can a frustrated single mom and failed big city journalist save her family and salvage her career by returning to a town run by a gang of bungling thugs?


“The Resurrection of Puerto Cielo” is a novella published in serial form, 43 posts.




33


It was inevitable that they would collide. The “Corruptor Bus,” the force for good, and “El Hombre,” the force for fear and dread.

But, for days, the inevitable did not happen.

Finally, on a dreary, drizzly afternoon, fate brought them together.

In front of the Star office, the last “corruptor tour” of the day was unloading. Sitting inside Ynes, Manny and Maria were buzzing with the news that the tour’s online site had gone viral. There was a long waiting list and hundreds of comments. People were demanding change.

They were so busy talking as Manny pulled the bus out onto Main Street, they didn’t see the obstacle in front of them.

Both gasped at the same time.

“What!?”

Planted in the center of the street, a monster black truck blocked their way.

For a moment, nothing happened. The girls stared. They’d heard the rumors. They knew who this was.

The truck door opened. A mountain of a man emerged, stretched his neck, and stood in front of the truck, impervious to the rain dripping down his bald head.

The taunt muscled dog at his side snarled.

Goliath uncoiled his whip and glared at the astonished girls.

Then Maria’s defiant voice roared from the bus’s rooftop loudspeakers,

“No more corruption!”

CRACK!

The whip end ripped the loudspeakers from the bus roof and they clattered to the ground.

The giant recoiled the whip and shook the broken speakers into the street.

Shocked, Manny and Maria looked at each other.

Simultaneously, they stuck their heads out windows and yelled,

“Take back our town!”

CRACK!

The whip yanked the radio antenna from the side of the bus.

Again, El Hombre recoiled the whip, discarding the antenna.

Manny’s face grew intense. She stepped on the gas and the bus engine screamed.

CRACK!

The window in front of Maria shattered into hundreds of fragments. She screamed.

Engine racing, Manny shifted the bus into gear.

The whip snaked back behind El Hombre to strike again. His arm snapped forward, but froze above his head, the line suddenly taunt.

Surprised, El Hombre turned.

A mutt had grabbed onto the ball at the end of the whip and, all four legs dug in, Lazy wasn’t letting go.

Mikey charged.

An agonized howl pierced the air.

A little dog with a cast on one leg had sunk its teeth into Mikey’s testicles.

And Arnold wasn’t letting go.

The pained cries swelled.

Stunned, El Hombre dropped the whip.

Deciding the damage was done, Arnold released his death grip and limped to the Star doorway where Gabe, watching the spectacle with his family, scooped up the little David.

Lazy also chose this moment to retreat, scampering to the safety of his Bernie buddies.

A single high pitched word rang out above the wounded dog’s gut wrenching whines.

“Mikey!”

It was a strange sound. Not masculine, not feminine, the sound of a small, stricken child.

El Hombre knelt. He reached out and gently cuddled his fallen friend.

The town watched the giant, tears streaming down his face, slowly rise and carry his best, his only, amigo to the truck.

The door quietly shut. The engine rumbled to life. The truck slowly backed, turned, and headed out of Puerto Cielo.

The man had only said one word during his entire stay.

Suddenly the stillness was broken. Pouring out of shops and homes, people clapped and cheered..

In front of Mama G’s, the gathered ladies in black were gawking in amazement and  muttering to themselves.

Mouth open, gina simply said, “Wow!”

Beside her, Eddie thought, those girls have guts, and wondered about his own cowardice.

Manny honked the Corruptor bus horn as Ynes idled up Main Street. She watched Maria brush bits of safety glass from her lap. they grinned at each other as kids ran up to shake hands.

On the 3 B’s porch, Arnold and Lazy were guzzling beer courtesy of the admiring Bernie brothers.

For the first time in days, the sun broke through the grey blanket that had covered the town. Puerto Cielo heaved a collective sigh of relief.

But as the black truck drove past the dark grey limo, one man had mixed emotion.

Ricky was proud of his daughter for standing up to the bully.

But Tibo’s business was in peril.

***