Mexican Ghost Tales of the Southwest by Alfred Ávila Read Free Book Online Page A

something was wrong. There was a very strange odor in the air. Sapo’s ears perked up as if listening to something. Worried, Mundo decided to turn back and find his way to the riverbank. But he could not remember how he had come. The only sound now was the crackling of the dry leaves under his feet, and around him it was getting darker and darker.
    â€œThe sun is going down. I must get back to the riverbank before it disappears,” he said to himself.
    Mundo did not know how long he had been in the grove, though he thought he had at least a couple of hours before sunset. He did not want to be caught by the river at night. Finally, Mundo thought he could hear the gurgling of the river and he began to make his way toward the sound. It was then that, suddenly, the boy was engulfed by ahuge shadow from behind. The loud growling of his dog alerted him. The hair on the animal stood on end while he arched his back and showed his fangs, preparing to attack. Startled, Mundo turned to see what was happening. He stared ahead with Sapo snarling by his side. In front of them was a huge cone of leaves, rising, swirling faster and faster, and on the upper reaches of the swirling, growing pile was the head of the feared one.
    Mundo could not speak or scream from the terror he felt; he was covered with goose pimples. He knew who that head belonged to. It was La Llorona, the Wailing Woman. Everybody knew her. It was folly to attempt to run from her. In that moment of terror, he remembered the stories he had heard from his mother and his elders, that whomever is caught in La Llorona’s clutches has but one fate: Death.
    â€œI am doomed to die this day! How foolish I’ve been!” Mundo whimpered.
    La Llorona looked down on the boy, smiling viciously. A loud, terrible scream came from her mouth as the swirling column moved forward slowly, very slowly, enjoying the terror of her two victims.
    Mundo knew what was about to happen. But although every nerve in his body screamed, “Run! Run” to in his brain, he remained frozen, staring at La Llorona. Her jet-black eyes stared back down at him while her infernal screaming rang over the whirlwind of leaves.
    Sapo crouched, snarling, determined to fight for his life, muscles flexed, blood pumping hard through his tense body.
    The swirling mass of leaves came closer andcloser, and the screams became louder. Mundo clenched his fists. Tears streamed down his cheeks as he stood in the shadowy darkness waiting for the end. His sobs became frightened spasms when he saw through his misty eyes the huge, screaming fang-filled mouth approaching and the jet-black eyes piercing through him. The end was drawing near. Sapo was barking and snarling in a last show of force.
    Then, like the sound of a bugle in the height of battle, a loud sad cry of misery and suffering came from a distant acorn tree, filling the grove. “Coo, coo, coo!” It was the call of the mourning dove.
    The vicious whirlwind came to a sudden stop. The huge mass of leaves drifted then tumbled to earth. La Llorona had vanished, dissolving into nothingness.
    What had happened? What had driven La Llorona away?
    According to the barrio elders, all the birds in Noah’s ark were white. First, Noah chose a white raven to check the waters on the earth and report back to him if they had come down. But the raven did not return. It flew around and landed on the floating corpses of those who had drowned in the flood. It pecked their eyes out. In punishment, its white feathers were made black.
    Next, Noah sent a white dove to check the waters. The dove, tired from flying over the waters, decided to rest on a mountain peak and wash its feet. Because it did not return on time to report to Noah, it was also punished. Its white feathers were turned gray and its feet became a bright red color. For this reason, the mourning dove cries so sadly and with such misery and shame. (Noah had tosend out another dove to finish the