Guardian of the Fountain Read Online Free PDF

head.
    Arturo
immediately backed into a corner, removing his straw hat, bowing his head.
Dianne entered the room.
    “Arturo!”
Chrissie’s mom exclaimed. “When did you get here? I’m so happy to see you!”
    “Sí,
Señora. Good to see you.” Arturo kept his eyes to the floor.
    “I’ve
told you before, you should call me Dianne. We’re old friends now.” Dianne
pulled Arturo into a hug.
    “Mom,
how do you know Arturo?” Chrissie asked. Her mom had to be completely insane to
be okay with Arturo being in her room. Maybe it was because he was older and
completely non-threatening.
    “He
was at the hospital in Caracas when we came for you. He was the one who brought
you to the hospital in the first place. He never left your side.”
    “Sí,
Señorita. She speaks the truth.” Arturo lifted his eyes and searched
Chrissie’s.
    Chrissie
sifted through, her memory for Arturo at her side in the hospital but nothing
was there in the dark, empty hole that consumed her. As much as she loved Arturo,
seeing him in her room in the middle of the night made her feel out of sorts.
Not to mention the fact that he had been watching her from her rooftop.
    “Arturo,
she doesn’t remember half of her stay in Venezuela.” Dianne patted Arturo’s
hand.
    Arturo
sucked in air as he said, “Muerte.”
    “She
does look like death. We hope she gets better real soon.”
    “No,
Señora. She will die if I don’t bring her back. This is muy grave.” Arturo
pulled out a cell phone, a stark contrast to his humble farming attire. His
Spanish flew into the phone in a hushed tone. “Un momento, por favor.” He
thrust the phone at Dianne.
    Dianne
took the phone. “Why should I believe you? Uh-huh. I understand. I’ll start
packing now.” She nodded while she spoke. She closed the phone and handed it
back to Arturo. Her face, no longer bright and cheery, was now puckered with worry.
    A
heavy blanket of fear fell upon the room.
    What was said on the phone that changed
Mom’s mood?
    “Wait
right here.” Dianne left the room in a hurry and came back with a wad of cash.
She pressed the bills in Arturo’s hand. “Take her back and heal her. I trust
you, Arturo. This should be enough for a plane ticket for the both of you back
to Venezuela.”
    “Mom!
What are you doing? That’s …” Chrissie’s voice trailed off, as she was too weak
to argue.
    “Shush!
You’ll wake your father, and then you will never be able to leave,” Dianne
scolded.
    “She
won’t need any dinero, Señora. All expenses have been paid. Keep the money.
When she is better, you can come down and see her.”
    Dianne
gave the money to Chrissie anyway. “Just in case, sweetheart.” She patted
Chrissie’s hand full of dollars.
    Maybe I should yell for my dad. He would
be the logical person here .
    She
took Chrissie’s face into her warm hands. “Western medicine isn’t making you
better. I can’t just sit back and watch you die. If Arturo believes he can heal
you, I have to believe him. We have no other options here. You know it as well
as I do.”
    It
was true—a sea of orange medicine bottles had taken residence on
Chrissie’s nightstand. “Mom, I can’t travel. I don’t think I’ll be able to make
it.” She began to cry.
    The
trip would last for many hours in a plane, with at least one layover. She
hadn’t been out in public yet, and the thought of making a long trip filled the
pit of her stomach with anxiety. She could hear her pulse pound in her ears.
    Dianne
pulled a suitcase out from under Chrissie’s bed and began packing clothes.
Chrissie lay back on the bed, too weak to move and too confused to put the
pieces together.
    Why is my mother so trusting in Arturo?
Why is she letting me travel back to where I got sick?
    “Un auto
has been sent and will take us to the avión.” Arturo nervously glanced out the
window.
    “Mom!
What are you doing?” She can’t be sending
me away! It doesn’t even matter that I’m ill. Is she that tired of