Finally, the day before the trip to town: 18 of December. After a
day hearing that man screaming — Incompetents! — at the office, at
everyone, without exception, the end of the working day was like a
liberation. When I arrived home, seeing Raquel and my mother baking
cakes was like a Christmas Eve before time. After all the Christmas spirit
is the family together and because all that situation appeared to have that
purpose, I could say that was the feeling.
Took my motorbike to the Church of Mont'Alto and when I
returned I stopped near the fountain to drink water. The water was going
very clear and cold on the palm of my hand and I was feeling a cold wind
from the mountain, that was coming from the gloomy valleys that were
surrounding the mountain… but, suddenly, I saw a reflex on the water.
— Such an enormous reflex, what could it be?!
I looked above and saw an image that I hardly understood what it
was and I ran to far away, so I could look from a safety distance...
— My God, there it is that image... I must be very sick! I must
walk slowly until I reach the motorbike and make a safe trip back home,
shouldn't I fall on the way… — I thought and that was what I've done,
but, seeing from a bigger distance it was a clear image … it was
Madalena, laying on a bed, with her arm stretched and a flower on her
hand.
— Am I insane? ... this situation is making me very sick! — I
rubbed my eyes and looked again… and the image had gone away. After
all, everything can be explained by the lack of sleep! As the motorbike
was right next the fountain, I went there and when I was going away, near
the main entrance, I noticed that there was a yellow rose left on the bank
of the fountain… I picked it up and took it with me to give to little
strawberry… It was explained, why I'd seen a rose during my
hallucination.

She was beautiful, but more than that she had a unique way of

being. I met her just three years before on a Sunday afternoon in August,

at a beach of Alva river. She and her sister, Raquel, were not usual visits,

but one afternoon was enough to met them at the esplanade, and that

changed my life. Her eyes caught mine as if calling me and almost

without explanation we could not see anything else more but each other.

Complicity grew up when we knew we were studying at the same school

and the same subject… and more than that, we were living in neighbour

villages, just three kilometres apart, but we had never seen each other

before. Raquel stood at the esplanade observing the reflexes of the sun on

the treetops, and I was teaching Madalena to swim somewhere along the

lesson, I kissed her and told her I wanted to be her boyfriend. Everything

was very quick, she admitted that was feeling the same but was not

prepared for such a serious relationship. It was better to stay like we were

because she was afraid of getting hurt. Of course I respected her feelings

and we never got separated again. Everything that was affecting one of us

would affect the other.

The story of the enchanted fountain also encouraged me to give

her that nobility title. There was a legend about a Princess, of a very old

Kingdom, that was in love with a young noble, that although of a good

heart and hard working spirit, the King was not confident about him

being his successor. But the Princess endless love kept her going there to

meet her noble, near that fountain. Nevertheless, a spy told everything to

the King and he demanded the noble to be decapitated, and the Princess

did not know anything. Also it was demanded to be put a piece of paper

near a fountain. The Princess read the note and noticed that it was forged

and got suspicious about everything. Then she decided to continue to visit

the spring water, at the same hour, during the following days after that on

every Tuesday, of all weeks of her life, always when she was missing her

love.

Months after, feeling extreme pain, told to God that she was not

accepting having to experience that pain and because of that, after her

death, she would go to that special place to keep the same from

happening to someone else. In the meanwhile, by death of the King, she

became Queen, she demanded a fountain to be built on the same place of       

the spring water and married a noble, that she did not love, just to

guarantee the succession of the throne. Nevertheless, one night when she

went to the fountain, she was surprised by a group of bandits that killed

her. Before that, she was robbed and they tried to rape her, but a very

strong and cold wind appeared, although being June, and they just had

time to behead her. After that she continued to visit the fountain but as an

inhabitant of the other world… the guardian of the beloved ones that

would elect her fountain as their meeting place…