1 LITA TOSSES ANOTHER PIÑON LOG ONTO THE FIRE Sweet smoke drifts past us into the starry sky Her knees crack as she sits back down on the blanket next to me The cup of hot chocolate with cinnamon she’s made me sits untouched this time I have something I want you to take with you on your trip Petra Lita reaches into her sweater pocket Since I won’t be there for your thirteenth birthday She holds out a silver
pendant in the shape of a sun Its center is filled with a flat black stone If you hold it up to the sun its light glows through the obsidian I take it from her hand and hold it up but there’s no sun Only the moon Sometimes I try to imagine I can see things I really can’t But I’m sure a faint glow filters through the middle of the stone I move the pendant back and forth It disappears completely when I move it too far from the center of my vision When I look back Lita is motioning to an identical pendant around her neck You know she says Yucatecos believe obsidian holds magic A doorway to bring lost ones together She purses her lips Her brown skin wrinkles toward her nose like cracked bark on a tree They shouldn’t force me to go I say You have to Petra Lita looks away for a long time before speaking again Children are not meant to be separated from their parents You’re Dad’s parent He should stay with you then We all should Even as I say it I know I sound like a little kid She laughs a deep soft chuckle I’m too old to travel so far But for you Dios mío a new planet How exciting My chin trembles and I bury my head into her side squeez ing her around the waist I don’t want to leave you Her stomach lowers with a deep sigh Somewhere off in the desert behind Lita’s house a coyote howls calling for its friends 2 DONNA BARBA HIGUERA
As if on cue the chickens cluck and one of her fainting goats bleats You need a cuento she says referring to one of her tall tales We lie back looking up at the night sky The warm desert wind blows over us as Lita pulls me into the tightest hug ever I never want to leave this spot She points up at Halley’s Comet From here it doesn’t look so dangerous Había una vez she begins her story a young fire snake nagual His mother was Earth his father the sun A nagual snake I ask But how can the sun and Earth be parents to something part human part animal Sssh This is my story She clears her throat and takes one of my hands in hers Fire Snake was angry His mother Earth fed and nurtured him but his father the sun stayed away His father would bring crops but he also brought great drought and death One very hot day as Sun loomed over the nagual Lita waves her arm toward the heavens he challenged his father Even though his mother begged him to stay with her forever the young Fire Snake sped off toward his father Lita remains silent for a moment I know the stall is part of her strategy to keep me in suspense It works Then what She smiles and continues With his tail flaming behind him Fire Snake gained speed until he could not slow himself 3 THE LAST CUENTISTA
