The Long Night
In a bar somewhere in Spain sat a miserable, disgraced ex-matador.
El Primero had been frequenting the bars more than usual since his retirement. It wasn't his style to mingle with low-lives in sleazy joints such as the one he was currently sitting in. Not that he was really mingling with anyone, merely sipping angrily at his concoction and stewing over his unceremonious retirement that had taken place months ago.
But that wasn't entirely true. It had been a ceremonious retirement; that was the problem.
The giant black bull had made a fool out of him in front of the enormous crowd, and El Primero had not even been awarded the satisfaction of ending the beast's life. Had the audience cheered for him during those final moments as they'd always done in the past? No.
Their hearts had gone out to the bull.
It was not the celebratory ending of his career that he'd visualized.
'Ah, but they are just dumb beasts, Primero,' he thought half-heartedly, swirling what remained of his drink and staring absently into the glass. How many times had he told himself to forget the animals that had ruined his final show? After all, hey were all responsible, not just the large brute.
Señor Moreno had filled him in on what happened after Ferdinand had been captured and brought back to Casa del Toro.
El Primero hardly believed a word Moreno had said about the bull's attempted escape, but even he had to admit that the scenario seemed too cleverly carried out. 'Contrived,' as Moreno had put it.
At the time, El Primero was too preoccupied with his final performance to give much thought to the unusual escape attempt.
He grunted and lightly slammed the glass down. "Imposible," he seethed.
It had to have been the thousandth time he'd gone over the incident: the escape, the stolen vehicle, Moreno's testimony, the behavior of the large bull in the arena...his impossible refusal even to fight him, the matador...
He rubbed his temples. Had he not been too proud to admit it, he may have accepted the fact that he was in some kind of depressed slump and that if he didn't decide to do something soon, things would only get worse. In the past, even on his worst day, his response had always been to recline in the comfort of his own mansion and ease his nerves with quality wine from his elaborate stash. What was he doing in a common bar?
'This will not do,' he thought, feeling a sudden resolve begin to grow in him. He shoved the stool back, flung some money on the counter and left the dive without a word.
He had an idea.
In the lower castes of the city sat an old haunt that El Primero had heard of. It was the home of a witch - so-called - and had a bad reputation among pretty much everyone. A haggard old woman lived there and her name was Hiedra. The ex-matador knew almost nothing about her, save from rumors he'd picked up here and there, but he decided that now was the time to pay her a visit. It was in fact a thought he'd been playing with for some time, but until recently, extracting revenge upon a herd of dumb cattle had seemed foolish and pointless.
Not anymore.
The more he thought about that day in the arena and every day that followed after, the more he'd convinced himself that the bulls were the ones to blame - namely, the bull that he'd faced in the final performance. He had disappointed and disgraced El Primero, and when word had got out (as was inevitable), El Primero's popularity had dwindled to dangerous depths. The crowd had expected his best performance ever. His entire career could almost be said to have built up to that moment, and what should have been his most glorious hour had turned into his greatest shame. He was barely able to save face as he left the arena on that day. And as if that hadn't been enough, he'd found out later that his convertible had been totaled by one of the bulls. El Primero had no way of knowing that it was Ferdinand who mistakenly did it, but in his bitterness he was more than willing to assume that it was.
The time for hesitating and piddling about was over.
Señora Hiedra was not accustomed to visitors, so one can imagine her surprise when a knock on her door revealed not just any visitor, but El Primero, of all people.
She uttered an exclamation of surprise, which was matched by his own, for she was a frightening sight to behold.
While El Primero was still half-questioning his being there at all, and while he'd never given much thought to witches and things of that sort, he was more than ready to believe that Señora Hiedra was one. She had all the telltale marks of what the stereotypical, witch-like figure ought to look like. She was bent over, haggard, with splotchy skin and glazed-over eyes. Several teeth were missing and there was a burn scar on her right hand. Her hair was unkempt and unwashed, but at least she had the wherewithal to hide most of it beneath a head scarf. Her clothing was rather cliche, too: an embroidered blouse covered by a gaudy shawl, a patchwork skirt that came down to her ankles whose hem was adorned with small yellow coins, and brown slippers.
All this, El Primero took in within a few seconds. Had he looked closer, he would have seen that the coins were tacky imitations of the real thing, her skirt and blouse were in fact in brand new condition, and the shawl draped over her shoulders still bore the shredded corner of a factory sticker.
Overcoming disgust, he straightened himself and addressed the old hag.
"Madame Hiedra."
"Sí," she breathed, regarding him with wide eyes. She acted as though she hadn't had a visitor in years. Instead of inviting him in, she huddled half-hidden behind the door in a very suspicious manner. "What do you want?"
"I am in need of a favor," he announced, almost begrudgingly. To her dismay, he invited himself in and pushed past the door into her house.
Letting out another exclamation of surprise, she clasped her hand to her throat and shut the door.
"A favor, of me?" she repeated.
"Sí." He lost none of his pompous flair as he took in her humble abode in scrutiny.
"Señor..." Gathering some of her courage, she faced him. "No one visits Hiedra." She laughed, as if the very idea were absurd. "Pray, what on earth do you want of me?"
"You have a reputation as a witch, no?"
"A...witch?" Her eyes widened, and she let out another nervous chuckle. "Aha...well, perhaps, señor, but, eh..." Her courage relaxed again and she didn't meet his eyes. "They are, of course, rumors, but -"
"Come!" He strode up to her. "I am in need of revenge, madame! Do not stand there babbling, are you able to perform such things as curses, sí o no?"
The frail old woman felt bombarded. She looked up at the tall, belligerent man who had dared not only to come knocking at her door, but to brazenly invite himself inside as well. She was a confused, lonely old woman and she only wanted him to leave her house.
"I have dabbled," she said, finally.
"Good enough." He lifted his chin. "Do me this favor: put a curse on those who have wronged me, and I will pay you handsomely."
Her eyes lit up at the word "pay." A brief smile flitted across the corner of her mouth, but it disappeared just as quickly.
"Of course, señor Primero. Anything you wish, I shall grant."
A flicker of suspicion flashed across his face, but he brushed it aside. He'd come too far and now was not the time to back out. Besides, he was desperate, willing to do anything to get back at the creatures who had ruined his retirement.
"Let us waste no more time, then," he said. "This is what I want..."
Further away, under a great blue sky amidst rolling fields of grass and flowers, six very large animals were having the time of their lives.
Guapo was trotting through the field below Ferdinand's favorite tree, laughing. "Did you see Ferdinand when that bee took off yesterday?"
The bulls were romping in the meadow, reminiscing the events of yesterday's flower festival. The highlight of the day had been Ferdinand's up close and personal encounter with a bee who'd emerged from a flower. Recalling what had happened the last time he'd had an encounter with a bee at the flower festival, Ferdinand turned tail and attempted to flee to a less crowded portion of the area, in case of accidents. Unfortunately, in a moment of inattentiveness, he'd stumbled upon a (thankfully) vacant balloon stand and all but crashed into it, popping almost every balloon. He'd even gotten shredded bits stuck onto his horns. Nina had to reassure him long enough to take the pink and yellow tatters off.
He'd taken the blunder with a good attitude, but was embarrassed when he came back to find the guys laughing their tails off.
"This is why we shouldn't bring bulls to flower festivals," Paco protested, being the only one in the group who hadn't laughed.
Presently, Bones peeked from behind Ferdinand's tree. "Oh yeah I hear you, Guap," he grinned. "I guess Ferd had to choose the lesser of two evils: balloons over bees!"
Ferdinand, who'd been trying to nap, opened an eye and regarded his friends with mock-hurt. "Ok guys, I know it was funny and all, but believe it or not a little bee sting is what got me into so much trouble last time!"
"Maybe you should stay away from flowers, Ferd," Bones suggested. He picked up the apple he'd carried from the house and tossed it into the air, catching it neatly in his mouth.
"Yeah, at least when you're out in public," Guapo put in. "It's not like you don't have plenty of 'em here."
"I know, I know," Ferdinand admitted. "I just can't help myself. There's ten times more flowers at the festival than there are here. They're impossible to resist!"
Maquina trotted up and grunted something unintelligible. Valiente came up beside him. "Maquina's right," he said, "you need more self-control."
Ferdinand almost brought up Valiente's lack of self-control as being the reason he was missing a horn, but thought better of it and kept his mouth shut. "It's no big deal, guys. I just need to...you know, be more careful!" He announced, as if he'd reached a breakthrough.
"Well do us all a favor and be more careful during next year's festival," Guapo said. "The last thing we all wanna have to do is babysit you!"
"You guys are all worrying over nothing," Lupe said, trotting up to join the conversation. "Ferd here did the right thing this time, he took off before he had a chance to maim anyone! Right, Ferd?"
"Uh..." Ferdinand hesitated. He didn't like being reminded that he'd almost hurt people during that first huge mishap. He was a gentle soul and knew that he'd never be able to forgive himself if he ever accidentally hurt someone, or worse. "Can we change the subject?"
"O aye, laddie," Angus, who had been grazing a little below Ferdinand's tree, suddenly remembered something. "In fact you've just reminded me - Nina says you're wanted in the barn." He gestured with his head.
Ferdinand, who had tried resuming his nap, opened an eye again. He gazed doubtfully at Angus. "Nina said that?"
"Aye, only just," he insisted, but the grin on his face wasn't exactly convincing to Ferdinand.
Nina talked to them all the time, but she (like all humans) couldn't understand their speech. Why would she have told Angus something like that?
Suspecting a prank of some sort, he resignedly got up and stared at his friends with a bored expression. "Alright. Nina wants me in the barn. Gotcha, guys." He made no pretense of showing his skepticism. He'd been lightly pranked by the guys before, but no real harm done. Clearly they weren't going to let him nap until this was over with. He saw that they each had the same much-too-forced smile on their faces, even Lupe. Something was definitely up.
No matter, thought Ferdinand. Without further ado, he trotted down the hill to the barn, wanting nothing more than to let the guys have their joke, whatever it was, and get back to his nap.
When he lightly pushed the barn door ajar, to his surprise he actually did see Nina there with her back facing him. She was kneeling on the floor, but as soon as she heard him, she turned, stood up and smiled.
"There you are!" She exclaimed. She had her hands behind her back.
Thinking that maybe this wasn't a prank after all, Ferdinand smiled at her and gave her a questioning look. She walked up to him, stroking him under the chin. He closed his eyes and learned into her small touch.
"Sorry to wake you from your nap, Little Big Guy," she said. "But I wanted to show you something." Removing her other hand from behind her back, she bestowed a tiny brown pot. Three small but radiant red flowers protruded from the soil. In the center of each sprouted a single yellow anther jutting out from the pollen tube.
He made a small exclamation of surprise.
"Wow! Nina...what are these? I haven't seen them before!"
He knew she couldn't understand him, but sometimes it really seemed as if she did.
"These are hibiscus flowers," she explained. "My cousin sent me some seeds. I've been growing them in secret for a little while until they got big enough to show you. It's an early birthday gift for you, Ferdinand." She held up the pot, and he lowered his nose down to the baby flowers. He inhaled deeply and gently, a look of pure satisfaction splayed across his face.
"This'll be our little secret, ok?"
He nodded and gave her a gentle nuzzle.
Outside, the other bulls had gathered by the patio near the house. They were helping Juan decorate for Ferdinand's birthday party.
Valiente and Guapo were using their horns to guide the streamers onto the outdoor hooks. Maquina and his little pink rabbit buddy were nudging the floral arrangements into place on the large picnic table. Bones had taken the liberty of carrying the helium-filled balloons out to Juan so he could tie each one into place. Angus was left to guard the barn and alert everyone in case Ferdinand and Nina came out.
As for Lupe and Paco, the goat wasn't trusted to help with the floral arrangements, so she took it upon herself to straighten the utensils and paper plates for the humans. When that was done, she went to sit by Angus so he wouldn't be on guard-duty alone. Paco was content merely to lay by the patio back-door and watch everyone help out. Juan, of course, had the biggest task of all - he was carrying the cake out to the table.
"Wow, check that out!" Guapo said as soon as Juan appeared with the huge cake in hand. "I can't wait to get me some of that!"
He and Valiente suddenly cringed when the weight of the cake nearly toppled Juan backwards. Maquina showed up just in time to steady Juan's back with an outstretched hoof.
"Phew, gracias, Maquina," Juan breathed, finally setting the cake down. He wiped his brow and set his hands on his hips. "What do you all think?"
The bulls, excluding Angus, gathered around the table to admire the elaborately decorated cake. It was four-tiered and colored in white, yellow, and blue frosting shaped like flowers and ribbons.
"Looks tasty!" Exclaimed Guapo.
"Yeah, not bad," Valiente couldn't help admitting, smiling in agreement with Guapo.
"Hoo man, Ferdinand's gonna flip out!" Bones said.
Maquina beamed and nodded his approval of Juan's choice.
To Juan's ears it sounded only like the braying of cattle, but he and his daughter had a knack for picking up on an animal's feelings. He smiled. "Sí, I think Ferdinand will be very happy. Now for it - let's get him and Nina out of that barn and start the celebration!"
The bulls all shouted and rushed over to the barn.
"Hey, what? Is it time already?" Angus asked, bewildered to see everyone rushing past him. Lupe bleated in alarm as the stampede all but missed her.
"I tell ya, you can't teach an old dog new tricks," she complained. "Those brutes'll never learn manners!"
Ferdinand and Nina had been fetched from the barn.
"Hey, Ferd!" Bones was the first to chime in. "Come on to the back of the house, we have a surprise for you."
"A surprise?" He repeated.
"You're gonna love it," Guapo grinned.
Ferdinand exchanged a curious smile with Nina, then promptly lifted the little girl up onto his horns. She giggled and positioned herself comfortably, using his horns as leverage. The group headed to the patio, and as soon as Ferdinand saw the cake and decorations, he was bombarded with a chorus of "Surprise!" from his friends.
"Feliz cumpleaños, Ferdinand!" Juan said, striding up to the enormous bull and lifting Nina down from Ferdinand's horns.
Ferdinand's look of surprise turned into one of heartfelt joy. A smile spread across his face and his ears wiggled as they did when he was especially happy. "Wha - ! You guys did all this for me?"
Everyone made their way to the picnic table area. Ferdinand admired the decorations and the cake, and every other nuance of effort that had been made on his behalf.
"I'm speechless!" He said.
"Yeah well don't get too speechless," Valiente said with a grin. "You're gonna have to give a birthday speech, remember?"
"Oh right!" Ferdinand had celebrated birthdays before, and whenever Juan or Nina's birthday came around, they would always give a speech before the feast. Ferdinand had decided he'd do the same whenever they celebrated his birthday, even if Paco was the only one who knew what he was saying. Juan and Nina would always laugh and clap, though, which made the whole thing worthwhile. This year, however, promised to be something extra special, for now he had more friends and they'd understand every word.
It hadn't occurred to Ferdinand that for the first time this might put a little pressure on his birthday speech, but he'd worry about that in a minute. Right now, he was just grateful for the love of friends and family.
"What do you think of the cake?" Bones asked, gravitating toward the enticing pastry for the umpteenth time.
"Looks good enough to eat," Ferdinand said with a laugh.
"Yeah, Juan really outdid himself. At least, with the ordering part..." Guapo gave a hollow laugh.
"Now you tell me it's a human custom to present the host with gifts on his birthday," Angus recalled.
"That's right," Ferdinand said, sitting down in front of the picnic table. He towered over it and looked rather comic. Juan and Nina were busy gathering the gifts and piling them on a separate beverage table near the awning. "Every year, Juan, Nina and I do a gift exchange whenever it's someone's birthday. Oh you should've been here last year, I gave Nina a beautiful blue robin's egg I found out in the field for her birthday!"
"Yeah," Paco strode up, "and Nina had to give it back to the mother robin."
"Uh, yeah, well...I didn't know it already belonged to someone..." Ferdinand blushed.
"I kinda like this gift idea," Guapo said thoughtfully. "But I'm not sure what to give a human for their birthday...Might be awkward when Juan or Nina's birthdays come around..."
"Don't worry, I'll be here to help!" Ferdinand insisted.
"Oh please," Paco rolled his eyes and took a seat on the opposite side of the table, "they'll be way better off asking me for help. I actually know what kind of gifts to give humans."
"Really?" Ferdinand stretched his neck out to look Paco in the eyes, "because as I recall, Nina also gave away that bone you gave her for her birthday."
"What? That's not true!" Paco frowned in disbelief.
Before Ferdinand and Paco could continue their banter, Juan and Nina came to take their seats at the table.
Juan clapped his hands. "Gather round, everyone! Before we celebrate, it is custom for Ferdinand to give his speech. You ready, big guy?"
Ferdinand nodded, though there was a hint of uncertainty in his eyes.
Juan and Nina sat down. So did the bulls. Everyone stared at Ferdinand expectantly.
'Ok, here goes...Just, say what's in your heart,' he thought.
He stood up and addressed the crowd.
"I wanna thank everyone for the great decorations, the delicious-looking cake, and for putting so much effort into this. I couldn't ask for better friends or family." He paused, taking in the faces of those around him, human and bull alike. "And I know that no matter what kind of gifts are in those boxes, they could never compare to the gift of having you all in my life. I wouldn't exchange this family for anything in the world."
He sat down to show that he was done.
Three cheers were given by the bulls, who all appeared very moved by his speech. Even Valiente's expression softened, and he allowed a grateful smile. Juan and Nina were clapping and whistling, and Nina ran up to her best friend and hugged him as well as she could.
"Alright Ferdinand," Juan said, patting the bull on the shoulders, "what shall it be first? Cake or presents?"
"Cake! Cake! Cake!" Bones shouted, darting around the cake.
"Cake," Ferdinand said, earning a laugh from his friends.
"Bones helped him decide," Nina laughed, walking over to the table. "Be careful Bones, we have to cut it first!" She gently took Bone's head in her hands and guided his palate away from the cake. Bones acquiesced and sat down by the table with the posture of an "A" student and an eager grin on his face.
Nina set out the plates and Juan cut slices for everyone.
Ferdinand dove right into his as soon as they'd set his plate on the ground, but the other bulls - having never had cake before in their lives - sniffed suspiciously at it. All except Bones, who dove right into his.
"Well, I did say I couldn't wait to get some," Guapo said, being the next one to give it a try. "Hey, this is incredible!"
Valinete and Angus tried theirs, and they weren't disappointed.
"Sgoinneil, this!" Angus said. "I'm saving room for seconds!"
"Not bad!" Valiente agreed after his first bite.
Maquina was evidently enjoying the cake, too, as his eyes lit up and his face was set in a pleased smile. He even shared some with his little rabbit friend.
"Ferdinand, you're already done!?" Nina exclaimed, and then burst into laughter at the sight of Ferdinand's muzzle smeared with frosting.
Juan laughed, too. "They're all done, honey. Look!"
Sure enough, the bulls had practically inhaled their cake.
"Do you think I ordered a big enough cake? Might have to upgrade next year." Juan shook his head and stabbed at his cake with a fork.
"He's got that right," Paco commented. "Looks like there won't be room for seconds after all..."
"Hey, birthdays come but once a year, Pac-Man," Ferdinand said.
"Now let's let Ferdinand open his presents!" Nina said.
"Alright. Let's get to the gifts," Juan agreed.
He courteously handed Ferdinand the first one, and Ferdinand, with all the expertise of someone who had done this before, gently tugged one end of the ribbon and neatly pulled the box apart. The other bulls silently marveled at this insignificant but unique skill. Ferdinand really was one of a kind; he seemed a creature of many hidden talents.
The box revealed a bright, round, red chew toy.
"Wow, thanks Pac-Man!" Ferdinand beamed.
"How'd you know it was from me?" Paco asked.
"Lucky guess." He chuckled, and Nina set another gift down in front of him. "This one's from Maquina," she whispered.
The box was small and rectangular. Ferdinand opened it with the same flair as before, and was more than a little surprised to see a set of churros wrapped neatly in wax paper.
"Hey, not bad, Maquina!" Ferdinand was genuinely surprised. Juan and Nina exchanged knowing glances. Maquina nodded to Ferdinand and exchanged a hoof-bump.
Next came Angus's gift. It was heavier than the others and wrapped in a nice velvet bag.
"Wonder what this could be!" Ferdinand unfurled the ribbon and nosed his way inside. An exclamation of surprise echoed from within.
Angus had apparently given him a bag of soil specifically for Hibiscus flowers.
"This is great! Thanks, Angus!"
"No problem, laddie," Angus chuckled a little uncertainly.
Guapo's gift was next. Ferdinand was in for yet another surprise. "A new watering can!" His eyes shone, and he picked up his new gift in his mouth, admiring the silver sheen. "Guapo, how did you know?"
"Er, lucky guess?" He smiled nervously.
Ferdinand, now very elated with all of these awesome gifts, hurriedly opened Bone's gift. It was a bottle of pesticide control to protect his new plant.
"Alright! That's very thoughtful of you, Bones!"
Last came Valiente's gift.
"I can't wait to see what you got me, Val," Ferdinand said as he tore into his last gift.
Once again, he wasn't disappointed. Valiente had gotten Ferdinand a brand new pot for when his hibiscus flower grew too big for its current one.
Ferdinand was over the moon with joy. "This is the best birthday I've ever had! How on earth did you guys manage to get me all this stuff? How did you know?"
"Ah, well, we've a wee confession to make, laddie," Angus said.
"Oh?"
"Yeah, we didn't get these things for you," Valiente said. "Juan and Nina did."
"They - ? Oh, right," Ferdinand laughed, as if the notion should have been obvious. "Of course they did!"
"Hey, they were kind enough to give 'em to you on our behalf!" Guapo put in. "They told us they'd do it, but we had to pretend like the idea was ours. Now I think I'm understanding this gift thing a little better."
"That's right, Guap! And you know what else? I've decided I'm a big fan of birthdays!" Bones announced.
Maquina made an eager exclamation of agreement, as did Guapo and Angus.
"I gotta admit, I haven't had this much fun in a long time...if ever," Valiente said. And he did look genuinely happy. The others hadn't seen such an expression of contentment on his face before, and it only added to the happiness that everyone felt that evening.
Juan and Nina were pleased that their bull appeared to enjoy his gifts. His eyes lit up and his tail swished in excitement with each new box he'd opened.
And even though they had purchased the gifts, Ferdinand was no less grateful to his friends for being a part of his birthday celebration. Nina's gift now had everything it would need to be taken care of. Each year that went by was a year in which Ferdinand learned more about gardening. His experience was now at a level where Nina trusted him with this special new flower, and he vowed to take extreme care in nurturing it. Juan and Nina would be there to help him, should he need it. With that thought in mind, he felt that nothing could go wrong.
The rest of the evening was spent mingling and having a good time outdoors. Juan had turned on the outdoor lights that were strung about the awning over the patio. As an added attraction, he got the fire pit going and brought out his guitar.
Ferdinand had been chatting with the bulls, but as soon as he saw Juan's guitar, he bellowed in excitement and ran over to the human.
"Nina!" He called.
Nina had been feeding a bit of carrot to Maquina's rabbit friend. But she looked up when Ferdinand called. Her eyes grew wide and a smile spread across her face as she stood up and ran over to him.
Ferdinand always secretly marveled that Nina seemed to recognize the sound of her name coming from his mouth. Not for the first time, he wondered if she really could understand what he was saying to her, but he knew that was impossible.
They read each other's mind. Juan had a knowing look on his face, and nodded once to Ferdinand before strumming his fingers across the guitar. All at once, a lively tune reverberated across the silent night and Ferdinand and Nina began to dance.
Needless to say, it drew the attention of the other bulls and they gathered round in awe at a spectacle they'd never seen before: a massive bull and a tiny human girl in perfect synchronized harmony.
"So that's where Ferd learned it..." Bones said under his breath.
"Learned what?" Guapo asked, his attention momentarily taken off the performers.
"Oh, right...Guap, you weren't there, because..." Bones trailed off and shook his head. "Remember that dance-off we told you about? We never really knew where Ferdinand got it from, but now we know."
"Kinda looks like fun," Guapo admitted, a small smile creeping across his face.
"It's lots of fun!" Angus added. "Oh Guapo, m'boy, you should've been there when we kicked the tail off of those stuck-up ponies!"
Maquina agreed, and then to everyone's surprise, he jumped in beside Ferdinand and Nina and began executing the robotic dance moves he'd used during the competition with the horses. It didn't fit with Juan's music but the amusement it brought to everyone more than made up for it.
Ferdinand and Nina stood there a moment, then a smile broke out across their faces.
"Look, dad! Maquina wants to dance, too!"
"So it appears!" Juan laughed, and then changed the tune on his guitar.
Before long, Bones, Angus, and Guapo joined in. Soon, everyone was laughing and having the time of their lives. The night couldn't have ended on a better note.
Valiente didn't participate in the dancing, as he alone seemed to lack any kind of dance knowledge whatsoever. He inched a little closer to the others but remained on the outskirts, content merely to watch. A mild grin was spread over his face, but there was the slightest tinge of regret and longing in his face. Everyone was having so much fun, he couldn't help but wish he could be a part of it in the same way they were.
At last, the music ended when Nina got tired.
"Whew!" She slumped against Ferdinand, who wasn't out of breath at all.
The other bulls were still laughing. "That's the second time we've danced, now!" Bones said.
"First!" put in Guapo.
Everyone began to settle down. The sky was now completely dark, and the crickets sounded in every bush. The temperature was mild and the wind light. The atmosphere was so invigorating that they all wished the night would never end.
Nina finally looked over at Valiente, who still sat a little way off from the others.
"Aw, what's wrong, big guy?" She asked. She stood up and walked over to him. He looked at her uncertainly, wondering what she was going to do.
"Do you wanna dance, too? Here," she stepped back and demonstrated a basic dance step. "Like this! Now just move how I move."
He hesitated. This wasn't his style. Frivolity was something others did, not him.
"Go ahead, big guy," she encouraged, pausing her movement and looking up at him with big eyes. She smiled. She looked so encouraging.
Finally, Valiente mimicked her moves the way he had seen Ferdinand do. She went slowly and patiently, and within minutes, they'd completed a clever little circle of simple dance steps.
Not wanting to overwhelm him, she jumped back. "Ta-da! You did it, Valiente!" She clapped.
Over by the patio, Valiente heard more clapping. Juan had set down his guitar. "Bravo, Valiente!"
Encouraged, Valiente actually smiled. This was his first time dancing, and the humans approved. A strange new feeling came over him, that he could only describe as pure contentment, and even eagerness...an eagerness to really begin his new life with these people and the other bulls, as a new bull himself.
Nina, too, seemed cheered up by Valiente's participation. She'd regained her energy, and spontaneously darted over to Guapo.
"Come on, Guapo!" She breathed excitedly. Guapo happily engaged in a bout of dancing with the little girl, and the others laughed.
Ferdinand was happy to see his comrades taking to this new life. At last, they were beginning to see what he himself had been blessed enough to see: that there was so much more to life than bull-fighting and matadors. His friends were free now, to be whatever they wanted to be.
The night truly had ended on the best note ever.
While the frivolity had been going on at Juan's farm, a less cheerful disposition clouded the face of an old woman alone in her apartment.
She muttered a string of nonsense to herself as she poured over old books and phrases.
"What does this man want?" She spoke aloud to herself. "For me to curse a bunch of animals? Pah!" She slammed the book shut. A cloud of dust rose from it. "If he knew I was no witch and merely a pretender, he would scalp me. But I need that money...twice now I've been threatened with foreclosure...What am I to do?"
She'd been pacing to and fro in her small apartment for a long time, but at last gave up and slumped into an old chair.
"What am I to do?" She moaned again, rubbing her temples. "Perhaps I should have been honest with him...But he is El Primero, the famous bull-fighter. He must be swimming in money..." She tapped a finger to her chin. "Surely there must be some way...that I can make him think the bulls have been cursed..."
She hauled herself from the chair after a moment and picked up the dusty book again. It was a relic passed down from her mother, and again from her grandmother. Hiedra had never given much thought to where it had come from. Her mother had certainly never told her, but had always wanted Hiedra to carry on the family's dark tradition of witchcraft. Hiedra had never fully believed in it, but now that she was in a sticky situation, she was desperate.
She opened the book and flipped through the pages. There were very few pictures in it and only some of the pages were written in the Roman style of the alphabet.
She sat there for what seemed like a long time, growing bored. Just when she was about to give up and call it quits, she came across a page that had a picture of an animal on one side of it, and a human being on the other.
She paused, scanning over the gibberish, wishing she could read it. For the first time in her life, she regretted not paying closer attention to the things her mother had encouraged her to learn, dead languages and ancient speech and whatnot. It had never mattered to Hiedra, who was not an ambitious person.
"I wonder..." she muttered, and began reading the words on the page. She didn't understand their meaning, but at least there was a transliteration.
When she'd read the full page, she stared at the picture a moment longer before slamming the book shut and tossing it to the floor.
"Well, Hiedra," she drawled, sleepily. "You've gotten yourself into a pickle this time."
Not bothering to take her shoes off or retire to the comfort of a bedroom, she merely pulled the string on the rickety lamp by her chair and fell into an uneasy sleep.
It was at this same moment, back on Juan's farm, that a strange thing was happening to the bulls.
A dim light surrounded them in a split second and then retreated altogether, as if it had never been there. Anyone who'd seen it would've assumed it'd been a figment of their imagination.
And certainly, at least for a while, nothing unusual happened. Ferdinand was huddled next to Nina in the house and the others were comfortably situated in their sleeping quarters, lost to the world.
It was in the dead of night, and no sound, not even a cricket, was heard. The farm lay in a peaceful slumber after a wonderful day's celebration, and everyone was so tired that not even a thunderstorm would have woken them.
So it was that no one had noticed what happened until dawn the next morning.
