his uneasiness made her uncomfortable, angry almost. and so far it seemed he was the one asking the questions. perhaps she had been mistaken in coming back. the islands meant nothing to her except a memory that was, almost certainly, better left behind. encantador. her father? or brother perhaps? maybe even the lover of the mare who had called for him. she did not know. but she was beginning to doubt whether she could bear to find out. nonetheless she puzzled at the manner of her new companion. it seemed as though she were a ghost come to haunt him and he a child in a dark hall. just as she was on edge, it seemed he also was as taunt as a loaded spring. she could not understand his anxiety, only thinking that he may be privy to some knowledge of the whereabouts of the mysterious owner of the name. or perhaps he would be anxious to tell her that no such character existed, or that he had heard of the creatures death and was sorry. her mind flew through the excuses and tried time after time to convince her that she would indeed be “of unknown origin” for the rest of her life.

nonetheless she prepared to answer his question. prepared to divulge one important event of her entire existence for the first time. she began her story, brisk and unapologetic. the night that i was born. it was here, on the islands. though not this particular one i imagine. somewhere hot, humid and stormy. it was storming that night in fact. after i was born there were two who took me away. a mare and colt. both pale and similar to me in color. they took me with them into the sea and kept calling out, “encantador.” the mare said she could not find him. i was lost in the rough waves and washed ashore in a different land. the others, i suppose, made it to their desired destination. my mother, i believe, died during my birth. i have no knowledge of my father or his whereabouts. i fear it was my fate to die beside my mother that night, or drown in the sea. now i shall be lost forever, with a soul ablaze, seeking something that is not in the cards for me to find.