The vision was kind of a guilty pleasure. I smiled to myself as I watched the detailsunfold. It all started with military humvees with bulletproof body armor pulling into herdriveway. Maria would look out of the window and then scream as she watched a fleet ofsoldiers dressed in battle fatigues climb onto her porch.
She would run and hide in one of the back rooms of her house, while the soldiersbusted down her door with an A2 Bazooka machine gun. They would then enter,climbing through a mountain of debris and sifting through a cloud of dust. They wouldhave their M16 rifles loaded and would be more than ready to spread led into anybodywho posed a threat.
They would search virtually every room, breaking down the doors with one violentkick. They entered the last room to find Maria hiding in a corner like an illegal immigrantabout to be deported. The commander in charge would point his barrel at her head anddemand for her to lead them to the subject in question.
A shivering Maria walked them through the house to the basement. She wouldfumble with her keys as she struggled to unlock the door. The soldiers would becomeimpatient with her and then break the lock by shooting it with a live bullet. They wouldshine their flashlights and spot a pair of luring eyes peering over a huge heap of brownboxes.
The commander would plunge forward, and I would leap into his arms like a babypanda longing for captivity. His eyes would melt, as I wrapped my arms around hisshoulders. I would then point at Maria and began to scorn her, like I was an official laborinspector. Shame on you Maria! Shame on you! Maria would be on her knees beggingGod for redemption and asking the soldiers to spare her life.
The commander would look at her with disgust and then walk out of Maria’s homewith me in his arms, guiding me into the light, like a POW returning home. Yes, thatwould be the life. I looked down and kicked one of the boxes. I jumped when I heard aloud thump. Curious, I kicked it again, but heard nothing. I shrugged my shoulders butbecame startled when I heard it again. I looked around the room and realized that thesound was coming from upstairs.
Warily, I climbed up the narrow stairway holding the rail. I walked into the kitchenand saw that the door was left ajar. I walked over and examined it and found that thescreen latch was broken, it flapped clumsily in the wind, like a bird with a broken wing,slamming against the doorframe with a loud thud. I caught hold of it and tried to pull itshut but the wind was too strong. Then I thought that I heard something.
“Help me.”
I walked out to the porch and looked around. Everything was covered in white! Istared, with an innocent amazement as I watched flurries fall down and blanket the earth.The trees seemed to have come alive, basking with glee, as they proudly brandished thepowdery substance on their bark and limbs. I held up my hands. I smiled as I felt thesnow flutter from the sky. They seemed to vanish, as they dissolved into the confines ofmy skin. I had been so angry before, but now there was a sudden peacefulness inside ofme. I couldn’t understand why.
“Yemayá,” I said as I turned around in slow circles. I didn’t know why I said that.Her energy was tingling my body like wind chimes.
“Yemayá.” I yelled again. I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply.
I opened them and my jaw dropped. I was in complete and utter disbelief as I staredat a three hundred plus pound Maria, hanging from a thick tree branch. Her neck wasgrossly distorted and positioned in an awkward angle from the noose that was tied aroundit. Her feet grazed the top of a tall stool that she had used to secure the rope to the tree.Her face was turning beat red, and she was prattling like a whale trying to get back to thesea.
My body was moving in slow motion as I ran toward her. There seemed to have beena dormant alto ego that began to rage inside of me. It took over, and I frantically plungedforward, sticking out my chest and moving my limbs at an accelerated pace. I was highoff of adrenaline and with time against me, I decided to slide in like a batter stealing thirdbase.
Unfortunately, I was short stopped by a vicious kick in the fore head by Maria. Irolled over, and struggled to block out the pain, when I realized that I had mistakenlyknocked the stool from under her legs. Her body was now suspended in the air. I movedto action by grabbing a hold of both of her feet and tried to push her up. Maria was huge,and trying to push her up was as useless as holding a brawler’s bunching bag.
She was panicking, and she unintentionally belted out hammer punches and jumpingback kicks that I skillfully swept and dodged. She was way too fast for me, and shemanaged to catch me square in the jaw with a flying round house kick. It knocked meclear off of my feet. And I grimaced as I felt the ooze of fresh blood and the crackle ofdislodged teeth.
With an undying determination, I shot back up again and continued to lift her up,trying to take some pressure off the noose. Gravity and fate seemed to be on our sidebecause the branch, no longer able to hold Maria’s massive weight, gave way. It snapped,breaking clearly in half, causing her to throttle full force to the ground. I sighed withrelief as I collapsed a few feet next her.
I felt like I had just fought twelve rounds in a boxing ring. The snow was cold, butsoothing, I nestled my face in it and
