Watchmen
Today is the last day of one of our apartment building guards. Guards have to work 12-hour shifts, 7 days straight with the 8th day off, and not only do they have to guard the building but clean the pool, water the garden, sweep the hallways, pick up Guanacaste seeds off the parking lot, and help out residents with small repairs and favors. All that for about $80 per week. So he quit. The night shift was particularly hard for him and he often suffered from migraine headaches. I imagine it must be difficult being alone at night, vigilant, with no one to talk to, with no weapon for defense against an intruder, and no training in security matters. A gang of three known petty criminals from neighboring drug-ridden Brasilito once broke into one of the apartments. The guard, of course, couldn’t do anything to stop the assault except call the police. But thieves aside, who after all are just people, what must be really worrisome at night are all the spirits. Gray shadows are good spirits but black shadows are bad ones, the guard once explained to me. Then there are evil spirits in the shape of dogs with red eyes, duendes (see blog entry Duendes March 17, 2009), and witches. Most guards around here are aware of the bruja mona, a local witch that can change herself into a monkey. She apparently works as a cook in one of the large houses on a hilltop in Flamingo Beach. Many guards will swear seeing her at night, as a monkey, sitting on the side of the road with a bottle of guaro (cheap sugar-cane liquor).
Monday, March 30, 2009