The Secret Quest

Tomar, Portugal. October 29, 1917. L ittle Lucia Santos almost fell face first onto the cold stone floor of the ancient medieval castle, after she had been harshly shoved through the open archway leading to the master chamber. The door slammed shut behind her. Lucia had never been in a castle before and found the old medieval fortress to be extremely dark and intimidating. Two men stood behind a brown wooden desk, one very old man and one younger. Lucia’s focus however, was on the desktop and what rested on it. It was so lifelike that it made the young peasant girl extremely nervous. It was a goat’s head. Its disturbing beady eyes seemed to be ominously staring directly at her. Finally, one of the two men began to speak, thankfully taking the girl’s attention away from the horrifying animal head. “You must be Lucia?” The older gentleman uttered. “The little girl that has everyone in the country talking.” “Yes, I’m Lucia.” The girl responded shyly. “I’m Master John Alfonso and this is my apprentice Mr. Constantine.” The tiny peasant girl politely curtsied hello, while bowing her head. “Please do not bow to us.” The Master stated. “According to all the talk, it should be us who bows to you.” The girl did not respond. “So Lucia, you and your cousins have been very busy lately.” The question was rhetorical, he then continued. “Now you claim you and your cousins were wandering the fields of Cova da Iria, playing as children do, when all of a sudden you are visited by the beautiful Virgin Mother, who according to your statement, appeared above a tree before you. Is that correct?” Lucia just nodded. “Then you claim that she bestowed to you three secret prophecies?” Again she nodded shyly. “So my dear, can you elaborate to me, exactly what the Madonna had said to you and your cousins?” “I can only tell you the first two secrets.” “Why only the first two and not the third?” “It was our Lady’s wishes.” She stated flatly. “Okay then, what were the first two?” the Master pressed, as his tone became a little more aggravated. “The Blessed Mother first showed us a vision of the underworld.” “You mean hell?” Questioned the apprentice, who for the most part until then remained silent. “No, the Virgin Mother didn’t say it was hell, she told us it was the underworld; a place where lost souls go when they lose their way.” “Then what?” “Then she foretold of pending doom to us all, if we as a people didn’t amend our ways.” “Did she say anything specific about how we should go about changing our ways?” “Yes, she told us that mankind must reawaken our lost senses, that we must stop fighting for greed and concentrate on opening our inner light.” The two men eyed each other with eyebrows lifted. “And what did Our-Lady say was to happen if we didn’t?” “She said that eventually corruption within ourselves and external forces would completely consume our souls, locking us out of heaven’s gates forever.” The two men looked at each other once again, as if hiding a shared secret between only them. “Now Lucia, knowing what great calamity may befall all of mankind, how can you withhold such vital information, such as this final secret?” “The third is not the final prophecy,” she said “more are to come.” “Did she say when?” “No, just that she would appear again in the future to three others.” The two men turned their backs to the little peasant girl and began speaking with each other in secret. Lucia couldn’t make out what they were saying, and heard only low murmurs. After a few seconds they returned to face the child. “Now Lucia, we are very important men in the community, we could make you and your family quite wealthy; all we ask is for you to co-operate with us. Now please tell us exactly what the Virgin Mother told you.” “I’m sorry, but the Madonna told us to keep it a secret until the world is ready.” “Ready for what?!” The Master yelled as he angrily pounded his fist into the wooden desktop, cracking it. “She did not say.” Responded Lucia unfazed by the Master’s belligerent behavior. “I’m sorry, but no matter what you say or do, I will go to my grave with these secrets.” The leader of a great and powerful secret society looked deeply into the child’s eyes and saw with dismay, the reality of her conviction. She was speaking the truth. Like her two cousins who were interrogated individually before her, this young child would never tell. And no matter what he said, no matter how much he would threaten her, this small girl and her two cousins were prepared to die in order to protect this secret.