by Karla Gregory
"You know, Bernardo, it is such a wonderful day to be riding to see Padre Ignacio. The trees are a deep, vibrant green, the sky is a brilliant blue, the sun is made of the richest gold and the clouds above remind me of angel’s wings.
"Oh, you noticed them also? Yes, they are beautiful. I hope they last until we reach the mission. I would like Padre Ignacio to see them too. Over there? Yes, the big cloud floating over the hill there does look much like our Phantom doesn’t it? There is the whiteness of his coat and the flowing mane and see how the sun makes him glisten with silver light?
"You know, he looks like he is trying to speak to us. But over there is the sign for the La Brea Rancho just ahead, and now we will turn towards our cloudy Phantom so we can see him much better. Yes, his eye does seem to be looking at us doesn’t it? How unusual. The sun is just behind him and there seems to be a little beam of light coming right through his ‘eye’ toward the ground just in front of us.
"Look, Bernardo. You see it also? That gleaming of some sort of metal in the ground? I wonder what it is? Let us stop for a moment. I must see what this metal is. It seems to be covered with a coat of dust from the road.
"Gracias, Bernardo. Now that you have swept the dust away with your handkerchief we can see it clearly. It seems to be some sort of plaque made of . . . bronze? Yes, I think that the star shape and the letters are made of bronze. See? There is a name printed here. I think it is an Anglo name.
"G..U..Y...W..I..L..L..I..A..M..S. See how the sunbeam from our heavenly Phantom makes it shine, Bernardo? I wonder what this plaque means? Why is it here by the side of this road to the La Brea Rancho? Who could have put it here?
"No, there is no one in the pueblo who could have done such fine work as this. It is indeed a puzzle. But you know, Bernardo, as I look at this plaque, I feel a strange attraction to it, as if somehow I am connected to it. And stranger still, . . . I feel like we are surrounded by a warmth that I can only describe as . . . love. No, we are quite alone here, I see no one around. But I feel as though we are among a group of friends who loved this man enough to have this plaque commissioned to honor him. He must have been very special to them.
"Look, Bernardo. How intense is the light coming from the star here at our feet. The letters seem to be glowing with a fire all their own. Is our Phantom still there in the sky? Yes, I see now that he is. I feel that I must touch this plaque. I think that if I do, I will know why it is here. No, that doesn’t make any sense, but it is so nevertheless. The metal is warm and something in my heart begins to respond to its touch. Ah, Bernardo! Just as my fingers trace the last letters in this man’s name it is starting to fade.
"Eh? The light from our Phantom’s eye is dimming? Yes, I see that the bronze star’s brightness is fading even as our Phantom does. See? The whole thing is growing more faint . . . and more . . . . and now it is completely gone. Vanished. And our Phantom is gone from the sky as well. The winds have brushed the cloud into a new shape.
"Is it? Yes, I think it is a ‘Z’, Bernardo! How fantastic! No, there is nothing left of the plaque now. Just a small impression in the ground where it once lay. "MMmmmm? Oh, I was thinking about the impressions that I picked up when my fingers touched the plaque. I know you will think this is strange, but I have the impression that the plaque somehow belonged, not just to the man whose name was engraved there, but to me also. And to a whole host of people who helped to make it for him. It belongs to all of us.
"Who are these people, you ask? I don’t know, Bernardo, but I think they look kindly upon us, wherever they are. There is at once the strange sensation that they are far away in time, but yet right here with us also. As he is. This man, Guy Williams. I think that one day, the people who love this man will stand just as we did today and look upon that same plaque in bittersweet joy. For he will not be there to see it with them.
"But we have seen it and, Bernardo, without a doubt, I know what it would mean to him. I believe I was given this gift of seeing and touching the plaque on his behalf. It was my honor to see and touch it as he would have done in that time that goes before us. He and I are one in this, Bernardo. He knew me in that far off time, and now, I him.
"No, there is nothing to fear, Bernardo, rest assured. It is quite hard to explain. Let me think for a moment. The best way that I can say it is that, just as I am Diego de la Vega and I am El Zorro, this man is both himself and me. His very essence is my reality.
"By the look in your eyes I know you do not understand, but I am afraid that explanation will have to do. There is simply no other way I can think of to say it. I just know what I know. "Si, I know the hour is growing late and we must be on our way, O’ most practical of servants. But there is one more thing I can tell you, my friend. The sun will soon set this day and its light will fade away, but the love that surrounds this man, this Guy Williams, will not diminish, Bernardo. I feel it even now. It surrounds me like a warm cloak. I feel a renewed strength to continue in the cause of justice, for that is my way to honor those who will one day honor him. You feel it now also? This strength of love? I am pleased. Together we will do this. "And together, you, I, and the people who will someday seek to honor this Guy Williams will never let him be forgotten. One far off day, his star and his name will shine again in the sunlight, . . . and we shall be there too."
