WNWN XXVIII

The two men had finished breakfast and were drinking their coffee as they considered their course of action.
Conrad had been clearly affected by the nightmare experience of the leaping, phantom jaguar.
“Mr. Hewlett, I don’t think we should go back in that cave,” said Conrad. "I think El Indio is telling the truth.”
Paul stared at Conrad for a while.
“Conrad, you have never been, …un-nerved…like this before,” said Paul.
“We’ve never seen anything like this. I don’t like it.” Conrad was nervous, fidgety.
Paul didn’t like the look of this. He depended on Conrad’s backup.
“You’ll just have to get a hold of yourself man! Buck it up!” Paul spoke forcefully, much like a sports coach.
“Well, I am going back down there. You don’t have to come if you don’t want to. I’ll go by myself.”
Conrad looked crushed, his face flushed. He didn’t say anything for a while, then he said “I’ll go. I can’t let you down.”
“Look, we’ll take a break today and rest and go back tomorrow. OK?” Paul patted Conrad on each shoulder reassuringly.
“Yeah, Ok,”
Conrad went out to the deck to exercise. Paul returned to his workload which he had brought along.
Just before noon El Indio appeared on the front porch and knocked at the door.
Paul welcomed him and he took a seat at the table with Paul. He accepted a cup of tea.
“Senor Hewlett, please, you must give up the idea of going back into the cave. The spirits know of your presence And they are waiting for you. Already some have come out into the world. I have been able to force them back but it is hard to do,” El Indio pleaded.
“I know you don’t believe me but I am telling the truth,”
“It doesn’t really matter if you are telling the truth or not. I am going ahead with my plans no matter what. This is my place and I can do what I want.” Paul was emphatic in his speech. He was full of mixed emotions, fear, anger, resentment and unusually for Paul, doubt, fatigue.
“I know you have plans for this place, for the cave. I don’t know exactly what but I know it is not to be a good thing. I feel there is an immense danger connected with your plans,” replied El Indio.
“Your plans will force the people of el rancho off the land. Their families have lived here for generations…they are part of this land.
They have nourished the land and raised the crops, tended to the cattle and horses and livestock…they are born here, give birth here, die here. And you will send them away?”
“The land is mine. All legal and proper. I paid for it and I can do what I will with it!” Paul fired back.
“You white men think you can ‘own’ the land! A foolish thought,” said El Indio. “You have a piece of paper, for which you exchanged other pieces of paper. For that you think you own the land! The people living here have spent their lives here as did their past generations. Their dead are buried here. Their children are born here. They have worked this land, protected it, made it bountiful. And you say that you own the land! Senor, that makes no sense in the real world.”
“In the real world as I know it this place belongs to me and I make the decisions as to what happens here,” Paul shot back.