El árbol (“the tree”) El que a buen árbol se arrima, buena sombra le cobija.
` By now, we were nearing the house of Abuelita Remedios. My four younger sisters, Juanita, Delia, Velia, and Pita, were all exhausted. We were also rapidly losing daylight. “Keep your eyes open for somewhere to take shelter for the night,” I barked at everyone. Teresita’s warning about the threat of the Peuchen was still ringing in my ears, so I wanted to get us off this path before dark.
I took the lead off the path, towards what looked like two caves. The first cave seemed too exposed, but the other cave had a tiny entrance. Inside, it opened into a large room with a dry, sandy floor. “Let’s stay in here,” Delia decided.
No one mentioned the Peuchen as we were settling down. Feeling protected, everyone else dropped off to sleep quickly. The claws of sleep tore at my eyelids, trying to drag them down over my eyes, but I had to stay awake. I had to protect my sisters from whatever might be coming for us tonight.
Suddenly, I heard a whistle in the darkness. I could barely trace the shape of someone standing in the entrance. It was a woman about my height wearing a shabby tunic dress; she was breathing heavily, the air whistling. She beckoned to me as she left the cave. I was gripped with fear, but I knew I had to draw whoever it was away from my sleeping sisters.
Facing away from me in the moonlight, the woman began to speak softly in the familiar voice of La Llorona, but in a sort of hiss. “Odilia, you and your sisters are in grave danger. I already fed tonight on the blood of a ssssssheep just over the hill, so you are not at rissssssk from me. I will guide you to ssssssafety.”
Overwhelmed with relief, I began to walk towards her, but something stopped me. It sounded like La Llorona, but why the hissing sound? “La Llorona, is that you?” I whispered. I walked closer to her, mentally pleading for her to really be who she seemed. She turned to face me, and as she did, I heard Juanita scream, “Don’t look into her eyes Odilia, she isn’t who you think. It's the Peuchen!”
The creature’s feet began to move towards me, wiggling, no, slithering like a snake. I started to run, when suddenly a new whistling scream high in the air bounced off the cliffs. The snake feet were upon me, “Odilia, he’sssssss here. Run back to the cave as fassssst as you can,” the Peuchen’s voice anxiously insisted.
I tripped and fell over rocks, and when I turned back the figure was gone. In her place was a gigantic snake with huge, dragon-like wings. She gave a whistling scream as she rose into the air. Then, to my horror, she was answered by a louder scream and into view flew another, even larger snake. “Stay away from my prize, Sister. I haven’t fed on human blood for weeks and I won’t let you stand in my way,” he said.
We watched as the two Peuchens launched at one another and became a mass of wriggling, writhing bodies and beating wings. Whistling screams created a cacophony that echoed in the cave.
I knew we had to escape. We crept out, into the mouth of the other cave. As we turned a corner, I felt a cool breeze on my sweat drenched face and realized that this must lead to an exit. We could still hear the screams of the Peuchens, but they were fading away. The further we got away from them, the more confident I felt.
Finally, we came to another cave in the back of the cliff. We could see that it connected to a series of caves, which were likely to hold a way out. I led our little troop to a dark corner and whispered, “Let’s take turns getting some rest.”
As I sat there watching my sisters sleep, I wondered about the fate of the Peuchen who had tried to save us. Why had she come? Why had she saved us? Why did the Peuchen and her brother have such different ideas about right and wrong?
A Word From the Author
Stories written today often use modernized elements of folklore stories because those elements are still meaningful today. For example, in the case of Summer of the Mariposas, many characters are from folklore of Latin America. A flying, bloodsucking snake from the Mapuche and Chilote mythology is a strong rival for any storybook hero. The Peuchen is such a creature. It can fly and suck blood. It can instantly shapeshift to change the form it takes. The Peuchen also hypnotizes its victims in order to suck the victim's blood. It can only be defeated by a machi, which is a Mapuche Medicine Woman. In the new scene I have written for Summer of the Mariposas modernizing the Peuchen, I have kept many characteristics of the original ‘monster’. I have also modernized the tale by writing in two Peuchens, a brother and sister. My purpose has been to illustrate the theme that things are not always as they appear.
Like the original character, the Peuchen in my new scene can also shapeshift instantly. It shows itself to Odilia as someone familiar in order to gain her trust. When she has to fight her brother to save the sisters, she instantly transforms into the traditional flying snake of the original story. As with the original, the gaze of the Peuchen in the new scene also has an impact on the victim who looks at it. The original character is described as being able to “drain them dry of their blood”. In my new scene, the first Peuchen Odilia meets describes how she has already fed on the blood of a sheep. Therefore, the girls are not in danger. The Peuchen tells Odilia, “I already fed tonight on the blood of a ssssssheep just over the hill, so you are not at rissssssk from me, but you and your sissssssters are in danger.” Keeping many of the physical characteristics ensures the ‘monster’ from Latin American folklore is still recognizable in the new scene.
I have also modernized the ‘monster’ by having two Peuchens, a brother and sister. This is because I have a new purpose for writing about the monster. The monsters are different from each other. Even though they look the same, each one has different ideas about what they want from Odilia and her sisters. The female Peuchen wants to help the girls. She presents herself as a familiar woman rather than a flying snake in order to gain their trust. She wants the sisters to follow her out of danger. In contrast, her brother wants to feed on the blood of the girls. He says to his sister, “Stay away from my prize, Sister. I haven’t fed on human blood for weeks and I won’t let you stand in my way.” Odilia is surprised and puzzled that they are different from each other. They look the same, but they do not act the same. Having two ‘monsters’ in the story illustrates the theme that things are not always as they appear. While a species – or people - may share the same physical characteristics, their individual behavior and personalities can be quite different. Even though something can look scary and like a ‘monster’, it doesn’t mean that is the case.
I have kept many of the physical characteristics of the original Peuchen ‘monster’ remaining in the new scene the same. This is to make sure it is recognizable as the character from Latin American folklore. At the same time, I have modernized the ‘monster’ for a new purpose. This illustrates the theme that things are not always as they appear. Stories written today often contain modernized elements of folklore stories. This is because those elements are still meaningful and relevant today. My new version of the monster can help us see that we live in a society of individuals from many different cultures and ethnic backgrounds. We don’t all look the same. Instead of judging people negatively by their appearance, or assuming we understand everything about them, we should celebrate this diversity. We should learn what people are really like. Hopefully readers will also understand that just because someone or something looks different, it doesn’t mean they are bad or scary.
Work Cited
“El Peuchen of Mapuche Mythology: Into Horror History: J.A. Hernandez.” El Peuchen of Mapuche Mythology | Into Horror History | J.A. Hernandez, www.jahernandez.com/posts/el-peuchen-of-mapuche-mythology. Accessed 24 July 2023.