Federico Stories

Many years ago, during the colonization, a mischievous dwarf traveled from Ireland in one of the British Empire ships, which arrived in Belize. He lived for a while there, but later he started to travel across Central America and settled down in El Salvador because he enjoyed its diverse ecosystem and preferred the Spanish language. During his trips around El Salvador, he met Nora, a beautiful lady from Ilobasco. She was the most beautiful lady in her town even though she won many pageant contests like “Miss Cabañas” because of her fabulous smile, tan and impressive rear. She inherited the best from her father, who was a Spaniard, and her mother, who was from the western part of El Salvador. The perfect mix, you would say. For most of her childhood and teenage years, she was an extremely popular girl, but one day her misfortune happened. She was on a school trip, and she decided to take a shower in the Lempa river because it was a hot day in the last days of summer. While she wa...

Juana was a proud mother of five children in La Palma , a well-known city in the northern part of El Salvador nearby Honduras, and she had a perfect life. She had a beautiful house near the Chiquito River and a good job. Furthermore, she was a practicing Catholic like most of her family and neighbors in those days. Plus, her husband was handsome and intelligent. She had everything that she wanted. However, one night when she was returning from the church, and was frightened because her house was on fire, their neighbors were trying to put out the fire, but everything was in vain, and she lost all that she had. For many months, she tried to overcome her misfortune, but nothing helped her. She became mad and obsessed with her lost kids. Some of her friends interned her in a psychiatric hospital, but one night she escaped and committed suicide in a ravine not so far from her old house. The city was in complete sadness when they discovered it. They lost the most smiling and humble...

It was a dark and cold night in the middle of 1933 when I was riding my horse near the old Guirola Estate. This night was foggier than I expected and I could barely see what was in front of me. I wasn’t sure what time it was when I heard the church of San Antonio clock rang and understood it was almost midnight. Several myths surrounded the Guirola Family because they were extremely rich and powerful. They were part of an elite group called “The 14 Families” or the Coffee Oligarchy. On my way back, I appreciated a spectacular light on the top of a hill not so far. It was in Guirola’s cottage when suddenly, a black rider reared his black horse. The view was crystal clear. It was the Black Knight (figure 1)! I used my spurs to make my horse faster than ever we needed to reach our house, we couldn’t stay here any longer! All legends say, “If the Black Knight caught you, you would not be able never to see the daylight again!” Figure 1. The Black Knight.  ¹ I tried to f...

It was a warm night of winter in San Pedro Perulapán, and I was coming very late, drunk and tired on Friday at midnight. I could barely remember where I was, or where I was going, I just fell down on the pavement and slept. A couple of hours later, some bells were ringing, and I woke up. I looked around; I was in a church that I didn’t recognize. It looked antique like the Colonial times. I merely took my hat off and sat on the closest empty chair. The priest was reciting in a language that I didn’t comprehend well. My grandma always said that 100 years ago, the churches celebrated the masses in Latin, but I wasn’t sure if it was that mythical language because I had never heard it before. The church seemed empty, and I tried going closer to the altar because I couldn’t see it. I felt the potent incense, and the smoke was considerably deep. The roof was completely dark from all the candles over the years. Plus, the saints on the walls, their faces seemed washed out or opaque. I ...