Encounter 3: Los Cajedos

" Abuelo! It's time! "

Elías and Abuelo Tomás looked at each other after hearing Ava's yells from the living the room.

They had been in the dining room, enjoying some freshly made empanadas. Abuelo told Ava to give them fifteen minutes and then they could continue the story. Ava took her mother's phone and set the timer. She waited patiently until the buzzing of the phone went off.

Bzzz bzzz

" I waited and now it's time!"

Elias looked at his grandfather and laughed.

"You did say fifteen minutes, abuelo. Trust me, she will not stop. I remember the last time I promised her something, she could go on for forever."

Tomás replied with a smile, " I am feeling a little outnumbered right now. Okay then, I guess I have no choice."

He got up and went to sit in his chair in the living room. Ava was already sitting in her place and Elías took his seat.

Tomás continued his story:

There we were in the woods staring at this humongous black wolf. His fur was so dark it blended in the dark. If it wasn't for his eyes that were as red as blood we wouldn't be able to tell where he was. His presence brought so much terror and darkness . With one look into his red eyes we were paralyzed by the fear. I took my stance, standing in between Andrés and the creature. My only thought at that point was to have Andrés make a run for it, while I tried my best to hold this monster back. My thoughts were disrupted by the evil growls of the wolf. The wolf circled us and I kept trying to keep between him and my little brother. The wolf's hairs stood up and he changed his stance like if he was about to attack. He growled louder and he showed his massive teeth at us as. We stood there frozen. Right when he seemed like he was about to jump us, a bright light appeared and pushed him against a tree with such great force. He impacted the tree and he whimpered in pain. There standing over him, between us and the dark wolf, was the white wolf I saw at the cliff. He was beautiful, with bright white fur. His icy blue eyes that looked straight at us. Somehow, through his stare, he was able to make me feel calm. His presence was the exact opposite of the dark wolf.

All of a sudden, Andrés pushed forward. He pointed his finger behind the white wolf, and yelled, " El lobo!"

The dark wolf tackled the white wolf and they started to fight viciously. At this point I thought this was the only chance. I grabbed my brother's hand and started sprinting, leaving both the wolves behind.

I did not know what direction we were going but I knew that we had to get as far away as possible. We ran long and pushed to run fast. Just like lightning, the white wolf appeared in front of us.Once again I took my stance in front of Andrés. The white wolf didn't approach us but just stood there looking at us for what seemed like forever. We stood there still, not moving at all. All we could do was to hope he would just go away. His white fur was now stained with a mixture of dark dirt and blood. He had bite marks all over him and a large gash on the side of his right face under his eyes. He looked weak and tired but stood tall like if he was in tip top shape. He finally moved after a long time of staring at us. He walked forward and looked back at us nodding, as if he was trying to tell us to follow him. Andrés stood in front of me and said, " Hermano, I think he's good. He saved us from the dark wolf. "

I still felt unsure about this creature but he was right and we could not stay in this place any longer. We really had no other choice because the wolf seemed like hes not leaving us either. I pushed Andrés behind again, grabbed his hand, and started walking forward following the wolf.

We walked for a long time and eventually I saw what I thought I would never see again. The street peeked though the trees that were at the edge of the forest. Once we reached the street and I realized where we were I thanked the wolf . I told him that I could take us home on our own but the wolf continued to just look at me. I think he sensed that I did not trust him as I continued to stand as a barrier between him and my little brother. He looked at me for a few second and then went to the other side of the street and watched us closely. As soon as we started walking he did too but always on the other side of the street. I imagine he was trying to make us feel comfortable because of the doubts I had towards him. We all walked in silence but still kept a very close eye on each other. As we continued to walk in silence, I became very pensive about this entity. I thought about the woman in the river, the boy at the cliff, the woman from the forest, and the dark wolf. I then realized that this white wolf was there all along. He saved us from all those evil spirits.

Andrés broke the silence, " I think this wolf saved me from the evil woman in the forest, when I was alone. I think I saw him and every time he's around I feel a very calm and safe presence."

That confirmed it, this wolf was the reason they escaped the evils they saw. Then we realized we were at the street we started on. It was just a short walk from their home. I turned to the wolf and yelled so he could hear me, "Thank you for your guidance."

The wolf then started to approach us from across the street.He reached us and he sat right in front of us. He looked at us almost like he was smiling and wagging his tail. At a much closer distance he held such warmth and pureness in him that was indescribable. We both touched the wolf softly and the wolf licked each of them and howled. That's when the sun emerged and light broke from the heavens. The wolf nodded his head forward as if he was telling us to head home. We bowed and thanked this spirit again and walked forward. As we reached the street to our house we turned around and saw the wolf watching us from a distance as if to make sure they reach their home safely. Once at their street, we took a final look and the wolf's white glow got smaller and smaller. His glow disappeared as he walked off into the forest again.

Tomás looked at the children and their eyes were so wide, they looked like they were gonna pop right out.

He saw that the children were holding hands. They both looked down realizing this and quickly let go. They looked at each other as if there was an agreement that it never happened in the first place.

Ava exclaimed, " Wow abuelo! I want a wolf guardian!"

Elias laughed at his sister and then said, " Abuelo, why did the white wolf help you?"

Tomás answered, "I think he was there to protect people. I don't know why exactly, but I will always be thankful."

Ava interrupted, " Me too!" She ran and hugged her abuelo and he picked her up in his arms. Tomás opened his arms up invitingly and Elías smiled big and ran into his arms. " I am really happy the white wolf was there too," Elias whispered.

The kids stayed embraced in their grandfather's arms. Ava looks up at her grandfather and ask " So, what the next story? Can we start today?!"

Elías and Tomás looked at each other and busted out laughing. Elías looked at his grandfather laughing . He thought to himself that he wanted to be like him strong, brave, and always doing the right thing. He then looked at Ava laughing along and thought how much he wanted to be a good big brother to her. Just like abuelo Tomás was to his little brother.

Author's Note:

Los Cajedo

The final charters are two wolf-like creatures one black and one white. They both in a way symbolize good and bad. The black one symbolizes the bad and hunts for lone wanderers and tries to steal their soul. The white one is the good one that protects those who are alone from evil especially children. Some say they have even seen these two fight. The origin of these two is said to be that the fortune gods saw the struggles of man and decided to create a protector for them which is the white Cadejo and seeing this the devil in a jealous rage created the black one.

I chose this one because I want to incorporate the white Cadejo into the story as a silent protector for the protagonist in all their encounters. I liked having them realize that this creature has been helping them the whole time. I also liked the idea that the dark and white wolf symbolize the good and the bad.

Spanish Translations:

1. Hermano

English Translations:

2. Brother

Bibliography:

El Cajedo