Are you alright my dear, asked Mr.
Maravilla with great concern in his voice? Penny replied in the affirmative by
shaking her head. She was so cotton mouthed that she couldn't reply verbally. And
he tenderly added he hoped she was. My goodness you've been through so much in
the past few weeks. Be assured I am only
here to help you.
Then Penny remembered what had brought
her to this moment. She had gotten Mr.
Maravilla's name from the deed to the building. Then as though by decree, she
just knew what to do. Penny drove until she knew to pull in to the parking
front of the bar and strip club on Route 27 and waited.
While she waited, she called Mela. They
had talked every day about this time and she didn't want Mela to worry. They
talked for only a couple of minutes and no details of where she was, were
given. Penny fingered the vial of dragons blood Mela had given her as they spoke.
She tried to call Megan but decided not to leave a message. She'd try again in
a little while.
And shortly after closing her phone
Penny got out of the car, went into the strip club, sat in the booth at the
back of the stage and waited. She wasn't sure what she was waiting for, but she
was sure she had the correct time, place and heart to face this. She was more
than ready this time.
In through the front door came a very
handsome man in his early 40's, graying temples, dark complexion with chiseled
features and a rugged good looking smile. He walked right up to her and seated
himself very close to her and whispered in her ear, I knew that you would come back to me.
Penny recognized the face but it
couldn't be. This surely must be her old landlord's son for he most certainly
looked like Mr. Maravilla, only this man had the most amazing blue eyes. And yes, it was those haunting blue eyes. Just
as the younger man began to whisper into her ear and stir something primal in
her, she felt a hand on her shoulder from the opposite direction. The dizziness ensued and she was once again
swept away from the reality of the moment. She did feel herself walking towards
the door and getting into a dark car. But that was all there was in her memory
until this very moment as the older Rico Maravilla spoke his words of concern.
I have something I must share with you
my dear. What I have to explain will answer all of your concerns.
They were sitting in what looked like
the downstairs of the building that housed her cafe. Only this was furnished with
stunning antique furniture and the styling indicated a bygone era. This was
obviously a home. There were trinkets and furnishings that were not American made but rather from
foreign and exotic locales. There was a comfort in the arrangement of these
trinkets and fabrics and masks on the wall. An ease that only comes with a
polished appreciation of beautiful things.
Oh my goodness she thought, there's the
funny dragon mask there among the others on the wall.
Penny turned to the staircase that lead
upstairs to the sound of screams and muffled cries. She couldn't move but only
reacted to seeing the younger Mr. Maravilla running down the stairs and out of
the house.
Soon the room transformed to a wake
scene. The casket was occupied by a pretty young girl who obviously had had
injuries to her face and looked as though her throat had been slit. Then Penny looked
back towards the stairs and the older Mr. Maravilla and a lovely older woman
were coming down the stairs dressed in black and both were in tears.
When the couple reached the bottom of
the stairs, Mr. Maravilla left his female companion and glided up to
Penny, sat down next to her and told her the very sad and depraved tale of his
family's shame. How Zailo, his son an only child had raped and murdered his own cousin
that was staying with the family. How the shame would be on his family forever.
How his wife had committed suicide because of the disgrace only two days after
the scene that they now viewed and how he, in despair found his son, killed
him, and then himself died only a few months later from grief and shame. This
home, Penny's building, had all of the energy of the good and the bad of his
family. It had never left.
They had built this home after arriving
in America from Spain and named it Slendor House. He just could never let go of
this place, none of his family could and had been here all this long time after
death. Each time he had someone new come into the building to live or do
business, the ghost and spirit of his horrible son had caused the downfall of
said residents or owners. He had such high hopes for Megan and Penny but he
also had fear.
He and his wife had for many lifetimes tried to protect the
beings who lived or worked at Splendor House, but his son's depravity always
found a foothold.
When he realized that his son was coming
to Penny's dreams, his wife's spirit had entered the dragon mask so that when
Penny found it, she would have the insight to ask for help from a bruja like
his wife But it was Mela and her group of friends who garnered his wife's help to
Penny rid herself of the evil one. He also felt that the light was calling he
and his wife home at last because his son had no real sway over anyone in this
plane any longer. Mela and her group of pagan friends had formed a protection
chain around Penny and Megan and Splendor House. Their continued efforts had
weakened his son. And with the happenings of today, his son was now gone,
banished and with that, he too disappeared right in front of Penny's eyes.
She was sitting in the cafe, alone. The
quiet and peace of this moment was physically palatable.
The how is now told, the why is now
answered, Penny had all the pieces to the puzzle and it was time to get in touch with those
wonderful people who had rescued her from her ghost experience. As she reached
into her jacket pocket to retrieve her phone, she felt something else. It was
the dragon mask. The object that had transformed all of this and healed a
family's wounds, and helped to close the door on a very real touch with the
other side. But how had it come back into her pocket?
Mela and the others of the drumming
group, the women who had protected her would be so pleased to know they too had
help from Mrs. Splendora Maravilla, a practioner of the craft, for whom the
building had been named.
It has been my pleasure to share this tale with you. I will be adding this to my new Bell Book and Candle drippings blog by May 1st. All the other tales I have spun will also be on that blog. I hope you will drop by and take a look.
Thank you for reading Splendor House and most especially, thanks to Ms. Magaly and her 4th blogaversary celebration for another opportunity and reason to write. Also don't forget to visit Pagan Culture to sign up for the wonderful giveaways.
It has been my pleasure to share this tale with you. I will be adding this to my new Bell Book and Candle drippings blog by May 1st. All the other tales I have spun will also be on that blog. I hope you will drop by and take a look.
Thank you for reading Splendor House and most especially, thanks to Ms. Magaly and her 4th blogaversary celebration for another opportunity and reason to write. Also don't forget to visit Pagan Culture to sign up for the wonderful giveaways.
You've outdone yourself Oma. I never saw this ending coming!
ReplyDeleteThe freedom that comes with finding out answers... I love it. It's the reason why I enjoy, more than anyone, to get to the end of a mystery that kept me wondering.
ReplyDeleteI'm happy that the family has finally gone where they needed, too; especially the horrible son. And I will spend some time imagining how Penny will relate to her new Pagan friends from now on. And what will the future hold for Splendor House ;-)
P.S. When I get my cat (soon, I hope!) I plan to name her Splendora Maravilla, Mara for short. This is such a wonderful name ;-)
ReplyDeleteA wonderful ending to a powerful tale. I've loved reading it and will read it again on your Bell Book and Candledrippings blog. I'm with Magaly about the name Splendora Maravilla. I may have to give the name to the new doll I'm making. S&S
ReplyDeleteExcellent Oma Linda! You had me guessing right till the end! Fantastic writing! I truly love this story!
ReplyDeleteOh bravo! This was tied up so nicely. I have to tell you I really loved this story, Miss Oma Linda. So original and fresh! I also love the name of your new blog and can't wait to see it. Lots of love, Mina
ReplyDeleteI loved the story and the ending was just PERFECT!
ReplyDeleteBravo! I loved reading this tale. The end was not anything I could have imagined, and I'm shivering in delight.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing this tale with us!
Loved the story thank you very much!
ReplyDeleteGreat story! When is the new blog going up? I can't wait to see it :)
ReplyDelete