A Thunderous Whisper (21 page)

“I wouldn’t even know where to start,” I said, fearing that if I did talk about things, the tears would flow again. One big cry was enough.

“Hmm. Well, if not me, maybe a friend?”

I shook my head while staring up at the ceiling. “Mathias isn’t in a listening mood. I don’t think he even wants me around anymore.”

Señora Garza reached over and tapped my hand. “That can’t be true. He’s just lost and grieving. He’ll find his way again.”

“But part of me wishes I could be like him,” I whispered as a strong flash of lightning lit up the entire room.

“¿Por qué?”
she asked as the thunder boomed overhead and shook the small house from top to bottom.

“Because he at least has a plan.… He’s going to do something. I thought when we became friends that I’d do something too. That I’d—”

The windows rattled one last time before falling silent, waiting for the next thunderclap.

I took a deep breath. “
No importa
. I was never the type to make a difference anyway. Mamá always said we’re just whispers in a loud world, and I’m pretty sure the whole planet is shouting at the top of its lungs.”

Señora Garza propped herself up on an elbow. “Don’t sell yourself short,
niñita
. There are many ways you can make a difference in this world. Not just how Mathias wants to do it.”

“I guess.”

“Listen, I’m sure your mother was a wonderful woman, but I think she was completely wrong about being a whisper. No matter how loud the world gets, sometimes a single voice can be heard.”

Lightning flashed again in the distance, and thunder rocked the house with a slow quake that seemed to come in like a long wave from the ocean.

Señora Garza continued, “You see, I think people can be like that storm outside. Some people seek to do magnificent things, inspired acts that stand out like bolts of lightning. That would be our Mathias. Others move the world like the strong, and sometimes slow, rumbles of thunder.”

I was neither of those things. She didn’t know me.

“And I suppose, if you think about it, most people are like the rain. They follow the lightning and thunder … either nourishing the earth or drowning it.”

I stayed silent, not quite sure what she meant by all this.

Señora Garza lay back down on her blanket. “Or perhaps I’m just an old woman who is overly tired and rambling. But I hope you understand what I’m trying to tell you.”

“I think so,” I muttered, exhaustion finally overtaking my body.

Just before I felt myself drift away to the blackness of sleep, I heard Señora Garza say, “You can be the thunder to Mathias’s lightning.”

FORTY

A
piercing scream shattered the quiet of the night. For a moment, I was confused, thinking it was part of my own nightmare or that I was the one who’d yelled. A split second later, the wailing from the other room confirmed that it had not been my imagination. I covered my head with the pillow, wanting it all to go away.

“Ugh,” Señora Garza moaned as she threw off her blanket and tried to get up from the floor.

The babies lying in their baskets near us began to whimper and complain about the continuing shrieks coming from Julián’s room.

“Ani, can you see what the problem is over there while I deal with the babies?” Señora Garza was already by the baskets, rocking each one for a moment before going to the next.

I jumped up, almost losing my balance, and rushed over to Julián’s room. Even though the house was dark, a sliver of moonlight coming in through the unshuttered window
created enough light for me to see Julián, sitting up in his bed, hands covering his ears.

“Make them stop!” he yelled.

I bent down and picked up Carmita, who was crying so hard that she could barely breathe. “Shhh.
Ya, ya
,” I cooed, bouncing her on my hip while scooping up Mirentxu and rocking both of them back and forth. The two girls clung to my neck so tightly that I thought they might choke me. They were much too heavy for me to stay standing, so I sat on the floor, where a bed of blankets had been made for them.

As the girls’ loud cries subsided into gentle sobs, I noticed that the boy with no name was standing silently in a corner of the room just staring at me.

“Do you want to come over here?” I asked, waving him closer.

He shook his head.

“Can we just go back to sleep?” Julián asked, flipping his pillow over and punching it.

“Sure,” I said, tucking in the two girls under their covers.

I looked back at the quiet boy in the corner, who still hadn’t moved. “Do you want me to tell you some more about the princess and the
jentillak
?”

The little boy shrugged, but slid down against the wall, never looking away. He curled his arms around his legs and waited.

I took a blanket balled up near Julián’s bed and draped it over the little boy. “You sure you don’t want to tell me your name?” I asked.

He sat still, his eyes wide open.

“All right, then, how about if I call you José, since that’s my father’s name?”

A slight tilt of his head was all the response I got, but it was enough for me to start calling him by his new name.

“Well, José, the last time I was telling you the story, I said that there was a beautiful princess who was trapped on her island home by a horrible sea serpent, but that the princess had rescued a fairy that was caught under a heavy seashell. Do you remember?”

“I don’t remember a fairy,” said Mirentxu.

“Me neither,” added Carmita, lifting her head off the floor.

“Well, I’ll go back to that part, then. But first, let’s do the same thing we did last time and close our eyes and imagine the story.” I waited a few moments and only when all their eyes were shut did I begin.

“The beautiful princess heard a strange noise coming from underneath a large seashell that was covered in seaweed. Carefully, she walked toward the shell and realized that what she heard was crying.”

A shuffling sound made me pause.

“The fairy was crying?” Mirentxu asked in a groggy voice.

I strained to hear what the noise could be, but there was only silence.

“Yes,” I said in a slow, whispery voice, “the fairy was crying because she thought no one would ever rescue her.” Combing back José’s silky hair with my fingers, I continued, “When the princess released her from the shell, the fairy was so happy that she danced and flew around like a sparkling butterfly.
The fairy wanted to thank the princess for her kindness, and so she gave her something that no one else could”—I dropped my voice even further—“a way
off
the island.”

I paused. Even breathing filled the room.

Quietly I stood up and tiptoed out of the room. As I turned to close the door behind me, a shadow popped out from the hallway. I stifled the scream that was about to escape from my throat when I heard a voice say, “The storyteller strikes again.”

It was Diego.

“You startled me,” I said, my heart pounding from the scare.

“Sorry. I thought you saw me standing here.”

“How could I? It’s pitch-dark in this hallway.”

“Oh. I didn’t know.”

I closed my eyes, feeling like an idiot. Of course he didn’t know.

“I just heard you talking and wanted to listen too.”

“Aren’t you a little old for fairy tales?” I teased.

“Yeah, maybe.” Even in the shadows, I could hear the smile in his voice, and I imagined the long dimple showing up again. “But there’s something about your voice, the way you tell stories.… It’s special.”

I blushed, thankful he couldn’t see me.

“And the best part is I can put a face with the voice because I finally remembered you from school.”

“What?” I took a small step back. He couldn’t possibly know, could he?

“Yeah,” he said, “you’re the
sardinera
’s daughter, right?”

“Uh … um … well …,” I stammered.

“It took me a while, but I knew I’d piece it together.”

“I have to go,” I said, my voice cracking. Sardine Girl was back … assuming she’d ever left.

“No, wait.” Diego reached out and touched my arm. “Did I say something wrong again?” He slapped the side of his head. “Of course, I did. I’m so stupid. It must hurt to think of your mother.”

I stayed silent.

“Forgive me? I didn’t mean to make you upset. You were right earlier today … I can be
un idiota
.” He took a step toward me. “I’m leaving in the morning and I just thought it’d be good if you knew that I remembered seeing you with your mother whenever I’d go play jai alai. You probably don’t remember me but—”

“You’re leaving?” I asked, surprised at the disappointment I suddenly felt. “In a couple of hours?”

Diego nodded. “Señor Garza said he’d take us to Bilbao … to a hospital.”

“Oh, that’s good,” I said.

We stood there in the dark hallway for a few seconds, neither one of us saying anything else.

“Guess we should get some rest,” Diego mumbled.

“Uh-huh.” I took him by the elbow and guided him back to the family room, where Señor Garza lay snoring on the sofa.

As we approached the makeshift bed on the floor, Diego stopped. “One more thing,” he said as I let go of his arm. “I’m not sure if I’ll get a chance to say it before I leave … but, um, I just wanted to thank you for being so nice to me … and my mother. It made a difference.”

“You’re welcome,” I said. “Good night.”

As I walked away, I heard him say in a loud whisper, “Good night, Storyteller.”

By the time I was back in the Garzas’ bedroom, I had a smile from ear to ear. Even though Diego knew who I was, to him I was Storyteller, not Sardine Girl.

I really hoped our paths would cross again.

The sound of whispers and giggles woke me up. The sun was already shining strongly through the bedroom window, and it took a few seconds for my eyes to adjust to the brightness.

“¡Está despierta!”
a little voice squealed before several arms wrapped themselves around me in a big group hug.

“
Sí, sí
. I’m most definitely awake now,” I said from beneath the pileup of small bodies.

“About time you got up,” Julián said from the doorway. “Abuela wouldn’t let anyone get near you for the past hour.”

“We thought you were going to leave too,” Mirentxu said breathlessly, squeezing me even tighter.

“Leave?” I sat up, knocking over Carmita and Mirentxu. “Did Diego go already?” I didn’t think I’d sleep through the noise of everyone leaving.

Julián nodded from the doorway. “And his mother too. Everyone’s gone except Abuela, us, and the babies.”

“Mathias too?” I looked around. Would Mathias run off to fight in the war without saying goodbye?

“Yep. Abuelo asked him to go to Bilbao with him, even though I said I wanted to go.” Julián rolled into the room.
“It’s not fair. All morning, I’ve been the one taking care of these pip-squeaks.” He pointed a finger at me. “Now it’s your turn.”

“Julián.” Señora Garza was at the door, her fists at her hips. “
No hables así
. I don’t like that attitude. Your grandfather needed to spend some time speaking with Mathias alone.… These are very difficult days for him. And for Ani. We all have to help.” She walked in and pulled Mirentxu off me.
“¿Dormistes bien, niña?”

I nodded. “
Sí, señora
. I didn’t realize it was so late. I would’ve been up earlier to help.” When I stood up, my very large yellow dress hung off my shoulders and draped to the floor. I tried smoothing out some of the wrinkles and gathered up the bottom so it wouldn’t drag.

“You look funny in Abuela’s dress,” Julián chuckled.

“Oh, shush, Julián. She makes that dress look nicer than ever. Better than when these old bones wear it.” Señora Garza smiled at me. “But your clothes are already outside drying.”

I glanced over to the corner of the room where my clothes had been. I wasn’t used to having anyone do things for me. It felt … uncomfortable. “You didn’t have to do that. I would’ve washed them myself.” I looked at the night table. The pouch and weight were gone. “My things!”

Julián raised his hands in surrender. “It wasn’t me.”

“Don’t worry.” Señora Garza tapped my shoulder. “I put them in the drawer so they wouldn’t get lost.” She swiveled Julián’s wheelchair around and pushed him out of the room, bringing Mirentxu and Carmita with her.

“Gracias,”
I muttered, gazing down at my bare feet.

“No need for thanks,
mija
. Just wash up and come help me outside. Lots to get done before Mathias and Garza return tomorrow.”

My heart dropped a little. I wanted Mathias to be here, even if he wasn’t speaking to me. “Do you really think it’ll take them that long? Bilbao isn’t that far. They might be back tonight.”

Señora Garza paused in the doorway and looked back at me. I felt as if she could read my thoughts. “Maybe, but I suspect Garza will spend the night in Bilbao and head back tomorrow. I know you want Mathias to be here, but I think Garza needs to talk to Mathias, man to man. Work some things out.”