibly walking on the surface of the river. And the worst of all. The fire was going toward his friends. And it was strange they notice nothing at all. They were happy and enchanted by the enormous amount of fish along the ditch. He tried to cry in order to let his friend know about the danger. But he didn’t get.   

His voice didn’t come out. He was voiceless in the end of world. 

However, with some strength, tranquility and alive conscience he could leave the canoe and to reach dry land. He could still take a look behind and was afraid not to go back in time to save his friends. So, he started to run very fast. The fear made him run-fly in the clear-dark of the morning.     

The clear of the tide served to light part of his way of despair up. His destination had a right direction. 

 When he got in the first phone booth called the emergency: 911      

 And the fire department got in the morning and in that moment he thought the fishermen were already ash.    

Then, the men started to fight against the fire. It was a fire like all other. But, the firefighters couldn’t combat it; they had already put bigger fire out before.  However, after over than thirty minutes trying to put the fire out the result was disappoint. They were beaten by the tide’s fire monster.  

 Definitely that wasn’t a common fire. Maybe it was really the supernatural fire many people talked about   But neither the friend nor the firemen wanted to believe these stories. That was superstition. Things that the dwellers of that region believed.   The investigator between the fear and the pleasure, paradoxically, recorded the cruel and melancholy way of his friends’ death. He also tried to record ipsis litteris the explicit despair of that professional workers, who very tired by trying to put the fire out decided to ask reinforcement by the radio. Well the tank truck was almost empty and the tragedy could increase too much destroying the mangrove.   

              The “friend-writer”, trying to relieve his tension carelessly struck a match to light the cigar. The unbreakeable and extraordinary hell went out suddenly like a miracle. Remaining only a private paradise’s dying flame in his hands in all that wastness of peace, of tranquility in his heart and in firefighters’ hearts.    At last, ecstatic, voiceless and without understanding what was happing over there, they watched the men coming out unharmed of the bog, very happy, among the trees, with bags full of fish and the canoe full of provisions. And anybody didn’t notice that tidying up.    And at distance one of them shouted saying:     

“Well, my friend, you are too prepared. Just a lorry to carry all these fish!”     

 Later, the “writer” after thinking about the situation which he had asked one of the fishermen which kind of fire was that.     The fisherman making fun of his friend, answered:     

“That was the fire of the big potato, my dear! Didn’t you know?”

   And he asked right away: 

  “Who did light the match?”  

  The friend, un-happy, feeling a hero on the contrary said:     

  “Was I”     

   Definitely, like a good and faithful writer, he didn’t omit the best part of his 

THE MANGO TREE OF EIGHT: 

THE LEGEND OF THE MAN WITHOUT A HEAD.

                 

   It is said that there is a mine under the mango tree of the eight. The men that tried to take it off one day got along badly. That happened a long time ago.  

 Two very courageous men decided to take that mine off anyway.  They don’t care what would happen they would take it off, even though that action caused danger of death.   But, there was a condition to take the mine off: It had to be Friday thirteenth, preferably at midnight when the moon was full.  

 The men were really decided. They were waiting the day, the time and the moon. They said goodbye to their relatives, friends and left for the adventure, as well as all single young people, excitement-seeker looking for wealth, they left taking the tools that they needed: shovels, picks, hoes and much more.   The moon was in the center of sky and it lit up exactly the place in which the fortune was. Anybody didn’t need map. That was a very interesting thing. The “x” of the treasure was a hundred years old mango tree in which trunk there was an enormous hole. The so-called mango tree of the figure eight.

 It was all ready. It was needed simply courageous people.

 And the two men were very courageous as well as euphoric and bold.    However it was exactly that free, ready and easy thing that scared nearly everybody. So hardly anybody tried to get rich. That is, until while didn’t show up courageous men, like that two.   

The two men laughed very happy when they saw the place of the mine. It was so light that seemed day. They only needed to dig and within a few hours they would be rich.   They started to work. When one of them was tired, the other took his place. And they carried on until touch on something, a soft thing, like the cover of a very old box.  

They looked at one another and laughed for a long time in the night. They held themselves and jumped for joy singing this way:  

 “We are rich! We are rich!...”  Well, they were bragging too much early. That is, before they measure what it’ll happen later.                      

When they took the sand off the cover of the box, they realized that it there was an odd thing. It was a drawing. It was a picture of two snakes forming a cross and in the middle of it, a skull with two guns in “x” therefore under, it was written: “congratulations! You’ve gotten the first part and to arrive at other part someone will have to die.”  

“Who will die are you, I won’t!”          

Both of them were already ready, one beside other within the hole. One with a shovel and the other the pick. Making silence and very carefully they decided to open the box together. 

   Who had the pick decided to destroy the old and rusty padlock; who had the shovel lifted the cover up and at once, very fast everyone caught one of the two guns from inside of the old box.   

   It was two old fire gaffe of a crossbow. They jumped up from the pit and at the same time they heard noise of the guns reverberating everywhere. The two snakes had held the leg of each of them in an accurate jump. The shots served to kill the snakes. There were two bullets in every gun. Now there was only one for each of them. And that it would decide who would win the duel. That would be a real and fatal duel.

 .   All was decided in seconds.      

 They were healthy, smart, fast and vivacious but also very ambitious young people.

      The moon was the unique witness of that bewilderment. It lighted the imminent life of those two young people up. It was morning very early but it seemed day because it was too much bright.  

      They could see themselves through their eyes. They didn’t have any chance to throw. They were waiting only an opportunity. A carelessness. Only to open and to close eyes would be fatal, and everything would be determined.   

      When the moon stopped to be witness they decided the duel. When the moon appeared again, one of the young people was on the ground with a bullet in his heart. The other had only a scratch shot on his left breast.

       The winning young man dying to get rich smiled for the last time and said:

     “Now this box’ wealth will be only for me. Only for me! 

     I’m rich! I’m rich! Rich! Rich!” 

     He came down the ravine and started to work again. Alone this time! 

     He took the box out of the pit and realized that there was another box under that other. He could take it out of the pit very easily. 

     Then He saw that there was the other skull’s figure on the cover of the box. He was scared but his will to get rich was bigger than his fear. 

      He broke the padlock and when he opened the box his eyes dazzled because of the precious stones’ brightness and because of the moonlight radiating the last night of an moribund person. There were gold medal, trends, rubies, diamonds and lots of coins as well.        

      When all that is happening the young men is with his back turned to the dark hole on trunk of the mango tree of eight. When he was miles away, exactly of that hole come out a skull with such a sharp scythe that it shone with the moonlight and very fast:               “Twiiissht”: cut his head off.     

      In this moment, a man without a head, like a crazy went out running all over the world saying, screaming very loud:    “I am rich! I’m rich! Rich! Rich!