Lina vs Death
She walked every day with a bottle of rum under her arm. She was doing the “tour of honor” of the village that I grew up in.
Early mornings and late at night. One way with the empty bottle, the return path with the full bottle – tucked in carefully under her coat.
Looking always down, pacing slowly and lightly like a ghost – especially when the bottle was full, always very attentive not to drop it.
Always present on the lane, in the hot summer days or in the middle of the carol singers on Christmas Eve, when a wedding or a funeral passed by. No matter what happened around her, the woman never missed her daily rounds.
She was always part of the scenery.
Low, scrawny, wearing ragged clothes, Lina rarely answered our greetings. And when she did speak, her voice was so small that you could think she was afraid. Of us, the kids, age 6 or 7 back then.
We were a crazy gang I admit – not me especially – but mostly yes, you could’ve had good reason to be cautious when meeting us. Scared not by our force or rapidity, as we had none. Afraid of the crazy ideas that flashed our brains – yes, now that was a smart choice.
From the chapter “putting a rat in the middle of the road” and “throwing rocks into our neighbors yards” or “hide well in the darkness and jump suddenly in the light making a BOO sound”, we had the terrible idea of aggressing Lina.
We certainly didn’t like her – she carried too many bottles around. But arranging a meeting between her and death, that was too much!
From the idea to the actual planning, we hurried and decided to act.
The plan was: you take a big black coat, big enough to fit two kids inside. One of the boys climbs on top of the other. You cover both of them with the scary tog and leave some room for air. And then you wait for the sun to set. Mu ha ha ha!
OOhhh! It’s taking forever!
Wait… It’s a bit darker outside…
Yes.
Lina is passing by, holding her empty bottle on the way to the bar. In half an hour she will be back – walking even more slowly with her refill.
Just a bit more….
You have a good laugh at the thought – the great confrontation between Lina and death!!! The woman will desperately throw her bottle and run, overwhelmed with fear. She will fall, rise again and continue to flee spooked and hopeless. Trying to reach a safe place, her home.
Eventually she will get over her fear and understand that this was a sign. And the only reason she has been speared is cause she dropped the bottle and sworn to quit drinking.
How cool is that?
What a good deed!
It’s really dark now. Only a distant glim gives you the idea of where the lane should be. A weak shadow appears to be coming towards us. You can hear Lina’s hesitant steps on the gravel. Her cough signs that she is near.
We take refuge in a ditch nearby. We are trying to discern her body in the darkness.
With her head always bowed, Lina doesn’t feel our presence.
Now the so called death comes out of her hiding place:
- Whaaat are you dooooing, Liiiina????, death askes, rising her huge arms above her head, looking very scary and real.
- Who are you? answered the woman with her same old small and frightened voice. Lina was looking straight ahead, holding tightly her bottled treasure.
- I am DEEEEEEEEAAAATH! I have come to take you, woman!, the monster shouts moving back and forward and blocking Lina’s way.
Yes, I know what the expectations were. Lina flees terrified and quits drinking. We have a good laugh and go home.
But life, like Lina, is always unforeseeable.
After looking death into the eye, the woman makes a decision.
She lifts the 500 ml bottle and, with an extreme gesture, hits the death in the head!
BUM! Right in the brains!
She knows that she managed to throw some dust in the death’s eyes. She walks on, not running, just making bigger steps.
Lina can’t see that behind her, death lurches and the two boys underneath the coat fall to the ground stunned by the hit, smelling of rum from head to tows.
Our prank worked perfectly – just not in the way we planned.
After no more than a day of absence, Lina came back to her normal rounds. This time she didn’t answer at all to our ashamed greetings. She kept on walking, looking always ahead, with a bit of arrogance.
She wore her bottle proudly where everyone could see it – holding it by the neck, ready to attack.
I think she was a bit sad at the beginning for wasting all that good rum.
Then realized how much power there was in her and in that tiny object – the half litter bottle.
That’s why she walked lofty, smiling high and mighty over her well tightened head kerchief.
If she kicked death’s ass, who else should she be afraid of?!!
Early mornings and late at night. One way with the empty bottle, the return path with the full bottle – tucked in carefully under her coat.
Looking always down, pacing slowly and lightly like a ghost – especially when the bottle was full, always very attentive not to drop it.
Always present on the lane, in the hot summer days or in the middle of the carol singers on Christmas Eve, when a wedding or a funeral passed by. No matter what happened around her, the woman never missed her daily rounds.
She was always part of the scenery.
Low, scrawny, wearing ragged clothes, Lina rarely answered our greetings. And when she did speak, her voice was so small that you could think she was afraid. Of us, the kids, age 6 or 7 back then.
We were a crazy gang I admit – not me especially – but mostly yes, you could’ve had good reason to be cautious when meeting us. Scared not by our force or rapidity, as we had none. Afraid of the crazy ideas that flashed our brains – yes, now that was a smart choice.
From the chapter “putting a rat in the middle of the road” and “throwing rocks into our neighbors yards” or “hide well in the darkness and jump suddenly in the light making a BOO sound”, we had the terrible idea of aggressing Lina.
We certainly didn’t like her – she carried too many bottles around. But arranging a meeting between her and death, that was too much!
From the idea to the actual planning, we hurried and decided to act.
The plan was: you take a big black coat, big enough to fit two kids inside. One of the boys climbs on top of the other. You cover both of them with the scary tog and leave some room for air. And then you wait for the sun to set. Mu ha ha ha!
OOhhh! It’s taking forever!
Wait… It’s a bit darker outside…
Yes.
Lina is passing by, holding her empty bottle on the way to the bar. In half an hour she will be back – walking even more slowly with her refill.
Just a bit more….
You have a good laugh at the thought – the great confrontation between Lina and death!!! The woman will desperately throw her bottle and run, overwhelmed with fear. She will fall, rise again and continue to flee spooked and hopeless. Trying to reach a safe place, her home.
Eventually she will get over her fear and understand that this was a sign. And the only reason she has been speared is cause she dropped the bottle and sworn to quit drinking.
How cool is that?
What a good deed!
It’s really dark now. Only a distant glim gives you the idea of where the lane should be. A weak shadow appears to be coming towards us. You can hear Lina’s hesitant steps on the gravel. Her cough signs that she is near.
We take refuge in a ditch nearby. We are trying to discern her body in the darkness.
With her head always bowed, Lina doesn’t feel our presence.
Now the so called death comes out of her hiding place:
- Whaaat are you dooooing, Liiiina????, death askes, rising her huge arms above her head, looking very scary and real.
- Who are you? answered the woman with her same old small and frightened voice. Lina was looking straight ahead, holding tightly her bottled treasure.
- I am DEEEEEEEEAAAATH! I have come to take you, woman!, the monster shouts moving back and forward and blocking Lina’s way.
Yes, I know what the expectations were. Lina flees terrified and quits drinking. We have a good laugh and go home.
But life, like Lina, is always unforeseeable.
After looking death into the eye, the woman makes a decision.
She lifts the 500 ml bottle and, with an extreme gesture, hits the death in the head!
BUM! Right in the brains!
She knows that she managed to throw some dust in the death’s eyes. She walks on, not running, just making bigger steps.
Lina can’t see that behind her, death lurches and the two boys underneath the coat fall to the ground stunned by the hit, smelling of rum from head to tows.
Our prank worked perfectly – just not in the way we planned.
After no more than a day of absence, Lina came back to her normal rounds. This time she didn’t answer at all to our ashamed greetings. She kept on walking, looking always ahead, with a bit of arrogance.
She wore her bottle proudly where everyone could see it – holding it by the neck, ready to attack.
I think she was a bit sad at the beginning for wasting all that good rum.
Then realized how much power there was in her and in that tiny object – the half litter bottle.
That’s why she walked lofty, smiling high and mighty over her well tightened head kerchief.
If she kicked death’s ass, who else should she be afraid of?!!
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