‘Searching’ Archives
SEARCHING ”“ a Serial Novelle CHAPTER 15: The Ties that Bind
By Patrick Cabello Hansel Our searchers, Angel and Luz walked west in the alley, holding their silence like a candle in front of their faces. They paused for a moment by the mural at Kaplan”'s. Angel said he knew some kids that had worked on it; Luz said that she did as well, and as they compared notes they realized that their world was both smaller and more connected than they thought. They walked past the makeshift memorial in front of the store where Eddie had been shot on his way home from basketball practice. The teddy bears and dried flowers poked their heads through the fresh snow. At first, neither one of them spoke, but then, almost as if a wind had blown through them, they both sighed. “What a waste,” Angel said. “He was such a good guy.” Luz said. Luz said, “I think I know who the shooter is.” Angel replied: “I know I know who the shooter is.” And in that moment they knew that their lives which were [...]
SEARCHING ”“ a Serial Novelle CHAPTER 14: Darkness and Light
By Patrick Cabello Hansel Angel and Luz went on talking for what seemed to be for hours, hours of sitting among the dusty puppets and masks, telling their stories as they had never been told. Their bodies kept inching towards each other, a trusting born not only of desire, but of a calling deep within: a calling to heal and be healed. Just as they were at the point, that fulcrum of leaning into the other, a leaning that could mean kissing each other or helping each other to their feet, there was a loud BOOM! from the street corner, and the lights in the building flared and went out. Completely. Total darkness. “What was that?” Angel asked, his body shaking. “I think it”'s a blackout”, Luz replied. “Now what do we do?” Angel asked. Luz paused in her reply. She knew that a kiss was on her heart and on Angel”'s, but that the time for it to be fulfilled had been changed, by the stealing of the light. A first kiss is not good in [...]
SEARCHING ”“ a Serial Novelle CHAPTER 13: Stories in the Storeroom
By Patrick Cabello Hansel How long Angel and Luz sat in the storerooms of masks and puppets no one knows. No daylight entered their hiding place, just a few small bulbs in the ceiling lit the long hallway. It did not matter to them. They told stories of their youth: growing up amid the mangoes and papayas and alamos of their little villages in Mexico, discovering that they had been in some of the same Holy Week processions and harvest festivals. Angel laughed at some of Luz”'s stories, and realized he hadn”'t laughed in a long, long time. As the night came on, their talk became deeper and sadder. In that crowded space, they shared””as if bread””the story of the death of Luz”' mother in a desert crossing, the estrangement Angel felt from his father multiplied recently by Angel”'s absence, the wandering spirits both of them held like a stolen treasure deep within. Angel told Luz all he knew about the owl, the strange words, the healing of his [...]
