Sipes 5
Allie Sipes
Miss Pardee
Spanish 2B 5th hour
17 April 2014
Title
"Why did we come back here, Sir?" The little round man on the donkey asked his leader. Without looking back to meet his companion's eyes, Don Quixote answered in a voice of rectitude and purpose,
"I must return to my lady and request she accompany us so that we may wed upon reaching a proper destination." Sancho, attempting reason with Quixote logically, acted as a voice of reason into what could occur in reality-granted 'his lady' didn't know him at all and didn't understand his obsession with her was due to an imagination and a personality disorder. "Don't you think you should wait awhile?" He began, realizing that he would have to change his perceptive to get across what he meant, "Or at least do something truly noble first. You cannot expect to ask a lady for her hand if you haven't done anything to prove your worth." Instead of Quixote turning back- and hopefully ending this absurd journey and returning to reality- he only paused momentarily and grinned with a look that showed his mind was racing with thought. Sancho sighed under his breath; he knew the thoughts that were running through the other man's mind weren't the ones he had hoped to instill in him. It was confirmed that his beliefs were correct when Quixote finally spoke, raising a sword in the air dramatically.
"You're right, but-" The sword flowed to the right and then the left, Sancho slowed the donkey down in precaution. "My Dulcinea must see me preform this act of valor!" The sword was placed back in the holder for it, and Sancho was thankful for at least that much. "How do you propose I shall go about that, squire?" Knowing he wasn't going to get anywhere, Sancho decided to just play along as he had learned to do.
"Well, Sir, there are many drunkards around her. I cannot believe that she'd want to, in her right mind, be stranded with them. Perhaps you should rescue her from her from that repulsive pub she's trapped in." Sancho felt guilty as he spoke, he knew he was provoking him and that eventually these tales they went on would end and likely under tragic circumstances.
"I shall do that!" Don Quixote announced dignified. "Onward!" He kicked the stirrups to make the horse wheeze as it sped up and galloped faster than what was healthy and necessary for the poor animal.
Within a couple hours, they duo and their faithful animal cohorts the little pub and was as ready as they'd ever be for whatever random act of make believe with real world consequences would happen once they entered through the doors.
Not this loon again. Aldonza rolled her eyes and wiped her hands on the skirts of her dress once she saw the man dressed in an assortment of random pieces of garbage draped about him. "What do you want?" She snapped fiercely as they duo neared closer to her. As if he needed more temptation, an obvious drunk sloshed his beer over Aldonza and then took a sock at, her in the stomach for no apparent reason.
"No! Quixote, no!" Sancho scolded in vain, Quixote already had his sword out and was full speed at the drunken man who had punched 'his lady'. The reactions in the room varied on each individual, but all had the same feeling. Some just backed up a bit and stared on at the scene, others hid fearful for their lives, and others fled out the door-they were probably the most intelligent of the bunch.
It was not a pretty scene once the battle had concluded, messy with broken glass and blood spatter, silent, and the stench of beer mixing with blood in addition to the dead body in the middle of the room. In honesty, though, the drunkard hadn't stood a chance. The unfortunate man was already disoriented from the alcohol, odds are he hadn't meant any harm toward Aldonza, and he hadn't a weapon to defend himself. Don Quixote, fueled by rage and a hunger to prove an act of nobleness, was already sort of looking for a fight, had a deadly weapon on him, and believed that by slaying the man he had done some good for the world and provided it with just a bit more justice. He didn't, or couldn't rather, comprehend that he had just committed an act of homicide. Sancho realized it had gone terribly wrong this time, he never imagined his leader's craziness would've led to the death of an innocent man.
Quixote looked at Sancho with a grin of triumph-as if looking for approval- and Sancho had to lower his eyes and make up an excuse to leave. "I'll be right out those doors." He said, exiting, "I need some time alone to think." There really wasn't any thinking about it; he was going to the authorities. He had let things get far too much out of hand, and now he had to make them right. Only now, things had gotten too out of control for him to make right alone, his only choice to try to save not only the man he had learned to enjoy a casual friendship with, but also who knows how many innocent people's lives, was to get the report Quixote to the authorities. Sancho didn't want to do it, knowing it would endanger Quixote to the point of possibly execution. It's for the greater good. He had to keep repeating this to himself the entire walk into the nearest town.
Meanwhile, the remaining people had flooded out of the pub once the first drops of blood had been shed and the body had fallen to the ground. The only remaining two in the entirety were Quixote and Aldonza. To Quixote, it was perfect, it was the exact situation he had hoped for, and the act of valor he hadn't planned but had added to this moment for him. He approached the woman, fear and hate flashing in her eyes. "You're safe now, my lady fair." He declared, bowing slightly.
"Get away from me." She hissed, grabbing a nearby broken glass bottle with one hand and keeping it behind her back.
"Don't be unkind," He attempted to sooth. "I know I should've saved you earlier, what chivalry to leave such a lovely lady stranded with a bunch of drunkards, I know. I regret it dearly, but sweet, don't hold it against me. I'm here to-"
"I warned you once, get away from me." She commanded, but Quixote didn't listen.
"My lady, I came to rescue you and I've done just that, come with me and I can give you a beautiful life. I've saved you, and therefore you owe me your undying love just as princesses always owe their knights. I'll take you to a land you've never imagined and we'll find a castle and it'll be ours, and we'll raise our children and watch generations of our family prosper there and… And… Well, I can't explain it because it's too wonderful, just trust me, and just come with me! My lady, what do you say?" He was on both his knees in a pleading position, his eyes gleaming and a smile painted on his face. "Please, Dulcinea." Aldonza hadn't liked this game he seemed to be playing from the beginning, and now she had just witnessed him murder someone. There was no way she would ever, especially now, run off with him. At their first meeting, she had pitied him and assumed him crazy, now she wasn't sure what to think. All she knew was that no longer was he a harmless crazy man, but now a killer. Quixote didn't know why she wouldn't answer him, so he rose to his feet and reached out his arms as if about to embrace her.
"Don't touch me." She snarled, and sure enough, he laid a hand on either of her shoulders. Without hesitation, the glass bottle came out from behind her back and she smashed it over his head, making him fall to the floor. The remaining glass shattered, and she then went to the corner of the room to retrieve a broom. For good measure she whacked him a couple more times with the broom, and ran out the door to forget about the events of that day.
