Milo's Journey

Chapter 2

Milo woke up at 4 a.m. from a gentle shake. Yawning, he opened his eyes and sat up.

“Ok, Juan de Dios, I’m awake,” Milo said, using the true name for his principal spirit guide, Negro Juanito.

True names were never spoken when someone could overhear them.
They were only used in privacy and prayer.

You have to feed the animals and milk the cows before you go to the learning place, caballito.

The deep, rich voice resonated in Milo’s head.

“Thank you, old man. You always keep me on my toes,” Milo smiled as he put on his work clothes and went to the kitchen to grab a quick cup of coffee. He poured two cups and carried them with him as he headed out to the barn.

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Entering the barn, he went to the back and stepped into his consultation room. Moving up to his altar, he placed the second cup of coffee on it and knocked three times.

“Bendiciones. Aquí está tu hijo Milo, pidiendo tu protección, progreso espiritual, salud y prosperidad.
Aquí tienes una pequeña ofrenda de café para empezar la mañana.”

(Blessings. Here is your son Milo, asking for your protection, spiritual progress, health, and prosperity.
Here is a small offering of coffee to start the morning.)

He bowed to the altar and left.
As he did, he heard a chorus of thank-yous in his head.

Milo was nothing if not efficient. He had been taking care of the animals on the farm since he was eleven. Now, at seventeen, the work was routine, and he was a pro at getting everything done before school.

After feeding the animals, he returned to the barn and went to the back stalls where his family’s three cows stood ready to be milked.

Stepping into the first stall, he gently patted the side of the cow, greeting her in a warm voice.

“Hola, Cachita. Did you have a good night?”Milo said as he positioned the bucket and milking bench so he could get to work.

By six, Milo had finished everything. He laid down fresh hay for the cows and opened the barn doors so they could head out to the pasture to graze.

Returning to his room, he grabbed his towel, showered, and got ready for school.

Milo got off the bus at the gates of the school grounds. He waved at his friends Jose and Diego, who had just been dropped off by their parents.

Jose’s mother was a doctor at the town’s medical center, and Diego’s father ran one of the largest grocery chains in Puerto Rico.

Nobody could understand why Jose and Diego were friends with Milo, since they came from very different social backgrounds. They couldn’t have looked more different either. Jose and Diego were light-skinned, bearing the patrician features of their Spanish ancestry, while Milo’s caramel complexion reflected his Taíno heritage.

Even with these differences, the three were inseparable.

“Hey, Milo,” Jose smiled as he clasped Milo’s hand in greeting.

Milo smiled back and winked as he glanced over Jose’s right shoulder.

Jose caught the wink and narrowed his eyes slightly. Pulling Milo closer, he whispered in his ear.

“Did she follow me to school again?” Jose asked, exasperated.

Milo nodded.

“Jose, you need to relax. She only wants to make sure you’re safe. Your gitana will go where she feels she’s needed. Don’t complain. She’s the reason you’re so popular at school dances. Do you think those moves are all you?” Milo said with a grin.

“Okay, okay, I know I owe her,” Jose whispered back. “But she has to behave. She gets me into so much trouble. The guys on the football team keep staring at me. She’s going to break Santiago and me up if she keeps covering me in her flirtatious aura.”

Milo paused, listening, then nodded.

“She says she’ll behave. But Santiago needs to treat you better, or she’ll slap him with her fan.”

Jose nodded sheepishly.

Diego, who had been standing off to the side, slapped Milo on the shoulder.

“Hey! Don’t hog Milo all to yourself. Hey, papá, how are you?” Diego said, catching Milo’s attention.

Milo nodded at Diego and pulled him close.

“The chief is wearing his full headdress today,” Milo said quietly. “Everything okay?”

Diego shrugged. “Yeah. Just one of those days.”

“Don’t worry,” Milo smiled. “The chief wouldn’t show himself if he wasn’t prepared for battle.

“Thanks, Milo,” Diego said, slipping an arm around his shoulders as they walked toward the building.

Mi caballo, the school is unusually crowded today. Stay at the door for a moment before entering.

Milo paused.

He caught sight of the seven-foot African warrior stepping just inside the school entrance.

I am the gate. Approach Milo Santiago at your peril. If you seek to speak, you come to me first or face my wrath.

The voice thundered through the halls, though the students moved along as if nothing had happened. Milo watched as the spirits of the dead halted and cowered before Juan de Dios. With a nod, they were allowed to pass, following their charges to class.

Juan de Dios turned, smiled at Milo, and beckoned him forward.

I will watch and guard. Go and learn.

Juan de Dios faded from sight, though Milo still felt his presence at his left shoulder.

As Milo moved through the halls, he did his best to ignore the spirits drifting through the school. Juan de Dios kept his word. No spirit approached Milo without first speaking to him, and most were turned away, their concerns too trivial to warrant attention.

On his way to history class, Milo nearly collided with Karen, Gladys, and Mirena, the queens of the popular crowd. Daughters of wealthy Spanish-American businessmen, they carried themselves with practiced superiority.

“Buenas, Milo,” Karen said, attempting to look down on him despite being several inches shorter.

“Oh. Hey, Karen,” Milo replied, trying to step around her.

Gladys and Mirena blocked his path, forcing him to stop. Milo glanced past them and saw the spirits trailing behind.

Gladys was followed by two small Black children dressed in old slave garments. They giggled and smiled at Milo, and he couldn’t help smiling back.

Mirena’s spirit was a Spanish woman dressed in black lace, tapping her fan impatiently against her wrist. She looked as though she might approach Milo until Juan de Dios appeared at his left shoulder. The woman’s expression shifted instantly. She hid her face behind her fan and faded away.

I thought so. Will they ever learn they are no longer in power? Juan de Dios said with disgust.

Karen noticed Milo’s smile and scowled.

“Are you still seeing things?” she snapped. “Eventually someone’s going to lock you up.”

Milo bit back a laugh as he saw Karen’s Madama raise her broom threateningly before glancing apologetically at him.

“There are none so blind, Karen, as those who refuse to see,” Milo said calmly. “Have a good day.”

He slipped past them and headed to class.

Milo enjoyed Mr. Gutierrez’s lecture immensely. The history of spiritualism in Puerto Rico resonated deeply with him, especially when he noticed Doña Maria Gutierrez standing behind the teacher, nodding at key moments. When she caught Milo’s eye, she winked.

Later, as Milo walked down the hall toward his locker, his thoughts were still tangled in the day’s lessons when he bumped into a girl he hadn’t seen before.

“Ow. Hello,” she said, lowering her phone.

“Sorry. I was lost in thought,” Milo replied with a smile.

“You’re Milo, right?” she asked. “I’m Adriana. Adriana Santana. I just moved here from the mainland.”

She offered her hand, and Milo shook it.

Adriana stood taller than most of their classmates, with dark auburn hair falling in loose waves around her shoulders. She carried herself with an easy confidence, her sun-kissed skin adorned with delicate gold jewelry. There was something effortlessly striking about her.

“My father’s in the military,” she continued. “He’s stationed at Fort Buchanan, but my mom and I wanted to live up here in the mountains.”

“That’s cool,” Milo said, studying her more closely.

A dark shadow hovered near her right shoulder.

Milo called silently for Juan de Dios. His guide appeared and moved toward the shadow. Almost instantly, it lifted and vanished.

I don’t like this, mi caballo. Something is not right here, Juan de Dios warned before fading.

“Would you like to get a coffee with me after school?” Milo asked, smiling.

“Sure,” Adriana said. “I don’t really know anyone yet.”

“I’ll meet you out front after the last bell.”

“Sounds good,” she said, waving as she headed off.

Milo watched her go, uneasy.

He hated giving her the wrong idea, but Juan de Dios’s warning left him no choice. He’d ask Jose and Diego to tag along. Better to keep things casual while he figured out what that shadow meant.