13 // Are You Sure? (A Fictional Short Story)
Natalia rubbed her face. She had just fallen off the motorcycle.
She and her brother had left their homeland, Chile, hoping to live the American dream. They were heading towards California on a motorcycle driven by her older brother, Rogério. A coven was expecting them there, although Natalia knew nothing about it.
Rogério was a typical macho Latino: dark-haired, confident, and arrogant. He wore stubble and had a hoarse but deep voice.
They had been riding for days. Exhausted from the long journey up the continent, Rogério failed to notice a speed bump, and they both ended up falling. There was nothing left to do but spend the night at an inn called Inti Wasi, right after crossing into Guatemala.
Both slightly hurt, they sat on their beds and began a light conversation, trying to rethink their travel plans.
The Weight of Secrets
Natalia noticed that her brother's expression had suddenly become serious. He remembered that a woman he believed he loved was waiting for him in California. Yet he was still unsure whether he was ready to take that step.
Natalia looked at him. “You're so serious again. It almost seems like you're afraid of something.”
Rogério hesitated. “Do you think this fall is a sign that we should slow down? Maybe change our plans?”
Natalia stared at him in disbelief. “What do you mean, change our plans? We spent all our money preparing for this move, and now you're feeling insecure? Don't you think it's a little late to change our plans? How can we interrupt this trip now?” She shook her head. “We've already sold everything we inherited to get out of our country, and now you're wavering? Why?”
“I don't know,” Rogério muttered. “I don't feel the same certainty I had before we started the trip. I can't explain it, but this fall... I don't know.” He stopped himself. For the first time, he no longer looked like the strong, determined man he had so skilfully pretended to be. “What if this is a mistake? What if I don't get along with Magdalene? What if our plan to start a new business fails? What if...?”
He fell silent. Rogério was keeping a heavy secret from Natalia.
He had never told her that Magdalene was a different kind of woman. He had never told his baby sister that Magdalene was a Wiccan. He had never even admitted that he, himself, was a Wiccan. Long before meeting Magdalene in an online chat group, Rogério had already started practising witchcraft. Natalia, a devoted Christian, would never have approved of such a thing, let alone of Rogério's plans to travel to California and join a coven.
Rogério pushed the thoughts aside and looked into his sister's sweet eyes. “Maybe I'm just tired. I think we should rest. Tomorrow is another day.”
Natalia, without the slightest clue about what was really going on, gave him a short answer. “Okay. Let's go to sleep. Tomorrow everything will look different.”
Oh, she never imagined just how different it would be.
The Visitor in the Night
During the night, Rogério began having a terrible nightmare. He woke up choking, his heart pounding. “Oh my God. What is going on?”
Natalia was still sleeping. Rogério got out of bed and hurried outside, taking long strides towards his motorcycle. Then he stopped, unable to believe his eyes.
A being made of light stood over the motorcycle, apparently praying over it. At first, Rogério thought it might be someone from the inn. But when he started walking towards the light, something pulled him backwards. A powerful magnetic force held him in place.
Then the being spoke. “Do you understand what is going on?”
Rogério froze. Nothing, not even a breath, came out of his mouth.
The apparition continued. “We were sent by an ancient source. You still don't know who you are?”
Rogério finally pulled himself together. His thoughts began racing. I love tequila, but I haven't had anything to drink for days. I wanted to stay clean for the journey. He swallowed hard. “As far as I know, I'm Rogério the Wiccan. I practise devotional work and make offerings to my demons. I only work with the underworld. Why are you here?” He tried to sound confident.
The being's voice remained calm. “We made you fall.”
Rogério stared at him. “What?”
“The accident. It was not an accident.”
Rogério looked back at the motorcycle. “You did that?”
“We did,” the figure affirmed. “We were protecting you and your sister.”
“Protecting us from what?”
The being paused. “You are both carrying an ancient legacy. A legacy your parents knew about before they died. Before their deaths, they asked us to guide you.”
Rogério felt the blood drain from his face. “My parents?”
“Yes.”
“Who are you?”
“We are the Council of Light.”
Rogério swallowed. “And what exactly do you want from me?”
“We want you to fulfil your purpose.”
“My purpose?” Rogério shook his head. “This is insane. I'm a Wiccan. I practise witchcraft. I make offerings. I work with the underworld. So what does any of that have to do with you?”
“Everything.”
Rogério stared at the figure as a cold sensation moved through him. “Then tell me. What are you talking about?”
“Magdalene,” the voice echoed.
Rogério's expression changed. “What about her?”
“She does not want you to fulfil your purpose. She is using the dark forces to influence your choices. She wants you to remain with her.”
“She loves me,” Rogério insisted. “That's what people do when they love each other.”
“She has known for one year that someone else will enter your life,” the being revealed calmly. “Someone who will bring you back to the light. She is trying to stop you.”
He shook his head. “No. I don't believe you.”
“You don't have to believe us.”
“Then why tell me?”
“Because your sister is in danger. They want her pure soul.”
Rogério froze, his breathing quickening. “Natalia? Magdalene's coven? You're saying they're going to sacrifice my sister?”
“If you continue towards California, that is the path you are choosing,” the being replied.
“Why didn't you warn me before?”
“We tried. Through your dreams. You ignored them.”
Rogério remembered the strange dreams he had been having for months. His stomach tightened. “What happens if I don't go to California?”
“You may begin to fulfil the purpose your parents entrusted to us.”
“And if I go to California?”
The being's light seemed to grow dimmer. “Then you will discover the consequences yourself.”
Rogério stared at the fading figure. “Who are you?”
“My name is Michael.” The voice became distant as the light dissolved.
“Wait!” Rogério stepped forward. “What am I supposed to do?”
Michael's final words lingered in the quiet night: “Choose freely.”
Then he was gone.
A Change of Course
Rogério stood alone beside the motorcycle. For a moment, he could hear nothing but his own heavy breathing.
“The fuck,” he muttered, rubbing his face. “I think I'm crazy. I think I'm hallucinating.”
He turned back towards the inn. Natalia was standing next to the door, looking at him without understanding what the hell was going on. She had woken up and gone outside looking for him.
Rogério stared at her. She was the person he loved more than anyone in the world. Now, he felt angry, devastated, and completely divided. He moved closer to her.
“What if we try our luck in Mexico?”
Natalia frowned. “What do you mean?”
“We're only a few hours away from the border,” Rogério explained quickly. “You know we still have family living in Mexico. Maybe California is too far-fetched for us. At least for now. What do you think about starting a new life in Mexico instead?”
“What about Magdalene? She's your fiancée. What are you going to tell her?” Natalia asked incredulously.
Rogério looked at his sister, the weight of the angel's warning heavy on his chest. “Sometimes silence is the best thing to do. If you don't explain, you won't be subjected to harsh judgement or the influence of dark forces.”
Natalia was shocked. “But she is your future wife!”
Rogério looked at her for a long, silent moment.
“Are you sure?”
#fiction #short-story #supernatural #mystery #suspense