An excerpt from the original text.(complete · 1476 words)
he Cards of the Dead and the Shadows
The moon was hidden in a cloudy sky while a cold wind, precursor
of the approaching December, swept the dry leaves and dust about in
the narrow pathway leading to the cemetery. Three shadowy forms were
conversing in low tones under the arch of the gateway.
"Have you spoken to Elias?" asked a voice.
"No, you know how reserved and circumspect he is. But he ought to be
one of us. Don Crisostomo saved his life."
"That's why I joined," said the first voice. "Don Crisostomo had my
wife cured in the house of a doctor in Manila. I'll look after the
convento to settle some old scores with the curate."
"And we'll take care of the barracks to show the civil-guards that
our father had sons."
"How many of us will there be?"
"Five, and five will be enough. Don Crisostomo's servant, though,
says there'll be twenty of us."
"What if you don't succeed?"
"Hist!" exclaimed one of the shadows, and all fell silent.
In the semi-obscurity a shadowy figure was seen to approach,
sneaking along by the fence. From time to time it stopped as if
to look back. Nor was reason for this movement lacking, since some
twenty paces behind it came another figure, larger and apparently
darker than the first, but so lightly did it touch the ground that
it vanished as rapidly as though the earth had swallowed it every
time the first shadow paused and turned.
"They're following me," muttered the first figure. "Can it be the
civil-guards? Did the senior sacristan lie?"
"They said that they would meet here," thought the second shadow. "Some
mischief must be on foot when the two brothers conceal it from me."
At length the first shadow reached the gateway of the cemetery. The
three who were already there stepped forward.
"Is that you?"
"Is that you?"
"We must scatter, for they've followed me. Tomorrow you'll get the arms
and tomorrow night is the time. The cry is, 'Viva Don Crisostomo!' Go!"
The three shadows disappeared behind the stone walls. The later
arrival hid in the hollow of the gateway and waited silently. "Let's
see who's following me," he thought.
The second shadow came up very cautiously and paused as if to look
about him. "I'm late," he muttered, "but perhaps they will return."
A thin fine rain, which threatened to last, began to fall, so it
occurred to him to take refuge under the gateway. Naturally, he ran
against the other.
"Ah! Who are you?" asked the latest arrival in a rough tone.
"Who are you?" returned the other calmly, after which there followed
a moment's pause as each tried to recognize the other's voice and to
make out his features.
"What are you waiting here for?" asked he of the rough voice.
"For the clock to strike eight so that I can play cards with the
dead. I want to win something tonight," answered the other in a
natural tone. "And you, what have you come for?"
"For--for the same purpose."
"Abá! I'm glad of that, I'll not be alone. I've brought cards. At
the first stroke of the bell I'll make the lay, at the second I'll
deal. The cards that move are the cards of the dead and we'll have
to cut for them. Have you brought cards?"
"No."
"Then how--"
"It's simple enough--just as you're going to deal for them, so I
expect them to play for me."
"But what if the dead don't play?"
"What can we do? Gambling hasn't yet been made compulsory among
the dead."
A short silence ensued.
"Are you armed? How are you going to fight with the dead?"
"With my fists," answered the larger of the two.
"Oh, the devil! Now I remember--the dead won't bet when there's more
than one living person, and there are two of us."
"Is that right? Well, I don't want to leave."
"Nor I. I'm short of money," answered the smaller. "But let's do this:
let's play for it, the one who loses to leave."
"All right," agreed the other, rather ungraciously. "Then let's
get inside. Have you any matches?" They went in to seek in the
semi-obscurity for a suitable place and soon found a niche in which
they could sit. The shorter took some cards from his salakot, while
the other struck a match, in the light from which they stared at
each other, but, from the expressions on their faces, apparently
without recognition. Nevertheless, we can recognize in the taller
and deep-voiced one Elias and in the shorter one, from the scar on
his cheek, Lucas.
"Cut!" called Lucas, still staring at the other. He pushed aside some
bones that were in the niche and dealt an ace and a jack.
Elias lighted match after match. "On the jack!" he said, and to
indicate the card placed a vertebra on top of it.
"Play!" called Lucas, as he dealt an ace with the fourth or fifth
card. "You've lost," he added. "Now leave me alone so that I can try
to make a raise."
Elias moved away without a word and was soon swallowed up in the
darkness.
Several minutes later the church-clock struck eight and the bell
announced the hour of the souls, but Lucas invited no one to play nor
did he call on the dead, as the superstition directs; instead, he took
off his hat and muttered a few prayers, crossing and recrossing himself
with the same fervor with which, at that same moment, the leader of the
Brotherhood of the Holy Rosary was going through a similar performance.
Throughout the night a drizzling rain continued to fall. By nine
o'clock the streets were dark and solitary. The coconut-oil lanterns,
which the inhabitants were required to hang out, scarcely illuminated
a small circle around each, seeming to be lighted only to render the
darkness more apparent. Two civil-guards paced back and forth in the
street near the church.
"It's cold!" said one in Tagalog with a Visayan accent. "We haven't
caught any sacristan, so there is no one to repair the alferez's
chicken-coop. They're all scared out by the death of that other
one. This makes me tired."
"Me, too," answered the other. "No one commits robbery, no one raises
a disturbance, but, thank God, they say that Elias is in town. The
alferez says that whoever catches him will be exempt from floggings
for three months."
"Aha! Do you remember his description?" asked the Visayan.
"I should say so! Height: tall, according to the alferez, medium,
according to Padre Damaso; color, brown; eyes, black; nose, ordinary;
beard, none; hair, black."
"Aha! But special marks?"
"Black shirt, black pantaloons, wood-cutter."
"Aha, he won't get away from me! I think I see him now."
"I wouldn't mistake him for any one else, even though he might look
like him."
Thus the two soldiers continued on their round.
By the light of the lanterns we may again see two shadowy figures
moving cautiously along, one behind the other. An energetic "Quién
vive?" stops both, and the first answers, "España!" in a trembling
voice.
The soldiers seize him and hustle him toward a lantern to examine
him. It is Lucas, but the soldiers seem to be in doubt, questioning
each other with their eyes.
"The alferez didn't say that he had a scar," whispered the
Visayan. "Where you going?"
"To order a mass for tomorrow."
"Haven't you seen Elias?"
"I don't know him, sir," answered Lucas.
"I didn't ask you if you know him, you fool! Neither do we know
him. I'm asking you if you've seen him."
"No, sir."
"Listen, I'll describe him: Height, sometimes tall, sometimes medium;
hair and eyes, black; all the other features, ordinary," recited the
Visayan. "Now do you know him?"
"No, sir," replied Lucas stupidly.
"Then get away from here! Brute! Dolt!" And they gave him a shove.
"Do you know why Elias is tall to the alferez and of medium height
to the curate?" asked the Tagalog thoughtfully.
"No," answered the Visayan.
"Because the alferez was down in the mudhole when he saw him and the
curate was on foot."
"That's right!" exclaimed the Visayan. "You're talented--blow is it
that you're a civil-guard?"
"I wasn't always one; I was a smuggler," answered the Tagalog with
a touch of pride.
But another shadowy figure diverted their attention. They challenged
this one also and took the man to the light.
This time it was the real Elias.
"Where you going?"
"To look for a man, sir, who beat and threatened my brother. He has
a scar on his face and is called Elias."
"Aha!" exclaimed the two guards, gazing at each other in astonishment,
as they started on the run toward the church, where Lucas had
disappeared a few moments before.
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Let's Analyse the Pattern
When official systems fail to serve people's needs, they create informal networks based on trust and mutual protection that operate parallel to visible structures.
Why This Matters
Connect literature to life
This chapter teaches how to recognize when informal systems emerge to fill gaps left by failing official channels.
Practice This Today
This week, notice when people communicate in code or meet informally - ask yourself what official failure created that necessity.
Now let's explore the literary elements.
Key Quotes & Analysis
"Don Crisostomo had my wife cured in the house of a doctor in Manila. I'll look after the convento to settle some old scores with the curate."
Context: Explaining why he joined the planned uprising
Shows how revolution grows from personal loyalty and grievance, not abstract politics. This man fights because someone helped his family and he wants revenge on corrupt clergy. It's deeply human motivation.
In Today's Words:
He helped my family when we needed it, so now I've got his back. Plus, I owe that priest some payback.
"What if you don't succeed?"
Context: Questioning the plan before they're interrupted by approaching footsteps
Reveals the very real fear these men face. They know failure means death or worse, but they're willing to risk it anyway. The question hangs unanswered because there is no good answer.
In Today's Words:
What happens if this goes sideways?
"I'm hunting for a man with a scar on his face, named Elias."
Context: Deceiving the civil guards who are actually hunting for him
Brilliant misdirection that shows Elias's quick thinking and understanding of human psychology. By appearing to help hunt himself, he becomes invisible to his pursuers and sends them after someone else.
In Today's Words:
I'm looking for this dangerous guy - maybe you've seen him?
Thematic Threads
Information Control
In This Chapter
Multiple groups operate with incomplete or false information—conspirators don't know about each other, guards chase wrong descriptions, everyone creates cover stories
Development
Builds on earlier themes of secrets and hidden knowledge, now showing how information becomes a survival tool
In Your Life:
You might recognize this when workplace gossip becomes more reliable than official announcements, or when family members share different versions of the same story.
Performance vs Reality
In This Chapter
Elias and Lucas perform elaborate gambling charades while hiding their real purposes; Elias performs being someone else entirely to misdirect the guards
Development
Extends the ongoing theme of social masks, now showing how performance becomes active resistance
In Your Life:
You perform this when you give acceptable reasons for actions that have deeper motivations—like saying you're 'too busy' instead of 'I don't want to.'
Loyalty Networks
In This Chapter
Conspirators gather based on personal debts to Crisostomo and shared grievances against corrupt officials
Development
Develops the relationship themes by showing how personal bonds can challenge institutional power
In Your Life:
You see this in how workplace allies form around shared frustrations, or how families rally around members facing institutional problems.
Authority Incompetence
In This Chapter
Guards work from contradictory descriptions, fail to recognize the scarred man right in front of them, and chase the wrong person
Development
Continues the critique of colonial administration, now showing how incompetence creates opportunities for resistance
In Your Life:
You encounter this when bureaucratic mix-ups work in your favor, or when institutional confusion gives you room to maneuver.
Symbolic Spaces
In This Chapter
The cemetery becomes a meeting place where the living plot among the dead, suggesting death of the old order and birth of something new
Development
Builds on earlier uses of physical spaces to represent social conditions
In Your Life:
You might find that certain places—break rooms, parking lots, quiet corners—become spaces where real conversations happen away from official oversight.
You now have the context. Time to form your own thoughts.
Discussion Questions
- 1
Why do the conspirators choose to meet in a cemetery at night, and what does this tell us about their situation?
analysis • surface - 2
How do Elias and Lucas use their gambling story to protect themselves, and why does this deception work so well?
analysis • medium - 3
Where have you seen people create informal networks or 'shadow systems' when official channels don't work for them?
application • medium - 4
If you needed to protect yourself or others from hostile authorities while still getting important work done, what strategies would you use?
application • deep - 5
What does this chapter reveal about how people adapt when they can't trust the systems that are supposed to serve them?
reflection • deep
Critical Thinking Exercise
Map Your Shadow Networks
Think about your workplace, neighborhood, or family situation. Identify one area where people share information or help each other outside official channels. Draw a simple map showing who talks to whom, what information flows between them, and why this informal system exists instead of using official processes.
Consider:
- •What official system failed or proved inadequate to create this need?
- •How do people protect themselves while participating in these networks?
- •What would happen if these informal connections disappeared tomorrow?
Journaling Prompt
Write about a time when you had to work around official rules or procedures to get something important done. What informal networks or creative solutions did you use, and what did this teach you about navigating systems?
Coming Up Next...
Chapter 53: The Dying Philosopher's Vision
As dawn approaches, the consequences of the night's secret meetings begin to unfold. The morning will reveal whether the conspirators' plans can remain hidden, and Elias must navigate the dangerous game he's begun with the authorities.
