A Love In Dark Times

The light door sent them to the brothers’ house, she thought she was in the wrong place, as there was an ostentatious party that covered the whole neighbourhood, she soon discovered that the reason was that her older brother was the winner of the lottery jackpot, the whole neighbourhood greeted him calling him Don, showering him with compliments, asking him to be the godfather of their children’s baptism, bringing him pitiful stories to seek his mercy, accompanied by handful of banknotes. She was surprised to see how her friends she had once tried to introduce him to, who had refused say that her little brother smelled like dung, were now all around her like flies, even the stepfather who people shunned because he replaced his dead wife with a man she slept with on those cold nights, now looked like a movie star because the entourage of admirers around him.

-My little sister is here,” he said, his voice showing a hint of drunkenness.

All the locals came out to greet her with gifts, what she feared did not happen, nobody called her a witch or a murderer f the day she eliminated the gang that terrorised them, her brother's money had magically purified them, the realities wer composed with the brightness of the new millionaires.

Hello big brother, how are you?

-Luisa, super well, imagine that I passed by the petrol station shop, I felt a desire to buy a lottery ticket, I looked at one and it was as if it was shining, I bought it, spending everything I had in my pocket, running out of lunch money, I even ha to get on the bus without paying, I snuck in when a passenger was getting off.

-And did you earn it?

-No Luisa, I won another ticket and that one I did win, it was great, I thought it was unreal, the fear of waking up in my house invaded me or of being wrong, I hoped that when I cashed it they would tell me that I was confused, I felt undeserving of this blessing, then I remembered my mother who prayed every day for us, who now must be in heaven negotiating face to face with all the saints, she must have been the one who pushed me to buy that ticket, Now I want to share it with you, to be able to have what they could never give us, to £0 to a shopping centre to buy, not to look at shop windows full of desire, hoping that some passer-by would take pity by buying our desires, now we can buy everything we craved, to be able to enter those restaurants where they took us out for begging for those delicacies, to do something unimaginable, to buy a car, a farm and even a plane, now with money everything is possible, except to resurrect our mother.

Luisa remembered that this promise was one of those that Lucifer made to her to free her minions and she felt bad for leaving him to his fate, after burning with all his brothers, eating from the buffet that her brother bought, from that sumptuous party where he implied that he supposed that his money was infinite.

Wait, little brother, don't you think you're squandering your fortune,” Luisa asks him, trying to be as gentle as possible, trying to avoid upsetting him.

-sis, we didn't deserve this, let them see who we are, after so much humiliation, now we are filling their bitches,” the olde brother touched his belly, speaking full of arrogance.

-But little brother, if the money is wasted, it's time to harvest it, as our grandmother used to tell us, let it produce.

No, sis, it has to be like a baby horse, that you make it grow so that it can carry you on its back, I've been reading books how to get rich quickly in five steps, I already know how to manage my fortune, I mean our fortune.

Yes, little brother, and how is that?

-It's simple, this party is an investment, just like you hear it, many have already come to me to propose businesses, partnerships, from empanada sales to cargo trucks, 1 assure you that I will choose the best ones, I will buy houses to rent have already bought half of the butcher shop from Don Miguel because he lost a lot of money in the casino game, I improved the beauty salon for his friend Yuty's mother, the one who always loved me and looked at me like a weirdo, noy she even hinted to me that we could be boyfriend and girlfriend, she realised that I am a very intelligent, hard-working a forward-looking man, that I am the best suitor.

-It's a coincidence that now everyone has realised it, it only took your wallet to overflow with notes, little brother you hay to be measured, have moderation, you have to know what to invest in, not only the business but with whom, how are you going to give money to someone with casino gambling problems and ask for a guarantee, not just a few smiles, take advantage with intelligence and don't let yourself be carried away by false flattery.

Relax sis, I know how to do my business, besides I'm very lucky, I found a really good business, it doesn't lose, all its partners are making lots of money, I only have to send money, get more partners that can be you or these neighbours th: invest and all that I get back multiplied, look, even the owner of that company is here, he is a great man who travels all over the world, he arrives in very luxurious cars, full of escorts and with many beautiful women, let me introduce you to him.

At first glance he looked like a fine elegant man, in his face it was evident that at some point in his life he had been involved in exhausting jobs and now he was relaxed.

Hello miss, nice to meet you, your brother has told me a lot about you," he introduces himself, but she senses something very strange about him, “I love your warrior dress and that sword is magnificent.

His sword pulsates, it seems to her that she saw that being somewhere else, I draw it and in a second I cut his throat. All the people moved a few meters away, his escorts aim at him hesitating to shoot, because they can no longer avoid the disaster, instead, they would increase it by killing a woman, the host's sister. Who does complain to him:

-Luisal Why did you think of doing that?

she answers him, waiting for him to recover, to grow wings or turn to dust, but nothing, the neighbours get upset, and th start to hear cries, like that of Dofia Anita who kneels down with her face in three hands saying: “No, it can't be, I investec all the money in my house and I didn't manage to collect it, now I've lost it.

Anyway, you know that they are not going to give you money out of nothing, you have to do something to reproduce it ai this charlatan, it is clear that his only business was to swindle the unwary," he adds without putting his sword away, to avoid uprisings.

-Miss Luisa, you are mistaken, this gentleman had a portfolio of companies, from mines to a modelling channel,” commer one of the bodyguards.

-Luisa considers that you should cure him in the same way you did me," whispers Guio in her ear, she lets herself be convinced, then kneels down in front of this being welding his neck, who stands up confused and Guio proclaims: -observe everyone, this was a planned show, please we deserve some applause.