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

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    From that time forward when the mourning dove looks down at its red feet and sees its gray feathers, the memory of the shameful punishment it suffered for its wicked mistake makes it cry. In the same manner, that evening in the acorn tree grove by the banks of the Río Hondo, the sad mourning sound of the dove made La Llorona remember her own wickedness; how she was condemned to roam the rivers of the world for killing her own children. Overpowered by her feeling of guilt, she vanished.
    When it was all over, Mundo and Sapo turned and ran toward the sound of the river. They ran through the fallen leaves as if they were rabbits chased by foxes. They jumped into the stream and headed for home running, running without looking back, splashing across the river, across the sandbars, climbing the opposite bank of the river and across the fields. The low mournful cooing of a dove in the dark acorn tree grove and the sound of the churning waters of the Rio Hondo filled the night.

THE WATER CURSE

THE WATER CURSE
    T here was an old lady in the barrio who was the local folk healer. She was known for her cures and prophecies. She was very respected by the folk in the community.
    One day, while she was walking home along the potholed dirt road, she spotted two young boys throwing stones at a fence with a knothole in one of the boards. They were missing the hole and the stones were making a popping noise as they bounced off the fence. The dog behind the fence was barking furiously at the young hoodlums.
    The old lady stopped and called them over. “Hey, boys! Come here, both of you!” They stopped throwing their stones and sheepishly walked over to her in a lazy uncaring manner. “What do you want, lady?”
    The old lady stared at them with a serious expression on her face that scared them a little. They felt very uncomfortable and a slight tremor shook their bodies.
    â€œWhat are your names, boys?” she asked.
    â€œMy name is Chava,” one boy spoke up, “and this is Chino, my cousin.”
    She snapped at them. “You shouldn’t be throwingrocks at that fence and bothering the dog! I’m going to talk to your parents about this!”
    Then she walked over to Chino and pointed her walking stick at him. “And you, why do you stare at me? I know you, Chinito! I remember the day you were born. You have the curse of the water on you! Stay away from the river! Your mother was cursed by the Witch of the Waters before you were born. So be careful. Avoid the river and always be on guard. You carry that curse! Beware, Chinito! Beware! You are still young and do not understand these things,” she said.
    Chino and Chava laughed at her. They slowly turned around and ran away laughing. They could hear her voice saying, “Bad boys!”
    The boys ran down the road toward the river. Beside the road they grabbed the branches of the pepper trees, pulled on them, and released them. The branches snapped away with a fast swinging motion, crashing upward into the other branches so that leaves and berries fell on their heads. The boys ran to a place where a sandbar dammed the swirling waters of the San Gabriel River, forming a large pond. A green mantle of watercress covered the serene waters of the pond. The large cottonwood trees on the riverbank cast dark shadows over the water while killdeer birds flew over the river screeching “ti-el-deo! ti-el-deo!”
    From the bank, the two boys tried to skip stones across the pond into the river, but the watercress would catch the stones. Then, the stones were swallowed by the pond.
    Bored with their game, Chava suggested to Chino that they go catch crawfish in the watercress, and after rolling up their pant legs, they entered the waterand eased their way slowly among the watercress. At their approach, the small minnows that swam in the shallow waters of the pond—knee-deep in most places—swam away.
    Chino and Chava were having a great