— How can he be among us? — Durval asked.
— He has always been, Durval! He has always been among us — replied Heitor. — And it’s not just one, there are hundreds of these creatures, perhaps thousands.
You weren’t listening to what I told you? The legends, all the stories and myths about horned creatures, like Fauns, Minotaurs, demons, they all have the same origin.
As he listened to Heitor’s account, Durval thought that the former army captain must be hallucinating. It made no sense at all. Tribes of horned men? The legend of the real Minotaur? Durval wasn’t a skeptic, but this was too much for a 76-year-old man. Even having seen everything in this life, it was impossible for a race of horned men to still live among us without anyone knowing. On the other hand, the photograph looked very real. The photo in which Botelho was next to a horned man lying on a steel stretcher covered with a sheet. Around them were men in army uniforms in some kind of laboratory filled with panels and electronic instruments. Durval wouldn’t forget that image so quickly. The man had his eyes closed, either sleeping or perhaps dead. The wrinkled horns protruded from his forehead and curled around his head.
— But the horns of the man in the photo were curled like a ram’s — protested Durval. — In the legend of the Minotaur, he is half man and half bull, the horns of a bull are…
— There are various types! — interrupted Heitor. — Don’t you see? It’s obvious that it’s not a cross between species! They are not half men, half another animal like in the stories. They are a different species or race from ours. Furthermore, even in legends, they are depicted in many ways. The horns of Fauns are like those of a ram, while fairies, in many stories, are described with pointed horns and not curled around the head. The god Pan had smaller horns and goat legs, and played the flute like you. These stories are intertwined in all human cultures.
For example, Pan was feared by those who walked alone at night, for they risked feeling immense terror without apparent cause; this sudden fear was attributed to Pan, and that’s where the word panic comes from. Do you understand, Durval? People in ancient times must have encountered many of these beings, but each one depicted them in a different way and ended up including fanciful details, like wings or goat legs. The Knights Templar called him Baphomet, and Eliphas Levi portrayed him as a demonic goat. But the fact is that I saw one of these creatures.
I know what I’m talking about. Aside from the horns and the sharp teeth, the face is quite human, but the eyes are different…
— Different how? — Durval asked.
Heitor became even more serious, looked down, and cleared his throat. Then he leaned back in the armchair and took a puff from his cigar.
— The eyes can hypnotize you.
Episode XLII continues in the next edition.
JOSÉ GASPAR
Filmmaker and writer
www.historiasdooutromundo.com