Los Cadejos

Luis clanked his glass against the wooden bar and let out an exhausted exhale. He stood up and stumbled his way across the room to the door, bidding goodnight to the few remaining patrons in the bar. His wife and children had long gone to sleep, and the only thing keeping him from his bed was the long, dark road he had to take home.

Not long into his journey, he heard the clanking of chains far behind him. Assuming it was the wind beating against a fence, he kept walking. He soon began to feel as though he were being followed. An ominous feeling came over him as he slowed his pace to listen for surrounding noises. He heard soft footsteps, as if a child were following him.

He laughed and said to himself, "I'll get this kid."

He came to a complete stop and waited for the footsteps to fall silent. Then, he jumped around yelling, "I've got you!"

But... it was Luis who was shocked to find a dark figure on all fours, snarling and staring straight into his eyes. No average dog, the beast was large enough to meet his eyeline, and mangy as if he had been living on the streets for years. Through the matted black fur, Luis could see a chain hanging around the creature's neck and dragging on the ground behind him. It was El Cadejo, the dark creature of legends.

Luis turned and ran down the street. He heard the chains dragging behind him as the creature followed him all the way home. Luis felt lucky to have made it home, especially given the state he was in. He didn't leave the house for a week out of fear of seeing the beast again.

After some time, he began to feel the familiar urge to grab a drink at the local bar. In no time, one drink became many drinks, and he found himself stumbling out the door again. As he began to head home, he remembered his encounter with the creature and stopped short. He turned around, deciding that he would take the long way home instead.

Moments later, a woman came walking out of the bar and began down the street where Luis had encountered his nightmare. Luis warned her, "Do not go down that road at night! El Cadejo will stalk you and try to kill you! Please turn around!"

The woman, tired and ready to go home replied, "I only live a short way down. There is no reason to go around. You've had too much to drink."

She carried on her way against the will of Luis.

Just as she was about to make it home, a group of men emerged from a dark alley. They began to close in on her, yelling inappropriate things and making her feel uncomfortable. She began to think that she was in danger as she struggled to make it the last block to her front door.

Suddenly, the men heard a clanging of chains behind them, and felt a hot breath on the backs of their necks. They saw the woman's eyes look up behind them, and they turned around to see who, or what, was stalking them as they were stalking the woman. A large creature, on all fours, stood behind them, staring them down. Its white fur was smooth and clean, but it remained a menacing creature. It chased the men away from the woman and she heard their cries as they ran down the street.

The next night, Luis ran into the woman at the bar again, saying, "I'm so relieved you are okay!"

She replied, "Of course I'm okay. El Cadejo showed up!"

"El Cadejo?" Luis questioned.

"Yes, of course! He protected me from a group of dangerous men," she replied.

In disbelief, Luis said, "El Cadejo...with the dark matted fur?"

"No, El Cadejo, with the smooth white fur," she replied.