"Did this happen in another time and place of our history?" "What does it matter?" "Childhood lives outside of time, and its illusions, tricks, and fantasies... will always be the same as long as the world endures." "The beating your aunt Claudia's going to give you for skipping school again!" "Gosh, the sun's out!" "Now we go to school." "~ Sure." "~ But we had fun, didn't we?" "Hey, let's rest a minute." "Who could have invented school?" "Someone who hated children." "You know, Nicolás?" "Sometimes I envy you for being an orphan." "So are you!" "Yeah, but I've got aunt Claudia and that squealer of a cousin of mine!" "What I mean is that you don't have anyone to beat or scold you." "True, that's a big advantage!" "Can you imagine what they'd do if they caught you smoking?" "One day I'll do it even if Aunt Claudia kills me." "Hurry so we can meet Pascual!" "He promised us he'd finish the kite." "Let's go!" "Hi, guys." "How are you doing, Pascual?" "Mmmm..." "Where did you get it, Nicolás?" "Well...from who-knows-where." "Is it ready, Pascual?" "I always honor my word." "I just had to glue the last rod." "How do you like it?" "~ It's too big!" "~ Do you think it'll fly?" "Don't you remember the last book I lent you by Jules Verne?" "Oh, yeah!" "The one named "From the Earth to the Moon"?" "But that's a story, Juliancito, but instead this device itself is capable of reaching the Moon." "~ Wow!" "~ Wow!" "If you don't hold the rope very tight, the air stream will lift you." "~ So be careful, all right?" "~ Yes." "Hey, Pascual, how do you know so many things?" "When I was young I read a lot and learned lots of stuff." "I was what they call "a cultured man",... but my poor head made me lose this treasure." "And speaking of treasure, boys, I'm going to confide a secret." "Have you ever heard of the bandit "El Tigre"?" "~ No." "~ No." "Very long ago, he was very famous in these parts." "He robbed the rich to give to the poor." "I knew him well." "He was a good man,... but one day he was caught and hanged." "But before he died, he told me that in the caves by the village there was hidden in a chest... 50,000 Pesos in gold coins." "~ Cool!" "~ Holy Mary!" "But haven't you looked for this treasure yourself, Pascual?" "No, because those caves have devoured many." "They are so huge that no one has dared to explore them." "But El Tigre told me that on the seaward side... facing the sea, where the treasure stands, there's a secret entrance." "That place, he used to call "the black palace"." "Hey, Pascual, we don't we go look for this treasure ourselves?" "No, I'm very tired." "But...but...one day...maybe...one day..." "Let's go." "Careful!" "It's getting me!" "Damn, it's about to get me!" "Look out, look out, hold on tight, buddy!" "Julián, Julián, hold on, hold on!" "Help me!" "I can't!" "No, I can't!" "Let go, Julian, let go!" "Let go, Julián, I'll catch you!" "Let go, Julian, let go!" "Oh, rats, such a beating is waiting for me at home!" "Maybe it reached the Moon!" "How cool that I don't have a family." "Oh, but they're asleep, they won't even hear me." "See you later, Nico." "~ Aunt Claudia, Aunt Claudia!" "~ Shut up, please." "Juliancito's home!" "Fucking squealer, I'll give you what you deserve!" "You brazen brat!" "The one handing out deserved punishment will be me." "Mischievous brat!" "I'm going to skin you, I'm going to..." "But how did you hurt yourself, dearest?" "How terrible!" "Come here, let me see you." "Let's see..." "let's see...how did you hurt yourself?" "~ Well..." "I fell from the sky." "~ What did you say?" "Really, Aunt!" "I was flying a kite, and suddenly it lifted me into the air." "You should have seen it!" "I was drifting through the tops of the trees, mountains,... and suddenly...smirch..." "I landed with a bump." "You're not going to rest until you see me buried in shame." "But why do you keep hanging around like a vagabond and skipping your classes?" "Didn't you promise me you'd never do that again?" "I just went for a walk, Aunt." "That's enough, shut up, you spoiled brat!" "When Theresa, my sister, died, I promised her I'd take care of you like my own son." "And when Roberto, my brother, died, I also promised to look after Felipito." "Didn't I keep my word?" "Haven't I loved and cared for you as if you were my own son?" "Felipito at least is studious." "No, no, I'll do it, I'll do it." "He conducts himself decently, but you...you..." "No, Juliancito, you don't love me anymore." "Yes, Aunt, my Aunt, I love you a lot, I really do!" "Honest!" "Then why do you make me suffer so?" "Because he's completely hopeless, that's why!" "You shut up!" "I'm the only one with the right to scold him." "But Aunt, it's certain." "Juliancito only hangs around with that loser Nicolás,... and that old drunk Pascual." "You told me yourself he's just a bad example." "Well...yeah, you're right, Felipito." "Shame on you, Juliancito." "Nicolás and Pascual are good people, I know them!" "Good...!" "No one likes Nicolás because he's an orphan, or Pascual because he's flat broke." "But one day I'll find a lost treasure and I'll give them heaps of money." "Regardless, I have to give you what you deserve, Juliancito." "Onto bed." "~ But Aunt!" "~ Onto the bed!" "Go on, the bed." "Ow, ow, ow!" "Don't hit me, Aunt!" "Ow!" "Ow, don't hit me, please!" "Ow!" "Ow, don't hit me, Aunt!" "Ow, don't hit me, Aunt!" "Ow, enough, ow, ow!" "Next time I'll take a stick to you!" "My Aunt's cool!" "See you in the morning!" "Yeah, yeah, drop the posturing." "Shameless!" "Go to bed, and from now on try being good, or we'll see." "Where are you going?" "Meddler!" "I'm hungry." "I'm going to the kitchen." "And if you say a word..." "I'll break your face." "Aunt Claudia!" "Aunt Claudia!" "What a horror!" "What on Earth happened here?" "My God, so much blood, Juliancito!" "It's not blood, Aunt, it's marmalade." "Marmalade..." "Oh, no, that's too much." "I'm going for the stick, Devil child!" "We'll see about that!" "Watch me fetch the stick and use it on you!" "Why are you making me get up so early?" "We're going to see Nicolás, and then Pascual." "No, I won't skip school again." "The last time I did that, my mom gave it to me so hard that I couldn't sit for a week." "Listen, Luís, can you keep a secret, a very important secret?" "Sure." "A treasure?" "Are you sure?" "That's why I have to see Pascual, I need him to give me the dope." "Then let's hurry, what are we waiting for?" "Who that?" "Anita Fernández." "Her dad's Don Fernando, the new judge." "They arrived this week." "She's a stunner!" "Much cuter than Araceli." "She's a pain in the butt, like all girls." "Don't be silly!" "If there weren't any girls, who would we play hide-and-seek with?" "Wait here for me for just a moment." "Hi." "You see?" "Forget her." "Women are too hard to reach." "She just ignored you!" "Never mind, let's go see Pascual." "Come on." "8 × 1 = 8." "8 × 2 = 16." "8 × 3 = 24." "8 × 4 = 32." "8 × 5 = 40." "8 × 6 = 48." "8 × 7 = 56." "8 × 8 = 64." "8 × 9 = 72." "8 × 10 = 80." "9 × 1 = 9." "9 × 2 = 18." "9 × 3 = 27." "9 × 4 = 36." "9 × 5 = 45." "Silence!" "Juliancito!" "Let's see, what excuses do you have for being late this time, you dimwit?" "Answer me!" "I went to confession, teacher." "Silence!" "Really, teacher, I was late because I had to confess all of my sins to the priest." "Yeah, right." "And what penance did he order?" "To keep coming to school." "And now, as a warning, you'll go sit with the girls." "Silence!" "Open your book to the lesson on page 15 and read in silence." "Why are you drawing?" "How beautiful!" "It's very nice." "You know how to draw other things?" "Sure, almost everything." "Let me see." "You promise me not to show it to anyone?" "I promise." "You're a creep." "If you want, I'll teach you to draw at recess." "What are you laughing about?" "You've got a wart on your neck." "~ Do you like it?" "~ Yes, it's very nice." "Are you spoken for?" "What do you mean?" "Well...a boyfriend." "Do you have one?" "It's easy, all you have to do is kiss the guy you like." "Why do I have to kiss him?" "Because that's how it's done." "It's simple, all you have to do is close your eyes." "Now we're boy- and girlfriend, and you have to marry me when we grow up." "Remember that!" "Did you have a girlfriend before?" "Yeah, Araceli, but it's over between us." "You're a creep!" "I don't love you anymore!" "Hypocrite!" "Anita...!" "Don't ever speak to me again." "Julián!" "What's up, Nicolás?" "~ Hey, brother, I was looking for you last night." "But you overslept." "~ I fell asleep." "You know what I did?" "I went to the river." "~ Fucking hell, at that time of night?" "~ Sure, brother." "Hey, what's in the bag?" "A dead cat." "It's pretty stiff." "What in Hell are you going to do with a dead cat?" "Don't you remember?" "Get rid of warts." "Wait for me, Nicolás!" "Come on, keep telling me about this." "Hey!" "Look how stupid you are!" "Tonight we have to take him to the cemetery." "To bury it?" "A cat isn't a Christian." "At the last bell of midnight,... the wind will come up and reveal to us three demons." "That many?" "When you see them, grab the cat by the legs and fling it at them... while you tell them --- pay attention!" " :..." ""The cat follows the Devil, warts follow a cat, and the one on me is going with them."" "And poof, the warts'll disappear!" "Are you sure?" "That's what the village witch told me." "Tonight wait for me outside the house." "I'll meow like always." "~ But be sure to wake up!" "~ Sure!" "How dark it is tonight!" "Are you sure you're not scared?" "No, the only thing concerning me is scrapping the wart." "Hurry, it's nearly 12!" "We better go, Juliancito." "You brought me, so now you stay." "I want to go back without my wart." "Look!" "The three demons." "Come on, Juliancito!" "If we stay here, they'll take us straight to Hell." "Don't be scared." "Wait." "Cross, cross, may the Devil flee and Jesus come!" "Give me the cat, hurry!" ""Cats follow the wart, the wart follows the demon, and the one on me..."" "~ The other way around!" "~ "Warts follow the cat, the cat follows the demon, and the one on me..."" "OOPS!" "Look who the three demons are." "~ Is it this one?" "~ Yeah." "Old Pascual, with José "Scarface", and Doctor Ramírez!" "What are they doing?" "Who knows?" "~ Should we check it out?" "~ Let's go!" "Go on, friend, dig." "Dig?" "Yes, we must disinter the deceased." "I've never stolen bodies." "Don't talk nonsense, Pascual." "I want it for a science experiment." "Whatever!" "That's desecrating a grave, and I'm not going to do it." "Imbecile!" "You'll do exactly what I tell you to do." "Don't hit him." "Let me go." "~ You and I have a score to settle." "~ What are you talking about?" "Did you forget that day you sent me to jail?" "That once I was honoring my duties." "Sure." "But now it'll cost you an extra $200,... or I leave you colder than the guy we're going to dig up." "I paid you in advance and I won't let you blackmail me." "Well...the authorities will be very interested in what you're you doing here." "If José "Scarface" saw us, he'd cut off our heads for sure!" "He didn't see us." "And if he finds out?" "He will only if you squeal on us." "I'm not going to say a thing, Juliancito." "How about you?" "Me neither!" "You think I want to be turned into a corpse?" "You're afraid, so you might open your mouth!" "No, I swear I won't." "Swearing's useless." "We have to make a pact." "What's that?" "It's a letter in which the two of us swear to keep it a secret,... and we seal it with blood." "Or would you rather "Scarface" --- scritch!" " dismantles us?" "No!" ""Juliancito Cervantes and Nicolás Rodríguez..." ""swear that they'll never tell anyone what they saw..." ""tonight in the cemetery." ""Anyone breaking this pledge..." ""may a lightning strike him, may he be swallowed up by the Earth,..." ""or else be carried off by the Devil."" "Do you have a pin?" "Your turn." ""JC"..." "Juliancito Cervantes." "You don't have the courage to prick your finger, let alone keep our secret!" "Affix your initials." "I don't know how to write." "We'll bury it at a crossroads, or a street corner, like here, to be witnessed by the Devil." "Nothing less will do." "Lend me your knife." "See?" "The Devil has been our witness." "Scaredy-cat!" "But what's up with you, Juliancito?" "Are you sick?" "I'm fine, Aunt." "Oh, what a boy this is!" "Him with his problems, and me...go on." "Good." "You haven't eaten since last night." "What is it, huh?" "Something's pricking at his conscience, Aunt." "Why would his conscience be bothering him?" "It's something he did, I'm sure." "I know what happened to you, Juliancito,... you're worried about the filthy drunk Pascual, who's in jail." "Well, thank God you're alive, right?" "Because he could have killed you just like that poor Doctor Ramírez." "But Pascual didn't kill him, Aunt!" "How do you know?" "Well..." "I know him well, and he couldn't do anything like that!" "Juliancito is a caring boy, Felipito,... he even sympathizes with that murderer who's in jail." "If I were named to the jury I wouldn't hesitate to condemn the old drunk." "José "Scarface" saw him with his own eyes." "We should lynch him without waiting for the trial." "Pascual is my friend but...never mind." "I have to declare the truth." "CITY HALL" "You've got visitors, Pascual." "~ Hi, Pascual!" "~ Hi, boys!" "So you haven't forgotten me, right?" "~ Here, we brought you some things." "~ Thank you." "Here, Pascual." "And these, where did you get them from, eh?" "Well...out there." "If you keep robbing the storekeeper, you'll soon be joining me, right?" "Excuse me, I didn't want to offend you, my son." "Why should I be offended?" "The shopkeeper steals from his customers and I steal from him." "Take it, Pascual." "Here, I don't want it." "It was that damn vice which has brought me so much misery." "If I hadn't drunk so much I wouldn't have killed the doctor." "Let this serve as an example, boys,... never acquire a vice." "If they hang me, at least I deserve it." "~ Pascual, I have something to tell you!" "~ No, Julian!" "You see, I'm making another kite." "I mean, another she kite, because the teacher says it's a feminine noun, "kite"." "When you're set free, we'll go to the field to fly it, OK?" "I won't ever be getting out of here alive, boys." "I'm late, Pascual, I have to go to school." "See you!" "Goodbye, Pascual." "May God bless you, boys." "And thanks." ""The province." "In the province, contrary to what happens in the big cities,..." ""everyone knows everyone, and nobody's a stranger,..." ""and even at the streets farther away from your office or your firm,..." ""or office, neighbors greet the doctor familiarly,..." ""just like the lawyer, the engineer,..." ""and in bakeries, women relate the happenings in their families,..." ""the happy ones and those who grieve, the return of a child after several years in the United States,..." ""or in Mexico City, or in Monterrey, the birth of a child or death of a dear friend,..." ""about John or Jane Doe, the affable mother of the pharmacist,..." ""the smaller the place the deeper human solidarity is." ""People can have different ideas..." ""the smaller the place, the deeper human solidarity is." ""People may have different beliefs and it is natural that they do as it happens all over the world,..." ""but above beliefs in the daily relations, the casual meeting at the parade ground on Sunday,..." ""and meeting by chance at the cinema or at sports grounds." ""Children in schools are all friends with each other,..." ""and while scuffles occur sometimes all over the world,..." ""because everyone believes that their school is superior to the other." ""And that's why they enjoy excellent friends when they grow up." ""There are no long distances to travel." ""School trips are on foot,..." ""because rivers and hills are very close to where we live." ""In the rainy season, when the Earth is dressed in green,..." ""there climb up behind fences tall sunflowers..." ""families gather to eat in the field." ""Usually, a shower puts an end to the parties." ""The skies thunder and the shower soaks everybody." ""That is the joy of picnics." ""That, and baskets full of corn and the thick bunches of wild flowers,..." ""and with that the day out comes to an end." ""The church bells are heard all over the place..." ""...made and obeying the ruler, and to take for granted that a trusted man..." --- ow!" "Silence!" "Anita, I want to talk with you." "Have you ever been betrothed?" "You'll pay for all the bad things you've done to me, and for all of them at once." "Come on, defend yourself!" "Go on, go on, go on, go on!" "You're a coward." "Poor kid!" "Don't pay attention to him, Felipe." "He's a beggar!" "My aunt'll learn of this, she'll deal with you." "When we get out of class, I want you to take me home." "Fags, fags!" "Araceli, Araceli, do you want to go back to being boy- and girlfriend?" "I won't play second fiddle." "Women are evil, Nicolás, just evil." "Take a puff, and forget your troubles." "Ugh, it smells really bad!" "If Aunt Claudia could smell it on me, she'd run me out of the house,... especially if Felipito rats me out." "Do you realize?" "They all hate us, Nicolás." "Especially José "Scarface"." "Do you remember the hateful looks he gave us?" "I bet he already suspects." "He'll kill us, Juliancito." "Who cares?" "Why's a life of this suffering worth living?" "I prefer to live, so tonight I'm out of town." "You're right!" "Let's head for an uninhabited island this very night!" "This afternoon the fishermen will go whoring, and the town'll be left empty." "We'll hang back and steal a boat." "What do you think?" "Good idea!" "~ Hi." "~ How are you, Luís?" "What are you doing here?" "Nothing." "~ Well, who did you come with?" "~ Nobody." "You're on your own?" "You?" "So what's going on?" "I'm tired of living." "I never want to go home again." "Never." "Why not?" "My mom gave me another beating." "Wow, great!" "Listen to me, Luís!" "Wait, you dropped the glass." "Hurry!" "Man the oars!" "Bow northwards, lazybones!" "Straighten the topsails, ruffians!" "Land ho!" "Come on, quick, we have to debark, we need to explore the island!" "Bring my jacket, I've put it under yours." "Let's go, hurry!" "Grab the stuff, Luís." "Leave them there!" "Yeah, yeah, get down!" "Wait for me!" "Hurry!" "Yeah, let me!" "~ Hey, let's go fishing!" "~ Cool!" "Run for it!" "I bet my mom'll be worried." "She'll regret beating you." "We'd better go in, right?" "Good!" "Oh, no way!" "We've got everything to live the good life!" "When the shopkeeper finds out that I stole two boxes of cigars and a side of ham... he'll die of apoplexy!" "And when my mom realizes that I'm not going back, she'll die of grief." "Any second thoughts?" "Don't argue, enjoy life." "Have a cigar!" "Only real men can smoke a cigar without getting dizzy, am I right?" "~ Give me one." "~ Me, too." "All in all, it's not too bad." "Hey, I bet you can't do this." "But I left it here like you told me to." "Crap, the storm took it." "Check it out, there're some clothes." "That's Juliancito's jacket!" "It's pretty sure they drowned, we'd better inform the village." "Nicolás, Luís!" "What's up?" "Someone drowned, guys." "Why set off so many rockets, huh?" "Because the explosions bring the bodies of drowned people to the surface." "Wow, they think it's us!" "What do you think?" "Right now, they think we're dead." "When Anita hears about me, she'll cry for sure." "Serves her right!" "Oh, I never thought of Aunt Claudia!" "The poor dear!" "She should be crying, too." "Nobody'll cry for me, though." "On the contrary, some will be thrilled, especially the storekeeper." "I want to go back to my mom." "What do you want, that your mom beat you to death with sticks?" "It doesn't matter." "Oh, it had to be Luis!" "Nicolás was right to tell me it was stuff for grownups, not kids!" "Holy Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee,... blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus." "No, Juliancito wasn't bad, just naughty." "Unfortunately, I had to punish him." "The poor dear, to think he left this world without knowing I loved him!" "And I repeat: it's all your fault, squealer!" "And to think that last night I was waiting to give him another beating,... without knowing the little angel was dead!" "But, Aunt, the black eye he gave me still hurts." "Shut up!" "Otherwise I'll give you a matching pair." "Oh, Doña Claudia, my regrets are killing me!" "Yesterday I slugged Luís for no reason,... and the innocent child was crying as he begged me not to hit him so hard,... but then --- God forgive me!" " I really let him have a good one!" "What am I going to do without my little Luís, Doña Claudia?" "Me, without my Juliancito, I'll just die from grief." "However, something tells me those guys are still alive." "Don't even think that!" "Didn't the fisherman find youngsters' clothes in the boat?" "Yeah, all right, you're right." "But somehow, I don't know how I can keep on living without seeing my Juliancito." "Forget him!" "I spoke with Father Miguel and tomorrow night he's going to say a Mass for the repose of the boys' souls." "Oh, my poor Juliancito is already in Heaven!" "Or in Hell." "You're a jerk, Felipe." "You never loved Juliancito." "Go on, go to bed before I lose my patience." "Aunt Claudia!" "Come here, please!" "If you don't go to sleep I'll cane you good!" ""Luís and Nicolás:" "I went to town to see how things are going." ""Don't worry." "Juliancito."" "Juliancito is a traitor, he's abandoned us." "Don't be silly!" "He just went to the village to check things out." "Hey, boys, hey!" "Julián, Julián, here we are, come here!" "What happened?" "Did you hear anything?" "~ And how!" "~ What happened?" "~ Come on, I'll tell you in the tent." "~ Let's go." "Your mom and my aunt are tearing their hearts out about the beatings they gave us." "And nobody spares a thought for me." "Of course they do!" "I heard when the storekeeper said he was missing you." "He swore that if you were alive he'd give you all the cigars and all the candy you could want." "Oh, damnit!" "And best of all:" "I saw Anita when she was praying for me." "Tonight Father Miguel will say a Mass for the repose of our souls." "Don't you realize that we're almost heroes?" "Now everybody loves us!" "I'll go to the shopkeeper to ask forgiveness and to offer to work for him." "I'll never steal again." "Do you want to kill us all?" "If we go back, your mom and my aunt...and the storekeeper... they'll think it's our spirits appearing, and they'll die of fright!" "My dear brothers and sisters:... those young missing boys for whose souls we pray... are with us in spirit." "At this hour they are at rest at the heart of Our Lord... far away from the sufferings and misfortunes of this world." "But Juliancito and Luis, before leaving us, had at least the understanding... of the love of their families." "But who, among you, had even thought of Nicolás,... that poor orphaned child, and homeless?" "Did someone come up to offer him some tenderness,... a crust of bread, or at least a job so he could earn a living honestly?" "But God in His infinite mercy,... knew that Nicolás was the most helpless of the three lads, surely..." "Don't you see?" "I tell you, they'd think we're ghosts." "Juliancito!" "At last!" "Juliancito, my Juliancito, my son!" "My love!" "Aunt!" "Thank you, Lord, for bringing him back to me!" "Nicolás!" "From now on you will be like a son to me." "I'll give you work, room, and board." "And I'll also send you to school." "How are you, Araceli?" "Silence!" "Silence!" "Silence, folks!" "Silence!" "People, please, silence!" "I demand silence!" "Continue with your story." "Well, as I said, I saw my friend Pascual when he buried his knife in him." "Silence!" "Can you even suppose that the defendant killed Dr. Ramirez in self-defense?" "No, no." "The poor doctor didn't have the time, he didn't even have the time to raise his fists." "My buddy Pascual attacked him treacherously." "Silence!" "Silence!" "You may question the witness." "There will be no questions." "Silence!" "What defense could this murderer possibly have?" "Naturally." "Don't you think, teacher?" "Yes, the case is lost, lost." "You may go." "During the testimony of the prosecution's witness, not once have you spoken to refute his testimony." "Are you working on behalf of your client, or against him?" "The reason why I refused to rebut the witness is that his statement is completely false." "I'll prove it by calling one witness to the events." "I call the boy Juliancito Cervantes." "Silence!" "Is it true that you went last night to see me in my office, together with your friend Nicolás Rodriguez?" "Yes, sir." "And is it true that the night of the events, you and Nicolás were in the cemetery?" "Yes, sir." "What were you doing there at that time?" "~ Well...we brought a dead cat." "~ To bury it?" "To summon demons to remove the wart on my neck." "Silence, silence!" "And what did you and Nicolás observe that night?" "We saw when José "Scarface" killed Doctor Ramirez with Pascual's knife." "Well, there's enough food for two." "I remember when I was a child these trips were organized to celebrate the end of term." "Oh, you were so lazy, Juliancito, I don't know how they passed you!" "And, Felipito, you were studying --- you studied all year and I can't explain why you failed." "It's Juliancito's fault, Aunt." "With all the trouble he caused, I couldn't do my homework." "What happened is that no matter how hard you study, you'll never stop being a donkey." "Come on, come on, don't fight, today is a holiday!" "Go on, come here." "Take this." "Behave well, have fun, and no fights, I want no complaints." "Especially about you, Juliancito." "Don't get left behind." "Go down the steps carefully and don't get isolated,... one day we lost a child in these caves and he never reappeared." "I insist that you don't scatter." "And now behold one of the wonders of nature where the hand of man has never set foot." "Ha!" "What did you mean, teacher?" "Silence!" "Let's go." "Are we boy- and girlfriend again?" "Then you'll have to kiss me again." "No, not here, they can see us." "Don't forget you'll have to marry me when we're grown up." "Do you swear you'll never go back to that Araceli?" "I swear." "Remember that lost treasure I told you about?" "Let's go look for it!" "We'll be rich!" "No, Juliancito, if we separate from the others we'll get lost." "Don't be scared, I know the way." "Juliancito, I'd rather we went back." "Fine, if you want, I'll come back later on my own." "Juliancito!" "Juliancito!" "Anita!" "Juliancito!" "I'm scared." "We're lost, Juliancito." "No, don't be scared, I'll find the way" "Anita!" "Juliancito!" "Anita!" "Anita!" "Anita!" "It's useless, Judge, we've been looking all day." "And since no one knows where the caves end, no one's dared explore." "If you want to abandon me, I'll keep looking for them alone." "Juliancito, Anita!" "Juliancito, Anita!" "Juliancito!" "I dreamed I heard voices, and they found us." "I'm scared, Juliancito." "Someone's coming." "Hey, here we are!" "Yeah, Anita, they found us!" "Hey, here we are!" "You and I have an outstanding debt." "Do you remember?" "Look, Anita." "The treasure!" "Why's it here?" "My friend Pascual told me nobody's been here for 50 years." "We must find the way back." "50,000 Pesos in gold!" "I'll come back later with Nicolás, and I'll share it with him and with Pascual." "Out of my share I'll give half to Aunt Claudia." "And the rest I'll put aside so we can marry." "Agreed?" "I'm not a greedy girl." "All I want is to get home." "If we reach the beach, then I'll know where to go." "~ Listen, Anita, do you know what that is?" "~ No." "~ No?" "It's the black palace." "~ What's that?" "I'll tell you later."