The Pulse between Dimensions and the Desert by Rios de la Luz Page A

be the red ranger like he wanted. He told me the yellow ranger had superb fighting skills in comparison to the pink one. It’s April now, but I can feel my strength increase after I put on the mask so I wear it often. Jesus finds a plastic purple shovel from our trip to Cali last summer. I follow behind him in my mask with the candle in one hand and the yellow ranger in the other.
    “We need flowers for Tía Lily.”
    Our fence has honeysuckle hanging off of it. I stick my mask on top of my head. I pluck the sticky petals and inhale them after I have a pile in my palms. Jesus is digging a mini-grave for his power ranger. He hands me the shovel. I kiss the yellow ranger on the forehead and tell her to say hi to my Tía. I dig until I am sure the yellow ranger will fit into the grave. I place her in and slowly sprinkle dirt on her. I take my leg and shove the remaining dirt over her. I spread the honeysuckle petals over the two graves and place the candle in between them. Jesus holds my hand and we bow our heads.
    I accidentally fall asleep with my yellow ranger mask on and I wake up to a bunch of indents in my face. Mamá is watching celebrity gossip and Jesus runs toward me with his mouth wide open.
    “Jesus, your breath stinks.”
    “Shut up, Esmai. Come outside with me.”
    He grabs my wrist and I stomp out in pajamas and messy hair.
    “Tía Lily?”
    Marigolds are scattered in the backyard. I step into the yard and the pile is up to my knees. Did she leave these behind as a reminder to honor her in November? Mamá could not say no with a sign like this. Anytime we visited the cemetery, we prayed quickly and left with haste. Mamá told us she didn’t want a bad spirit following us home so we always listened.
    Jesus is rolling in the marigolds. I grab a handful and stick them in my sleeping bag. I run back outside.
    “Jesus, is this Tía Lily sending us a sign?”
    “I think so.”
    “What do you think it means?”
    “No se, Esmai. I’m only a kid.”
    I don’t know what it means either. I sit with my legs crossed and look at the sun settled alone in the sky. The purple spots emerge and I look over at Jesus. I exist in a space with good souls. I exist in this space and it inevitably ends.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
     
    Rios de la Luz was born in Los Angeles, raised in El Paso, Texas and Oklahoma. She is an editor at redfez.net and runs Ladyblog, an extension of Ladybox Books. Her story, “Ear to the Ground,” was featured on Vol. 1 Brooklyn . She is currently living in Portland, OR with her beautiful beast dog and her planetary partner. This is her first collection.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
     
    Special thanks to mi amor (JDO), Constance, Mari, Ally, Liana, Michelle, Olivia, Valeria, Therkelson, Carly, Laura, Jesse, Erin, Mallory, Pearl, Sandra, Jack, Natasha, Anna, Kale, Monica, Jenna, Amina, Alicia, Rai, Cassandra, Laili, Naifeh, Kirsten Alene, Tiffany Scandal, Gabino Iglesias, Michael Kazepis, Marybeth McCauley, Grant Wamack, Monica Drake, Cameron Pierce, Chris Lambert, Brian Allen Carr, Matthew Revert, Chris Conklin, Troy James Weaver, Juliet Escoria, Selena (La Reina), Mister Spock and the most wonderful beast on the planet, Sleazimo.

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