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CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO<br />
Pheasant Tail<br />
Xiv Yak Tun Ich<br />
Cola de Faisán<br />
Anthurium schlechtendalii<br />
A bath or steam bath of these leaves boiled in water is considered a specific treatment for muscle<br />
aches, backaches, rheumatism, arthritis, paralysis, and swelling. The leaf is crushed <strong>with</strong> a stone and<br />
then applied directly to sore muscles or backache.<br />
Antonio was a friendly vendor from whom I bought beets and onions every<br />
Saturday morning. His booth was a regular stop on my weekly shopping<br />
trip to San Ignacio’s busy outdoor marketplace, overlooking the Macal<br />
River.<br />
One Saturday morning, Tony looked uncharacteristically grim.<br />
“Are you still working <strong>with</strong> Don Elijio? Can you cure now, Doña<br />
Rosita?”<br />
I could tell from his expression that he was not just making small talk.<br />
He seemed genuinely anguished.<br />
“Maybe you could help me? <strong>My</strong> wife and I will come see you this<br />
week, yes?” he continued. I was just about to say “of course” when he<br />
added, “Things are not right for us, Doña Rosita. Something is not natural.”<br />
Those last few words pierced through the voices of buyers, shouting<br />
orders for corn and plantains. I’d heard them enough times at Panti’s clinic<br />
and I’d been dreading the time when they would be addressed to me. After<br />
seeing hundreds of cases at Don Elijio’s clinic, I couldn’t deny the existence<br />
of evil forces. But it was one thing to assist Don Elijio. It was another to<br />
make that final leap of faith alone into the frightening and ambiguous<br />
sphere of spiritual healing.<br />
Nor did I have confidence that I could treat spiritual diseases. Physical,<br />
yes, but spiritual? That was a different story. Was I as strong as Panti? I<br />
didn’t think so.<br />
“You better go see Don Elijio,” I warbled.<br />
“No, I want to see you, Doña Rosita. I have faith in you,” he said.