Trapped ( Zarobljena prevedeno na engleski jezik )

12. The only key

Evangelia did not know how long she had been sitting motionless by the mounds that surrounded the eternal resting place of her family. It took her time to sort everything she had learned in her mind. And there was a lot.

This is all because of a wrong choice. It's not that I didn't regret it immediately after realizing it wasn't how it was supposed to be. But now it's too late. I hope I will get a chance to repent and make things right. I'm sorry, God, for renouncing Your gift. I was desperate from pain and misery.

The girl entered a small church. She prayed for the salvation of her own soul and the souls of all the deceased. Now I know how important it is to have someone who will pray for your salvation.

She was drawn to the sound of a metal bucket hitting the ground. She saw an old man standing by her mother's grave. He waved her over. The girl approached and saw three candles burning on the grave. She didn't ask why. The herbalist had said that talking to the dead was a ritual. The rules of the ritual, which only he knew, didn't interest her, she just wanted the conversation to succeed.

Mother, if you can hear me, please be merciful. Speak to him and tell him how I can be saved.

- I will now address her. Listen, what you are about to see is not pleasant at all. I will convulse in delirium, I won't know myself for a while after the conversation. Even if I start foaming at the mouth, don't worry. It will pass - said the old man.

Evangelia trembled. Guilt gnawed at her for subjecting the old man to torment for her salvation. She would feel even worse if they failed to learn anything.

- I'm sorry to expose you to all of this, you have to experience discomfort because of me - she said, lowering her head in shame.

Vujadin smiled gently: - That is my gift. God gave it to me to use. This gift has never had more significance than it does now. Believe me.

Evangelia tightened her grip on the old man's hand, her gaze drawn to the bucket full of water and the mat on the ground next to the mound. The herbalist followed her questioning look and said: - When I start to convulse, pour water on me and make sure my head is on the mat. The convulsions are strong. I could hurt myself.

The girl nodded, excited about what she was about to witness. She just hoped his effort wouldn't be in vain: - Whether we succeed or not, know that I will be eternally grateful to you - said Evangelia.

- If she cares about you, your mother will answer me. And judging by everything, I have no doubt about the success.

The old man knelt and leaned his head toward the mound. His head was right in the center of the candles that formed a triangle. He touched his forehead to the ground that covered her mother's coffin. He began to mumble indistinctly under his breath. Evangelia could only hear the merciful and the mortal responded. The old man's voice was deep and unsettling. The chanting grew louder as his forehead glistened with sweat from the effort. The veins on his temples were so swollen that it seemed to the girl that they would burst at any moment. The very sight disturbed her, especially since she was the one who had initiated everything.

Vujadin interrupted the chanting. Suddenly, he began to twitch uncontrollably. The twitches were such that it seemed he was receiving waves of something in bursts. Evangelia joyfully realized that it was her mother who was responding to him.

****

The dead girl watched in shock as Vujadin's frail body convulsed. What if he doesn't make it? She wished for it to stop. She could no longer bear to watch another suffer for her sake. The old man jerked violently away from the grave and fell into Evangelia's hands.