Durval was sitting on the sofa in Heitor’s living room next to the cockatoo. Both he and the bird were motionless like two spectators of a suspense movie, with the air held in their lungs, just waiting for the next scene’s outcome to breathe a sigh of relief or perhaps explode in a scream. This was all because Heitor’s account, the former army captain who had been trapped inside the laboratory with a monster, had reached a crucial moment. After having his mind invaded by that hideous being, it seemed that Heitor was about to be captured by the soldiers who discovered him.
Heitor brought the cigar to his mouth and inhaled the smoke, closing his eyes and slowly blowing it towards the ceiling of the room. It almost seemed like the man didn’t want to continue telling the story. Durval waited patiently.
— Yes, I wished they had arrested me when they found me and thrown me into a dirty, foul cell in the barracks, perhaps alongside Lieutenant De Matos who had been beaten by those filthy pigs!
Heitor looked longingly at the cockatoo.
— They didn’t beat me like they did with Lieutenant De Matos, Durval. They…
Durval realized how difficult it was for Heitor to rummage through those memories.
— I’ll show you something — said Heitor.
He stood up and went to a cabinet at the back of the room. He opened the bottom door and took out what appeared to be a red cloth bag. He returned and sat down with the bundle in his lap. He felt the contents of the bag with what seemed to be a mix of respect and sadness. Then he untied the string that held the bag’s mouth and pulled out a skull.
It was identical to a human skull in every way, except for the horns that protruded from the forehead. Each one, as thick as a closed fist, like a ram’s horns, curved and wrinkled, tapered to become as thin as the tip of a dagger.
Heitor held the skull right in front of Durval. The skull, full of sharp teeth, seemed to smile wickedly. The eye sockets were deep and the bone around the orbits prominent, making the entire skull appear enraged.
Then the cockatoo began to scream and bob its head up and down with its neck feathers ruffled. It jumped from the arm of the sofa and started to peck at the skull that Heitor held in his hands. Heitor quickly tried to return the skull to the cloth bag, pushing away the bird with his other hand, which, out of control, scratched Heitor’s arm with its claws. Heitor gave the cockatoo a shove, causing it to fall to the floor. But it immediately jumped back onto the sofa, half-flying, trying to grab the cloth bag. Heitor stood up and put the bag back in the cabinet at the back of the room. The cockatoo was clever and, realizing it could no longer reach the skull since it was locked inside the furniture, lunged at Heitor, indignant. It ended up perching on his arm while honking like a goose and flapping its wings violently towards Heitor’s face.
Durval tried to help, grabbed the cane, and stood up to push the creature off Heitor. With great effort, the two managed to open the living room door, throw the bird outside, and close the door. They returned to the sofa, exhausted. They could still hear the devilish bird outside screaming.
Episode XLIX continues in the next edition.
JOSÉ GASPAR
Filmmaker and writer
www.historiasdooutromundo.com