Parto 1: La Vizitanto. 12: La Kristalbirdo

That night, I tried to take the broken bird to Gabino’s room. I knocked and knocked, but Gabino didn't even answer.

Dejected, I went back to the common room and sat beside Medusa. I placed the glass bird on the coffee table and collapsed on the couch.

Osiris and Serena were still outside, and Abrajm peeked at me from behind a wall. Medusa picked up the object and turned it over in their hands.

“It broke into two pieces. We could repair it with a little glue. Although, since it's glass…” They took the parts and fitted them together. They nodded. “The crack won’t disappear.”

Medusa set the bird back on the table and met my gaze.

“Maybe with more glue, we can fill those gaps,” I said, trying to stay positive.

Medusa did not seem convinced, but they gave me a consolation smile.

We both remained silent for a while, and this seemed to encourage Abrajm to approach. They stood in front of me and looked at me, then stared at the bird.

“Sorry,” they said.

Then they curled up on the couch, their legs drawn up like a ball, leaning against me. I ran my hand through their hair.

“It’s okay,” I told them.

Over the next few days, Medusa became a constant presence at my side. They showed me drawings, puzzles, books—gesturing, pointing, trying everything to get my attention. But my mind was elsewhere. I wanted to appreciate their efforts, but Gabino’s erratic behavior consumed my thoughts.

Sometimes I spotted them going behind Ĉelo Tri, the so-called scene of the crime, staring at the wall. Then they would leave the moment they saw me.

Other times, they would halt near a bookshelf, a potted plant, or even in the middle of nowhere. And the instant I noticed them, they would turn and walk away, as if they had remembered an urgent appointment.

Every time I went to La Kerno, they went to the garden. And if they couldn’t leave, for example, because it was mealtime, they sat as far away from me as possible.

The broken bird was the only explanation I could find for all of it. I had taken it to my room and glued it back together, but, as Medusa had predicted, the crack was still visible.

It was my fault. I was no leader like Arakil or Indigo. Too distracted, too lenient. I failed to protect what mattered. I failed to prevent this.

Hoping they could help me find a solution, I turned to Medusa.

“They won’t even look at me. I can’t even apologize!”

“I think you’re misinterpreting things. You tend to overthink,” they said.

“That’s not true… most of the time! I admit I’ve made mistakes in judgment sometimes, but if you were in my place, you would think the same thing!”

Medusa looked at me, curious, then lowered their head and sighed.

“Gabino isn’t angry, Kanako,” they stated.

I wanted to believe them, but Gabino’s behavior worsened as time went on. Their behavior shifted from ignoring me to showing hostility.

The glares they gave me would have made Serena cry, but they had a smile for everyone else. They would bump into me on purpose or make ridiculous faces as soon as they saw me.

They also seemed more distracted than usual, dropping everything: papers, pencils, colored stones. I would gather everything and return it to them, and they would look at me as if I were handing them trash, take it, and walk away without a word.

It reached a point where I couldn’t handle the stress and worry. I needed to talk to them. I cornered them in the garden.

“Gabino,” I began with a soft voice, “I know you’re upset with me, and I understand, but…”

Gabino raised their right hand, silencing me. Then they looked around, as if searching for an escape route.

“I think it’s too noisy here,” they muttered.

They turned around, leaving. My eyes filled with tears. I didn’t want to lose them. I wanted to promise them I would be a better leader, that I would never let something like this happen again. But I felt like it was too late. The crystal bird had a wound that could never heal.

“Oh, I understand. You want to be alone.” I swallowed hard, trying to dislodge the lump in my throat. “I’m sorry,” I said, and turned to flee.

But before I could take two steps, Gabino caught up to me and grabbed my wrist.

“Let’s go somewhere quieter. Come on,” they said.

I followed them, my head spinning. Their grip on my wrist was firm, pulling me along.

Gabino led me to the heating unit, behind Ĉelo Tri. They stopped in front of me and looked around again.

“This is where I tripped, and Abrajm broke my crystal bird,” they exclaimed, almost shouting.

“Yes, I know, I’m sorry…” I started, but they interrupted me.

“Look, it was right here!” they screamed, crouching down. “Yes! I think there might still be pieces of my crystal bird on the floor!” They squeezed under the pipe connecting the unit to the building.

“I don’t think so. If there were pieces, they would be almost invisible. When I glued it…” I couldn’t finish my explanation because Gabino pulled me down to the floor and dragged me to where they were.

They looked around one last time, then put their hands on my shoulders.

“Twelve days, Kanako, twelve!” they said in a low but agitated voice. “I’ve been trying to get you here for twelve days!”

“You never told me to come here…” I said, confused, and a little offended by the way they had pulled me down. I tried to stand, but Gabino held me by the collar.

“I tried, but Medusa was always with you, so I couldn’t… then I tried to get you to follow me, but you never did! Sometimes you looked at me, and I thought you’d follow me, but no!”

“You looked at me like you wanted me to disappear!”

“What?!” they almost shouted. Then they lowered their voice again. “I tried to signal you with my eyes, and with gestures. I even bumped into you, but you just kept walking!”

My brain struggled to understand, but Gabino hadn’t finished complaining.

“And can you tell me why you ignored all the clues with objects I laid out to get you to come here?” they made another effort to keep their voice down. “I tried a lot of times! There were the stones, the papers, and the pencils! I couldn’t be more obvious! I arranged the pencils in the shape of arrows! Arrows!”

“Oh, so those weren’t triangles…” I said, more to myself than to them.

They half-rose, as if they were about to lunge at me, but restrained themselves. They closed their eyes and took a deep breath.

“We’re in a blind spot,” Gabino said, unfolding a map of La Nesto. They pointed to a series of markings. “Cameras can’t see us here.”

I glanced at the map, then at Gabino. So this wasn't about the bird?

“Twelve days ago, when I was chasing Abrajm, he ran back here.” Gabino tapped on the marking that showed our current position.

“Wait, Gabino…”

But they continued.

“I tripped and found this.” They held up an old sketchbook. “A diary. Riddles, puzzles… and it talks about hidden cameras. They’re always watching.”

“You’re not angry?” I said, ignoring what they just said.

“Angry? Why would I be angry?”

I sighed. Medusa was right again. There was nothing to worry about! Relief washed over me, but then I looked at the object in Gabino’s hands. It was an old sketchbook. A familiar sketchbook. I froze.

“Is this…?”

Gabino nodded.

“Yes. It’s Arakil’s.”