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laughed and wordlessly merged into the nagual's party. She
had no doubts and no problem about leaving everything behind. She had
understood perfectly that there was no second chance for her, that the bird of
freedom either took sorcerers along or left them behind.
    Don Juan
commented that that was not surprising. The force of the nagual's personality
was always so overwhelming that he was practically irresistible, and the nagual
Elias had affected those two people deeply. He had had three months of daily
interaction to accustom them to his consistency, his detachment, his objectivity.
They had become enchanted by his sobriety and, above all, by his total
dedication to them. Through his example and his actions, the nagual Elias had
given them a sustained view of the sorcerers' world: supportive and nurturing,
yet utterly demanding. It was a world that admitted very few mistakes.
    Don Juan
reminded me then of something he had repeated to me often but which I had
always managed not to think about. He said that I should not forget, even for
an instant, that the bird of freedom had very little patience with indecision,
and when it flew away, it never returned.
    The
chilling resonance of his voice made the surroundings, which only a second
before had been peacefully dark, burst with immediacy. Don Juan summoned the
peaceful darkness back as fast as he had summoned urgency. He punched me
lightly on the arm.
    "That
woman was so powerful that she could dance circles around anyone," he
said. "Her name was Talia."
     

 
3. - The Knock Of The Spirit: The
Abstract
    We returned
to don Juan's house in the early hours of the morning. It took us a long time
to climb down the mountain, mainly because I was afraid of stumbling into a
precipice in the dark, and don Juan had to keep stopping to catch the breath he
lost laughing at me.
    I was dead
tired, but I could not fall asleep. Before noon, it began to rain. The sound of
the heavy downpour on the tile roof, instead of making me feel drowsy, removed
every trace of sleepiness.
    I got up
and went to look for don Juan. I found him dozing in a chair. The moment I approached
him he was wide-awake. I said good morning.
    "You
seem to be having no trouble falling asleep," I commented.
    "When
you have been afraid or upset, don't lie down to sleep," he said without
looking at me. "Sleep sitting up on a soft chair as I'm doing."
    He had
suggested once that if I wanted to give my body healing rest I should take long
naps, lying on my stomach with my face turned to the left and my feet over the
foot of the bed. In order to avoid being cold, he recommended I put a soft
pillow over my shoulders, away from my neck, and wear heavy socks, or just
leave my shoes on.
    When I
first heard his suggestion, I thought he was being funny, but later changed my
mind. Sleeping in that position helped me rest extraordinarily well. When I
commented on the surprising results, he advised that I follow his suggestions
to the letter without bothering to believe or disbelieve him.
    I suggested
to don Juan that he might have told me the night before about the sleeping in a
sitting position. I explained to him that the cause of my sleeplessness,
besides my extreme fatigue, was a strange concern about what he had told me in
the sorcerer's cave.
    "Cut
it out!" he exclaimed. "You've seen and heard infinitely more
distressing things without losing a moment's sleep. Something else is bothering
you."
    For a
moment I thought he meant I was not being truthful with him about my real
preoccupation. I began to explain, but he kept talking as if I had not spoken.
    "You
stated categorically last night that the cave didn't make you feel ill at
ease," he said. "Well, it obviously did. Last night I didn't pursue
the subject of the cave any further because I was waiting to observe your
reaction."
    Don Juan
explained that the cave had been designed by sorcerers in ancient times to serve
as a catalyst. Its shape had been carefully constructed to