The Squeaky Wagon

What I’m going to tell you, a man told me years ago. The same story was shared with him by someone else too. He told me that his grandfather, already deceased, had heard it from his grandparents. This is an old legend to cut a long story short.

They said that this happened in those days when still many Indians lived in America and the first Spanish Conquistadors were arriving at these lands with more and more Spaniards. According to what old legends said, almost all these Spaniards came because they were not doing very well in their country, and they thought they would have a better life in these lands. That’s how Marcos Villegas came to El Salvador, who later renamed himself as Mr. Marcos Villegas de la Buena Nueva.

If I remember correctly, he was born in a small town lost in the mountains of Spain. They said because he was unrude, he learned how to read and write thanks to the charity and patience of Priest Mateo Nuñez, a little priest who often visited that place. Seeing the boy was so clever, he set out to teach him what he knew. He even tried to convince him to become a priest, but he never agreed. Anyway, all the time he advised him:

“Look, Marcos. You’ve been lucky that you’re not rude and that I taught you all that I know. Thank God, your father, and do not forget what you learned, you have to use it to help other people. Do not forget THIS!”

“Yes, Mr. Priest,” Marcos said.

However, the truth was that the advice went in one ear and out the other. After some years, the Priest Mateo died, and Marcos moved to a larger town where he lived with a priest’s acquaintance who had a pharmacy and prescribed medicines. Marcos was always curious about the apothecary’s experiments, and every time someone was sick or injured, Marcos was there in order to learn and help his employer.

One day some people passed through the town and stayed only one night. They shared they were going to take a boat. This boat was going across the ocean, where they expected to live a better life.

“Today is Freedom Day!” Marcos thought and as clever as he was, he approached where they were talking. “I overheard that you are going across the pond, right? Plus, you are carrying your children, right? They may need someone to care for them if they get sick. I can accompany you and help you if you are interested,” Marcos said.

“Oh, man! What else would we want to take care of us? Nevertheless, we do not have any money to pay him!” Said one of the travelers.

“If you give me a lift there and some food, I am going to do it for free,” said Marcos.

That’s how Marcos finished here. It would have been better if he had never come here!

After many months, he appeared in San Salvador. As nobody knew him, he told everyone that he was a doctor because he had some knowledge of apothecary. He got them entangled with a strange vocabulary; hence everyone believed him. Furthermore, he noticed that important people had long names like “Mr. Julían de la Coruña” or “Mr. José Navarro de Portugal.” Therefore, he created his new name “Mr. Marcos Villegas de la Buena Nueva.” Who? de la Buena Nueva? In these times, everything was quite different, and with little effort, all people believed him.

Actually, he was very lucky! Because as soon as he arrived, he received a couple of patients who were cured with no effort. They shouldn’t have been in a critical state. As I said before, he was not a rude person and easily started to go from one place to another, healing people. He told them that if people died, it would be God’s will, but if they survived, he asked them for a small gift, maybe a small chicken or some money, but they had to give him always something. That’s how Marcos became rich and well-known.

Marcos was clever without a doubt!  One night, he won the lottery because he cured an Indian called Carlos Linqui. He was a shaman who had a severe fever. Carlos invited Marcos to his house, offered his friendship, and revealed many things about his life and traditions.

During their meeting, Marcos acted like he cared what he was talking about, but he only wanted the sweet and tasty drink that the Indian offered him, the beverage made his heart really happy.

One day, in one of their talks, Carlos told Marcos that before the Spaniards arrived, they also had their doctors.

“Now, we only visit them secretly because it’s dangerous. Elders teach young people everything they know. That’s why we still have someone to help us in our misfortunes.” Carlos said.

That caught Marcos’s attention, but he didn’t want to look so suspicious about his interest.

“Look Carlos when you have a little bit of time, take me to them. Did you understand? I would like to talk with them.” Said Marcos. Carlos was so grateful that he took him to meet them.

Marcos looked like a very trustworthy and humble person, and the shamans trusted their millenary knowledge. He jotted down all instructions and herbs with details. Definitely, all these inquiries were made secretly by the Spaniards because they should not realize that he was friendly with the Indians.

After a couple of weeks, he started to use his new medicines behind the Spaniards. No one knew what he was doing, but he cured everyone, and they were happy! He started to charge a lot of money for a simple drop of water!

He was so busy with his new profession that he forgot all the Indians, even his “friend” Carlos Linqui.

One day when Marcos was talking with some friends, the Indian came to look for him.

“Mr. Marcos, please come to my house, Matilda is very bad, and I cannot find anyone to help her. She even wallows in pain!” Said Carlos.

“Who is him? What is this dirty Indian doing here?” Said Marcos. However, his friend remembered Carlos and said: “Is not the one who you cured for Mr. Arturo?”

“Yes, but I do not know what he’s doing around here,” said Marcos.

“But Mr. Marcos… Please, help us! Matilda is dying!” Said Carlos.

“SILENCE! Get out of my house and look for some of yours to heal her.” Said Marcos and kicked him out of his house.

After this, Marcos was afraid that his friends would think that he had something to do with the Indians, and they would discover where his medicines came from. Then, the ungrateful one went to look for one of the most important priests.

“Your reverence, please give me your blessing,” Marcos said, “I am a fervent Christian, and I have seen things that concern me.”

“What is your affliction, my son?” The priest asked him.

“Oh, your reverend! What I am going to tell you is terrible because I discovered that many or almost all the baptized Indians and those who are preparing for it, they visit healers who cheat them with witchcraft jobs. I came across this because my work as a doctor force me to go to different places.” Said Marcos.

“Are you sure of what you say, son? Look, this is a terrible accusation of speaking about fake healers in our region.” Said the priest.

“With all the pain of my heart, his reverence; I, Marcos Villegas de la Buena Nueva, swear you that is true, and I can tell you who they are because I saw them practicing witchcraft.” He lied.

Marcos accompanied the priest, and his delegates to reveal where they lived. He also accused Carlos Linqui of being one of them.

On a Saturday afternoon, the delegates took prisoner all Indians in that place, one by one, and later, they killed them. Plus, they brought all Indians from the surroundings; therefore, they could see what happened to the disobedient. Three days later, the sole happy ones were the vultures that only left the bones.

What about Marcos? He was happy walking around as he already had calm everything and nobody would ever know his secret! He would become richer with the Indians’ knowledge! His plan went better than expected!

And the rest of the Indians? By fists, they died! They fell because of so many diseases! Some people said the Spaniards brought them, and because there was no cure, most of them died. Mr. Marcos Villegas de la Buena Nueva did not turn around to see them again.

The situation got worse with a plague that no one escaped, and the deaths continued. Mr. Marcos only attended to the big fish, and the ones could pay him. The others died and were buried all together in large ditches that they had made.

When the plague was over, those who remained alive celebrated a Solemn Mass of Thanksgiving. It was a Special Sung Mass. Some people say that Mr. Marcos was a good liar because he was crying during the mass, but we know those were crocodile tears.

After the mass, all the people went to eat tamales, but it took longer than expected. When Marcos finished, he said goodbye and went to his home that was far away from the town.

Everything was better than expected! And he had become so rich that he bought a new house. However, he hadn’t left the city when he felt someone was spying on him as if someone was chasing him.

“Oh no! Whoever it is, come out and stand in front of me; therefore, I can see you! And tell me what you want!” Marcos said.

“It had to be some crafty Indian who wants to take money from me,” He thought, he continued his way but after a while… The noise came back! And Marcos stopped abruptly.

“Come on! Oh no! Whoever it is, come out and stand in front of me; therefore, I can see you! And tell me what you want!” He said again, in a very unpleasant tone.

However, nothing happened. It was too quiet that the night was very strange because there were no stars, moon, or people around.

“Hmmm … I had better hurry up,” He thought, “I’m already a little scared. I only have half a league left to reach the house,” and he started to walk faster. Less than 100 steps and the noise again!!!

“For God’s sake! I command you to show yourself and tell me who you are and what you want!” Shouted Marcos.

No sooner had he cried when the light fell on him and left him almost blind and stunned. He couldn’t see anything. He only heard a voice that told him: “Aha, Marcos Villegas says he told him, how are you doing? You are no longer like that of people. I see that you have done well.”

“Who speaks to me? You should have confused me with another Marcos. I am the doctor Marcos Villegas de la Buena Nueva. Everyone around here knows me.” Marcos said.

“I already know that” the voice said. “The poor and the rich know Marcos Villegas; the living and the dead too as I do, because I taught you everything I could when you were a small kid.”

“Oh my God! If it is the Priest Mateo,” said Marcos.

“Marcos, Marcos! Of all the advice I gave you, I recall that you did not want to become a priest. However, you promised me that you were always going to be a good man and that you were going to help the needy.” Said the Priest.

“But I’m good, I heal people, and I’m always ready if someone calls me!” Marcos said.

“Are you sure, Marcos? We can hear the air, but we cannot see it. What happened to Carlos Linqui, and the other Indians you sent to kill? And the Indians and the poor Spaniards who died with the plague? Did you help them too? You do not fool me! I have seen everything. You had everything to be happy and make others happy, but you have been very ambitious.” Said the Priest.

“Sorry! Sorry! Priest Mateo,” Says that Marcos said, but the horror did not pay.

“No, Marcos, there are no more excuses. The payback time has arrived. You will no longer be able to live in peace. Follow me!”

The Priest took and ordered Marcos to dig a great ditch. After Marcos had finished, the Priest said:

“Do you see what’s there? They are the bones of all those who died because of you. With those bones, you are going to make a wagon (figure 1). NOW!”

Marcos with great fear began to assemble the wagon with the bones obediently. The Priest glared at him carefully and when Marcos finished said:

“Your time has come! From this moment, you are no longer part of this world. You do not feel it, but you are already dead, and you will not have peace.

Your punishment will be to go from the top to the bottom with this wagon picking up the bones of all those who died because of you! You are going to each cemetery all over El Salvador and bury them.

Do not think you’re the only one! There are many people like you in other places. All of them picking up the bones of those who made their life a nightmare, and they are looking for cemeteries to bury them.”

Figure 1. The Squeaky Wagon. ¹

Marcos lost everything. Plus, because of his eternal punishment, no one saw or heard of him again.

The story of the Squeaky Wagon that I shared with you; it has been heard in many places all over El Salvador. Always at midnight, these wicked people are paying for their sins, and yes, all of them are evil spirits.

Once in Ataco, I met a woman who told me she had heard the wagon close to her house. Another time in Santa Tecla, a man told me he heard it next to a school. They said it went backward, and it does not carry any oxen, and when it passes, you feel like the Earth is thundering, and you hear the sounds of chains. Perhaps, these are the bones of the people that collide with each other. Definitely, it feels like a terrible thing, right? The truth is just like air! You can hear it, but you cannot see or touch it. If you want to know more, do it at your own risk!!!

Inspired by the book “Leyendas Cuentos y Adivinanzas de El Salvador, Bancasa, Banco de Construcción y Ahorro, S.A.” © All rights reserved 1995.

Credits:

¹ Copyright © 2018 Pinterest.