Burro has schizophrenia, but he is able to hold a job as assistant civil rights investigator to Cinnamon. He functions well in the world as long as he takes his anti-psychotic medication. Burro helps solve the crime because he has "visions" of what is really happening. Cinnamon doubts Burros "visions" are real and thinks he is having psychotic hallucinations. Yet, he is often right, so she worries and wonders at the same time.
Burro is about 30, with blond hair braided down his back and "milky" blue eyes. He is Hispanic, descended from blond conquistadors who settled in New Mexico 400 years ago.
Burro is comfortable with the visions, and he is comfortable with the schizophrenia. In fact, he plays the roll of protector to Cinnamon, who is more disabled by her search throughout New Mexico for Momma.
Burro is based on a few friends with psychiatric disorders. I was fascinated by how the illness worked against them and for them at the same time. My friends did not like their hallucinations at all, except for one, who was descended from a tribal community. His grandfather and mother were "shamans" he said. I don't even know if that was true, it might have been a delusion, but it got me to thinking. If the shamans of old were actually suffering from a disorder, maybe they really could direct their visions in a way that revealed information about peoples lives and situations that wasn't obvious...information hidden in the circumstances and details, a forest hidden in the trees.
So that's the idea behind Burro as he exists int he two stories: In Dulce, Disturbed and In Zuni, Zymotic. The next story, In Santa Fe, Salacious will explore the sexuality of Burro, Cinnamon and the salacious characters involved in a murder at the St. Francis Cathedral.
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