El Gallo
By Cynthia (Cina) Pelayo
- - -
My name is Cynthia (Cina) Pelayo and below please find my submission, EL GALLO. The story is 437 words in length. My writing is a genre-bend of mystery, horror and detective fiction, based heavily in Latin American myth, folklore and superstition. I am a recent graduate of the Masters of Fine Arts in Writing program at The School of the Art Institute. I also hold a Masters of Science in Integrated Marketing Communication from Roosevelt University and a Bachelors of Arts in Journalism from Columbia College.
By Cynthia (Cina) Pelayo
Night blanketed the arid Sonoran valley. In bed, Señor Julian listened to the rooster outside crow. He massaged his gnarled hands which throbbed from latching together the heavy barn doors. Closing those doors became more and more difficult with each passing day, but it had to be done alone as there was no one out here to help him. The closest town was 30 miles away, as was the closest neighbor.
A warm wind blew in through the inched open window. An inch was all he ever allowed the window to be opened at night. He feared sleeping with a wide opened window because it could come inside.
Something outside scurried about the ground feet from his room. It was about this time of night that it would prowl the darkness. It sounded like a dog, but faster, and lighter on its feet. He held his breath and listened. There was silence. Even if he wanted to peer outside the window he couldn’t because there were no lights outside. He had wanted to get a light bulb installed out there to keep it away, but there was no money. There was never enough money. Tonight things would be fine, he assured himself. There were no more chickens anyway. The cows had been secured in the barn, as they had always been. So there was nothing left outside, except of course for the rooster. He sighed heavily and pressed his fingers to his temples. Did I pad lock the barn? He thought. Yes, I must have.
At first he lost the goat. Then slowly he lost his chickens. Last week it had taken Chanclo, his dog of eleven years. He had always been cautious with the cows. They were needed, as they were his only source of income. He pressed his callused palms to his eyes. I'm getting too old for this, he thought.
The rooster's cries were suddenly silenced. He sprang up in bed. His hands clutched the bed sheet closely to his chest and he listened to the quickened steps outside across the dry, cracked earth. A door creaked several yards away. The cows shifted and moaned. The barn door was open. It was too late. It had gotten to the cows
Slowly, he eased himself back down onto the bed and pulled the thin sheet over his eyes.
In the morning he would deal with it, like he had every morning for the past few years: The puncture marks, blood drained animals, and the sympathetic but disbelieving nods of people who thought him crazy for believing in the small fabled blood sucking creature – the Chupacabra. - - -
My name is Cynthia (Cina) Pelayo and below please find my submission, EL GALLO. The story is 437 words in length. My writing is a genre-bend of mystery, horror and detective fiction, based heavily in Latin American myth, folklore and superstition. I am a recent graduate of the Masters of Fine Arts in Writing program at The School of the Art Institute. I also hold a Masters of Science in Integrated Marketing Communication from Roosevelt University and a Bachelors of Arts in Journalism from Columbia College.
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