The Encounter

a bedside table with a little lamp on top of it. The furniture was made of a light wood and looked new, almost as if her aunt had bought it all for her visit. She stood up and opened the wardrobe door. The inside smelled of new wood and there were no clothes hangers, just as she had imagined. The bed was made and looked soft and comfy, covered by a white quilt and colored pillows. She thought that she would not be able to sleep, so she spent the next half an hour putting her clothes in the wardrobe. She felt tired when she had finished. She lay on the bed without changing her clothes. Now that her aunt was home, she felt much more relaxed and the house felt much more welcoming. After a few minutes, she fell into a deep sleep.

  The smell of freshly brewed coffee woke her up. She opened her eyes and looked out through the window at the clear and brilliant blue sky. She sat up in her bed, remembering the events of the previous night. She got up and looked outside. The forest, which had seemed so scary the night before, looked completely different in daylight. It almost looked as if it were inviting her to walk downs its paths, to enjoy the shadows of the hundreds of trees...

  From downstairs, she heard the sound of a woman signing. It must have been her aunt. She quickly changed her clothes and walked down the stairs.

  Once she was downstairs, she tried to find out where the noise was coming from. From the room she had not investigated the night before, she could hear the sound of plates clattering and a woman's voice humming. She walked over to the door and looked inside, staring fixedly at her aunt now that she was calmer. The woman was wearing a pair of jeans and a long and very loose green shirt made of thin material. Her hair was just as Luna remembered it as a child, very long and dark brown, with red hues that seemed to shimmer like copper in the rays of the sun shining through the window. Her aunt must have heard her, because she turned around and looked at her with a wide smile on her face. Luna tried to look for family features on her face but, despite seeing a little resemblance, in truth it was hard to believe that the woman standing in front of her was her father's elder sister. Her skin was very white and perfect and her green eyes seemed to glisten. Her entire face appeared to shine with radiance and youth with no signs of the worry or stress that she could normally see in her father's face. And, most important of all: it looked like the woman was overjoyed with happiness of having Luna there with her.

  — Come in, sweetheart— she sighed a deep sigh when she looked at her and shook her head while still smiling—. I was so tired last night that I couldn't tell you, but I can't believe it's you. You are so beautiful!

  — Thank you very much, aunt Emma— she replied, blushing at what her aunt had said.

  — Don't call me “aunt Emma”— the woman said, laying trays on the kitchen table—. Just Emma, please.

  — Okay— Luna sat down in the chair that her aunt pointed at, happy to know that the lack of interest her aunt seemed to feel towards her was just a figment of her imagination—. Do you feel better?

  Before answering, Emma finished pouring the coffee into two cups and placed them on the table text to a tray full of freshly cooked buns and toast.

  — Yes, much better. Like I said last night, all I needed was a bit of rest.

  — I slept really well too. I thought I wasn't going to be able to after what I thought I saw in the forest...

  — Yes, you mentioned that last night. What did you see exactly?— her aunt asked her, handing her a dark jar.

  — I'm not really sure, it's hard to describe...

  When she thought about telling her about what she had seen, it seemed ridiculous: a hooded figure carrying a torch and with flaming eyes. It was very possible that it had just been a dream or her imagination running away with her due to the emotions of the trip that had made her see paranormal phenomena where there were only shadows of a forest. If she told her aunt, then she might think that the environment wasn't right for Luna and send her back to Madrid with a letter recommending her parents to take her to a good psychiatrist. However, she was still paying attention to Luna, smiling calmly.

  — I thought I saw someone walking alone in the forest at about two or three in the morning— she began, while she struggled with the lid of the jar her aunt had given her to not look directly at her aunt—. A dark figure carrying a light.

  — Really?— she asked, intrigued—. And could you see their face?

  — No, it was very dark. But it looked like it was coming to the house and I got scared.

  — Well, it's possible that what you saw were shadows in the forest, or maybe a camper who had gotten lost— Emma explained—. People usually camp about two kilometers away from here and they sometimes play nocturnal orientation games and spend the night walking around. I am sorry you got scared and even sorrier that I had to leave you alone.

  — What happened exactly?— Luna asked. She thought that maybe they didn't know each other well enough to ask that question, but she believed she had the right to an explanation after what had happened the night before.

  — Let's say I had a business meeting— she replied after a few seconds of silence—. You know, sometimes we have to speak to the bosses to comment on how things are going...

  — Yeah, a business dinner. My dad has a lot of those— Luna commented—. And what do you do?

  — Well, I don't really know how to explain it... Kind of like alternative medicine, herb healing.... Those type of things...

  — Oh, yeah I understand. Sounds interesting— Luna decided to change the subject. Those questions seemed to make her aunt uncomfortable. She would ask her again when they got to know each other better—. What's this that I'm eating? It's delicious.

  — Blackcurrant jam. I made it myself— her smile became relaxed and natural once more.

  — You're going to have to make some more, I think I could eat the whole jar— she said while she picked up some more toast.

  — Don't worry about that. I think I have about fifty of them— Emma said, laughing—. But I warn you that the harvest season isn't until September, so try not to eat them all in a week.

  — You harvest them as well?

  — Of course. And I grow most of my food in an allotment I have next to the house. But you didn't seem to like them, you didn't touch your salad.

  — Sorry. I hate vegetables—Luna apologized.

  — Well, we are going to have a big problem, because I'm a vegetarian— a look of worry flashed over her face—. In fact, just thinking about cooking the remains of dead animals makes my stomach turn.

  — Well, I can always walk onto Estella to find a hamburger every time I feel I'm going to die of starvation— Luna joked.

  — I have to go to do some things— her aunt said suddenly—. Have you finished? Do you want to come with me?

  Luna shot a quick glance at the jar of jam, but thought that three slices of toast was enough for a normal breakfast, so she nodded and began to clear the table. They left the house a few minutes later. Her aunt carried a backpack on her shoulder and was wearing sports shoes. Despite them not looking out of place with her young appearance, Luna thought they were not the right clothes for her. She didn't know what was wrong exactly, because she couldn't imagine her with a suit either. The truth was that she thought the only clothes that would look right on her aunt were the wispy dresses that she had remembered or imagined since she was a child.

  Her aunt entered the forest walking quickly. Luna followed her, enjoying the smell of the damp earth, the pines of the pine trees, the fresh air... She liked the feeling of walking on that soft and bumpy forest floor, so different from the hard and smooth sidewalks in Madrid. She felt full of life, her lungs exploding with the freshness of the air around her. Emma walked a couple of steps ahead and, from time to time, stopped to bend over and pick up flowers or plants which she carefully placed in jars that she had in her backpack. Luna walked over to her and watched, feeling curious.

  — What are you doing?— she asked, picking up the backpack so that her aunt could use both her ha
nds.

  — I'm collecting herbs that I need for my work— she replied.

  — I thought that the herbs sold in herbalist's all came from greenhouses. I never thought people would pick them themselves.

  — Well, I don't have an herbalist, so I don't know how they do it— Emma commented, shrugging her shoulders—. My job is a little bit more traditional.

  — And what's that you're picking?

  — You ask so many questions!— her aunt said, laughing—. No, no, don't blush. You should never be ashamed of wanting to learn. Look, this is dandelion— she explained, showing her the yellow flowers she had just picked—. The root and stem help with stomach problems and the flower, when cooked with sugar, can make a good cough medicine. And these others that I have are mallow. They help to heal ulcers or skin irritations.

  — Wow, and there are people who spend loads in pharmacies— Luna muttered, bending over to look at the flowers closer—. And what's that other one you picked?

  — That's wild pansy. It improves the appetite and is diuretic, among other things. But it is highly toxic in large doses, so don't try to make a tea with anything in the house without asking me first— she said, handing Luna the jar to look at—. If you open it, don't breathe. It irritates the eyes.

  Luna put the jar back into the backpack staring at the tiny plants as if they were