CHAPTER SEVEN
MORE TROUBLE FOR LUCIA
Father Ferreria was a worried man. Ever since those three little shepherds had become news,his parlour was daily filled with people, asking him if there were any truth in the stories they told.
"I tell you Father, I was right there!" an elderly man was saying to him at this minute, "I saw those branches bending with my very own eyes."
"Yes Manuel," Fatima's Parish Priest replied absently. In his mind's eye he beheld little Bernadette Soubirous of Lourdes, hopelessly failing to convince her own parish priest, Abbé Peyremale, of the apparitions of Our Lady of Lourdes. Only when the child had repeated the words of the Lady: "I am the Immaculate Conception" had her Parish Priest believed and afterwards he had become her number one supporter. But then the Abbé had possessed a strong character. Father Ferreira grimaced ruefully.
The old man was still talking.
"You should speak to Lucia dos Santos, Father," he suggested. "She can tell you more than I can. Good day to you, Father."
"Good day, Manuel," the Priest courteously replied. He turned back to his study, his mind seething with questions, worries and doubts. By dinnertime, however, he had made up his mind.
"Please send a message down to Aljustrel," he said to his sister as she served him his midday meal. Not a talkative woman his sister, he reflected, as she merely nodded and continued ladling soup on to his plate.
"Please inform the parents of Lucia dos Santos and Francesco and Jacinta Marto that I wish to see them and their children as soon as possible."
"I'll arrange it," his sister replied, setting the condiments beside his plate.
When Lucia heard the news, she was scared. She slipped off to her cousins, who soon put her mind at ease.
"We are also going," they reassured her, "The priest also sent a message to Mother to bring us. But Mother told us nothing about any punishment. Even so, be patient. If they hit us, we'll bear the pain for love of Our Lord and sinners."
Although kind and gentle as ever, Father Ferreira questioned the children narrowly. Having decided by mutual consent to keep silent about certain matters, the children forebore to mention that the Lady had asked them to make sacrifices for sinners, or that she had promised to bring Jacinta and Francesco to Heaven in the near future. They also held their tongues about the sight of the Heart of Mary, lacerated by thorns and the light in which they had seen themselves bathed in the Grace of God.
Pensively the Priest regarded the children. He was intelligent enough to know that they were hiding information from him. Particularly Jacinta would barely answer his questions. Perplexedly wrinkling his forehead, he addressed Olimpia and Maria Rosa.
"To me this does not appear to be a revelation from Heaven," he stated. "In cases such as this Our Lord usually commands the souls to whom He reveals Himself to give an account of what has happened to their Confessor or Parish Priest."
Pointing at Lucia, he continued:
"This child, on the other hand, hides as much as she can. This can also be cause by the deceit of the devil. We shall see. The future will teach us what to believe."
Poor little Lucia. These words caused her to suffer much as she reflected on whether she had been deceived in the Lady..
But when she told her cousins about her doubts, Jacinta firmly resisted. The Lady, she declared, had risen up to Heaven.
Thanks to Jacinta's moral support, Lucia cheered up slightly.
"I wish I could tell everyone I've been lying about this all along," she remarked to her cousins on one occasion, "Anything that would stop the people from pestering me would bring relief."
Francesco and Jacinta were horrified.
"You mustn't do that!" they exclaimed.
A few nights later, Lucia had a dreadful nightmare. Lucia screamed so loudly that she woke her mother, who came running to her side. After the nightmare Lucia decided to break her next appointment with the Lady. The day before She was to visit the children again, Lucia sought out her cousins. While they conversed, they noticed many strangers passing them. From all over the neighbourhood, people were pouring into Fatima to be present at the Cova da Iria in time for the next apparition.
Lucia informed Jacinta and Francesco that she was not going.
A surprise awaited her. Jacinta and Francesco insisted they would go.
A moment after taking this firm stand, however, Francesco developed cold feet.
"Who's going to speak to the Lady now that Lucia's not coming?" he anxiously asked his sister.
"I shall!" Jacinta declared, after which statement she burst into tears.
Lucia's heart melted at the sight of her little cousin's sorrow.
"Don't cry, Jacinta," she implored, "Whatever's the matter with you?"
"I'm crying because you won't come with us,"" Jacinta sobbed.
But Lucia was determined not to meet the Lady again.
Turning away, she ran off. She crouched behind a neighbour's hedge for the rest of that afternoon, in hiding.
However, the next morning, at the time when the children were due to leave for the Cova, Lucia went over to her uncle's house, where she found Francesco and Jacinta. Suddenly confidence and courage came back to Lucia.
"Aren't you two going any more?" she enquired cheerfully.
"Won't you come with us after all?" Jacinta pleaded.
"I'm on my way already!" Lucia merrily replied.
Joyfully her cousins jumped up, smiles transforming their sad little faces into happy ones. Then they made their way to the Cova, while their parents, who had decided to go with them, were hard put to keep up with the three children.
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