#cilantromagic

When Mich was little, her family moved into a little house by the church. Her father was a pastor, so they had a house built right next door, in case he was needed at any hour. Then, shortly after, a man came into their home. A traveler who needed a place to stay. The town soon learned, however, that he was no such thing. He’d gone from town to town, claiming to be passing through, and had claimed the lives over over twenty innocent people. All pastors, or preachers, or the like, and their families. Claiming to be on a mission set by God himself, to cleanse the world of his false and corrupt followers. He tried here too, to cleanse this town. He took the life of Mich’s parents, and all her siblings. He’d tried to get to her, but the blade hadn’t pierced as it should. She pretended to be dead, and wept silently as he dragged her family to the graveyard. 

As Mich began to lose the fight for her life, a large black dog approached. The traveler appeared to not see the creature, even as he stared at his work, with a look of satisfaction. The beast nudged at Mich, attempting to get her to flee. It seemed to say to her, ‘it is not your time. Run, flee.’ But she could not, for she knew she could not outrun the man. So she lay prone, and watched as the man buried her family, in shallow graves, with no respect for the lives he had taken. The dog sat by her side through it all, and when the man had finished the hole for her, and approached what he thought to be his latest victim, the dog pounced. He tore at the man, wounding him, but not taking his life. He looked at her as if to say, ‘ fetch help, I will help you escape.’

So she stood, and ran. Clutching her side, where the jagged cut of the blade was. She ran as fast as her little legs could carry her, until she reached the closest house in town. She banged on the door, screamed for someone to help. Soon, the whole town was awake, rushing out of their houses to see what the trouble was. She told them of that had happened, told them the traveler had killed her family and tried to kill her too. The townspeople were outraged, many rushed to the graveyard to capture the man. A woman scooped Mich up, and rushed her to the doctor’s house.

When all who had gone returned, they brought the scum who had taken so many lives, and marched him into the doctor’s house. They took him to Mich, and asked if this was the man who had taken her family’s lives. She confirmed that yes, this was the man, whom her family had taken in with only kindness and compassion in their hearts, only for him to step all over it and murder them all in their sleep. As the townspeople withdrew from the room, the black dog stepped forward. He came to her bedside, and nudged at her hand. She reached out and pet the creature’s head, thanking it for helping her.

After that day, Mich would often see the dog as she passed the churchyard. She’d see it helping those who’d passed, and learned quickly of it’s purpose. Why those around her could not see it, but she could not understand why she could suddenly see these wonderful spirits. She’d often offer a few kind words to those passing as well, especially to children, who seemed afraid of the beast meant to guide their way. She’d tell them of her tale, and to not be afraid, for he was a gentle creature, who only wished to help.

When Mich became older, she reclaimed the home her father built. She’d go to school, come home, and sit on her porch with the dog, doing homework, or reading a book of some kind. She soon became known to the school, and then the town as a whole, as the village crazy. They’d all written off her claims of a dog helping her as a child, and thought she’d outgrow such outlandish tales. They thought perhaps the story was to help her with having lost her whole family in one fell swoop. However, as she continued to claim her tale was true, the town shied from her, pushing her away. They allowed her to stay, solely because she helped at the church, and with burials.

Mich didn’t care however. She knew her truth, and refused to allow others to sway her thoughts. She saw her friend, and the spirits, and that’s all that mattered. As Mich became a woman, she began to travel to the neighboring towns. She’d seek out the families of the traveler’s victims, and tell them of her tale, letting them know the man had been caught and given the just punishment he deserved. They’d thank her, for news hadn’t reached them, and they feared he would return. Then she’d go to the churchyards, and look out. In some she’d see old spirits, doing the same her beast did, guiding the spirits. She’d have a chat with some, hear their stories, tell them of others.

In the towns where she’d see other large dogs, she’d give them gentle pets, and tell them of how helpful they were. In one town, she found a cat guiding the spirits, and that was a new one. She asked the man in the neighboring cemetery about it, and he said that village hadn’t any dogs at the time of the first burial, so they’d picked a cat to be safe. She asked him why they hadn’t thought to do the same for this cemetery, and he told her that they at one point thought only churchyards needed spirit guides to help the deceased pass over.