Storytime: Cacique Mara

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The ruler of the tribe, Cacique Mara, descended from a long line of prime bow hunters. It is said that his conquests had been so plentiful, that he had built a gold palace in the middle of the forest of deer, at the very core of his land.

One day, he set out west with the other men, and left his daughter alone in his castle with a warning: Do not leave, it is dangerous out there.

But the daughter had inherited her father's dexterity with the bow, as well as his love for hunting. She waited two moons, and on the third one set out to hunt.

She came back to the castle in the early morning, before the rose of dawn painted the horizon, with so much bounty that she had to give most away to the women who, like her, had been left behind. They greeted her gifts with much joy, and in exchange braided her long beautiful hair with fragrant flowers.

That night again she left her castle to hunt. After some time had passed, she sensed someone was near. It was not an animal, it moved like a man. So the princess climbed onto a tree and waited, her bow tight and her arrow steady.

Soon, the moonlight fell upon a man walking towards the tree. He stopped with his weapon low and smelled the air.

The woman jumped off the tree and faced the man. He had been chasing her, following her scent.

The princess found the man to her liking, so she took him by the hand and guided him to her golden palace, where they remained together, making love, until they lost track of time.

Mara, the Cacique, returned from his trip and went straight to his castle. He was anxious to see his daughter,but she was nowhere to be found. He went to the chamber where she usually slept and found her there, inside her hammock together with a stranger. Both were naked and asleep, holding each other tightly like ivy around an oak.

It is said that Mara's anger became so potent that when he stomped his bow on the ground, the earth shook and broke underneath him. A gush of water rose from the hole he had made and soon covered the entire forest of deer.

The land that once was ruled by Cacique Mara became a lake, and at the very bottom there is said to be a golden palace, where two lovers are still wrapped around each other, sleeping together for eternity.