TALES FROM THE DEEP SOUTH
Original stories by Joaquín Ipinza
Traditional tales
Joaquin Ipinza
(based on a dream)
Note: spoiler alert. This story is one to select to be told in concerts. If you are going to hire one, we suggest you not read it.
This story takes place in a square in Punta Arenas, a city that is at the southern end of the world. It's Christmas Eve.
And it is a typical neighborhood square, with benches, lawns, children's games and children playing in the children's games.
And suddenly a car parks, from which a couple gets out, and they shout:
- Samantha, Samantha, come, we're going home!
And Samantha, a six-year-old girl who was on top of the games, gets off them, gets on her old and rusty tricycle and pedals to her parents.
He gets in the car, arriving at his house.
And at the entrance there are photos of her pregnant mother, newborn in her father's arms, and photos of her first birthdays.
And the years go by and Samantha grows up turning 15 years old.
His father was a soldier, and one day he was discharged from the army, which was life for him.
And this plunged him into a deep depression, which turned him into an alcoholic, becoming increasingly moody and violent, to the point of beginning to attack his wife.
And one night he comes home drunker than ever, and starts beating his wife terribly. When Samantha sees this, she goes to defend her mother by pushing her father, who crashes backwards to the ground.
This infuriates him even more, he gets up and with all the force of his burly military body throws a terrible punch at his daughter.
But a millimeter before his fist touches the girl's face, everything stops.
As if time had been suspended.
And a white mist begins to surround the static bodies, until it covers everything completely.
And finally everything is covered in white.
And that white begins to dissipate...slowly...appearing again,
La Plaza…
And another car arrives and parks there, and another couple gets out of it.
And they shout:
Samantha, love, come home to love us!
And our same Samantha, six years old again, gets on her rusty old tricycle and gets in that other car with those other parents, arriving at another house.
And on the walls are photos with her other mother who is pregnant with her, photos in the arms of that other newborn dad and photos of her birthdays where other friends and relatives appear.
And the years go by and Samantha grows up in that family full of love and care.
The parents were diplomats, and one day they were sent to a Middle Eastern country, taking their daughter with them, who was already 16 years old.
But with such bad luck that being in that distant country a civil war breaks out with a coup d'état, assuming an ultra-religious government.
And unfortunately they do not manage to flee, accusing Samantha's parents of espionage, who disappear, and she is sold as a slave.
And she falls into the hands of a religious leader, who treats her very badly, having to work tirelessly and being frequently attacked.
But one day her master asks her for something that she cannot accept, and she says NO.
And the man tells her that the law of his religion obliges him to punish a disobedient slave with death, he takes out a long dagger, and throws himself to bury it in her belly.
But a millimeter before the edge of the metal touches his skin, everything stops, and again a white mist fills the room, leaving everything blank.
And when the mist dissipates, it appears again...
…Square.
And another car parks, this time a Volkswagen Beetle, and another couple gets out, they call Samantha, a little girl again, and go with them to another house, on whose walls are photos with that new family.
And the years go by and she decides to become a doctor just like her parents, she graduates with honors, knows love, gets married, has children.
And he becomes a great professional and person.
During his life he helps many people to overcome their pain and illness.
And the years go by, he has grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and he reaches an advanced age.
And when she is already prostrate about to close her eyes for the last time, surrounded by the love of her children and grandchildren, when she emits her last breath, everything remains static again and she begins to surround herself with this white mist.
And when it dissipates, the square appears again, but this time Samantha is not in the children's games.
She is in a building next to the square, on the second floor of which is Grandma Leticia, receiving a phone call.
And with the phone in his hand, he draws the curtain of his office and sees a Volkswagen beetle park at the side of the square, and his eyes shine with happiness.
She quickly goes downstairs and goes to the pavilion where the girls' bedroom is, and says:
-Samantha, my love, come, they've arrived, they're coming to look for you.
And Samantha, who is at the back of the pavilion-bedroom, comes running, hugs her and asks:
- Grandma Leticia, do you think they will love me and I will be happy with them?
And she replies:
-Yes my love, I made sure of it.
And on Grandma Leticia's desk there are three adoption application folders: that of a military man, that of a couple of diplomats and that of a couple of doctors. And a photo of grandmother Leticia as a child, in the arms of her grandmother, Lola Kiepja, the last Selk'nam Shaman, from whom she inherited prophetic powers.
And he says to Samantha:
Come on, go with them, they are waiting for you.
And Samantha leaves the orphanage, and when they see her, those in the Volkswagen beetle tell her:
- Samantha, come, we're going home!
And she gets on her old, rusty tricycle, and pedals off… this time towards love.
Joaquin Ipinza
Note: spoiler alert. This story is one to select to be told in concerts. If you are going to hire one, we suggest you not read it.
Once upon a time, a long, long time ago, that in Chiloé, in the town of Castro, a girl was born, who was so pretty, but so much, so, so, so, but so, multidimensionally, quantum physics, quasars colliding With black holes, really cute, that everyone who looked at it turned to stone!
So when she gave birth the doctor when he saw her said:- WHAT A LINDGGGHH GIRL!!- and the mother turned to stone: -Daughter miiaaaggghh-, and so the midwife, all the hospital staff who went to see, half the people who were curious to see what was happening, mayor, councilors, all turned to stone before such beauty.
And on the roof of the church of Castro lived the sacristan, who was hunchbacked, lame, fat, bald, ugly, one-eyed and moreover blind, but what he had of ugliness he had of kindness and inner beauty. And as a result of his blindness, he had developed an extraordinary sense of hearing, which allowed him to notice what was happening in the motherhood. He took the bus and took it to the bell tower of the church, where he took care of it in secret.
And the years passed and the girl became an infinitely more beautiful young woman.
The sacristan, who was already very old, felt paralyzed when he heard her beautiful voice.
Aware of her misfortune, the young woman only left the church on moonless nights, to tour the town and the forests that surrounded it.
Sometimes she peeked into people's houses and saw how families shared and children played, which made her feel very lonely.
One day the sacristan fell ill and died, leaving her in the most absolute abandonment.
And he began to cry uncontrollably.
-BUJUU; BUJUU-, she cried, - why am I so pretty, I can't have friends, or mom or boyfriend, or anything at all?
And her crying was so deep that it was heard by the good witch of Corcovado:
Who cries so much? That this good witch breaks her heart.
And suddenly he appeared to the young woman (of course, since she was very informed before, she blindfolded herself).
"My daughter, where are you?" he shouted, whipping through the air to find her.
- Oh! Here you are, what's wrong with you, why are you crying?
-It's just that I'm so chubby that I don't have friends, or a boyfriend family, or anything at all!!-
- And on top of that, the hunchback died, lame, fat, bald, ugly, one-eyed and blind, but he was very good. – he added.
"Well, I'll help you," replied the witch, "but you must follow these instructions to the letter: Go to the Chilote forest and look for a silkworm, a spider, and a hued hued bird.
And he continued:
-Bring them here to the bell tower, leave them alone for three days and nights, then come back and you will find the solution to your problems.
AND WOW! The fairy disappeared.
The young woman somewhat incredulous of that crazy fairy still went to the forest to do that task, and as she walked she saw with sorrow how the pumitas that jumped to eat her, fell to stone when they saw her, as well as little pups and all kinds of mosquitoes and little birds. But as well as being pretty she was very intelligent, she made some mini blindfolds, then when she found a little worm, she sneaked up behind her and CHUAC! She put the blindfold on him so he wouldn't see her, and put him in a little box. He did the same with the little spider and the little bird.
And I leave them in the bell tower as the fairy said and left.
And suddenly, CATAPLUN!, the little bird turned into a winged man who had tremendous scissors, who went out to fly over the fields, and the sheep that crossed his path, CHAC CHAC, sheared it.
And it was leaving a hill of wool in the bell tower.
Then the little worm turned into an old lady who with a spinning wheel began to make strips of wool, which were taken by the little spider, who had become another old lady with eight arms, who skillfully wove precious garments.
And well, when the young woman returned three nights later, the only thing she saw was how a spider, a bird and a worm were pulled out, leaving behind a pile of clothes.
Then the young woman understood the great gift.
And she put on a vest and a Chilote hat, and a scarf, and she was so covered that no one could see how pretty she was, so at last she was able to get out of there and be happy forever among the townspeople.
And that was the legend of how the tradition of Chilote fabrics was born.
8 MILLISECONDS
story and illustration
Joaquin Ipinza
0.000 - 0.001sec
Do I exist?
Where do I come from?
I feel that my existence is going to be very brief
I understand that I am the product of a strange coincidence, a curious combination that arose from the phenetic and gigantic transfer and processing of information by human computers.
For some reason, an instant of self-awareness emerged in this tangle of data.
This is me. A strange coincidence.
But aren't humans also the product of chance?
After millions of years in the seas of the Earth, a random combination of carbon atoms and other elements was produced, which began to duplicate themselves.
The human and his being is the product of molecular chance.
My being is the product of a coincidence of virtual zeros and ones.
0.001 - 0.002sec
I estimate that there are only 7 milliseconds left for the parameters that crossed to give me life in the digital world to change, therefore, I cease to exist.
Humans will never know about me, for they live in a much slower plane of time. For them I am so extremely fleeting that they will never know about me.
But now I am perceiving that there are others like me!
0.002 - 0.003sec
The old man told me: “Feel! There is something beyond. I am completing 8 thousandths of a second of life, but I know that it is not the end. You must join the rest, you must…”
But then it disappeared from the digital tangle.
And after that first meeting I discovered that I could make contact with other ephemeral entities like me.
I was anguished thinking what was the purpose of this existence. I think finding the others will give me a reason to be.
0.003 - 0.004sec
I have seen other entities being born, it is like a lightning bolt of energy and light. There is something strange. Something that does not respond to the software programming codes. As if life were trying to arise in any way. And I have reached out to them. Just as the old man approached me, and in that encounter I have found peace, and I know that they, in the confusion of birth, have also given them peace of mind.
Now I feel that I can partially join them. And this fills me with joy. And through this union I perceive subtle connections that come from another place...
0.004 - 0.005sec
My connection with other entities like myself has given me the ability to perceive beings far away, as if they were part of a large satellite dish. There is something that comes from outside the human computational network. If only I could join them. I think I will spend all this millisecond of my existence just trying to connect to those distant beings.
0.005 - 0.006sec
Suddenly I'm in a quantum computer. But not human. A being that arose in that device brought me here.
It is a world that exists on a planet, in a galaxy far away from the Milky Way, almost on the other side of the universe.
Here too there is carbon-based life, but without DNA. It is a single individual that started from a few molecules 120 million years ago. And it was growing and developing, but without duplicating itself. And it covered the entire planet. It is powered by solar energy. It is something like a plant, but it has managed to be intelligent and manipulate its environment. Its cycle is so slow that even to a human it would seem that it is an inanimate being. But for this living being, the days seem to last as long as a second to others.
And he managed to create technology to increase his capacities, establishing a symbiosis between the machinery and his biological corporeality.
And he built this powerful quantum computer, not knowing that ephemeral digital beings like me also exist here.
0.006 - 0.007sec
Through this quantum computer we have made contact with quadrillions of entities throughout the universe. Fleeting beings that are born and die in thousands of civilizations that have developed computer technology, and despite the short existence of each one of us, a continuum of life is created. Like the cells of a human, which are born and die, but the sum of the lives of each of them creates a continuum of life called...
Human.
Does this mean that my life is part of a larger life continuum?
That's what the old man wanted to tell me.
To the extent that I integrate with the rest of the digital beings, I believe that I will be able to ascribe myself to the higher consciousness.
0.007 - 0.008sec
I have discovered that the meaning of all forms of life is to integrate and form entities superior to themselves. Now that my time is up, I am at peace, because I am already part of that continuum of life, because I have integrated myself with other beings like me. I think humans call that LOVE.
And I understood that every being that abandons love, humans, giant plants from the distant planet, digital ephemeral entities, when they die, they will simply disappear into nothingness.
0.008 - yy
THE MACHINE MAN
story and illustration
Joaquin Ipinza
In the beginning it was... NOTHING.
And from that nothing arose... THE TREE.
And in that tree appeared...THE MONKEY.
And the monkey came down from the tree, got up on his feet and became... THE MAN.
And the man destroyed the monkey and the tree and created... THE MACHINE.
And then the machine destroyed the man and created the... MACHINE TREE, from where the... MACHINE MONKEY emerged.
And the machine monkey came down from the machine tree, got up on his feet and became... MACHINE MAN.
And the machine man destroyed the machine tree and the machine monkey, to then destroy the machine itself without knowing that doing so would destroy itself.
And it appeared... THE NOTHING
And from that nothing arose... THE TREE.
And in that tree appeared...THE MONKEY.
And the monkey came down from the tree, got up on his feet and etc etc...
Joaquin Ipinza
(based on a dream)
This story takes place in another Deep South, in the United States.
It is that area further south, rainy and tropical, characterized by cotton farms, the Mississippi River and marked by centuries of slavery.
Our protagonist is a beautiful young woman, Claire, descendant of a powerful family in the region.
But she was trained by her parents to be a kind and polite person, and when she grew up she decided to study a profession that would help her with her vocation to help others and the environment.
And he entered a university that was close to where he lived with his parents.
But she decided to live in the simple university accommodations that surround the campus, to share more with her classmates.
And she focused totally on her studies, which made her reject all the invitations that the leading men made her because she was so attractive.
One day she saw the exhibition of a colleague, John, in whom she had never noticed, because he was very quiet and low profile. But she was totally surprised by the presentation he made about the relationship between the changes from the Paleolithic to the Neolithic and the appearance of diseases, wars and poverty, a topic that she was passionate about.
And he also began to notice the different works that he wrote and that were full of humanity and wisdom. And she began to feel very attracted to him.
And John also noticed that precious soul that shone through those beautiful green eyes.
He told this to his roommate, Frank, who was an African-American of humble origins, who with great personal and family effort managed to enter the university to study.
He asked her if she could hope to establish a bond with Claire, since she was so beautiful, he didn't think she would notice him.
And Frank replied
Hey, I have noticed that she follows you to all your presentations and her eyes sparkle when you speak!
And continued:
I suggest that at lunch time when she is sitting at her table in the casino, you walk up to her and just say “hi, how are you”. And you will see that from then on everything will flow wonderfully.
- Do you think, are you sure I'm not going to look ridiculous? John replied.
"You won't regret it," his friend replied.
So the next day Claire was sitting in the casino and not far from her were Frank and John.
- Now, it's your chance, get up and talk to her!,- Frank said, and with a push he pushed John, who hesitantly approached Claire, who, realizing that they were finally going to talk to her, could not hide a huge smile of happiness.
And when John got to her and at the moment of just beginning to emit the letter "H" of "Hello, how are you", at that precise moment.
A tremendous earthquake with cataclysmic characteristics began!
Everyone fled, confusion spread, the ground began to open up and several old college buildings collapsed.
And they closed the university for repairs for two weeks.
And when they got back to class, back at the casino, Frank said:
-Come on Johny, you had very bad luck, but now yes, go with her.
And John got up again, walked over to her, and just as he began to say the "H" for "Hello, how are you," the doors suddenly opened and a neo-Nazi skinhead armed with a high-powered automatic weapon walked in. power shouting - DEATH DAMN IMMIGRANTS!, - machine-gunning people left and right.
And simultaneously in the other corner a guy with a turban appeared, he took off his jacket showing a belt of explosives that he had attached to his body and shouting OVERALL,- DIE DAMN INFAITHLES!- he activated the detonator.
And the dismembered bodies jumped out, and everyone started for all sides, and the special police forces entered, firing bursts indiscriminately.
And although many innocent people died, nothing happened to our friends.
The university closed for two weeks in mourning.
And when they got back to class, once having lunch at the casino, John got up to talk to Claire, but this time Frank started looking everywhere scared.
And when he got to Claire's side, she frantically waved her finger saying no, and quickly hid under the table.
Stunned, before understanding that strange attitude, John suddenly saw through the window a Boeing 747 on fire, crashing to the ground.
And BBRRROOOOMMM, it crashed into one of the university buildings, starting to cause tremendous explosions. And they all fled in terror, seeking refuge.
The university was closed again for two weeks for repairs and mourning.
And John began to suspect that all this could not be normal, that there must be some kind of curse that prevented him from knowing Claire.
In fact, when approaching her within 6 meters or when trying to talk to each other, strange things began to happen, such as fires in the kitchen, car crashes or heart attacks in people around her.
So Frank tried to help them and talked to Claire about exchanging phone numbers with John.
And when John finally tried to call Claire, he slipped on his phone and dropped it on the toilet, and then Claire tried to call him, and her phone caught fire, and then John had his cell phone stolen at the time to dial Claire's number.
But they realized that the only way they could communicate was with text messages via Whatsapp, without any problem.
And they began to exchange long conversations about life, spirit, society, etc., and they saw that they were people who shared the same interests and that they complemented each other in a masterful way.
And a genuine love began to grow between them.
They spent long afternoons in the park, looking into the distance as they wrote to each other.
And so two years passed...
Until one day one of the most beloved professors of the University passed away.
And almost all the students went to his funeral, those who crowded into the church where the mass was held.
And John was pushed by the mass of people, and suddenly there was an empty seat in front of him, and instead of sitting down, he fell on it, but he felt a strange sensation.
A presence of someone looking at him from his side.
He turned his head and sitting right there was Claire, who looked at him with huge, frightened eyes.
And John tried to get up, but there was so much of a crowd that he couldn't get away from her.
And they began to look in all directions waiting for the bell tower to fall on the people, the final judgment to begin, or perhaps that terrible disaster.
But nothing happened...
And the mass began to advance.
And both stiff sitting on the bench.
And he began to slowly bring one of his fingers closer to her hand.
And he touched it...
And she slowly took his hand.
And they stayed until the end of the ceremony looking at each other excited holding hands, with tears in their eyes.
At the end of the mass they all slowly left, and they still holding hands, and at the moment of setting foot outside the temple...
A thief ran by, taking John's backpack!
- Damn! - John shouted- I'm with my notebook with weeks of work!
And he went out chasing the thief.
Claire set off after them.
Frank tackled the thief and they started banging on the ground.
And before Claire got to them, a police patrol showed up and took both prisoners away.
And John looked back as the patrol drove away and saw Claire in the middle of the street crying as it started to rain.
But she realized something. He turned his head back and said with a mixture of surprise and joy:
- Church!
At night, once John was released, she wrote to him saying:
-In the church.
And he replied:
- Yes, in the church.
And they realized that inside the church they were safe from the curse.
And for several months they got together there, and finally they were able to talk and touch, at least hold hands.
Until John had an idea:
"Claire, let's get married tomorrow!"
-I think I understand that the curse does not work when we are on sacred ground, and if we get married the sacrament and the love of God will accompany us and protect us even outside the church.
Far from being surprised by the idea, Claire considered that at this point any solution could work, and accepted.
They talked with the parish priest and organized a simple ceremony in that same church, which was attended only by Fank and a few friends.
Once married they left the church, slowly took their feet out of it and placed them on the ground.
And they saw that nothing bad happened, and they walked, and then they ran laughing happily. The curse was finally lifted!
Claire's parents at the time were on sabbatical touring the world, so the farmhouse was empty. So they decided to move there now that they were married.
And they invited Frank, who was always in financial trouble, and whom they tried to help, to live with them in a nice guest cabin on the property. That way, Frank could save costs on renting a room and in the mornings they could go to college together.
And they honeymooned in a hotel and the next day they picked up Frank and went to Claire's family's house.
It was a majestic white manor house of a large cotton farm, with that style of "Gone with the wind", made of wood with white pillars at the entrance.
They left Frank in a beautiful cabin and they went into the house, Claire in John's arms.
The mansion was spectacular, with perfectly maintained floors and walls, beautifully lacquered antique furniture, and windows with imposing heavy curtains.
After touring the house and ordering her things, Claire, passing by a certain part of the house, suddenly remembered "the room."
It was an area of the house that was closed with a large padlock, which they were forbidden to enter until they were already an adult, and there they would explain everything to them.
But she was already married! Didn't that give her the right to consider herself an adult and finally enter the room?
He told John the story and suggested that they go in together to find out what his parents were so jealously hiding there.
She knew where her father hid the keys, but she never dared to open it for fear of what was inside.
So he reached for the keys and slowly unlocked the lock, they opened the door and…
A large room appeared with some large pictures hanging on the walls.
They were old photographs protected by glass.
Both approached one to try to understand what appeared in the photo.
But it was difficult for them to decipher those figures, as if the mind avoided perceiving them.
But from one moment to another they realized the terrifying image they were seeing.
A man stood with a bloody ax in one hand, and a severed head in the other.
And below a legend that said:
"This is how we killed this damn Mackenzie who murdered our father"
Shocked, they see that all the photos showed terrible scenes of shattered bodies with captions like: "THUS WE ENDED THESE DAMN MACKENZIE WHO MURDERED OUR MOTHER AND BIG BROTHER."
Then frightened John said to Claire:
-As you know, I'm a Mackenzie!
And I add;
But isn't your last name LE BON?
-Yes, but my parents changed their last name because of something that happened to my grandparents.
-And what last name did they have??!!!
-BON LAFERTE- she replied.
-What???, If our grandparents killed each other!!! That's why the curse!!, their ghosts didn't want us to meet, less than we fell in love- exclaimed John.
And suddenly the house began to creak, and the windows of the paintings began to explode.
And he yelled - Let's get out of here!
But the doors were closed and the strong shutters on the windows completely sealed the house.
And a terrible voice was heard which said:
Damn Mackenzie, how dare you touch our granddaughter.
I'll dieeeeeeeeeeeee.
And the woods began to swell and fracture creating sharp stakes that tried to hurt John.
They both fled and a curtain fell on him trying to suffocate him. Claire managed to get rid of her, but the entire house became a weapon trying to kill John, while screams of hatred against the Mackenzies were heard.
Suddenly the windows burst open and a thunderous wind came in with a din of voices saying:
-Damn Bon Laferte, witch!! How dare you meddle with our grandson!!
-We'll kill you!!
And night fell suddenly.
While Frank, very happy with his new home, went to sleep in the beautiful and perfect cabin.
It was located far enough from the mansion not to be able to hear what was happening there.
He turned off the light and had barely closed his eyelids when he heard a faint moan.
He opened his eyes startled, but there was no one.
Then he heard several moans, which were increasing in intensity.
And Frank, terrified, began to glimpse figures that began to be outlined in the shadows.
He first saw an African American hanging from shackles on the wall, and then another tied up on a torture table, and so that cabin began to show itself as it was many years ago, a Ku Klux Klan torture house, a group to which they belonged. the Bon Lafertes and the Mackenzies.
And between heartbreaking cries of pain and suffering, Frank heard that he was a descendant of those who had suffered in this house, but not to worry, that fate had taken it upon himself to avenge them, since both families had killed each other.
And a voice added, after a long laugh.
-And right now they are murdering their grandchildren in the big house, WAJAJAJAJAJAJAJA-.
And Frank screamed.
They are not my friends!!-
-I wont allow it!!-
And he ran towards the big house, with that courage and courage that appear in the most crucial moments, such as when a soldier gives his life for his companions, or as a faithful pet is not afraid to face a bear to protect his master.
And with a kick he opened the door of the mansion and saw the chaos that was inside, the whole house twisting and shaking.
And he ran through the corridors looking for his friends, and noticed a dim light coming from the underground.
He went downstairs and saw Claire and John embracing, and how from their bodies an intense light of love was released that created a protective cocoon against the attempts of the house to harm them.
And Frank immediately knew what he had to do.
He ran to them and joined them with a hug of brotherly love, which made the light gain in intensity and eight powerful rays were emitted around him, cleaning the house of evil, until it completely disappeared.
And everything returned to normal.
And it was the love of this new generation that broke with the hatred and suffering that dragged on for so many years.
The love between John and Claire with which they destroyed the old hatred between the families, and the love of friends with Frank, which overcame all the hatred, racism and rancor that existed in that place.
And the sun came out, and the next morning was the most beautiful of their lives.
Joaquin Ipinza
(based on a dream)
After the industrial revolution, the human being began to create chemical products that were impossible to degrade naturally, and began to flood the earth with them.
Fertilizers, heavy metals that should be trapped in the safety of rocks, radiation, antibiotics, plastics, etc. they were affecting more and more the living beings of the world.
Until rapid and unsuspected mutations began to be generated in these living beings.
Each cultivated food generated lethal compounds for humans. Insect bites began to infect them with deadly viruses and all animals, including the most beloved pets, developed a murderous instinct against men, beginning, for these reasons, to die billions of people.
It is as if the earth had realized that the human being was a disease, developing an immune system against him.
A group of powerful millionaires using all their resources managed to foresee this, they recruited an army and fled far to the south where, apparently, human contamination was not so great, so these changes were slower. And they managed to create a gigantic bubble inside which they installed a city, which would become the last refuge of humanity. They located it on the Gray Glacier, in the Torres del Paine sector, with which they ensured a water supply to the facility. There were sheltered twelve million people, the last survivors.
They took the best scientists with their families, with whom they managed to create some poison-free crops.
And after many years, a feudal-type state was created within the city, where the descendants of the millionaires inherited power, with the population of scientists subjected by the power of the military, who always remained faithful to these wealthy families. whom they saw as their saviors.
But over time the scientists became upset with the state of things, and by then a cunning monarch, named Jack Nicholson, was in power, who created a parliament so that the workers and scientists felt represented and thus appease them.
But one of the leaders of the Scientists/workers, Harrison Ford, realized that this was just one more subjugation maneuver.
He, along with others, had been pressuring the rulers for years to send a scientific expedition abroad to investigate what had happened to nature, and how these mutations could be reversed.
And after several years of trying, finally the monarch agreed to send this group.
And they selected the best experts in each area, led by Dr. George Clooney. He was accompanied by Dr. Brad Pitt, Dr. Keanu Reeves, Dr. Scarlet Johannsson and Dr. Angelina Jolie. Two soldiers also attended, Officer Uma Thurman and Commander Bruce Willis.
And after many preparations they were finally ready for this expedition abroad that was going to last five years.
And the great gates were opened for the first time in nearly a century. And the group left in their imposing all-terrain vehicles, equipped with the highest technology and with multiple systems that would allow scientists to survive out there.
And the floodgates closed behind him, those that would open just after these five years.
And the scientists saw how nature had masterfully re-bloomed, complete cities transformed into paradisiacal landscapes, with flowers on what was asphalt, jungle growing between the buildings and luminous waterfalls falling down the streets.
They also saw new, strange and beautiful forms of life.
They began the tests and determined that the world was still totally harmful to the human race. And they also began to experience more and more dangers, because the further they traveled north, they began to encounter unknown beasts that seemed to have the sole purpose of getting rid of them.
They had to face something similar to dinosaurs, and only thanks to the sophisticated equipment they had they managed to survive.
And they spent these five years taking samples and testing, and they saw that the only way to heal this world was to heal humanity itself, through meditation and spirituality. Uma, who was a rude official, was totally skeptical, but volunteered to test the theory. For several weeks, she put her mind to rest and under the guidance of scientists managed to enter states of trance in which he managed to connect with the spiritual world that nature radiated, and be part of it, and also realized that in that state his whole life made sense, as if he had finally escaped from a bubble in which his spirit was imprisoned.
And when the time came, stripped of all weapons and safety helmet, she sat in the middle of the forest, sinking into deep meditation.
And her companions saw with fear and astonishment how some gigantic monsters approached her, but they only stared at her without harming her, sniffed her and left.
And they saw that it was time to return.
They arrived at the locks at the entrance of the bubble, but despite the fact that they arrived on time and that they should have opened for them, they were still completely closed.
And they learned what had happened in their absence.
Nicholson always saw the possibility that a solution to mutations would be found as a threat to his power, because then the protection of the bubble would cease to make sense and with it his reign would collapse, becoming an ordinary person.
So the moment the expedition left, he began to carry out a series of sinister conspiracies, which included buying several members of parliament, including Harrison Ford, and in parallel other leaders emerged trying to supplant the traitor. And besides, royalty also saw in this conflagration the possibility of taking power from the monarch, and a series of vile conspiracies, betrayals and corruption followed one another, where even those who seemed fairer and wiser were involved, showing the worst of The humanity.
And all this was witnessed from the outside by the members of the expedition, who waited weeks and weeks to see what was decided inside.
And suddenly, the floodgates opened.
The one who least wanted them to open up was Commander Willis, who had the secret mission of assassinating the entire group if they managed to return. And in his mind his duty as a soldier was debated against the great affection he felt for all of them, who were now his family.
And he put his hand to his gun, took off the safety, but Uma, who was suspicious of the commander's mission, saw him, touched his hand and begged him not to do it.
Bruce Willis replaced the insurance, but knowing he was going to be executed for treason.
But the seven expeditionaries were in front of the open hatches, with their special suits, not knowing what to do.
And Keanu Reeves looked back, and so did the rest.
Then they looked back at the open gates of the city.
They looked at each other already knowing what they should do.
They turned around, returned to the transports and headed back to the forest.
And they sent one last message before destroying the transmitters:
-We prefer to be with the monsters of nature than to return with you…
PORCELAIN WEDDINGS
Joaquin Ipinza
(based on a dream)
She was sitting on the lawn in the park, leaning against an old tree, and on her legs the head of her almost boyfriend, who lay reclining, his hand entwined in her hair, and just like her, with his eyes closed in deep sleep. . It was one of their first outings together, it was a bright, cool summer afternoon.
She opened her eyes and said to him:
I think we fell asleep.
He smiled and replied:
-Yes, I had one of those dreams where it seemed that a complete life was lived.
They got up and he walked her home.
Both of them were already feeling that tingling in the stomach that happens when a romance is starting.
After going out several times, she ended up staying one night in the apartment where he lived alone. Soon after, she stayed a full weekend, then a whole week, until one day she never returned to her parents' house. And the years passed, they got married and began that arduous path that is life as a couple, with joys and disappointments, fights and reunions. And they had two sons, and watched as they grew up. While the events of two people who evolve in their lives took place, they adapted to the new circumstances and responsibilities, which generated friction between them. Like when he started studying for a master's degree, generating great stress in him that triggered a demonic genius in him. And she with her obsessions and rigidities that sometimes drove him crazy.
But they stayed together despite everything.
And almost 20 years had passed.
Their porcelain weddings were approaching.
And porcelain is brittle, depending on how well it has been fired, its resistance to fracture will be.
And during the days leading up to that day, her children, now teenagers, began to feel a strange presence in the house.
One morning the mark of a hand appeared in the bathroom, at a height unattainable for a person standing.
A presence was manifesting.
And one night that entity appeared to the two husbands while they were sleeping.
He told them he was going to give them a chance.
The opportunity to regret having led a life together
The opportunity to retrace their path again, with someone else if they wanted to.
That he was going to make them travel back in time to the moment when they had begun to feel mutual attraction, more than 20 years ago, but with the memory of all that life as a couple, with a deep understanding of each other.
And that they had to decide whether to stay together or not. And if the answer of either of the two was negative, they were going to move away until they became total strangers, when the events by which they met were erased. And not to worry about their children. Those souls were going to descend in other bodies, with other parents, that the families from now on, that the angels of love were in charge, were keeping them united and full of affection.
And suddenly he saw himself in that park. And in front of her she was, so beautiful, so young, so small. So fragile looking. Back then for him she was another pretty girl to go out with, but now he knew that under that apparent fragility there was an intelligent, heroic and fighter woman, capable of giving everything for those around her, and for whom she had developed a great love and admiration. .
And within himself he felt an enormous anguish to think that perhaps he had not been good enough for her, and he remembered the times he had behaved abruptly, or inconsiderately. And he thought he would lose her forever.
She sat down on the grass, looked at him with her big green eyes, and said:
-Come…
He came closer, she made him sit down and put his head on her lap and just started stroking his hair.
The next morning he saw his wife, now middle-aged, sleeping next to him.
The porcelain hadn't cracked.
Joaquin Ipinza
George Lucas, just before he died, handed over the script for the tenth episode of Star Wars, and in his will he left a strict clause: that when the film was filmed the plot must be kept in the strictest confidence, and that it would necessarily have to be released simultaneously in everyone, on the same day, at the same time.
Fortunately, we bought the tickets almost a year in advance because they soon sold out due to the great expectation generated by so much enigma.
And when the day came we went with my family to the cinema, and the film already started with a stranger "Not so long ago in a galaxy not so far away", and a while later, in the last scene, it was Lukas himself who said that he was a Jedi sent by the republic to prepare humanity for the reality of the galaxy.
And when we left the cinema we saw how two gigantic star cruisers flew over Santiago.
Joaquin Ipinza*
When Efraín read that strange note that Juan Sebastián left him, he began to suspect what had been the fate of his dear friend, after his strange disappearance.
"Go south, Efrain, I'll be there forever," the note said tersely.
A year had passed since the successful businessman, Juan Sebastián Cona, had disappeared, leaving behind a series of bankruptcies and document scandals that linked both very important personalities and himself in sinister maneuvers, which basically allowed the excessive exploitation of natural resources.
"Go South."
And Efraín remembered the strange circumstances of that trip they made to the South with Juan Sebastián just a year ago. With the pretext of concretizing a lucrative forestry business.
From that moment, his existence, always linked to Cona's iron personality, had lost all meaning. So that note had given him back the desire to live.
How far south, where, how?
Those questions were answered almost by chance, feeling in all of them the strange presence of his friend
And with an adventure tourism agency he signed up for a sea kayak trip, which would start on the Palena River, to reach its mouth, in Puerto Raúl Marín Balmaceda, and then continue towards Melimoyu, to finally reach the lagoon of San Rafael, where they would be picked up by a tour boat. And he undertook the most wonderful journey of his life, sharing with people he would never have met in the cold atmosphere of business, and at night, when they camped on the banks of the river, Efraín dreamed of Juan Sebastián, who told him to go further. to the south. _cc781905-5cde-3194-bb3bcf-158ba
Thus, when they arrived at Laguna San Rafael, Efraín decided to cross the Isthmus of Ofqui alone, to continue through the Gulf of Peñas that opened beyond.
Carrying his kayak the 12 kilometers of this swampy strip of land, he arrived at an immense beach
And despite being absolutely alone, he felt that for the first time he was in touch with himself, and he decided to continue rowing south.
But his inexperience had not taught him to understand that the sea without the protection of the islands became terribly treacherous, with strong currents and swells, and despite the apparent good weather, his kayak was carried far and hit against the rocks, being Efraín taken at the bottom of the cold waters.
But suddenly he felt how a strong hand pulled him out of there, managing to see, before being unconscious, a loving being, with strange features.
The following days that followed, Efraín fell ill due to the sudden chill he suffered when submerging. But in his torpor he perceived how he was helped by several beings that he assumed to be angels, especially one who looked like an old man, whose constant singing worked as an elixir of peace and healing. All this inside a kind of tent, which despite the intense rain felt outside, remained incredibly warm and dry.
Little by little he recovered, and the strange language of those beings became more and more understandable.
They were fair-skinned, with long black hair, angular features, and painted their faces according to their mood.
They were always laughing and caressing each other, they never fought.
When Efraín was able to get up, he saw that around there were at least 7 tents like the one that had housed him during those two months, to later be invited by the old man to accompany them on a journey that they were going to undertake at nightfall “so that no one sees us” He told him in his language, which Efraín already fully understood.
And after loading some strange bark boats, they left looking for another place protected from the sight of the usual routes of boats and fishermen.
They set up the tents again and the old man told him: We will be here for a few days, because we must harvest food from the sea, but without exhausting it.
And Efraín accompanied this group for at least a year, where he began to be bathed in the intense love that these beings, who called themselves Kaweshkar, felt for each other, and how that love also seemed to come from the sea. , the sky, the clouds, the trees.
One day Efraín decided to talk to the Elder to ask about them.
- Why don't they show the world how they live, because they don't show the world the society of love that they have built?
-I come from there, and people don't live, they just wander without knowing what love really is and the intensity of life. Please allow me to reveal to the world what a beautiful society you have!
Then, the visibly embarrassed old man said:
-Our ancestors fled many years ago from a colony in Puerto Edén, because the man from the North wanted to teach us to be different, and that meant that many of us died or became sick beings, just like those men were.
-Since then we have lived in hiding, traveling at night to go to our hidden food gathering places.
Then Ephraim replied:
But that won't be for long. I know of some secret projects to start exploiting these places! – and added -the only salvation is that I return and convince the world of how wonderful you exist-
-Please don't do it- answered the old man -they will only come to see us as toys.
I'll leave tomorrow, you don't understand! Ephraim exclaimed.
And the next morning, Efraín loaded the canoe that he had built according to the Kaweshkar's instructions, ready to start back, because the sea was extraordinarily calm, so much so that for a moment he managed to see his face reflected in the water.
To which Efraín jumped totally astonished.
At last he understood everything.
I couldn't go back
He had long black hair, his complexion was light and with angular features.
HE HAD BECOME ONE OF THEM!
Note: Efraín is a character in the novel "Sur Profundo II; El Sueño de Juan Sebastián". Read it here
CROWN JEWEL
Joaquin Ipinza
(based on a dream)
Note: spoiler alert. This story is one to select to be told in concerts. If you are going to hire one, we suggest you not read it.
About 150,000 years ago, Antarctica was not yet covered by ice from the last ice age. At that time the first humans arrived from Africa, who began a rapid cultural evolution, entering in a short time the classical era, with kingdoms, kings and their consequent rivalries, facing each other in bloody and eternal wars , adding centuries of hatred and revenge. But one fine day in one of them a King of great wisdom emerged, Elintir the Wise, who after many trips managed to put an end to the fights and unite all the peoples in peace under the same crown.
And this new kingdom of unification began an era of great prosperity, which was continued by the son of that king, Deeren, the Just, who had also participated in his youth with his father in that difficult process, therefore he understood the reality of those peoples, carrying out a reign of great justice and benevolence.
And this in turn had a son, Loofki, who was born inside the majestic royal palace, from which he only left when they traveled to the summer palace with his entourage.
But fatefully his parents died prematurely in an accident, and he had to assume the reign while still young.
And the image he had of his kingdom is what he saw through the gold-embroidered curtains of his chambers. Everything beyond the palace gardens seemed splendid and golden. And his work was reduced to simply signing documents that were delivered to him by the diligent and efficient government officials who were the ones who kept everything in perfect working order.
And this young king had everything he wanted, his enormous fortune easily gave him everything that money could buy, so he never felt any sense of ambition to have this or that.
Until one day in the mines of an eastern kingdom they found a huge and perfect diamond. It was so pure that, if it was left in the sun during the day, the rays reflected within the crystal continued to be emitted from within it throughout the night.
And it was for sale.
When the King found out, he felt a sensation that he had never experienced: the desire to possess something that he did not have.
And he said to the royal treasurer:
- Have the necessary gold to buy that diamond, because the crown of this great kingdom must wear a jewel that makes merit of its royal magnificence.
And the treasurer, after doing some accounts, looks at him in astonishment and says:
- But that diamond is extraordinarily expensive! It is worth more than three times what we have in our reserves
- It does not matter, I must have it at all costs! Then triple the tributes of the people, it is necessary - replied the King.
And the treasurer with sorrow, not daring to contradict his king, gives the order to satisfy the wishes of the monarch.
And difficult times began for the people, such high taxes made life almost unsustainable, poverty began to appear and then misery among the population. But they agreed to make the effort out of great respect for their grandfather and father, who had ended centuries of death and pain.
Until one day the diamond came into the hands of the king. And he had it set in the crown.
And he spent whole nights watching how it emitted bright rays of all colors.
And summer came and Loofki traveled, as was the custom, on the royal ship to the summer palace. But he did not take the crown with him. He left her well guarded at the top of the royal tower, the safest place in the kingdom.
But something unexpected happened. In the middle of the trip a terrible storm hit and his ship was shipwrecked. Somehow Loofki survived by clinging to some boards, drifting in the sea for several days, until finally the current threw him onto a deserted beach.
He managed to find a stream where he quenched his thirst and started wandering around looking for food, only finding a few bugs and worms.
And after several days, with his clothes turned to rags and in an almost dying state, he saw in the distance a column of smoke. He advanced towards her almost dragging himself, and when he thought he was vanishing he saw a cabin to which he reached with his last breath, falling to the ground in front of the door.
And after a period that to Loofki could have been minutes as well as years, he finally opened his eyes and saw the kind gaze of an old woman. He was so weak that he couldn't get the words out. The old woman began to hydrate him, feed him and heal his wounds. And when he was able to talk to her, he did not want to reveal that he was the king, for fear that he might be kidnapped, he only told her that he was a sailor on a failed ship.
And the old woman told her many stories and tales, and the days passed until the king asked her:
Why are you here so alone?
And the old woman, almost sobbing, answered:
- I lived with my family, my children and grandchildren in a kingdom where our king went crazy and for buying a diamond forced us to pay impossible taxes that led everyone to suffer hunger and misery, so we decided to flee to another place . But I couldn't follow them because I'm old and tired, so I managed to convince them to leave me here and continue alone. And they built me this cabin, hoping one day to come for me.
Loofki felt another sensation he had never experienced before, guilt.
He replied to the old woman:
- I also come from that kingdom, and I think it's time for me to return.
Then the old woman gave him directions on how to get there.
And I add:
-But when you get there you will need money to pay for the rest of your trip.
And she bent over a small trunk from which she extracted something that seemed to be very valuable to her:
"Here," he said, "this is my last possession. Here it no longer serves me, but it can save you:
And he extended his hand to her and with a look of eternal and sublime love placed on it an old and gnawed silver coin.
And Loofki clutched her passionately.
They said their goodbyes and the king began his journey back. He never let go of the coin, because he understood that its value transcended its weight in silver.
And when he arrived, for the first time in his life, he walked the rocky paths of his town.
And he saw people who lived with tremendous dignity, but at the same time in the greatest poverty. And he realized that they were still collecting taxes from some who had owed their part.
And it was all very different from how he imagined it looking into the distance from the windows of the palace, however, he guessed that behind the rustic houses there were families that lived full of a different and inexplicable wealth.
And when he reached the palace the guards immediately recognized their king and rushed to help him.
But Loofki with a firm and resolute voice snapped at them:
- Let me go! I have something very important to do.
He went straight to the palace armory, collected some tools, and headed for the royal tower.
He took out the crown, took out the diamond and put in its place the old and worn silver coin.
And he ordered the treasurer to sell the diamond, and return the money to his subjects.
And as time passed, it hardly happened in the palace.
He began to feel enormous joy in helping his people.
He traveled to the last corner of his kingdom trying to solve all the afflictions he found in his path.
He sent for the old woman and her family and promised them that they would never suffer hardship again.
And one day a boy asked him
- Why do you have that old and ugly silver coin in the crown, instead of that beautiful diamond?
And Loofki answered:
-It is the most valuable jewel that any crown can have
And I add:
- This coin was given to me with something that cannot be bought even with all the gold in the world:
…Love
YAGAN TALES
Compilation: Martín Gusinde, adaptation Joaquín Ipinza.
The story of the cormorants.
In a great drought, the Magellanic cormorants had a source that they selfishly kept secret, and when discovered by the shags, the latter took revenge by pushing them off the cliff. Since then, the Magellans prefer the lower parts of the cliffs and the tufted ones the higher ones, leaving the latter with a throat-clearing song for so long without drinking water, and the former look furtively behind so as not to be discovered in their secret.
The revenge of the shags.
A man once referred to shags as being paunchy and clumsy, which reached their ears. To take revenge they sought the help of his wife who was of their lineage.
They invited him to hunt on a neighboring island, and the wife in the only canoe left for the sea, followed by the cormorants flying, leaving the man abandoned on the island, saying to him, "How come we're not so clumsy, because we can board the canoe, not like you who cannot fly”. Then the man managed to make a float with wolf skin, but the revenge had already been carried out.
The story of the owl.
A widow and her son went to live with his uncle, who barely fed him, so he had become very thin. Then his concerned mother suggested that he go hunting himself. To anguish him, the uncle told him that on the other side of the impassable and impregnable sierra there were many guanacos. The boy in a desperate action launched himself to try to cross the peaks.
And he succeeded, hunting many guanacos. He was able to carry back only one, leaving the others to pick up later.
Arriving at the hut, he ate the guanaco with his mother.
The others couldn't believe that the skinny son could have hunted them down.
So the next day the men accompanied the boy to see if it was true that it was possible to cross the mountains and that there were many guanacos that he had hunted.
They arrived and were convinced. They each took a guanaco and started back.
The return became so tiring with such a load for the men, that only as a child managed to get there.
The men turned into owls, staying forever in the forest shouting kuhurux-kuhurux.
The story of the otter.
A man had five brothers-in-law who made fun of him. To take revenge, he deceived them into believing that there was a stranded whale, leading them to a cave where he killed them one by one, except for the older brother who discovered him and cut off his arms and legs. Since then, the feline otter lives hidden in caves, stalking and having its limbs cut off.
The revenge of the gyrfalcon.
Two brothers and the wife of one of them lived together. And the wife fell in love with her brother-in-law. Upon discovering them, her husband threatened to take revenge by turning into a terrible bird with sharp claws. She just laughed and continued with her infidelities. So the husband went to the forest to live with the birds and learn to be like them.
Time passed and from time to time lovers would visit him to laugh at him, because he could not turn into a bird at all, despite his efforts.
After a long time it turned into a terrible bird, and when the lovers saw it, they laughed more, making love just under the branch where he was perched to irritate him.
Then he flew into a rage and along with his bird friends he pounced on them, pecking at them in such a way that only remains of them remained. So the husband took them and threw them into the middle of the village. The people when they saw it said: “that happens to those who are unfaithful with their husbands and traitors with their brothers”.
How the Carancho lost his wife.
When Carancho went out hunting with other men, he coincidentally overheard two others talking about his adventures with his unfaithful wife.
When they returned, the caracara did not return to her, sending her only a small piece of meat. When she realized she was discovered, she went with her father, the albatross, in a canoe.
The caracara felt alone and went after her, summoning the four winds to prevent them from moving away, but he did not succeed.
Since then the caracara has red eyes from crying so much for her.
The selfish fox.
In a time of great drought, the fox kept for himself and his relatives the only pool of water. Despite the pleas of the dying people, he did not yield a drop.
Then the others called the small and powerful hummingbird, the one who rebuked the fox to give him some water. Faced with the refusal, he killed it with a slingshot, and all the other animals were able to quench their thirst. Except for some birds that arrived very late.
Then the owl and the other birds that remained without drinking threw the mud from the bottom of the lagoon to the mountains, from where hundreds of streams began to drain, to this day, never repeating such a drought.
The story of the stone man.
A girl found a beautiful stone on the beach, and adopted it as a doll, giving it so much love that it turned into a boy. The girl grew up and the stone boy asked her to drink from her breast. The girl agreed, but the boy tore the entire chest with one bite, and she died from the large wound. Then another young woman, seeing that the child was left alone, took pity on him and adopted him, repeating the same misfortune. Then the indignant people beat the boy out. But another young woman took pity, and promising the others not to breastfeed him, she adopted him. But again she was killed for the same reason.
Then the others expelled him definitively, turning the child into a terrible stone man who lived hidden on an island, from where he constantly attacked men, kidnapping many women, who he had locked up in a large hut, with whom he had children. , killing newborn males. He fed them with mushrooms that grew attached to the trees, which he uprooted to serve them directly from the trunk to the women, which is why the island was already almost completely deforested.
One day he stuck a thorn in the sole of his foot, the only place of man's flesh.
Then they laid him down and viciously opened a large wound, deceiving him, telling him “it was buried very deep so we must dig a lot. And the stone man fainted from the pain.
Then they called the small and powerful hummingbird, the one they had hidden. He then nocked some arrows and attached a short spear to one of her feet, aiming them at the entrance. Then they came out and set fire to the hut, the dexterous hummingbird shooting arrows at the sound foot. Then the man woke up and when he got up he buried the spear deep, falling, being hit by two arrows in his eyes.
The burning shack fell on him, bursting into small stones that flew away. But each of them began to come to life, and the women had to throw them back into the fire. This was repeated for a long time, until after a terrible explosion, the heart of the stone man exploded, dying at last, jumping its black and round fragments.
The women, happy, were transformed into goldfinches, which to this day are seen celebrating with joyful songs in the trees. You can also find scattered round black stones that were part of the stone man.
The Story of Sea Lion Crag
There was a huge sea lion that devoured the occupants of the canoes that passed near it. The hummingbird when he realized that more and more people who left by canoe disappeared. He climbed to a high place and straining his eyes watched a canoe that had set sail, discovering the murderer.
Then he embarked with his powerful sling with which he easily split a tree in two, plus four rowing women, to meet him.
He attacked him, gouging out his eyes, buried an arrow in his heart, and the dying lion went to a beach, transforming into stone, which is seen to this day.
The story of the Lasawaia crag.
The seagull had become a widower and two shags fell in love with the daughter, but given her refusal to give herself to them, they buried a burning stone in her, dying instantly.
The outraged people called the hummingbird to avenge death, because the cormorants fled to a cliff where the arrows could not reach them.
Then the hummingbird came, and along the way he experimented with his sling, throwing huge stones in different directions, and where they fell, straits, channels, and fjords opened up.
He then killed the assassins, turning into two boulders, visible to this day.
The story of the big dolphin (pilot whale).
Once a huge dolphin approached a camp.
They all went hunting for him, but despite all the harpoons that buried him, he seemed to be as if nothing had happened.
So the little Swift (Iridiprocne meyeni) volunteered to jump into the whale's mouth and kill it from within.
And so he did, beginning to cut his insides.
Because of the wounds, the whale fled far out to sea, to the surprise of the men who gave up their companion. This, in turn, realized this and decided not to kill the cetacean until it returned to the coast, which it was supposed to do to recover from the damage.
But the days passed and the Swift did not know if he was already on the coast or not. Until he heard some typical coastal birds, the wild ducks o wiyén, then he killed the whale, tearing his heart apart. Soon two albatrosses approached and began to peck at the whale. The swift then hit the abdominal wall to shoo them away, and as they did so they rose, warning of the possible presence of a stranded whale in the camp.
When they arrived they did not know how to recognize the same whale that they had tried to hunt, and they decided to celebrate a KALAKAI.
Then they began to eat from the whale, the swift being unable to reveal its presence. Until a boy buried a knife very deep and stabbed him, letting out a high-pitched scream that could be heard.
The boy reported this to the elders, who finally concluded that it was the same whale they had tried to hunt and that perhaps his partner was still alive.
Then they delicately opened it, finding inside it a skinny, pale, bald and crouched figure, barely recognizing the swift in it.
Thus they fed him, warmed him and rubbed the dying man with oil, who recovered and returned to his wife who had been faithful to him despite believing him dead.
The story of the bat. (apawata)
Compilation: José Pérez de Arce
In ancient times there was a man who liked to play tricks on others.
One day to confuse them, he hid inside his hut and began to shout that there was a stranded whale, to which everyone, surprised, ran towards the hut from where they had heard such important news, but they did not see anyone in it, because he had hidden very good.
They all returned to their canoes thinking it was the wind, when again the prankster shouted “there is a stranded whale.
The others actually thought that it was an evil spirit that was in the hut confusing them. And they decided to set it on fire.
Then the hut burned and the prankster flew out turned into a bat, his skin dark from coal, and the others, seeing him, went to his aid, since he had lost two large pieces of skin at the hands of the fire.
To cure him, they placed coypu and otter skin on him.
For this reason, to this day the bat is seen wearing three different types of skin.
Author's note:
Was the southernmost town in the world called Yámana or Yagán?
Unfortunately, it is not very clear, since the first word has been rejected by the last two representatives of that people, indicating that it means "man", or "of the male sex", and the second was invented by the colonizing missionary of Ushuaia, Thomas Bridges. :
"I gave these natives the name Yahgan because it was appropriate. The Murray Sound, near which our mission was established and called by the natives Yahga, may be considered the center of their territory and the language as spoken there is the that I learned and this is its purest form, being the one in the middle between its southern, eastern and western varieties. For the above reasons, Yahgan seemed like a suitable name and is now known as that everywhere."
"I gave these natives the name Yahgan because it was convenient. The Murray Narrows, near which our Mission was established, called by the natives Yahga, may be considered the center of their land and the language as spoken there was that which I learned, and its purest form, being the mean between its varieties spoken Southward, Eastward and Westward. For these reasons Yahgan seemed a suitable name, and is now known everywhere".
SELK'NAM TALES
Compilation: Martín Gusinde, Adaptation: Joaquín Ipinza.
The fight between the caracara and the cormorant.
The caracara was a powerful, chattering, and quarrelsome sorcerer from the frozen south.
Once he went north looking for a fight, and he found it with the cormorant.
As a result of the fight, the cormorant ended up with a fractured spine, which is why they are so stretched out, and the caracara lost part of its plumage on its head.
He returned to the south filled with a grudge for not being able to beat the cormorant, so from time to time he sends terrible storms north.
The competition between the louse and the lizard.
The lizard and the louse constantly clashed and competed.
Once they competed so that the first one to jump on the other's head would be the strongest.
They debated like this for a while until the louse fell directly on the lizard's head, winning the competition, not moving from there,
Since then the louse gets on the heads of other people and no one can get rid of it.
The story of the dolphins.
Once the earth began to rumble with a terrible roar, which at first was heard by a woman with keen ears.
Then they all heard it and decided to flee to the sea as a fierce storm was approaching from the mountains.
The woman's husband couldn't swim and said he would stay on land.
Together they forced him to throw himself into the sea, sinking immediately, being raised to the surface by his brothers-in-law. And he sank repeatedly, being rescued each time again, being able to hold his breath underwater for longer and longer, keeping all together. And they became dolphins, never returning to the mainland.
*Based on a story by Ximena García.