JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE OLD LADY Chapter I - Part 2 PERMISSION IS REQUIRED FOR ENTERING SOMEONE ELSE’S HOME

By Yuris Nórido
Illustration: Eric Silva

The illuminated room was indescribably beautiful. Not a serene beauty, self-controlled, or a beauty easy to assimilate, but an exuberant beauty, up to the point that it was hard to imagine it was real, not a virtual stage of a Disney film or a fairy tale and princesses performed by Tim Burton. It was difficult to admit, above all, that behind the discolored and faded facade of the mansion, behind the brick walls that had lost most of the plaster, this marvelous room could be hidden.

The big mirrors in the walls, framed in gold-colored arabesques, multiplied the lights in an indescribable way, as if there were not dozens of lights, but hundreds of them illuminating the large room.

The floor was so shiny that it seemed wet. The pieces of furniture were located at both sides of the main hall, with columns and statues in line, and finished at the base of a marble stairs.

Fifteen steps further up, there was a landing, topped with a big hammered-face clock showing eight hours and ten minutes.

From that step on, the stairs diverged and disappeared behind the columns.

The eight statues forged in patinated bronze, four on each side of the hall, seemed to be identical at first sight. But Casandra noticed they had different facial expressions. The one she had already examined was looking at the door, serenely, without showing any feeling; the statue behind this was frowning; the third one had a face of astonishment; and the fourth one, at the base of the stairs, appeared to be about to cry.

Judging by their hairstyle and the majesty of their bearings, Casandra was already convinced that they were goddesses, despite the exaggerated volume of their hips. The first goddess to the left was biting her lips, tormented by worry; the second one was smiling with certain disdain; the third one had an expression of curious child; while the last one was openly roaring with laughter.

All of them were holding a torch-shaped lamp with a hand, and with the other, they were delicately tightening ripe tangerines.

- Who lit up the lights? –asked Roberto at last, a little frightened.

- It’s got to be her –answered Casandra, still half-confused by the surprise- Maybe she’s already coming.

- Are you sure this old lady lives alone? –asked Roberto, stunned by so much cleanliness, luxury and organization.

- That’s what my cousin told me.

- Well look, I tell you that you need al least ten people to keep clean a house like this.

- The old lady could possibly hire someone to do the cleaning from time to time.

- You mean to do the cleaning every day, because there isn’t a single dust particle anywhere.

Casandra moved a few steps; she stopped at the level of the second couple of statues and started to look around.

- How much money it’s needed to keep all these so pretty?

- I’ve no idea, but I’m sure that it’s much more than the amount this old lady is given by the social security. I find it strange that this old lady may need help, as your cousin told us. Are you sure that she wants us coming to live here? Will she ask us to pay for a rent?

- No, dear. I already told you that what we have to do is to help her with the housework and to spend some time with her at nights.

- But I still think that we better speak clearly with your cousin before doing anything else.

Without taking too much attention to Roberto, Casandra went closer to one of the set of furniture; she passed the hand by the back of one armchair, looked at her finger tips and sat down. Roberto approached her a little bit anxious.

- Look, Casandra, I’m getting nervous. All this is very strange. We better get out of here and wait outside. If the old lady appears, good; if not, we go and come back tomorrow.

- Oh! Roberto, please, shut your mouth, all your chatter is making my head spin. Don’t get ahead of yourself. I’ve told you this so many times: just live the present.

And as a support for her words, she opened her arms wide open and sighed deeply.

- Bring me the tea, please, Roberto –she joked, with a high-pitched voice.

But Roberto wasn’t in the mood for jokes.

- I don’t get how you can enter someone else’s house and sit down so calmly with no permission to do so. Don’t you find strange that we haven’t seen the old lady yet?

- My cousin had already warned me that the old lady was a little strange. She will appear, don’t worry... Look –Casandra stood up in one go, took the fruit from the down-in-the-mouth statue and threw it to Roberto- eat a tangerine.

In that moment they heard a deafening noise, as if a lightning would have struck a few meters from the house. Casandra and Roberto yelled at once, lights blinked, the chandelier’s beads tinkled, the hinges creaked and the door slammed shut.

- Let’s go! –said Casandra and took Roberto by the hand.

They ran to the door of the room and fought to open the lock. They could open the door after a few minutes, pushed one leaf and were face to face with the old lady who was humbly smiling in the semidarkness of the doorway.

- Good evening –said the old lady.

- Miaow –greeted the black one-eyed cat that had settled itself upon her head.

Casandra and Roberto yelled at once, even stronger.

continue... ...Part 1 Colaboración de: Yakelyn Hernández