The people I live with are a little skittish. They believe in vampires, boogie men, and creepers with ankle fetishes that arrive after sundown. At first, I tried to challenge these ideas, especially after they blamed a loaf of bread stolen from my kitchen on a recent string of vampire crimes. I fought against it, asked them to think logically, but that was a losing battle. Now? Now I consider it my full responsibility to advise of these public safety hazards and spread every single rumor I hear. I think of it as another notch on my "cultural integration" belt.
These tales must be told with complete earnestness. Wide eyes, a little finger waving, and some gentle but persistent pleading for the listeners to please be careful. This is serious.
Here is the latest tale that has been spread around QP. I warn everyone I come across:
About 14 years ago, a baby boy was born in the nearby town of Quebrada Plátano. He was not like other babies. From the stomach up, sure, 100 percent normal. But from his hips stretched two, long horse legs.
The doctors advised the mother not to raise this baby. There are ways to get rid of infants that are born half-horses, you know. The mother refused. This was her son. She loved him, but she recognized she couldn't raise him like any other baby. So for the last 14 years, he has been enclosed in a room of their house. She feeds him, bathes him, and takes care of him like any mother. But the door is always locked, and he has been kept away from prying eyes.
In all this time, he grew restless. He is haunted by passing visions of the outside world that he's unable to participate in. He has become, or always was, what the people here call a "bad spirit." And in the recent weeks, his restlessness caused him to leave in the middle of the night, appearing beside unsuspecting people in the dark. Some stories say he walks with two "friends," others say he comes alone. All warn against him. He is a bad spirit who wants to do us harm.
I was warned about him by several men in my community, two of whom who had seen him first hand. "You live alone," they said. "It would be very easy for him to find you." I nodded and promised to double check the locks on my doors. Of course, not everyone believes these stories, and I imagine that, like the vampires and that weird guy with the ankle fetish, they will soon fade from fashion, but in the mean time? I like walking up behind people and clicking my tongue in the rhythm of a two-footed horse.
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I'll be sure to keep my eyes peeled for centaurs in the area, there must be more out there....
ReplyDeleteThat two-footed horse might have some balance issues. He might often be found on his horse's @#&. Perhaps Morag accompanies him. So many doors to slam and stairs to run up, but not down.
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