Chapter 17: How To Stop a Brujo

The conversation around the kitchen table didn't provide the consensus for a solution to their problem. Seth wanted to set up a guard schedule and shoot on sight if the Brujo came back. Pappy wanted to go hunting for the Brujo and kill him. Martha was adamant about no hunting and no killing on sight. She was happy with guarding but she didn't want any killing.

"What happens if we see some hiker in the wrong place at the wrong time?" she asked heatedly. "We could kill the wrong person. I don't care if this Brujo person dies but we need a way to be sure."

"That puts us at a major disadvantage," Seth protested. "He can strike whenever he wants. He only needs to be successful once and one of us gets hurt. We have to be successful every time. It's just as bad as Viet Nam. It's a no win situation."

"It is difficult but she is right," Udit said with a heavy sigh. "We should not go hunting him either," Udit continued. His voice sounded older than BB could ever remember it sounding. "If we try to fight him on his ground we will lose. He will know we are there and will prepare for us. As for shooting him on sight..." Udit shook his head in resignation and said, "Brujos often win in battles against much stronger Mages. They have..." Udit hesitated as if looking for the right word. Finally he nodded and said, "They have an animal cunning that is very dangerous. Let's say we decide to shoot on sight. What happens next? The first thing that happens is we start getting nervous and jumping at shadows. We start shooting when we shouldn't."

Seth started to protest and Udit held up his hand. Seth only hesitated a moment before speaking anyway. "I think we're a little more disciplined than that."

"Oh really?" Udit asked in surprise. "You were in combat in Viet Nam, Seth. Would you say that you served with highly trained soldiers? Were they good soldiers?"

"They were good Marines," Seth corrected the old Indian.

"Okay," Udit said with a ghost of a smile. "They were good Marines. So, what were your good Marines like on guard duty, in the jungle, knowing someone was out there that wanted to hurt them? How often were shots fired at night when nothing was there? Or, maybe it was only an animal, or, heaven forbid, a villager." At Seth's slow nod Udit continued. "Are you saying we are better trained and disciplined than your Marines?"

Seth didn't answer but he looked uncomfortable. Udit sighed again and his shoulders slumped. "Your Marines were highly trained and under very stressful conditions," Udit continued in a tired voice. "They were also trained to deal with stressful situations. Our situation is worse." He looked around at the disbelieving faces before continuing. "He could easily cause deer and elk, or even bear to come around the ranch. Sean may be able to stop them but he must sleep sometime and he is still a baby. How often will we think we see something other than what is there. Something else to consider is that this Brujo might be the same one that attacked Sean's parents." He didn't stop at the angry sound that Sean made. "If that is correct then he can influence men's minds to some extent. What would it take for him to influence a stray hiker to come close to the ranch buildings? What will it take for him to make one of us think we see him when it is really a hiker? Will his influence increase when someone is guarding and they're tired and tense? We would be at his mercy and giving him all the opportunity he needs to defeat us."

"I still think we should go after him," Pappy growled. He was remembering what happened to his family. "We give him all the advantages if we let him attack whenever he wants to attack."

BB was strangely silent throughout the conversation. He just watched and listened with a thoughtful expression. Martha noticed and raised her eyebrows at him.

Have you ever noticed how women can carry on entire conversations with facial expressions? Have you ever noticed how quickly men have learned to recognize those expressions that require them to do something?

BB cleared his throat and said, "Grandfather is right in his description of the Brujo's advantages. I don't think we are looking at the Brujo's disadvantages or our advantages though." He looked around at the mixture of disbelieving and expectant expressions before continuing. "We are only five people." At a protesting noise from Sean, BB corrected himself. "Six with Sean but Sean also has all his friends out there." BB waved his arm at the open window. They could hear the sounds of horses and cows and chickens. They could hear birds and the distant yip of a coyote. "The six of us and Sean's friends is an advantage for us," BB explained in a quiet voice.

"So, what disadvantage do you see for the Brujo?" Pappy asked coldly. His scowl showed barely controlled anger but his voice raised that anger to nearly a white hot rage. He wasn't mad at BB. Pappy was reliving the most traumatic time of his life but there was a difference this time. He wasn't a helpless boy. He would protect his family this time.

Martha shivered at the sound of his voice and recognized what Pappy was experiencing. She lay on hand on Pappy's arm to calm him.

BB took a breath and let it out before answering. "This is just a guess Pappy, but I think I'm right. Grandfather, Sean, you two will need to help me." He took another breath before saying, "Sean tried to stop the coyote the Brujo controlled but he couldn't. Sean signed afterward that 'Evil Hurt'. Sean could have meant that the Brujo used pain to control the coyote or the Brujo hurt Sean when he tried to take control of the Coyote." BB turned to Sean and said, "You control the animals with love. Martha told me about how it felt when you turned that love you have on her. The Brujo is opposite you in many ways. He's at the opposite end of the year at birth. His attitudes toward people seem to be opposite you. I'm thinking the Brujo controls the animals the opposite of the way you do. I'm thinking that he does it with pain. Am I right Sean?"

The baby was watching BB intently. Sean made the double fist nod of American Sign Language, or ASL meaning 'yes' at BB's question. Sean paused as if in thought before emphatically signing 'yes' twice more. He paused again before signing 'why?'

BB nodded and said, "Give me a minute," before looking at Udit. "You told me when I was little that, 'We can never really tame a wild thing. If we want them to stick around, we have to teach them to love us.' Do you remember that Grandfather?"