Chapter 9

Maria had not gone to school for two weeks. She had been having bad dreams and would wake up crying at night. Her dreams always involved sick people in the village because strange people were putting stuff in the town well. She also had visions of the red angels saving the village. She told her mother about the dreams, but her mother told her to be quiet and say nothing about this to no one else. Her mother was afraid that the village would think she was a witch. Maria's mother gave her a metal lunch box with her father's lunch and told her to take it to him in the upper field.

As Maria returned from the field, she saw something red in the sky. She stood and looked at it, and it looked like a man floating in the air. Maria knew it was the red angel. She called to it and fearlessly asked it to come down.

Ralph was in shock, she saw him, but he was invisible. She knew he was there. He decided to go down and talk to her. He made himself visible and floated down to her. As he floated down, the sun was behind him so she couldn't make out his face very well. He floated about five feet above the ground and told her, or Suit told her in Spanish, "You shouldn't be able to see me. How can you see me?"

Maria answered, "I have always been able to see people whom others cannot see. But I also dreamed of you. Why have you been following me?

Ralph replied, "I am here to protect you. I have also been having dreams about you. Do you have bad dreams about being sick and people putting bad stuff in the water?"

She told him, "Yes."

Ralph told her, "I have the same dreams. I have friends trying to find out who the bad people are and stop them so the village doesn't get sick."

She asked, "Do you mean the other red angels? I saw the three of you here the other day."

Ralph, again shocked, said, "Yes, that is us. May I ask you a question?"

She said, "Yes."

"Why aren't you in school?"

She told him, "My mother thinks I will give the bad dreams to the other children. I don't think that is true, but I must do what my mother tells me."

Ralph said, "I think you are right. Do you like school?"

She answered excitedly, "Oh, yes, I like learning new things."

Ralph told her, "Good, I am going to have the people I work for give the village a new school, but all the children must go there. I will also have the people I work for help the village so everyone has a good job."

Maria was overjoyed. Ralph told her, "Do not tell your mother, father, or anyone else in the village about this. I want it to be a surprise." Maria agreed.

Ralph also told her, "After tonight, the red angels should know more about what the bad people are doing to your water. We will stop them. Many red angels around the world stop bad people from doing bad things. We are not enough to stop all bad things, but we do the best we can. You may become a red angel when you grow up."

Maria looked shocked, "Oh, but I don't want to die to become a red angel."

Ralph chuckled, "You don't have to die to become a red angel or Hero as we call ourselves."

Maria exclaimed, "But I saw that you have died three times to become a red angel in my dreams of you."

Ralph explained, "I have come close to dying three times; that is true. But each time was to save the world or to save you. You are very important and will save many people in the future."

She looked at him and asked, "How do you know this?"

Ralph told her, "I dreamt it, and a wise man told me my dreams can come true." Suit told him it was time to prepare for the break-in. Maria saw him stare off for a few seconds and knew he had heard something.

"I have to go now. I will talk to you later. Goodbye." And he flew off towards Santiago.

Maria watched him fly away and thought, 'It will be fun to fly when I become a red angel.'