Quickies for Halloween 05- La Llorona and The Single Mother

"Please don't go, child," said the old lady. "You have to take care of these kids. They haven't even had supper, and they have school tomorrow."

"Come on, mom. Elena and I already made plans for tonight," said Lucia.

"You're always running around. Never stop. Don't you have enough to do at home instead of messing around with those louts?"

"That's the thing, mama. Those kids need a father," said Lucia putting on her earrings. "Paco! Esmeralda! Come down and help grandma with supper."

A little pig-tailed girl came down the stairs holding a ragged stuffed rabbit. "Mama! Paco is telling me scary stories. He said La Sucia is going to appear under my bed and pull my gown."

"Paco, stop scaring your sister. Now go on, baby, go help grandma."

She kissed the little girl on the head and watched her go into the kitchen. Then looking at her mother, she said, "I'll be back around midnight."

"I'll believe it when I see it," said the old lady and left.

Lucia got into the old brown jalopy that her lousy ex-husband had left behind. Beside her children, the beat-up vehicle was the only thing he had left her that was worth a damn. She dabbed the corner of her lips with a kleenex, then she inserted the key in the ignition and started the car.

The old clock on the dashboard showed that it was 8: 45 PM. Lucia had promised Elena that she would pick her up at nine, and she realized she'd be late. She thought about calling her but decided against it. Elena would be cross, but that's life, she thought.

So absorbed was she in her thoughts, as she drove down the highway, that she almost crashed into a woman that suddenly appeared in the middle of the road. Lucia hit the brakes and the jalopy came to a screeching halt. Her forehead nearly hit the windshield, and she realized she had forgotten to buckle up.

"Santa Maria!" she said crossing herself and pulling back the strands of hair that had fallen over her face. "What the devil?"

The strange woman stood still under the glare of the headlights, her gown shining white, and her stare fixed on Lucia.

The shaken Lucia rolled down the window and stuck her head out, "are you okay?"

The woman didn't utter a single word but simply stared ahead.

"Sorry, I didn't see you," called out Lucia. "I'm glad you're okay. Listen, I don't mean to be rude, but I'm in a bit of a hurry. Where are you going? I'm going to Las Almendras. If you're going that way, I can give you a ride."

At these words, the woman nodded and slowly made her way to the passenger side.

"My car is a mess. I hope you don't mind." Lucia threw some empty food boxes on the back seat. When the woman had settled in her seat, Lucia started the vehicle and continued driving down the road.

"So, what's your name?" She said.

The woman was quiet for a moment, then said in a trembling voice, "do you have any children?"

"Two," said Lucia, relieved to break the silence. "Boy and girl, they're both little devils. What about you?"

"I have two boys," said the woman. "They're waiting for me back home."

"They grow up so fast, don't they? Though not fast enough, if you ask me." She laughed.

"Do you love your children?"

"Well, they make it hard to bring any boyfriends around, but they're my life."

"That is good," said the woman.

They drove in silence the rest of the way. When they entered the town of Las Almendras, the woman told Lucia to drive down a narrow back road, which came to an end in front of a rusted metal gate.

Lucia stopped the car and looked up at the gate. "There's nothing here but that gate," she said and turned to look at the woman, but the woman was gone.

Jumping back in her seat, Lucia took a deep breath and put her hand in her mouth to stifle a scream.

"Ai, holy virgin! Mother of God!" she said fumbling with the wheel and the stick shift. "Come on, come on, come on."

She put the car in reverse and turned to look back. She screamed! The woman stood there on the road looking like a phantom, her white dress covered in blood, though she did not appear to be hurt.

Frantically, Lucia drove forward and smashed the gate, knocking it down with a clang and clatter onto the hood. She recoiled in panic. Ahead, beyond the gate, the headlights illuminated row upon row of crosses and gravestones.

"Ohhhh, my children!" the woman wailed outside. "Forgive me! Ohhhhh, my children!"

Lucia watched in horror as the woman threw her hands forward and ran towards the graveyard, where she disappeared in the misty darkness.

Lucia managed to gather herself and turn the car around. She did not bother going into town, she decided to head back home instead and spend the night with her children.