The twins myth

(1)

RODRIGUES, Thiago Freires. The twins myth. pp. 80-82

Revista yawp – Edição 3/2008

Revista dos alunos de Graduação da Área de Estudos Literários e Lingüística em Inglês – FFLHC/USP www.fflch.usp.br/dlm/yawp

25/09/2006 - 09h21 80

Gêmeas de 8 meses morrem envenenadas pela própria mãe da Folha de S. Paulo, no Rio

Duas meninas de apenas oito meses morreram após terem sido envenenadas com chumbinho (veneno para ratos) pela própria mãe, a empregada doméstica Maria Elizeth de Jesus, 23, na tarde de anteontem, em Jacarepaguá (zona oeste do Rio). A mãe foi presa e, de acordo com a polícia, confessou os assassinatos.

Segundo a Polícia Civil, a doméstica disse que matou as filhas gêmeas para se vingar do pai delas, o jardineiro Mário Pires Faria, 26, que a abandonara. Os dois estavam separados havia pelo menos um ano.

Maria envenenou os bebês antes de sair de casa, na favela Rio das Pedras, para trabalhar em um condomínio na Barra da Tijuca (zona oeste do Rio). Ela misturou o chumbinho no leite das mamadeiras das filhas.

A babá Valda Martins Ferreira, que ficou com as crianças, percebeu que elas estavam passando mal e as levou para o hospital Lourenço Jorge, na Barra.

Uma das gêmeas, Raíssa, morreu ainda no sábado. Ontem pela manhã, sua irmã, Larissa, também morreu no hospital de Saracuruna (Baixada Fluminense) para onde foi transferida. Até o final da tarde, os corpos permaneciam no Instituto Médico Legal. O sepultamento deverá ser realizado hoje.

A doméstica foi indiciada por duplo homicídio e foi levada ontem mesmo para a carceragem feminina da Polinter.

(2)

The twins myth

81

Thiago Freires Rodrigues

Everyone who lived in the neighborhood knew her. Day after day there she was, surrounded by the birds. They were not her only company, but the only one which could be seen. She talked in a pious tone looking accurately to the right and to the left. On that bench she was alone. The fountain in the middle of the square, together with Priapus Statue, was the strongest contrast to the darkness of Eva´s presence.

When the sunset spectacle was supposed to start, Eva was due to leave.

In a peaceful way she used to stand up and head to the room she lived in. It was difficult to figure out how such an elderly woman could take care of her own without anyone to support her. Yet nobody was expected to come to the small home, located in the back part of Hephaestus’s house. The retired military had rented the shrine to Eva since his daughter got married and went overseas with Brad, a military as well. At that time Eva was walking around looking for a cheap place where she could spend her last days or whatever she could still wait for.

A room, a kitchen and a bathroom basically constituted the house. On the rack, a red one in the room, there were many portraits but none of them held a photograph. It would seem very weird to anybody, if it were not for the fact that nobody would appear. In a second overview it was possible to observe an image in one of the portraits. In fact, in two of them, both beside her bed. The photos showed the same object: a bench. No, you are not mistaken … the birds are there also. Such an image, a bench with an apple tree at its back, leaves all over the floor and diverse tons of gray suggested a rainy day.

As soon as Eva moved into her new house, many rumors were spread just about the neighborhood. Somebody mentioned she was a relative of the president’s and because of her madness he had sent her to that small town in order to hide this family problem. Another one affirmed that she was had been assaulted and so decided to leave her family behind. Still, some of the people believed she had been a very rich person whose business had failed and was obliged to select a new way of life, much more unpretentious. Anyway, all of these were rumors. There

(3)

were no facts, no proof and no evidence. Fact is that creative people can create 82 whole new characters with the power of their imagination. By the way, imagination was a clear characteristic of Eva’s, if not to say, a disturbing one.

The kids were the first ones to realize that Eva used to talk to herself. She spent hours sitting on the bench talking, talking and talking. What about the birds?

No, that was pretty serious. They were nearby, but she used to look straight to the side when it was the moment for her speech. After the guys playing in the park, it was the housewives’ turn to analyze Eva´s behavior. Then, the entire neighborhood was aware of it. The new inhabitant of Seasonville was a quiet old woman who was not comfortable talking to people in general and even preferred talking to herself for long periods.

* * * *

It was two o’clock and the sun was irradiating its reddest rays. There were no clouds and, as usual, the children were playing Frisbee in the square. The birds were singing and … and … where was Eva? The picture could not be perfect until she arrived at the park. The bench right in front of the apple tree was available. It remained untouched all day long. The news would not leave any doubt: something had happened to Miss Eva. Hephaestus was chosen to check what had happened.

He knocked slowly on the door, then harder and harder. A deepest silence was the answer. He opened the door and found Eva lying on her bed. He called her name, checked her pulse, her heartbeat. She was not part of this world anymore. Had she been at any time?

Even though Eva was not popular, as we see she had not established any friendships among her neighbors, everybody went to the funeral in order to honor her. While the priest was preparing to start the ceremony, an unknown woman arrived. Selene had read in the newspaper the note on Eva´s death and decided to honor her ex-boss despite the horror scene she had taken part of because of Eva.

That was past, and she prayed everyday for that disturbed soul. Selene was the baby-sitter of the twins Eva had given birth to. Upon an unexpected day and manner, Eva had killed the baby girls. They were only eight months old when the disaster took place. It seems that Iris and Kora accompanied their mother her whole life. In the casket, two portraits, in both of them … yes … the bench. Eva was holding the pictures when she was found dead…

* * * *