As my sisters and Mama stood all together getting our Papa and his so-called “girlfriend” to leave, standing as one team of fierce and worthy women facing troubles like our father together.
“LEAVE NOW!” Mama, Pita, Deila, Veila, Junaita, and I scream in boiling anger with the fierce look in our eyes. Papa huffed in disappointment and grabbed his girlfriend’s hand dragging her and himself like a pouty child, not even closing the door all the way. We all sigh in relief, still seeing the urge to bite someone’s arm off and slamming it down their throat in Deila, Veila, and Juanita’s eyes. Mama and Pita don’t seem too pissed off of this, however they both look like they want and need some comfort after all these events.
“Who wants pudding?” Mama announced with a voice crack, as she caresses Pita’s back with that loving warm smile on her face she gives us whenever after we all clean the entire house all together and we’re dirtier than the house was before we cleaned it. Juanita gives a nod of agreement and walks into the kitchen while Mama, Pita, Delia, and Veila all follow along. I quickly went to close the door since Papa couldn’t do it well, but before the click could even happen my eyes caught something and my ears heard the anger in the voice of my Papa’s anger. I take a peak from the door and see Papa yelling, his first clenched tighter than the jeans his girlfriend is wearing. Papa suddenly picks up a heavy looking rock the size of Pita’s shoe and launches it across the backyard into an old bristlecone pine tree, once the rock and tree make contact the branch snaps off looking more hurtful than the look on an Italian person’s face when someone breaks pasta.
I can see the look on Ashley, Alison, and Sarai’s face, too shocked and frozen you could tip them over with a touch. Not me trying to fight the urge to do that, however as I was thinking my mischievous thoughts, there was this figure suddenly walking into the gaze of the sunlight and my Papa with his family. I couldn’t see much of its figure because I was trying to stay hidden with the door only slightly open to see this…monster…. The monster, it was small, small enough not even to reach the height of Papa’s knees, and everything about it was wrinkly and gray with a green sacket around its waist not covering much of its ….privacy….. Reminding me of the Chaneque, a mischievous evil, wrinkly, old man and woman who lurk in any place with trees of any kind and cause mischief or even harm when there’s harm to nature itself. Our Tio Marcos dressed up as it for Halloween when I was 6, I still wish to bleach my eyes to this day.
By my sight I couldn’t even tell what gender it was, I was going to slip a thought out my mouth, Papa beat me to it with his gaze and anger all now present to it..
“What the hell are you?” Papa roared, stepping forward to get a closer look and keeping his guard up.
“I should say the same about you if you are actually human to do such a idiotic thing to harm the tree that keeps you alive.” The monster snapped back with a hint of sarcasm in that tone and a weird smirk plastered on its face.
“WHY YOU LITTLE SH-” Papa snapped with thunder, feeling my heart twist whenever I did something wrong that Mama hated. “Nuh uh uh~“ The monster smoothly said with a smirk still glued on his face and the evil in his eyes now arising.
The monster raised its arm and clenched its fist, green mist surrounding it, soon flying over to the tree branch that fell then rising and connecting right back into the tree again like it never snapped. As I thought things were over, the tree grew its branches and was now a long slimy arm with bark all over it. The tree hand went for Papa, Ashley, Alison, and Sarai’s waist wrapped around and tight almost to the point they look like they’re losing oxygen.
“Ugh…LET US GO! I DEMAND US TO BE RELEASED! RIGHT NOW!” Papa roared with even more rage of fire. “No thanks~” The Chaneque snickered then dropped his arm down facing Papa’s pants. Next moment I could see Papa’s privacy, that crazy Chaneque pantsed Papa! Gasps are all heard from Ashley, Alison, and Sarai, even me. Then the Chaneque raised its arm even higher, also chuckling louder and as it went higher, so did Papa, Ashely, Alison, and Sarai. They were floating against their will. I couldn’t believe my eyes. The unexpected we all unexpectedly just happened to be expected when I didn’t expect the unexpected and after all these monsters and unexpected trips with our journey, I just couldn’t expect another unexpected monster.
Suddenly, out of nowhere the Chaneque suddenly launches his arm like he’s throwing a football 60 yards, but really he throws Papa and his family 60 yards! Far, far, far, away they disappear in the shy vanishing faster than my hair ties whenever I’m done with my showers or wake up. The Chaneque was just standing there, still but chucking with pleasure, after he just flung my father into the unknown? My heart was at the cliff of Mount Everest about to fall when I didn’t let it drop yet. Knowing after everything he did to us I couldn’t just feel bad for him, yet. I’m just there speechless with my jaw dropped so down more down than the underworld. If it could go that deep, you can now see my entire face at the door. I couldn’t process anything but confusion, shock, and even fear.
That Chaneque suddenly snapped its neck, his gaze, attention, and finger at me, looking at me like I’m the prey next on the menu. In a swift movement I shut the door putting on all its locks before the Chaneque could even move one more. The tension inside and outside of this home rises with each breath I take, why must monsters come after my bloodline? I went to sit on the couch until the door breaks down, splinters everywhere and on the floor is the Chaneque!
“Well, well, well, well, what do we have here! Odilia Graza! I’m gonna call you Zombie Number 1!” Chaneque said with enthusiasm and cupping my face with that mischievous evil glimpse in its eyes. I push the Chaneque away making it wobbly slowly backwards, its butt landing on the other side of the couch.
“Well then… let the fun release..Name’s Zion by the way. Zion winked with a smirk defining evil.
Seeing Zion jumping around the place without landing on the ground once, I tried to stop Zion, but I either almost tripped or crashed into a wall. Zion then jumped into the kitchen where everyone else is, I had to warn them, I had to get Zion out of here before we got flung across Texas to Minnesota!
“Mama! Juanita! Delia, Velia! Pita! There’s a Chaneque named Zion in here ready to make mischief and maybe send us into the unknown and-!” I get cut off by Zion jumping on my head cackling like an old witch and pulling my hair. Everyone gasps and immediately tries to get Zion off my head, but as they try through and through Zion jumps off and goes to the floor crawling around than tripping Juanita down!
“Oh you wanna play? Well let’s play, come here you piece of crap.” Juanita said, while grabbing Zion’s ankle and then pulling it towards her. Zion went to Juanita’s face and farted on her face with a purple and greenish mist sinking up the entire room.
“EWWW!!” We all shriek with absolute disgust. Zion cackles while getting out of Juanita’s grip then going after Delia and Velia next. Zion climbed on both of their heads and tied their hair together into an upside bow.
“HEY!” Delia and Velia roared just like Papa did not too long ago. With Pita and Mama left not getting attacked with the mischief, they’re confused to even think where to begin with the first step.
“Don’t just stand there! Do something!” Juanita screamed, still trying to catch her breath from the farts. Mama shakes her head to snap back into reality and nods firmly, goes to the pantry and gets out her biggest pot, the one we call….Jovida. Only for emergency cooking or fighting only. It was made from pure metal and hasn’t made a single dent over the last 28 years and 5 months it’s been used. Pita grabs a wooden spoon and immediately goes straight to hit Zion, however she trips when she’s a foot away and Zion was planning to punch her, but misses badly causing to trip himself falling flatter than 12 inch silicon wafers.
“Mama now!” I yell, indicating to get her to take this chance to attack Zion herself. Mama raises her arms with Jovida in her hand and smacks Zion across the kitchen and into the backyard. What a swing..I can still hear the bang Jovida made and Zion’s yelling repeating non stop in my home. My sisters and I with our jaws dropped, Mama flips her hair proudly, the source of my sister and I’s confidence.
“THAT WAS COOL AND ALL, BUT OUR HAIR STILL NEEDS TO BE UNTIED YOU KNOW!” Deila growled, her rage was still in our presence. Juanite un ties their upside bow knot, Mama helps Pita get up and checks for any bruises or blood, while for me, I want to wake up hoping to believe and realize that this can be all a nightmare. Tomorrow can be better, this can end, things will be okay, I-I will be okay, Mama, Pita, Deila, Veila, Juanita t-too, this isn’t m-my fault right? RIGHT? I have no surprise in front of my eyes, but it’s like my words are more of a surprise than what just happened. Fingers shaking, heart beating, eyes opening.
“Oi! You alright sis?” Juanita said calmly, while patting my shoulder.
“Y-Yeah. Yeah. Yeah! Come on, we got a living room to clean.” I responded while running to the living room.
“RACE YA!” I exclaimed. All my sisters come running after me, giggling, squealing, I can’t always face the unexpected on my own, but when I get my family by my side, the unexpected will have to face us, stronger as one team, better than power or plans defined evil.
THE END!
Author’s Note:
We were reading Summer of the Mariposas, and for our end of the term assignment we needed to make a narrative about a creature from Mexican Latin Folklore that’s not mentioned in the book. After research, I chose the Chaneque for this misbehaving traits and turned my wild humorous imagination within a story no one can’t stop laughing about. And it takes place a bit after chapter 19 I believe. I recommend you get summaries of that before reading this.
Saida Goumaneh | 14 | Minnesota, USA
