EL BARRIL: Tanto bebió el albañil que quedó como barril.

The Barrel: The bricklayer drank so much that he ended up like a barrel

BOOM! As a noise from the kitchen made. I woke up terrified as if something were

watching me, I unraveled myself from all the sheets on top of me like a pile of clothing, I

stepped forward to open the door, as I turned the knob over a little shadow crossed behind me as

I quickly glazed from the corner of my eye. I quickly turned around but nothing was there? Is my

mind playing tricks on me? Am I hallucinating? I shook my head to get back into reality. As I

turned around the same little shadow appeared, I quickly turned around again but nothing was

there again. I shook it off as I turned around and opened the door.

As I took a step out that door I heard voices but they weren't regular human voices, these

voices sounded like grasshoppers. I ignored them as I just thought my brain was playing tricks

on me, from the lack of rest we never really got. I headed to juanitas room where she was

sleeping with the twins. I gently opened the door and looked around but Velia was the only one

there? I scanned the room again but neither Juanita nor Deilia was seen anywhere. I gently

tapped Veilia as I asked her in a gentle voice “Veilia, Do you know where Jaunita and Delia are

at?” I got no response. I asked again but the room was silent. I didn't bother to ask a third

because she looked like a baby snuggled up and I wanted them to have rest to be ready in the

morning.

I took light steps to the door so I wouldn’t make noise, I gently opened the door but the

shadow appeared again! I quickly turned around and nothing was there! I brushed it off, I turned

around and opened the door carefully. As I was walking through the halls, I suddenly needed
water as my throat get dry. I walked faster to get to the kitchen, I turned on the lights and went to

the cabinets to get a cup I walked over to the water dispenser and from the corner of my eye that

shadow reappeared but this time it was two little shadows, I ignored it as I was pushing the cab

from the dispenser. I quickly got a sip but those two shadows kept replaying in my head like a

dvd player. I tried to brush it off but it would replay, I questioned myself again, Is my mind

playing tricks on me? Am I hallucinating? The thought of it convinced me I needed more sleep.

I turned the kitchen lights off and walked through the hallways again but as I was

walking the shadow appeared AGAIN? This time it wasnt only one shadow it wasnt two

shadows but it was three shadows! I quickly started sprinting through the halls till I got to where

Veilia was sleeping but as I aggressively opened the door Veilia was gone. I started panicking as

I couldn’t find Velia, Deilia, and JUANITA. I quickly ran out of the room and headed to wear

abuelita and pita were napping. I opened the door trying not to make as much noise, but the

shadows appeared again but this time It was 4 shadows I sprinted to abuelitas bed, CREEK! The

floorboards startled me but nobody again was in the room. I threw myself into abuelitas bed and

hid under the sheets hoping I would fall asleep and wake up in the morning with everything

normal.

I felt tiny hands caressing my toes, I kicked my feet in the air trying to get whatever was

on my toes off. As I rapidly slipped out of the bed sheets, I saw a little creature in the air flying

like a bird. THUD, the floor made as the creature hit the ceiling fan and fell to the ground face

planted. I zoomed to the other side of the room where the tiny gremlin was laying down, I

scanned the creature trying to figure out what it was. I picked it up with my fingers as I shook it

and it occurred to me Mama once told us, “long ago little creatures would haunt kids who

behaved badly or made their mama’s worried and sad. These little creatures would climb on to
peoples feets deciding where to cut their toenails but sometimes they would cut a whole toe off.

These little creatures' names are, DUENDES!”. I snapped into reality as I grabbed the duende

tightly into my hand like a baseball and aggressively threw it to the wall like a pitch and

imagined myself like a pitcher in the MLB.

I ran out the room as fast as I could, THUD I tripped over the other 3 duendes. They

dragged me into abuelitas room and tied me to the bed. They walked out and came back in at

least five minutes but they weren’t the same little creature they returned as Veliea, Delia, Juanita,

and Pita. As a fool I yelled for help trying to break out or slip from the ropes. Yelling for help

from my sisters. Juanita grinned at me deviously. “You fool, you think we would help you”

Juanita said, Laughing evilly. It hit me that these weren’t Velia, Delia, Juanita, and Pita but they

were the duendes. I was petrified.

As I kept struggling to untie myself from these ropes tied to the bed and me I managed to

get my hands out. I quickly tried to untie myself while the evil creatures talked to each other. I

was free. I quickly stood up and sprinted out of the room, the creatures chased me as I headed to

the basement. There I found it. Velia, Delia, Juanita, Pita on the floor I scurried to them trying to

wake them up. I aggressively shook them. Juanita slowly regained consciousness, looking at my

panicked face. Questioning what was going on I explained everything in a hurry seeing the

imposters were behind us, Juanita quickly got up and shook Velia and Delia, and pita as they

woke I lunged at them dropping Imposter me on top of her. Juanita threw herself to me and

started attacking imposter odilia, Juanita and I seized imposter odilia. We yanked her hair and

dragged her around the floor as the other imposter stared at us. We threw imposter odilia to the

side, “want some more” Juanita said.

 The 3 duendes said “you’ll regret this” laughing mischievously, as they walked toward

me. Velia and Delia walked towards me “if you mess with Odilia you’ll have to go through us”

the twins exclaimed. The duendes took three steps back, they transformed into the nagual,

Chenco, Cecilia and Odilia imposter turned into a lechuzas. Startled, we took steps back as we

hit the wall, “come at us we’ll take you down, we are the cinco hermanas”. And just from that

they charged at us, I was petrified as 4 demonic creatures charged at us, but remembering

teresitas words about the nagual, lechuzas and Cecilia’s I had hoped we could take them down.

Juanita stared at me like she knew what I meant as she ripped a piece of silk ribbon out of a

nearby unused dress laying on the floor. As the lechuza charged at her I distracted this beast

taunting it. Velia and Delia loved to sing as they saw Juanitas move they knew exactly what to

do. As Velia and Delia started dealing with the nagual me and Juanita were trying to take this

beast down. As I was taunting I noticed chenco at the corner of my eye charging to pita’s not so

fully healthy wound. An instinct in me just came. I stopped taunting the flying beast. As I threw

myself onto chenco rolling with him on the floor.

Everything was so blurry, everything was spinning going by so fast I was scared, most

likely terrified? I'm the oldest sister. I must do whatever it takes to protect my younger ones. I

gained my vision back as the demonic creature was tugging on to me as I used all my strength to

hold it down. BOOM! I turned around quickly, forgetting about the beast as I glazed Jaunita and

was able to take down the flying creature. I gave her a quick grin as the 4 legged beast jumped

on top of me, sticking its nail deep down into my skin. The chills went through my body, slowly

falling to the ground while everything went blurry. “ODILIA” Juanita screeched, faded. “You

think you little 2 squirmy rats will do anything to me? You’re crazy thinking you can get away

with what you did, I'll eat you kids as a lesson to never mess my plans up again.”
 “Your power is no match for ours, we are the 5 little stars protected by the goddess”.

Velia yelled. Something in my brain alerted me, that my sisters needed me, they needed my help,

that we all have to be in it, that we are the five sisters who were challenged to do something

dangerous. My eyes shut wide. I tried getting up as I stood tall, I charged at the nagual while

veilia and delia sang the song of the mariposas. The nagual was screaming in drastic sorrow.

“YOU WILL PAY FOR THIS” the nagual yelled. The nagual turned into a small creature, I

believed it was the duendes true form. I picked it up and lit a fire with the ribbon Juanita used to

tie the seven knots and pray seven prayers. I threw the piece of ribbon to where Cecilia and

Chenco were standing. Cecilia jumped in fear of fire as Chenco walked back slowly. The whole

basement was lit with fire as I grabbed pita and told Juanita, and the twins to run.

Carrying Pita in the frustration of running from the fire. I finally realized we defeated

those tiny creatures, I was relieved as anything could have gone bad. I took the girls to the

bedroom as we ignored the drastic screams of the demons in the basement. I tucked Pita in and

asked Juanita if she could stay with Velia and Delia and Pita to make sure they’re safe and sound.

I kissed pita on the forehead to remind her that I care for her as much as mama. I took slow steps

to the door waiting for them to tell me buenas noches or te quiero! As I opened the door I heard

nothing as I walked out but as I closed the door, Pita yelled “BUENAS NOCHES HERMANA

TE QUIERO”. My heart and eyes lit up as I was thankful for my beautiful sisters.

I headed to the basement, where smoke was going crazy. I looked for a fire extinguisher

thinking if Abuelita had any down here. Coughing and rubbing my eyes from the smoke's effects

made me a bit lightheaded as well. I couldn’t find any extinguishers but the next thing I saw was

Cecilia on top of me saying “I told you i'll get my vengeance” as my vision faded away slowly.
 Gasp! I let out opening my eyes. Panicking, taking a moment to realize that I was still in

bed and okay? What’s going on? I asked myself. I gave myself a few seconds to retaliate and

calm down in the confusion I was in. I got out of bed still confused and a bit shocked over the

drastic nightmare I just had. I opened my eyes and shut them repeatedly to make sure I was

dreaming anymore. I stood up and opened the door and walked to where Juanita and Velia, Delia

were at. I stared at them in relief. It was all a dream and nothing really happened. I was in

disbelief of the nightmare and woke up Juanita, trembling a bit.

“WHAT” Juanita yelled. I laughed seeing her annoyed. I decided to lay down with her

and the twins “oh nothing” I said giggling. “Buenas noches Hermana”.