The Valkyries

"The desert is made of mornings and afternoons," he said. "The other times are risky."

Chris listened to their conversation for as long as she could. But she had awakened early, and the sun was getting stronger and stronger. She decided she'd close her eyes and take a quick nap.

WHEN SHE AWOKE, THE SOUND OF THEIR VOICES WAS coming from a different place. The two men were at the rear of the trailer.

"Why did you bring your wife?" she heard Gene ask in a guarded tone.

"Because I was coming to the desert," Paulo answered, also whispering.

Gene laughed.

"But you're missing what's best about the desert. The solitude."

What a cheeky kid, Chris thought.

"Tell me

about the Valkyries you mentioned," Paulo said.

"They can help you to find your angel," replied Gene. "They're the ones who instructed me. But the Valkyries are jealous and tough. They try to follow the same rules as the angels--and, you know, in the kingdom of the angels, there is no good and no evil."

"Not as we understand them," Paulo countered.

Chris had no idea what they meant by "Valkyries." She had a vague memory of having heard the name in the title of an opera.

"Was it difficult for you to see your angel?"

"A better word would be anguishing. It happened all of a sudden, back in the days when the Valkyries came through here. I decided I'd learn the process just for the fun of it, because at that point, I didn't yet understand the language of the desert, and I was upset about everything that was happening to me.

"My angel appeared on that third mountain peak. I was up there just wandering and listening to music on my Walkman. In those days, I had already mastered the second mind."

What the hell is the "second mind"? Chris wondered.

"Was it your father who taught it to you?"

"No. And when I asked him why he had never told me about the angels, he told me that some things are so important that you have to learn about them on your own."

They were silent for a moment.

"If you meet with the Valkyries, there's something that will make it easier for you to get along with them," Gene said.

"What's that?"

The young man laughed.

"You'll find out. But it would have been a lot better if you hadn't brought your wife along."

"Did your angel have wings?" Paulo asked.

Before Gene could answer, Chris had arisen from her folding chair, come around the trailer, and now stood before them.

"Why is he making such a big thing about your coming here alone?" she asked, speaking Portuguese. "Do you want me to leave?"

Gene went on with what he was saying to Paulo, paying no attention whatsoever to Chris's interruption. She waited for Paulo's answer--but she might just as well have been invisible.

"Give me the keys to the car," she said, at the limit of her patience.

"What does your wife want?" Gene finally asked.