Claudia stood atop the tallest tower of Seville cathedral. She wondered if there any other gargoyles in the city, let alone the world. Maybe she should ask if anyone had seen any others of her kind.
She glided around, looking for someone appropriate to ask. Her eyes fell on Roberto and Isabel, who were walking down the street. Claudia tucked in her wings and swooped down in front of the two humans she had made friends with seven months ago.
"Hola, mis amigos," Claudia greeted.
"Hola, Claudia," Roberto greeted right back.
"Have you seen any other gargoyles?" the gargoyle girl asked immediately.
“ Lonely are we, Claudia?” Isabel teased, her eyes twinkling.
Claudia blushed. "You could call it that."
"No, sorry. But, we'll keep an eye out for any," promised the teenage boy.
"Gracis," Claudia said as she left.
The two humans watched as their gargoyle friend left. Isabel felt guilty about saying that they didn't see any gargoyles, when the truth of the matter was that they did see one! Actually they met him. She wanted to tell Claudia, but Roberto insisted that they keep it a surprise. They had to wait for the right moment. Claudia glided home after her conversation with her friends. She had a feeling that she wouldn't be able to concentrate on her patrol, when all she could think about is how she is a lonely gargoyle who wishes to meet another of her own kind.
The next night, Claudia went to the police station. They had just received equipment that would help them call for help, should a situation get out of hand. The captain handed Claudia a walkie-talkie, handcuffs, handcuff keys, a handgun (like she needed it), and a belt to keep her equipment on. As soon as she received her gear, she clipped them on her belt, glided off and began patrol.
While passing over a secluded street, Claudia saw a shadow move in the darkness. Thinking and knowing how criminals use the darkness of the night to their advantage, Claudia swooped down and landed about fifteen feet away from the figure. She grabbed the handgun out of her belt and yelled, "Freeze, you're under arrest!" The figure turned around and walked out of the shadows.
The flesh-colored gargoyles gasped. In front of her was a male gargoyle. He had skin the color of cocoa, hair as dark as the night sky, and eyes the color of emerald. He was half a foot taller and appeared to be at least twenty. The male's eyes widened at the sight of another gargoyle. He thought that there were no other gargoyles in the city. The gargoyle stepped closer to the female, whose gun had lowered to her side.
"Hola," the male said. "My name is Esteban." "I'm Claudia," the female replied. 'So, this gargoyle's name is Esteban. Interesting name.'
"You know," Esteban began. "my human friends didn't tell me there were other gargoyles here."
"What are their names?" asked Claudia.
"Roberto and Isabel."
"They're my friends, too! They didn't tell me that they knew another gargoyle. I wanted to meet another of our kind for so long."
"Why don't we ask them why they kept their knowledge of us a secret?"
"Fine by me."
Esteban and Claudia glided off in the direction of their friends' houses. They spotted them outside at the point where their houses' property intersected at the middle. The two gargoyles landed in front of them.
"Claudia,...Esteban. You found each other, I see," Roberto said in a small voice.
"Why didn't you tell me you knew another gargoyle when I asked?" both gargoyles chorused at once.
"We wanted to keep it a surprise. We were waiting for the right moment," Isabel answered, ashamed of what they did.
"Like Valentine's Day," Robert muttered under his breath. Isabel nudged him. "I mean...Please forgive us. We know we should have told you when you asked. Isabel wanted to, but I had her keep quiet about it."
Esteban looked at Claudia. "It's okay by me that we forgive them. No harm was done."
Claudia thought it over. Esteban was right. Roberto and Isabel didn't know that the two of them would meet this night. Though, her feelings were hurt because they lied, she knew they meant well. She looked at the two teenagers. "You are forgiven. No one knew we would meet before the right moment you intended on."
The humans smiled. All was fine. Their friends weren't mad. Now, Seville had another nighttime protector.
