Night falls over the mountain. I light a fire and its crackle soothes my heart. It's been two days since I climbed the mountain, and it still seems like such a stranger to me. My thoughts wander and land in my childhood: The jokes, the fears, the tragedies. I remember well the day I dressed up as an Indian: With bow, arrow, and tomahawk. Now, I was on a sacred mountain, precisely because of the death of a mysterious indigenous man (the Medicine Man of the tribe). I have to think of something else, for the fear is freezing my soul. Deafening noises surround my hut, and I have no idea what or who they are. How does one overcome his fear on an occasion like this? Answer me, reader because I don't know. The mountain is still unknown to me.
The noise is moving ever closer, and I have nowhere to flee. Leaving the hut would be foolish because I could be swallowed up by ferocious beasts. I'll have to face whatever it is. The noise ceases and a light appear. It makes me even more scared. With a rush of courage, I exclaim:
"For God, who is there?
A voice, nasalized with an obscure twang, responds:
"I am the brave warrior who the cave of despair has destroyed. Give up on your dream, or you will have the same fate. I was a small, indigenous man from a village within the Xukuru Nation. I aspired to be the head chief of my tribe and to be stronger than the lion. So, I looked to the sacred mountain to accomplish my goals. I won the three challenges that the guardian of the mountain forced upon me. However, upon entering the cave, I was swallowed up by its fire, which shattered my heart and my goals. Today, my spirit suffers and is stuck hopelessly to this mountain. Listen to me, or you will have the same fate.
My voice froze in my throat and for a moment, I could not respond to the tormented spirit. He had left behind shelter, food, a warm family environment. I had two challenges left in the cave, the cave that could make the impossible come true. I would not give up easily on my dream.
"Listen to me, brave warrior. The cave does not perform petty miracles. If I am here, it is for a noble reason. I do not envisage material goods. My dream goes beyond that. I would like to develop myself professionally and spiritually. In short, I want to work doing what I enjoy, earn money responsibly and contribute with my talent for a better universe. I'm not giving up on my dream that easily.
The ghost replied:
"You know the cave and its traps? You are nothing but a poor young man who is unaware of the extreme danger within the path he is following. The guardian is a charlatan who is deceiving you. She wants to ruin you.
The insistence of the ghost annoyed me. Did he know me, by chance? God, in his mercy, would not allow my failure. God and the Virgin Mary were always effectively by my side. The evidence of this was the various apparitions of the Virgin throughout my life. In "Vision of a Medium" (a book that I have not yet published) a scene is described where I am sitting on a bench in a plaza, birds and the wind agitating me, and I am in deep thought about the world and life in general. Suddenly, appeared the figure of a woman that, upon seeing me, inquired:
"Do you believe in God, my son?
I promptly replied:
"Certainly, and with all of my being.
Instantly, she put her hand on my head and prayed:
"May the God of glory cover you in light and grant you many gifts.
Saying this, she went away, and when I realized it, she was no longer by my side. She simply disappeared.
It was the first apparition of the Virgin in my life. Again, disguising herself as a beggar, she came up to me asking for some change. She said she was a farmer and was not yet retired. Readily, I gave her some coins that I had in my pocket. Upon receiving the money, she thanked me and when I realized it, she had disappeared. On the mountain, at that moment, I had not the slightest doubt that God loved me and that he was at my side. Therefore, I responded to the ghost with a certain rudeness.
"I will not listen to your advice. I know my limits and my faith. Go away! Go haunt a house or something. Leave me alone!
The lights went out, and I heard the noise of steps leaving the hut. I was free of the ghost.