"¤ THE SPELL OF THE SWAMP ¤" "Good morning, sir." "My name's Isabel." "Almost every day I see you come here." "I know your name's Antonio." "How do you know that?" "The birds told me." "It had to be a girl, girls are bad luck!" "And boys don't talk to birds, they know nothing." "If you give me wild honey, I'll tell you where it's easier to catch fish." "If you know so much, why don't you go get the honey yourself?" "I just fear bees." "I don't like to walk with the girls." "They squeal and get scared of anything." "I want to be your friend, Toño." "This wheel has always given me a lot of trouble." "Brother, it was in the axle!" "You're ready." "The Vulture returned." "Your fishing --- catch anything?" "Just one freshwater prawn." "I'll have to change streams." "Librado, when I grow up I want to be like you." "There's nothing you can't master." "Don't think that, Toño." "There are things I've never liked and can only do very badly." "~ For instance, how to wash dishes, right?" "~ More or less." "Librado, today I met a girl at the stream." "Her name's Isabel." "That's good, Toño!" "I like you to have girlfriends." "~ I don't like it." "~ Why not?" "If they're cute!" "But they shriek." "Did you hear that, Toño?" "Maybe that frog is a girl." "In the animal world there are she-animals, too." "Or it may be a poor boy haunted by a girl who wants to bite him." "Beat it, jerk!" "Get breakfast elsewhere!" "This time will you take me to gather honey, at last?" "Who invited you?" "I was here before you were." "How can that be, if I didn't even see you?" "What happens is that boys soon forget what they see." "You're going to get it stuck, silly girl!" "How did you know there were fish there?" "I told you, the birds tell me." "I talk to them like you do with butterflies, but..." "But what?" "But you won't learn because butterflies don't speak." "True, but the one I saw was beautiful." "Really?" "You really thought it was pretty?" "Sure, that's why I spoke to her." "Toño, why won't you be my friend?" "I don't whine, and I always wander on my own in the forest,... and I know how to defend myself against snakes and tarantulas." "Then how comes that you're afraid of bees?" "Because they stung me once and gave me a fever." "You know how to make traps for freshwater prawns?" "No, I've never seen one." "I used to skewer them with my arrows." "No, it's very difficult that way." "Look, the next time you weave a basket with vines... and leave a hole for the freshwater prawns to get to some raw meat." "Then when you take them out of the water they won't have time enough to break out." "See how easy is?" "Do you get it?" "Well...sure." "Would you like to have a lunch of honey and cheese?" "Sure." "Where's a honeycomb?" "Behind that hill." "Toño, Toño, come quickly!" "Toño, Toño, come quickly!" "Toño, help me!" "~ Here I come!" "I'm coming!" "~ Toño, Toño!" "Toño!" "I'm coming, Isabel!" "I'm coming, Isabel!" "~ What is it?" "~ Ants are biting me." "Help me!" "~ This will help." "~ I hope so, Toño, because they hurt a lot." "~ Don't you hurt anymore?" "~ No." "Who taught you how to heal them?" "The butterflies told me." "Besides, birds don't know a cure." "In fact, I'd rather they were leopards instead of ants." "Want some?" "~ Do you?" "~ Yes." "I meant that I would have liked to kill them and give you leopard skins." "Have you killed many?" "Of course, even with my slingshot." "I always hit them in the eye." "Toño!" "~ Tastes like crap but it's good for a scare." "~ Do you believe in witchcraft?" "This isn't witchcraft." "There are herbs that are used to heal and other which can make you sick." "~ Father..." "~ Listen, son, I'd rather you called me Librado, like a friend." "Listen, Toño:" "in life it's more difficult to be a friend than to become a father." "Why?" "Because anyone can have children but not everyone can be friends with their children." "Librado, is it true that the dead can come back?" "If so, we wouldn't be just the two of us on our own." "Tell me again about my mother." "She was very pretty,... petite." "We fell in love the first time we met." "We got married." "And then...then you were born, and when your mother recovered we took you to the highest mountain." "Filled with joy we held you up to the sky... so the four cardinal directions would know you." "She got sick... and said:..." ""Take care of him." ""Make him like you,..." ""may he never be sad." ""Make him self-sufficient."" "Antonio, what would you do if I died suddenly?" "I'd cry over you a lot." "Miss you." "Miss you forever." "But, of course, I'd have to work and get used to it." "Toño, that was very dangerous what you did tonight." "I know you're brave but it's not wise to take chances like that." "You're right, Librado." "When I saw the leopard, I did not know whether to fire the shotgun and run... or just start crying." "Hello, flower with wings." "Maybe you'll bring me good luck once again." "It's a while since you last came by, Toño." "I brought you a gift." "~ I killed him." "~ On your own?" "Sure, with my shotgun." "You're not afraid of tigers, right?" "Just the opposite!" "If one should pop out..." "I think it's a tiger, or his spirit." "Weren't you scared, Toño?" "Yes, but just because I didn't have my slingshot." "Hey, do you have a girlfriend?" "What?" "I wondered whether if you have a girlfriend." "Well..." "I haven't committed that nonsense yet." "~ A girl 10 years ago..." "~ 10 years?" "Well, how old are you?" "Come on, tell me!" "So many that I already forgot!" "Well, maybe more recently." "~ The thing is I have no girlfriend." "~ Why?" "Because I don't like girls." "All women are the same." "The same how?" "When I go to town I always see them sweeping, washing, cooking,... as if they had nothing better to do." "And do you know a lot of them?" "All I know have huge bellies." "~ Toño..." "~ What?" "When you grow up, will you marry me?" "Yes,... if you promise not to get a big belly and play with me forever." "Wow, Toño!" "Never seen you work so fast." "I want to finish soon because tomorrow I'm going fishing with Isabel." "One of these days do introduce her to me." "I'll tell her that you want to meet her." "I'd like to meet her parents." "¤ Playing on the forest path,... ¤ it may be my destiny to live this way." "¤ Playing along the road we know,... ¤ with the beautiful butterfly I fell in love." "¤ Whistling and kicking stones I followed you." "¤ Thinking of your smile I fell in love." "¤ Whistling and kicking stones I lagged back,... ¤ crying for your love, poor me." "¤ Butterfly, you who fly elsewhere,... ¤ come and give me your wings to fly." "¤ Butterfly, you who fly elsewhere,... ¤ come and give me your wings to fly. ¤" "Have you entered the cave alone?" "No, but my uncles told me that there are bats inside." "Won't they bite us?" "Don't worry, I'll protect you." "If so, then I'll go in." "By the smell it reminds a bar toilet on market day!" "Hey, how dark it is!" "Isn't it dangerous?" "Maybe, but no matter." "Let's go in deeper." "Well, at least I have the torch here." "Yes, you're right, we can see with the flashlight." "With luck, no bats!" "No, don't fret." "Here." "Toño!" "Let's get out of here!" "Come on, Toño!" "~ Which way?" "~ I don't know, I don't know!" "You lead me." "How did you manage to find your way out of the cave?" "I marked the walls with this stone." "Guess what?" "My dad wants to meet you." "Do I look pretty?" "You look like the butterfly at the river.." "Why do you recall her so much?" "She understood me since the first time I spoke to her." "She likes me to watch her flights." "I've only seen eyes like yours once before, Adelfa's." "~ Was she prettier than me, that girl?" "~ What girl?" "~ Adelfa!" "~ I didn't say it was a girl!" "~ So who is it?" "~ It's one of Librado's friends' she-donkey." "Toño, come here." "Why not talk with Ángela?" "Don Jorge brought her to play with you." "Why not join us?" "My daughter wants to play with you." "I didn't notice her." "He's lying, Dad, he was staring at me for ages,... but he was scared to get near me." "I don't believe that." "He killed a leopard a few days ago." "Do you know another 11-year-old boy who has?" "Great, son!" "We expect many things from you." "You have potential, you inherited it from your parents." "Do you want some candy?" "I brought candy." "Want some?" "Ángela and Don Jorge are spending a few days with us." "Show her the things you've snagged from the river." "Come with me." "When will you teach me to fish and shoot with your slingshot?" "We'll go tomorrow." "And your leopard skin?" "~ I gave it to Isabel." "~ Who's she?" "A girl." "She's my friend." "And I'm going to marry her when we grow up." "How well you swim, Toño!" "~ Nailed it, Toño!" "I got it, I got it, I got it!" "~ What a shot!" "Good day, Godfather." "How are you, man?" "Tell your mom to send us some coffee." "Hello, Vulture." "~ Do you plan on staying here long?" "~ I have my reasons for it." "Listen: we don't want trouble." "The land issue was settled." "You were wrong, Vulture." "We lost Efren ---..." "Librado and his wife went to live elsewhere." "~ Ha, I know!" "~ Everything's ready, Dad." "We're going for coffee." "Want some?" "No." "Go inside, my daughter, go inside." "You know Librado had no intention of costing you your eye." "You killed his brother." "Leave them alone." "Some things you never forget." "I killed Efren and lost my land." "Librado and I still have a score to settle." "You know, Rafaël?" "I like you for a father-in-law." "Push off!" "Just because there are so many of you." "Go away, Vulture!" "Beware, Toribio!" "You've already lived for too long!" "Fix your other eye, because you're seeing things!" "Want some?" "It smells good!" "Are you sure it's the same iguana?" "So sure that if you won't take any I'll eat all of it." "It tastes good!" "Toño!" "How stupid you are!" "The fish escaped." "Crap!" "Are you Isabel?" "Yes, and you who are you?" "A friend of Toño who's spending a few days at his home." "And I know how to wash and iron." "And I know how to catch freshwater prawns and I'm always neat." "I can read, I go to school, and I learn many things." "The birds tell me many things." "And the butterflies, too." "Toño loves you." "He's right, you're very pretty." "And he says he's going to marry you." "Right, Toño?" "Well, yes, of course, if she doesn't get a big belly." "Isabel will fill out like any woman, and they'll take a baby out of her belly." "No, I'll never eat a child no matter how hungry I get!" "Never, never!" "You'll see, Toño, I won't ever play with you anymore!" "Look, such beauty!" "That butterfly looks like a dove." "She's my friend." "Whenever I speak to her, she understands me." "Come and visit us more often." "We only live a few leagues apart." "Ángela's company has done a lot for him." "I see that they get along." "If they were older we'd betroth them to marry." "She's older than him, but that doesn't matter." "Don't you think?" "The Vulture!" "Get into the house!" "Toño, hurry!" "Look, Vulture, let's forget the matter." "Sounds easy, but it isn't." "Your days are coming to an end, like your brother's." "You better get out of here." "Don't be picky." "I'm armed, too." "You only kill from behind and from a tree." "Better get out, because next time it's for keeps!" "It would be very easy for us to shoot each other, Librado, but I'll do something that'll hurt more." "Isabel!" "Isabel!" "You'll see, Toño, I won't ever play with you anymore!" "Good morning." "~ How's it going, Librado?" "~ How're you doing?" "You came to tell us about Vulture?" "No, I came to do my shopping and greet my friends." "Your usual, Librado?" "Yes, but don't forget the sugar and sweets for him." "Don't worry." "I don't want to be nosy, Librado, but would you have killed him?" "Look, I think that if it were necessary, I would have." "In any case it would be best for me to kill him." "He offended my daughter to provoke me." "I visit you often." "Had I been present, I would have faced him using bullets." "No, man, it's not like that." "If you wanted to kill him, you'd do it with your bare hands, not your rifle." "But I doubt it will come to that, anyway,... you're too good to stain your hands with the blood of this coward." "Seeing my friends in danger, I'd have forgotten my principles... and would have gunned him down." "You know what?" "Here's something that doesn't fit:... none of us are murderers." "Here." "Thank you." "Toño, why won't you be my friend?" "Isabel, where are you?" "If you don't show, I'll never come back." "Come on." "Let's go now." "What's wrong?" "Nothing." "You really miss Ángela, right?" "No." "No." "Friends always tell each other their problems." "Something's going on with you." "Tell me." "It's just that Isabel hasn't returned to the river." "What happened to her?" "The last time I saw her, she got cross with Ángela and me." "Don't worry,... surely your little friend was busy." "Guess what, Toño?" "Tomorrow we'll go fishing, you and me." "It struck, Toño, it struck!" "It looks like a big fish." "I want to see you happy, son." "Now I know I'll see Isabel." "Whenever the butterfly appears, Isabel comes by." "Isabel!" "Isabel, Isabel!" "Isabel!" "How you doing, Toño?" "Isabel, now we are going to play all day." "Dad, I talked to Isabel." "Now I'm going to be happy." "Hit it." "Come on, now, please, wait!" "I don't want to play!" "Please, come on!" "No, please, now, please!" "Thank you for your assistance in locating the girl and her family." "I knew she exists because Ángela talked with her." "Otherwise we'd have to conclude that Toño is delusional." "You shouldn't worry about him, rather we should envy him." "Children live their world where adults don't fit." "Toño is very affectionate." "Sometime soon he'll find something else to cling to and he'll be just like before." "You, Librado, over here." "Rafaël, on this side." "And you, that way." "No sign of them." "I reached the old house and found nothing." "You promised to tell me about where you came from." "It's a beautiful place, full of colors and lights." "In addition, you're never sad there, and you meet people you loved before." "There's no suffering at all there and everyone laughs." "Are there any big fish?" "All you could possibly want." "Even freshwater prawns?" "Sure." "And it's so wonderful that we can play all day without getting tired." "How I'd like to live in that place!" "No, Toño, it's still not time." "Besides, this place is very nice, and there are people for you to love here." "The rains are coming up." "Fortunately I finished my pasture fence." "Well, I haven't been able to work, I'm way behind." "Don't worry, buddy, we'll help." "Sure." "What's wrong, Librado?" "You've hardly said a word." "The pure fact is, for days I've been worrying about Vulture's threat." "What did he mean?" "Even if it doesn't show, I'm a little uneasy, too." "Since he cast his lewd eye on my daughter, I fear for her." "Toño!" "Toño!" "Now you're coming with me, boy." "Wait 'til I get my hands on you!" "Isabel!" "Ah, come here, boy!" "Let me go!" "Let me go!" "Come, you'll see!" "~ Get off me!" "~ Come here, boy!" "Come to me, Toño." "~ No!" "~ Don't be afraid." "No!" "I'll help you." "Come on." "Give me your hand, Toño, give it to me." "Don't be afraid anymore." "Toño!" "Dad, mind the gap!" "Isabel saved me, she saved me!" "Isabel!" "Isabel!" "Father, I want to be alone for a moment." "Toño, I've come to say goodbye." "Where are you going?" "To the place I told you about." "Will I see you again?" "Yes." "But in the meantime..." "Yes?" "I want you to tend this grave." "I promise you, Isabel." "I will." "Toño, I don't want you to stay sad." "Librado!" "Librado!" "Librado!" "Librado!"