CHAPTER ONE
Mid-December 1998
WINTER WAS ABOUT to arrive and so were the rest of the gray whales. Laguna San Ignacio was one of their yearly destinations. They traveled there from the waters off Alaska. A good number of whales were at the lagoon already, but many more would come soon and stay there for a while. Some turned up early, as early as the beginning of December. Some stayed late, until the month of May.
It was the best time of the year, according to Juanita. She and her friend Luis had recently spotted a few whales from atop a strategic lookout point they both called “the mound.” The site was near the edge of the lagoon and somewhat close to a deep area in that body of water. Juanita was nine years old; Luis was seven. They lived a few meters from each other in a desert-like stretch called La Laguna. The area they called home was a barren and desolate collection of scanty settlements that bordered the southern end of the upper arm of the San Ignacio Lagoon, a huge salt-water bay off the Pacific Ocean and half-way down the Baja California peninsula.
“We need to hurry,” Juanita told Luis as the two walked back from school.
They were planning to again visit the mound that afternoon, hoping to see a few more of the early whale arrivals.
“We won’t be able to go to the mound if we don’t hurry,” she added.
It was a long walk from school, about three kilometers long. Although they usually took their time going home, stopping for different reasons but mainly to rest, they did not do so during this time of year. They would hurry instead so they could later have a chance to visit the whales before it got dark.
“I’m trying,” said Luis as he turned his slow walk into a fast pace.
They both had their school backpacks with them, which made it difficult to walk quickly.
“We’re almost there,” Juanita said as she stopped to take a quick breather, but also to allow Luis to catch up to her.
“Look, Gordito is coming to meet us,” said Luis, after seeing Juanita’s dog running toward them.
They were now close to their respective homes.
The dog’s given name was the diminutive of gordo, which means fat in Spanish, but he wasn’t really fat. He was playful, though, especially around Luis. He was a mid-size dog of mixed breed.
“Hi Gordito,” said Luis as he petted him.
“I’ll see you in a little while,” Juanita told Luis as they parted ways, and he was about to go into his house. “After I eat and do my homework.”
Juanita was in fourth grade, Luis in second.
“Hola Juanita,” said Alejandra as her daughter entered the house.
“Hola mommy,” Juanita replied and hugged her.
“Would you like to wait for your dad so we can all eat together?” she asked Juanita.
Alejandra was being facetious. She was just prodding her in a fun way. She normally ate first, right after coming home from school. The three had dinner together on weekends, though. Her father was a commercial fisherman. His name was Manuel.
“No, I’m very hungry,” she said as she dropped off her backpack.
Once she washed her hands, she sat down to eat.
“We’re going to see the whales a little later,” Juanita mentioned as she ate. “After I finish my homework.”
“I hope you can get to see some,” said Alejandra. “Most whales haven’t arrived yet.”
“Some are here already,” Juanita replied. “Do you like the whales?”
“Of course I do. But I wish they would stay here longer,” her mom said.
Soon after consuming her food, Juanita worked on her homework. Once done, she went outside to wait for Luis to join her. She played with her dog while she waited.
It ended up being a long wait, long enough that for a while Juanita thought about making the trip alone. It was getting late.
“I’m ready,” Luis yelled when he finally came out from his house.
“I had a lot of homework,” he said once he met up with Juanita.
“It’s late. It’s going to get dark pretty soon,” she said, adding that that they were going to have to run to the mound and run back after their visit.
“Okay, let’s go,” Luis said and took off running.
Gordito was also running, closely following Luis.
What the two children called “the mound” was basically an old pile of trash that had become a tiny dirt hill. It was made up of mixed waste, sand, and soil that someone had at one time dumped over the rusted carcass of an abandoned truck. Over the years, the mixed heap had grown wayward plants with long roots that had attached themselves to every crevice in that trash pile, giving it an ornate and verdant look. Sand and dirt blown in from the lagoon had by then also added a picturesque look to the trash stack.
Soon after discovering the place, the mound became a favored destination and playground for Luis and Juanita, especially during the winter months, when it provided an above the ground lookout point to better observe the visiting gray whales. Although it was difficult to fully discern them from that distance, Juanita claimed that she could see them clearly and that she could tell one whale from another. Based on those supposedly observed peculiarities, she ended up giving names to several of the yearly visitors. They were all girl names. One she called Clodomira, another one Domitila. There was also a Susana and a Fabiana.
“Come on, hurry up,” Juanita yelled at Luis and Gordito as she was about to reach the mound.
Luis was at least forty meters back, barely walking now.
“Come on, run, it’s going to get dark,” Juanita shouted after coming to a stop at the bottom of the trash heap.
“Wait for me,” said Luis and took off running again.
The dog was still with him.
Juanita waited for them before climbing the small dirt hill. Once they were there, the boy, the girl and the dog quickly climbed to the top of the so-called mound.
“Domi, Domi, where are you,” Juanita yelled loudly, shouting the shortened name of the whale called Domitila.
“Domi, Domi, come and play,” she yelled again.
“Domi, Domi ¿dónde estás?” she screamed even louder.
“I think it’s too late,” said Luis. “I think they went to sleep.”
“No, I don’t think so,” Juanita replied and continued yelling.
“Look, I think that’s whale,” said Luis. “It’s sticking its head above the water.”
“I see it, I see it!” offered Juanita. “Hola, Domi.”
The whale soon disappeared underwater but just as quickly appeared again, gliding across the lagoon and spouting a large tower of mist from its back. Less than a minute later, it was joined by another large whale and two calves. The children couldn’t believe their eyes.
“I think they’re having fun,” Luis offered.
“That’s Domi, Luis. It’s Domi,” said Juanita. “Do you know how I can tell?”
“No, how?” asked Luis.
“By the five large white spots on the right side of her tail,” she replied. “No other whale has so many large spots.”
“I do not see the spots,” Luis replied. “You have good eyes.”
“I’m here Domi, I’m here!” Juanita shouted at the whale again.
“I’m here Domi, I’m here, too!” Luis also shouted. “Look at me.”
Both children believed that the whales could hear their far away shouts.
In a different way, the dog was also doing his own kind of yelling: barking at the whales without stop.
“It’s enough, Gordito. You lost your voice already,” Juanita admonished him.
His barking was just a muffled sound now.
“It’s getting dark. We need to go home,” she said to Luis.
They had been at the mound for close to an hour.
Luis agreed.
Right after waving goodbye to the whales, they began their descent from the scrap hill.
They both had to get back to their respective homes soon, or they would get in trouble.
Most children that lived near the lagoon usually stayed indoors after the sun went down. Unless the moon was out and the night sky was clear, it was very dark outside. There was no public lighting. Except for a few homes that had power generators, the rest of dwellings in La Laguna were devoid of electricity. The area was safe, though. Neighbors knew each other and looked after each other. But there was another reason for not allowing the children to remain outdoors after dark. It had to do with varied superstitions and long-held beliefs.
Most permanent residents in the area believed in ghosts and in spirits that returned from the ever after to repent for their sins or to punish the living. Some of those beliefs were based on old legends that were common in many parts of Mexico. A few of the superstitions were only familiar in that Baja California Sur lagoon area.
There were stories about large creatures that flew over the villages late at night and about ferocious half-man, half-animal beasts that came down from the mountains to meander nearby, howling and trying to drive away the people that currently lived on that land.
There was also the story of a long-gone young woman named Aidé, a teenager who drowned in the lagoon and who, according to that legend, was “pulled into the water by the jealous sea.” It was a myth that had been around in La Laguna for a while. Most locals believed that Aidé often returned from the ever after in the form of a spirit to remind everyone with her cry that no woman should ever attempt to upstage the allure of the sea and its bays.
According to local lore, Aidé was a beautiful woman that took leisurely nightly walks along the edge of the lagoon. At times, she would also bathe in its waters. The sea, called la mar in Spanish and believed to be a female, supposedly became enraged by Aidé’s presence and jealous of her beauty. According to that legend, to punish the young girl, la mar decided to “pull her” into the water and drown her.
“Ya llegué, mamá,” Juanita said to her mother as she entered her house.
“I’m back, mom.”
Luis was no longer with her; he had already gone inside his own home. The dog wasn’t allowed indoors, so Gordito stayed outside.
“I was getting worried about you,” Alejandra replied. “It’s almost dark and I swear I was beginning to hear Aidé crying.”
“Is she really a ghost?” Juanita asked.
“No,” her mother said. “It’s un espíritu, Aidé’s soul, returning to make sure we don’t behave inappropriately.”
“What’s the difference between ghosts and spirits, mom?”
“Ghosts just scare people,” Alejandra said. “Spirits help people. They return to prevent us from repeating the same mistakes they made when they were alive.”
“Gracias, mamá,” Juanita replied.
After having a snack, Juanita washed her hands and her face in a sink located next to the back entrance to the house. She was ready to go to sleep.
“¿Me vas a contar un cuento, mamá?” she asked her mother as she walked to her bed.
Juanita wanted a bedtime story.
“Of course,” Alejandra replied. “Children need to go to sleep with happy thoughts and a nice cuento.”
Alejandra had often told her daughter traditional tales such as Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, and Little Red Riding Hood, but at other times she had made up stories that included subjects and themes that were born in her imagination. One of those invented cuentos had to do with a girl named Arco Iris. Juanita loved hearing that tale. And the story she was about to be told that night.
Once in her bed and properly tucked in, Juanita made several jerky body movements, until she found a comfortable sleeping position. After that was accomplished, Alejandra stroked Juanita’s face and gave her a kiss on the cheek. She also made the sign of the cross on the girl’s forehead.
That going-to-bed drill usually took a few minutes.
“Once upon a time,” Alejandra said in jest, as she began to tell her the Arco Iris story.
“No, mom, don’t start like that. Say it the way you always do it,” Juanita replied as she pulled the blanket over her shoulder and adjusted her body position in her bed again.
It was sort of a test. If Juanita didn’t complain, it meant that she was already falling asleep. It didn’t take long for that to happen once she was in a comfortable position in bed.
“Arco Iris was very young, perhaps not even ten years old,” Alejandra said as she began to tell the bedtime story. “She wanted to go to the forest and hunt just like the boys did, but she wasn’t allowed to do so because she was a girl.”
Alejandra noticed that Juanita had closed her eyes already, so she paused and said nothing for a few seconds, waiting to find out whether there would be a reaction to the silence.
“Come on, mom,” said Juanita in a sleepy-sounding voice. “Keep telling me about Arco Iris.”
“The young girl was not about to let others decide what she could or could not do,” Alejandra continued telling the bedtime story. “So Arco Iris decided to build a bow, and also arrows, similar to the ones the boys used. She planned to watch and learn from those whose job was to make the bows and arrows in her tribe, so she would be able to build something just as good as what the men used.”
Once Alejandra noticed that Juanita had fallen asleep, she stopped talking. She then touched the side of her daughter’s face, stroked her hair a few times, and again kissed her on the cheek.
Alejandra went then to the kitchen to complete a few remaining chores. She would also go to bed soon. Manuel was already sleeping. He usually went to bed early since he had to be at work by five in the morning. As she lay in bed, Alejandra could clearly hear the sound made by the bay water as it splashed on the edge of the lagoon. She could also hear the erratic winds that prevailed most of the year and that usually howled throughout the night.