A Historian's Discovery
A strange text falls into Emilia's hands.
The phrase the past repeats itself is an incomplete statement. I see history as a spiraling staircase. Certain themes are recurring - family, desire, love - but they either progress or regress those affected. Sometimes events in history go unresolved, in which case it’s up to historians like myself to offer a retrospective solution.
The International University of Miami houses an impressive collection of Spanish family genealogies, which are some of my favorite texts to study. If I could, I would take them all home with me and read them like a good book on a rainy day - complete with a warm mug of Abuelita hot chocolate. I like to search beyond the timelines and the factoids of yesteryear to find the reflection of the human experience.
Some of the genealogies were donated by families who thoroughly tracked their ancestry. Some make their way to us by the whims of apathetic donors. It’s especially heartbreaking to accept genealogies from a detached descendant - like a branch cutting itself off of a vine.Â
Recently, a box containing a genealogy book was found at the foot of the Marquez building. It tells the history of an Echevarria family originating from Guernica, Spain, beginning around the 1800s. It contains a detailed list of births, deaths, and marriages - your typical text.
Late one night, I was in my office when I noticed a soft glow coming from the book. I was hesitant to touch it.
Was I seeing things? Is this dangerous?
I continued my tasks, pretending not to notice its glow. It diminished shortly after my notice.Â
Two weeks later, it happened again.
Curiosity told me to pull the book out of its shelf and open it to the source.
A family tree was included in the genealogy, and the light was emanating from one of its latest branches. A dark line budded out of the name Celia Teresa Echevarria-Llanes, and slowly extended outward like a vine.
The line struggled to move past her name, as if something was stifling it. Suddenly the book threw itself shut, snuffing the light out. I waited for the longest minute of my life before I opened it back to the family tree.
There was nothing new drawn around the name Celia. The only connection she has is her family.
No history program prepares you for how to deal with magical books. But the phenomenon was so curious that I keep it in my office. I suspect that Celia might be local, and she might want to know about this family tree.
This is very cleverly done and very INTERESTING. Can we expect a follow up to this story???