It was the last day of school. Josh was overjoyed that the year was finally over, with its heavy workload of studying and a crazy amount of homework. When he had first started school as a little kid, it was such a strange feeling—suddenly having to go. Why did he need to go to school? In kindergarten, there were snacks and nap time, which were the best parts in his opinion. But those disappeared in first grade. He hadn't known anyone when he started, but he made friends.

  Kindergarten came and went, and Josh had made one great friend that year: Bobby. Bobby was shy and smaller than most of the other kids. His hair was dark, almost black, and curly, in contrast to Josh’s blondish, straight hair. Both boys were a little pale. Josh was outgoing and naturally charismatic, while Bobby was not. Despite their differences, Josh immediately took a liking to the shy boy.

  The following year passed, and yes, they both missed nap and snack time. They were being introduced to new subjects: math, science, reading, and writing. The subjects were boring to Josh, but Bobby was the brains of the pair, and both boys knew it.

  In second grade, they met Pepe and Manuel, cousins who spoke both English and Spanish—a novelty to the other two boys. They had moved from Texas to their small town because of their parents' work. Pepe was small and wiry; his cousin, taller and stockier. Both had brown skin, hair, and eyes. Manuel, slightly darker than his cousin, still had a slight Spanish accent. The difference between the four boys was striking: Josh and Bobby were very light-skinned, while the cousins were distinctly darker.

  According to the cousins, Spanish was widely spoken where they came from. This was extremely strange to Josh and Bobby, who had never heard Spanish before. They knew, of course, that other cultures and languages existed, but in their town, everyone spoke English and, well, everyone was white.

  From that point forward, the four were inseparable. They would hang out after school, during recess, and on weekends. In class, however, they were separated, as the teacher realized it was not a good idea to keep them together. On average, the two cousins were at about the same learning level as Josh; if it weren't for Bobby, they probably would have failed the school year.

  Third grade passed without any new additions to their group, but that was alright. They knew other kids, but none as close as their core group of four.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  Halfway through fourth grade, Erin joined their class. He had transferred from another elementary school in town. One morning, Erin arrived, and their teacher, Ms. Waller, had him introduce himself.

  Erin had fiery red hair, a face full of freckles, and wore glasses; he was also very shy. He was of average height. But in fourth grade, who really thought about height? One summer would pass, and by the next school year, one kid would inevitably be taller than another.

  He looked around, intimidated by all the new faces. "Hi, I'm Erin, and I just transferred here." He was too embarrassed to say anything more.

  "What do we say, class?" Ms. Waller asked.

  "Welcome to Class 2B, Erin!" all the kids responded in unison.

  Erin was given a seat next to Pepe. He sat down, and class began. During recess, the four friends decided to introduce themselves. Erin was by himself, and Josh, the de facto leader of the group, went up to him.

  "Hi, I'm Josh," Josh said, extending his hand to welcome the new arrival.

  Erin looked down at the proffered hand, then up at the other boy, but didn't reach out to shake it. "Um, I'm Erin," he mumbled. Erin had known kids like Josh at his previous school—they were the cool kids, and Erin was definitely not one of them. Why was Josh introducing himself?

  "Alright, Erin, this is Bobby, Pepe, and Manuel," Josh said, pointing to his friends as he spoke their names. The taller of the cousins reached over, took Erin's hand, and shook it. "Alright, so now we're friends. If you want to hang out with us during recess and after school, that would be great."

  With that simple introduction and Josh's declaration of friendship, their group now numbered five. Erin wasn't sure what to make of it, but he wasn't going to let this opportunity pass. At his previous school, he hadn't really had any friends. This lack of friends was mostly due to his own shyness; like Bobby, he had trouble initiating conversations with other kids unless required to for class. He was glad Josh had declared them friends, not even giving him a choice.

  They spent the rest of the year together, doing everything they could. Erin loved it, and so did the other four. Although Erin was shy, like Bobby, he quickly overcame his shyness with the support of his new friends. While Erin and Bobby remained the more reserved members of the group, they participated in everything the others did. Pepe and Manuel were inveterate daredevils, constantly egging each other on to do even crazier things.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  Fifth grade began, and the five friends were closer than ever. The school year flew by; before they knew it, they were in their last week, then it was their last day. And then it was over—they had graduated. Erin and the whole group were amazed at how quickly the year had passed.

  The past two summers had been the best of Erin’s life; his new friends—he loved that he could finally say friends—had made all the difference. He may have been shy when he met the other four rascals, but now he was outgoing, perhaps not as much as the cousins, but outgoing nonetheless. One could not be part of this group and remain otherwise.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  Summer passed, and a new school year began—but it was different than before. Now they had to go to different classes for each subject. They had some classes together and some apart, but because it was a small school, they saw each other throughout the day. When they weren’t in class together, they missed each other.

  They got together after school as always, doing their homework, with Bobby and Erin acting as the brains and tutoring the other three. Afterward, they simply hung out, doing what kids their age do: sports, video games, trips to the arcade, watching TV shows, camping, swimming, and fishing. Although fishing wasn’t Pepe’s and Manuel’s favorite activity, they still joined their friends.

  The cousins were into soccer, so the others started playing as well. Josh was naturally talented, a fact that Pepe resented because he was also good at soccer and had been playing for years. Although Josh excelled at soccer, he was even better at baseball, and his friends joined him, even though they were mediocre at best.

  Sixth grade was an adjustment for all of them as they got used to doing things differently. The year passed in a flash; the "brains" earned straight A’s, while the other three were happy with their B’s and C’s. Seventh grade began and passed with similar results in terms of grades; Pepe even surprised everyone by earning an A in his science class.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  Their eighth-grade year at middle school also went by quickly. The only difference was that Bobby, with the help of his friends, finally asked out the girl he had a crush on. He was terrified and mortified. It was a Thursday, and they were walking home when it happened.

  The girl, Amber, was with her two best friends, Bethany and Sue, and they had stopped for ice cream. The group spotted the girls. "There she is, Bobby. This is it, mi amigo. It's now or never." Amber was alone at the entrance; Bobby couldn’t see her friends. The group stopped beside her. "Hey, Amber, how are you doing? Bobby wanted to ask you something," Josh said.

  His friend, ever the daredevil, pushed Bobby forward, who, for his part, was ready to bolt. "Hi, Amber," Bobby stammered. "Um, you see... there's this movie coming out tomorrow, and I was wondering if you would like to go see it with me?" His face was flushed, and a trickle of sweat ran down his back. He fully expected a rejection.

  Before Amber could answer, her friends emerged. Their chatter ceased as they noticed the boys. "Bobby, I'd love to," Amber said. She took out a pink pen, wrote her number on his hand, and drew a small heart. "Call me." The three girls then left, Bethany and Sue giving Josh lingering looks. The boys could hear them talking to Amber about the upcoming date and saying something like, "Well, at least he's not as bad as the others."

  This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

  "Amigo, you're like a regular Casanova! Míralo—who would have thought?" Pepe exclaimed, playfully smacking his friend on the arm and giving him a thumbs-up.

  The next day, he went on his date, feeling both terrified and excited. The date went wonderfully. To his surprise, he and Amber had a lot in common. From then on, she hung out with them regularly, and at times her friends joined her, though they only did so because of Josh; they didn't care for the other three boys. Several months passed, and Bobby and Amber made it official when he asked her to be his girlfriend.

  The school year ended, and they graduated from middle school, ready to begin their summer. Bobby’s girlfriend was leaving that weekend after graduation to visit relatives in Ottawa for half the summer. Knowing they wouldn't see each other for a while, Bobby and Amber went out while the other four made plans for the summer break.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  “Alright, so here’s the plan!” Josh announced, taking the lead. “We’ll have a slew of sleepovers, plenty of video game time, and we’re going camping—and no complaining about the bugs, Manuel! And yes, Pepe, we’re going fishing—no complaining!”

  They discussed the schedule for the week. There would be a sleepover at Pepe’s, video games at Josh’s, camping at Erin’s, and fishing the following day near Erin’s house.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  At Pepe’s, his mother, Mrs. Garcia, made chicken and cheese enchiladas—not the boxed kind from the grocery store, but real enchiladas, the recipe passed down from his great-great-grandmother. “Sí, mijo, you know Abuela loved making these, and she passed this secret to your Mama. I hope you boys enjoy them,” she said.

  “Thank you, Mama. The queso y pollo are to die for,” Pepe replied. His mother only made these on special occasions and had only made them for the boys once before. Being this far north, they couldn’t easily get the ingredients.

  Pepe’s father, arriving after work, smiled as he smelled what his wife had cooked. “Mi Amor, you made enchiladas!” he exclaimed. “Hola, boys. I hope you appreciate these enchiladas. What I wouldn’t give for a good Mexican restaurant in town!” After eating at Pepe’s and Manuel’s houses, the boys all shared the same wish: Mexican food was the best.

  “?Qué? My cooking isn’t good enough for you, Francisco?” Mrs. Garcia asked playfully. Pepe’s father went over to her, placating his wife with a quick kiss before starting to clean up.

  “Pepe, go get your brother off his computer and tell him to get his trasero in here,” she instructed. As she continued cooking, adding the cheese and chicken, the boys’ mouths watered at the wonderful aromas wafting from the kitchen.

  Pepe returned, and a few minutes later, his brother—an older version of him—came out. Their faces were the only similar feature; both took after their father. Frank Jr., taller than Pepe, was a junior in high school. He had dyed his hair green, with the sides of his head shaved and the middle styled into a four- to five-inch mohawk. He also sported several piercings, tight black pants, black boots, and a black T-shirt with a punk band logo. His actual name was Francisco Jr., but he had told everyone to call him Frank; he had adopted the punk rock look the previous year.

  “Freaks,” he muttered, acknowledging the boys before completely ignoring them.

  Mrs. Garcia looked at her oldest son and shook her head. “Francisco Jr., you do not talk to your brother and his friends like that.”

  “Mama, it’s Frank—Frank! How many times do I have to remind everyone?”

  “Sí, Francisco, don’t talk to us like that,” Pepe retorted, egging his older brother on.

  Pepe’s father returned, now cleaned up. “Bueno, everyone’s here. Mijo, be nice to your brother.” No one was sure which son he meant, but likely both.

  They sat down for dinner, the boys eager to eat Mrs. Garcia’s wonderful enchiladas and Mexican rice. After thanking her for the food, they dug in, enjoying the home-cooked meal.

  The sleepover was great, and Mrs. Garcia’s breakfast the next morning was even better—in a word, the best thing Josh had ever had. The woman could cook; if only his mom could cook like that! They headed over to Josh’s house, where video games would be the plan for the day and into the night.

  “Alright, before it gets too late, if you guys want to call your parents and ask to stay over, we can keep going. I’m too into this game to stop,” Josh said. The game featured a character who could use magic, swords, shields, armor, and every other weapon available in the game. Overall, the character was overpowered, and they were all enjoying taking turns playing.

  They called their parents and got permission. Pizza and hot wings were ordered for them that night; it wasn’t Mrs. Garcia’s superb cooking, but it was fine. Josh’s mom was a lawyer, and her skills, while excellent in the courtroom, did not extend to the kitchen.

  The next day, they went camping at Erin’s house. They were dropped off with the camping gear: two tents, their fishing gear, five sleeping bags, drinks, and snacks. Evening arrived, and they set up camp. Erin’s older brother stopped by and helped with the setup; Erin’s parents checked in on them sometime during the night.

  “Scary story time?” Manuel asked, pointing a flashlight at his face. “Pepe, tell the La Llorona story, like your papa used to tell it. That one is very scary.”

  “Sí, Manuel, that one is espantosa,” Pepe agreed. And so, Pepe began to tell the story. “This happened a long, long time ago, back in Guadalajara, where my great-abuela was born.” He launched into the tale—a gruesome story filled with betrayal and murder, topped off with a haunting.

  Everyone was on edge the entire time, feeling goosebumps on their arms and the backs of their necks as Pepe began to wail. They all jumped. “And that is the story of La Llorona, as told by my Papa,” Pepe concluded.

  Yes kind of a weird spot for a spoiler but I had a suggestion to put in the actual story of La Llorona, I did but it is in the Post Chapter section. Seemed a little excessive since it ends up almost being a short story itself.

  “Um, I don’t want to ever hear that story again; it’s going to give me nightmares, and we’re supposed to go fishing tomorrow—at the river!” Bobby exclaimed, clearly frightened, as were his friends.

  “That’s the light version, muchachos. You should hear the gruesome one my tío tells. That one will really scare you,” Manuel said, though he was putting on a brave face and was also scared.

  Pepe’s story was followed by stories from Erin, Bobby, Manuel, and finally Josh. Their stories were more lighthearted; Josh’s even included some comedy. By the time the last story was told, the fire had died down, and it was late. They settled in for the night.

  A few minutes after the last of the friends fell asleep, a fog began to roll in—something both unnatural and new. From an aerial perspective, it might have looked like fog, but it was actually a symbol of some kind. The symbol’s white appearance explained why it could be mistaken for fog. This had never happened at this time of year, at least not to anyone’s knowledge. The symbol appeared and, minutes later, vanished—a truly strange occurrence. Why had the symbol appeared, and why had it left so soon?

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  The robed figure, nothing of his face showing but his chin, sat in thought. He was alone in the forest; the leaves on the trees, now brownish, still clung desperately to some branches, while the grass browned from the summer heat. The calling had come, and he had no choice but to answer. He looked up at the heavens; it was a clear night, the moon a giant medallion in the sky. Millions of stars were visible; he loved looking at them in wonder, but tonight was not for stargazing. He examined his surroundings, his thoughts turning inward. It was a beautiful world—the trees, the animals, the people, the fantastical creatures that existed in this magical place. The night’s events would alter his world; he sighed, wondering what those changes might be.

  The calling had come before, exactly twenty-two years ago. His master, the one who had answered it then, had felt it too, though to him it had been a minor annoyance. He did not want to recall what had happened afterward; the results had changed his world. Tonight, his actions, like those of his master, were for the safety of their world. The calling, like an itch he couldn’t scratch, persisted.

  Their world would face another change; he hoped that by answering, the change would be for the better. He hated what was to come but had no choice in the matter, nor would those he called. His master, gone for five years now, had believed, his great work complete, that this would not happen again. They had both been wrong. He needed to find and teach a new apprentice for the next cycle, possibly passing on this—was it really a curse?

  He began the summons—a summons across time and space that would reach into another world and tear people away from it. He searched the heavens once again, wondering if that world was among those stars. He didn’t know. He drew the symbols with his staff upon the ground: an outer circle, an inner circle, lines crisscrossing between the two, and the symbols of the summons. As he did this, he cried—for his master, for himself, for his world, and for the innocents who would come. They would come in ones and twos, and in larger groups. They had no choice; they would come.

  But he would try to help as much as he could, for the summons was not evil; he was just a servant of this world, like many others before him. The summoning circle now complete, he struck his staff once, twice, then thrice, and chanted the words of the spell, making it easier for those affected. The symbols responded and began to glow; the summoning circle began to grow, all its parts expanding. The spell grew and grew, rising into the sky and covering a large area of the forest. He looked up and saw the floating images in a thousand hues—a beautiful, evil construct that he hated.

  In these images, he saw a young man sleeping, a young woman, a brother and sister, and five boys around a campfire. Then he saw images of others, all too young for what was coming, all too young to be torn from their world. Tears ran down his cheeks; the spell was cast, and the die was cast. The spell was complete, and he was exhausted from the work. It would remain for days, continuing the summons of these innocents. It was done, and nothing could be done about it—not anymore.

  He summoned another door and opened it, stepping through. This was his workshop—a simple desk, a chair, his writing implements, an unrolled scroll he had been writing on earlier, and a bookshelf filled with books and scrolls. He called out to one of his assistants, “Regi, where are you?!”

  A floating orb entered his workshop. “Master. Is it done?” it asked.

  “Yes, and we will help as much as possible,” he replied. “Tomorrow, Regi, they start arriving tomorrow.”

  “I’m sorry, Master, that you had to do this,” Regi responded.

  haciendas all over to faun over her beauty. She herself wanted to marry into a wealthy family, her family while not poor was not rich either. A year passed and she was presented to society at a big party, another girl was also presented during this event. She was simple this other girl, not a great beauty but humble and pretty, the other girl hated her right away. How dare she steal her limelight?

  Alcaldes son had been at the party and was smitten by the humble girl a fact that the beautiful one hated. How dare she steal the man she was going to marry.

  Alcaldes son was saddened by this, and the beauty was there to comfort him, she wrapped herself around the young man and made him fall in love with her.

  Alcalde of the town was never home as his work kept him late, he would come home see his beautiful children go into his study and not even talk to his wife.

  llorando looking for her children to this day and any unlucky enough to be near that river at night is said that they see the woman in white crying and looking for her children. No one goes into that river at night for if they do….

  La Llorona. There are very similar stories/legends told throughout Latin America about this boogey woman, likely based on even older legends coming from Europe and other places around the world. If I recall there are also legends of a similar nature in Russia. And I am sure you all have seen the movie that came out about it, very close to mine which is was told by my grandparents and people back in the little town of Tiquicheo, in the State of Michoacan, Mx.