Maria heard a knock on her door and her son calling out to her two years after his death. When Maria answered the door, she found her son standing alive before her eyes.
“Mom, it’s me!” Sebastian’s voice called, and Maria rushed to open the door without thinking twice, even though it was late at night.
Her son indeed stood at the doorstep, smiling, and Maria’s sobs rocked through her body as she hugged him.
“Mamá,” he softly said as a few tears shed from his eyes.
They eventually sat on the couch, and Maria couldn’t take her eyes off her son, who was scruffier than ever…
“Mom, I know what you did to get me back! But how did you do it?” he asked with a smile, despite the tears in his eyes. “I’d lost hope myself. I thought I’d be taken through the border and never see you again.”
“It wasn’t easy, my baby. Two years ago, they sent me ‘your ashes.’ I thought that was the end, but I saw your picture four months ago and knew I couldn’t lose hope…” Maria began, wiping her tears.
On a random day three months ago, Maria was reading a magazine about Columbia.
“Cúcuta is a city near the Venezuelan border,” she read aloud and skimmed through images. The article stated that many were Venezuelan immigrants, some of whom walked to Colombia to find better lives. But among the clearly tired people was… Sebastian.
Maria jumped from her sofa, almost tripping as she rushed to a nearby lamp to see the photo better. The photographer focused on several people who were helping an immigrant family. Sebastian was off to one side, not blurred. Her eyes went to the bottom of the picture, which luckily included a date.
Sebastian had a Ph.D. in Ornithology and had left home to study Colombia’s native birds. However, he disappeared soon after, and some authorities called her, telling her he was dead. Then his ashes came in the mail, completely shattering Maria on the inside.
But now she knew her son was alive and immediately booked a ticket to Cúcuta, Columbia, to find out what had happened to him.
Detective Ramirez sighed as he viewed the files on Sebastian’s case. According to the original investigation, Maria’s son had disappeared in the Norte de Santander area and was declared dead when they found a body. But the detective turned to the magazines and the pictures Maria had provided. It was Sebastian, although he looked skinny and messy.
”Señora Maria, your son’s body was found with his I.D. This doesn’t make much sense,” he said, refusing to reopen the case. “This picture must be older.”
“I know the ashes I received didn’t belong to Sebastian, and that picture is proof! You need to find him!” she shouted.
“Don’t yell at me! Getting a loved one’s ashes is better than nothing. There’s nothing else to investigate!” he exclaimed angrily, frowning and snapping the case file close.
“I will not rest until I find out what happened to my kid! Mi hijo está vivo y nadie podrá detenerme (My son is alive, and no one will be able to stop me)!” she screamed, pointing her finger at the detective. ”I know his original route. I’ll go find him myself!”
She turned to storm out of his office, but the detective stopped her. “What happened to your son on that route could happen to you,” he warned her.
She gulped at that, remembering what she had read about the kinds of groups operating at the border between Colombia and Venezuela. “But I’m a mother. I can’t stop,” Maria said with trembling lips and stormed out.
Maria’s rented old SUV backfired while she drove through the road. She decided to start early so that she could see her map, where Sebastian had shown her the exact routes he would take.
At the end of the dirt road, she had to grab her bag with water and food and continue the journey on foot. The sun shone harshly, and sweat covered her entire shirt. Still, there was no stopping.
When Maria finally stumbled upon a few rock formations, the sun had hidden behind a few clouds. She got close to the rocks, looking for somewhere to sit, but there was an opening—a cave.
Stepping inside, Maria found her missing son’s bag, which brought tears to her eyes. “Oh my baby, you were here!” she exclaimed, plopping to the floor as she held the bag tightly to her chest. She also found his camera bag, which was empty except for several SD cards.
Taking the pocket knife, torch, and lighter she found in Sebastian’s excursion bag and hiding the SD cards in her bra, Maria exited the cave to find her son, thinking the cards would convince Detective Martinez that Sebastian was alive.
“¿Quién está ahí (Who’s there)?” a man’s voice boomed, stopping Maria in her tracks while she was heading to her SUV. Suddenly, several men dressed in cargo attire surrounded her, pointing their guns at her.
Maria begged them to let her go, but they shoved her into a truck and blindfolded her. Then the vehicle began moving.