“Can you detect something?” Dad says.

“Not yet,” I reply.

I have trepidation in wearing these glasses again. Immediately I get a headache and I feel nauseous.

“Pedro asked the monks to place the sarcophagi foot to foot so that when they rise to heaven, they will see each other,” Dad says.

“Wait, a sec. There’s a person moaning, must be Pedro or Inês,” I say.

“I can make out a light coming from Pedro’s coffin. The light is shining through the six angels on his coffin and the sculpture of the dog is glowing red!!!” I squeal in a masculine way.

“The moaning is louder. Two people are moaning,” I say.

“There’s a bright light shining up from her coffin to the ceiling. It’s a festa[1] with lights dancing around the room. The coffin is bubbling with multi color glow balls of blue, red, and green. AAAAAaaaa,” I shout.

With wide eyes and mouth Dad asks, “What’s the matter?”

“I’m OK now. I was blind for a sec,” I explain.

“The sound is super loud, my head can’t take it!!! I have to take off my headset for a sec. Phew!” I say.

“She’s rising above her coffin. Inês has a long white train with silver trim that is shining. She’s standing ten feet above her sarcophagus. She has no…” I stammer out.
“No, what?” Dad asks.

“No head!” I blurt out.

“A man is screaming. He’s rising out of his tomb. There’s an explosion!!! I’m blinded again,” I yell out.

“I can see him. He’s at the top of the asp, forty feet up,” I point.
“He’s diving right at us!!!” I scream out.

“Is he screaming again?” Dad asks.

“He flew right through me! That’s weird,” and inhale a big breath in shock.

“Where is he now?” my dad asks.

“He’s standing on her sarcophagus,” I answer.

“She’s saying, ‘My love.’ He’s reaching for a bag she is holding,” I tell my dad.

“He’s saying, ‘My love for eternity.’ Eeee-wwwww gross! He removed a head from the bag. My god, it’s hers,” I squeeze out of my shrinking lungs.

“I can make out a loud buzzing noise, as if from an old busted amplifier. He’s placing the head on her shoulders,” I say.

“They’re embracing and both glowing fuchsia and magenta. Crimson red is dripping onto her coffin. They’re moaning and screaming,” I give my dad the audio play-by-play.
“Their mouths are open and faces are at ninety degree angles. They love each other,” I stutter.
“Their mouths are stretched open, eyelids tight and eyebrows are pulled up. They look scared! There’s a sound of wind. It’s now a loud howl,” I say with a rising voice.

She is pulling away from him a

nd reclining into her coffin.

“Now he’s saying, ‘Go away. I’m warning you’,” I shout over to Dad.

Dad yells back, and asks, “What did she do with her head?”

“She put it back in the bag and put it under her arm… She’s now in her coffin,” I answer.
“The sound is loud again. It’s deafening. I swear it’s the T-Rex from Jurassic Park. I’m taking-off the headset again,” I gasp out.

“There are flames shooting out from Pedro and he’s floating back to his coffin. There’re three large faces with black robes swirling around him. He is shooting flames at them,” I yell.

“He is telling them he will rip their hearts out!” I screech.

“He pulls out a bloody bag from his cape. It’s pulsing. I can hear it. Bum bump, bum bump, bum bump,” I sob out as my stomach lurches.

“He’s holding it up to the ceiling. Oh god, I can’t see… Another big burst of light,” I say while staggering and ducking.

I can taste metal and I smell incense. I’m weak and I feel like I’m looking down on myself.

“Are the faces still there?” Dad asks.

My legs buckle and I slip into a sit on the floor. My left arm is shaking. I can’t control it. My left leg has stiffened. Am I having a heart attack? I lean back on the ground and I can feel my eyes going back in my head. I can see my dad walking over to me from the corner of my eye. I can’t think of anything and then just black…

 

Dad touches me.

 

My thoughts come back slowly and I feel profound sadness. Dad takes the glasses off of me.

“I think you may have had a seizure. How do you feel?” says Dad.

“I feel very weird.”

Dad helps me up and I walk a few steps carefully… then with confidence. I feel better without the glasses.
“I’m still shaking from watching you. Put away the glasses,” Dad says.

“I want to return to see if we found the murderer of Queen Urraca.”

“Are you kidding me? You might have just had a seizure from those glasses. Don’t you know when you have had enough?”

“I have to finish this trial. Queen Urraca won’t go to heaven unless her killer is found. It’s my obligation. I love her.”

“Love her! You don’t know her,” Dad says.

“I have seen her and felt her in my heart. This is a risk I’m willing to take. I can tell when a seizure is coming on and you will be at my side. Won’t you be?”

“Of course I will be at your side. If you say something or touch me, I will take the glasses off, hold you and lie you down.”

“Ok. Let’s go to the trial.”

Footnote

[1] Festa – Portuguese community party

Read Chapter 25 The Cross Examination