A little more than ninety minutes later Tasìa caught sight of the row houses. There was even a glow from the end of a cigar that lit up the porch to Raúl's bungalow.

Only one more oddity occurred on Tasìa's journey to the backend valley. Another ghost appeared. He did not threaten her, nor did he even acknowledge her presence.

He just sat in a wood-backed chair in a corner in the main office as he read from a little book.

"All that is under the celestial order is embroiled in utter chaos. The time to advance is now," the ghost muttered as he read from the book.

Unlike the other guerillas, this strange one appeared to be a model of perfect, untroubled serenity. The tag on his chest read, Cmdr Rojo.

Tasìa left the ghost alone.

Then there was the other matter. While she searched the offices for the vault keys for the explosives containment facility, she came upon a storage closet with a jammed lock. She picked it open and discovered three intact skeletons with pierced fractures in the back of their skulls.

She recognized the overlapping sunflower-mandalas embroidered in the dress that covered one skeleton. The identification in a pouch purse confirmed it was Jún-Jún's wife Nande.

Tasìa gave the deceased a prayer of safe passage before she continued.

She always kept a few spare netted bags in her fanny-pack. They barely took up any space folded. She scooped up all of Nande's remains and she placed them in one of the bags.

She needed the other bags for the explosives. As for the remains of the other two workers, she would have to make a point of telling Raúl about them.

"Look at you, coming back loaded for bear," Annebél teased her before taking another puff of smoke from a cigar.

"You have no idea how relieved I was when I discovered the explosives were gelignite and not dynamite."

Annebél giggled at this as she helped Tasìa set the two bags filled with explosives down.

"Did you bring blasting caps?"

"Of course," Tasìa said in refutation of Annebél's questioning tone.

As she drew near, an aroma of sex pervaded the air. Even as her gut tightened in revulsion, Tasìa felt like she could get drunk off of the scent. She inched closer to the source; successfully, she beat back the feeling of losing control of her bowels.

Tasìa now noticed Annebél was only wearing a long cotton shirt that went to her mid-thigh and no pants.

As Annebél sipped from a glass of brown liquor, she gave Tasìa a knowing look.

"You know, in the matter of our mutual condition, that scarab I showed you earlier helped me with my own problem."

Tasìa leaned up against the rail. Her face lit up in her prettiest gobliny.

"So you did flash me on purpose!"

"Of course," Annebél confirmed. "We were in a place equipped with toilets. I needed to know your level of sensitivity. Some of the Harvested cannot even see a nude body without crapping themselves.

"I know of your past, Bajamutté told me, you once were a nun. I hope I didn't offend you when I did that."

Tasìa shook her head.

"No, not at all. You are quite beautiful in every aspect of your flesh."

Annebél appeared pleasantly taken aback.

"Thank you. That is a very touching compliment. Avellana, as I said, I was gauging your degree of reaction. You have a stronger stomach starting out than most of my Harvested clientele. I think you are ready for an advanced step."

Tasìa brushed the hair out of her eyes and shook her head.

"Which is?"

Annebél chortled and she gave Tasìa a slight push.

"Settle down little filly, you are not quite ready for that ten inches of swinging midnight blue meat just yet."

"Ah . . . Are you sure? I know. I know. What do you have in mind?"

Annebél placed her head within inches of Tasìa's. She brushed back a tangle of Tasìa's hair. Tasìa felt a chill run in the center of her abdomen. This time it felt more thrilling than threatening.

"Avellana, tomorrow evening, I want you to be there when Raúl and I make love. I want you to just sit in place and watch. It will help normalize - what's wrong?"

A breeze swelled beneath Tasìa's face, heavy in Annebél's scent. Tasìa drew back a few steps. She suddenly felt overwhelmed. She was going to lose it.

"Annebél . . . I can't even pleasure myself without evoking the demon."

Annebél reached out and grabbed Tasìa by the shoulders and pulled Tasìa's face into her bosom.

"Mon petite démon," Annebél began. "I can see our mutual demon in that grimace on your face. It is about to take hold.

"Fight it! Breathe slowly, and clench your stomach in and out. Yes, like that. Start with your lungs. Feel them tighten. Tighten your stomach, don't let out just yet. Keep tight. Now, tighten your thighs.

"Don't laugh at what I tell you to do next, if you do, you probably will lose it. Now, tighten your sphincter. As you do so, imagine that it is made of gold. Don't laugh, just go with it."

For the next minute, as Annebél held on to Tasìa, she whispered 'hold, don't breathe' and, 'keep that vision set in your mind's eye.'

Tasìa obeyed, and as she did so, her head felt light, her body felt as if it was swaying by being brushed from side to side.

She was being hypnotized. Slowly, as the sway predominated her senses, the ache in her abdomen disappeared.

Annebél continued with her instruction.

"Beginning with your thighs, release the tension. Now, release the tension in your stomach. Breathe, breathe out slowly. Release the tension. Breathe back in. Very good, Avellana. Do you still have that vision I told you to keep in your mind's eye?"

Tasìa affirmed with a nod.

"Now, imagine it is no longer made of gold. It has become flesh once more. Release the tension. That's it. The danger has passed, hasn't it?"

Tasìa looked up into Annebél's eyes. Her own were blurred with tears. She held onto the redhead with a tight hug.

For the first time, she knew for certain she had it in her to keep the demon in check.

"Avellana, it is time, now. Are you going to be okay if I leave you here?"

Tasìa nodded though her heart wrenched as she thought about the coming fate of the Alfa Romeo HybrClydis.

"I'm better now. I don't know the full extent of your plans -" Annebél threw her a devilish grin, "- but, do you need my help?"

Annebél tossed her hair to the side, as she gave Tasìa an upturned glance.

"You need your rest. Don't you think you have done enough for one day?"

Tasìa shrugged.

"I guess you are right."

Tasìa backed up into a post holding the shelter top. As a hard object bumped against her haunches, she remembered that she carried another bag.

Annebél had turned around and she was about to enter the bungalow.

"Annebél," Tasìa called out.

"I need to grab my pants."

Tasìa held up the bag.

"This is important. I found Nande's remains."

Annebél turned back around, slowly. Her eyebrows hunched in disbelief.

"Really? We looked everywhere."

Tasìa placed the bag on the porch. Annebél bent down to examine it.

"That's her dress, alright. She had such amazing taste. In everything. Avellana, Raúl is asleep. But, we'll tell him about it in the morning. It's important to let him break the news to Jún-Jún."

Annebél stood up with the bag of remains in her hands.

"One more thing," Tasìa said.

She pulled out of her pocket a gold band and then a second ring with clusters of diamonds and sapphires inset. She handed the two rings over to Annebél.

She did not mention how badly her other demon made her want to keep them.

After Annebél left, Tasìa found a couch. She pulled her trousers off and she jumped on top of the cushions. A quilt lay on the opposite end. Tasìa grabbed it and made a pillow of it.

Finally, sleep, Tasìa thought with a smile on her face.

A soft wailing sound came from Jún-Jún's bedroom.

That poor man.

Tasìa got up. She knocked on the door.

"Raúl?"

She opened the door and peeked in. His head was propped on a set of pillows. His eyes and the top half of his head was covered in bandages.

"No, it's me, Avellana."

Jún-Jún smiled broadly.

"I heard you speaking in a dream earlier. So, it's really you, then."

"Yeah. Could you use some company for the night?"

He nodded.

"Could you grab my pills and Drambuie?"

Tasìa served him the two Percocets and the double shot for which he had asked. Finished, she placed the narcotics back up on a shelf top.

"Okay," she said. "Scoot over and make some room for me. You are going to have to give up one of those pillows as well."

Jún-Jún cleared his throat. As he did so, Tasìa was reminded of Raúl who shared many of the same mannerisms.

"I need to go take a tinkle," he said with a pleasant chuckle. "It would save me a lot of time getting there if you helped."

"Sure," Tasìa said.

She helped him get up out of the bed and she led him to the bathroom. Once there, she flipped up the toilet seat.

Jún-Jún fumbled the fly on his pajama pants as he stepped up to the toilet. He stood over it at an odd angle.

"Woah. Don't start to pee just yet," Tasìa commanded. "Let me get you lined up."

She pulled him by his shoulders and corrected his position. As she peeked down, she noticed his penis was now semi-erect.

Of course, her presence would have an effect, Tasìa realized. A tingle shot through her abdomen. Unlike before, she felt like she could control the feeling.

She had to try.

"Jún-Jún, you are going to overshoot if you start to pee. Would you like me to steer?"

He shrugged, nonchalantly.

"It would probably be for the best if you did."

As Tasìa held onto him, the urge to vacate her bowels steadily rose to engulf her. She breathed in with a tightened diaphragm. She clenched her stomach and then repeated the cycle Annebél taught. Eventually, she found herself in the same hypnotic sway.

By the time Jún-Jún completed his task, Tasìa had overcome the urge in full. She buried her face between his shoulder blades. She could not recall a time she had ever felt more accomplished.

"Avellana, you can let go now."

She lifted her head up, and she said playfully, "what if I don't want to?"

He paused for a moment. Beneath her fingers she felt him stiffen.

"If that's the case, I'm certainly not going to object."

"Hey, Jún-Jún. Did Raúl ever tell you the secret I told him?"

"That you were once a nun?"

"Yeah. That one. When I was with him, I was still uncomfortable with the idea of breaking my vow of chastity. I was still not ready. I'm afraid I am still not ready to go much further than I did with him.

"So, if you don't mind. I would like to just stand here with you a little while and, and explore you a bit. Tug on you, okay? Until, you know. But, I'm afraid that is all I can give you for now."

Jún-Jún put his weight on the wash bin cabinet with his right hand.

"It's okay. More than just okay. I'm just here so you can have your own fun."

Tasìa reached up and kissed him on the neck before she proceeded to do as she requested.

A half-hour later, she guided him back to the bed where they slept until the middle of the morning.