Duendes
Duendes are small, bearded beings that are found in rural areas. They run around barefoot, they like to play tricks, and they kidnap children. In this area, duendes live in the caves of Zapotal beach. Few residents have actually seen them, but when a piece of clothing is stolen, a hen mysteriously disappears or a child is lost, people know a duende was responsible. Near Zapotal, at Sugar Beach Hotel, the American owner’s daughter experienced firsthand the mischiefs of duendes. Several years ago, when she opened the door to the reception area, early in the morning around 6 a.m., she saw many wet footprints—footprints the size of a child’s—covering the floor. She first assumed somebody got inside to steal or vandalize, but after several days of the same thing—small footprints and nothing stolen and no sign of forced entry—she might have wondered if the guard’s explanation was correct: that a duende was running around at night. In any case, she asked an employee to start the shift early so it was he, and not her, that unlocked the reception. After a while, the duende, and its tiny wet footprints, disappeared. The belief of duendes is so strong that William, a local resident, moved his family from a rural finca to a town to save his daughter, who was seen talking and laughing with an invisible being. The aunt wrapped a red ribbon around her wrist to protect her, but the father wasn’t going to take any chances: the family moved to town, away from the duendes that steal children.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009