Chronicle 2: Do not mistreat the children, Elegguá is watching you

Chronicles of the XNUMXst century

They say that in their origins the Orishas were living beings, and after death they were given the title of saint for the life they knew how to lead on earth. Myth or Reality?, the truth is that for a long time they have accompaniedañaendowed men and women, protecting them from all evil and granting, according to the faith of each one, spiritual and material goods.

This link with humans has generated endless fantastic anecdotes, worth telling because the miracles and curses that accompanyañano tamañas experiences, like fables, contain a useful life lesson.

These are some daily stories that intertwine both worlds, here are the Orishas chronicles of the XNUMXst century.

Elegguá forgives those who repent

Berto's antics did not have a time to end, the same thing he stole the mangoes from Doña Fefa's bush, who tied a string full of cans to the tail of old Sebastián's cat, or threw balls of mud on the freshly washed sheets on ña' Consuelo's clothesline. Scolding, insults or warnings were useless, for him there was nothing more fun than making people angry.

__ "You are no longer a child, and as a man one day you will be punished."__

It said Tata José, the oldest old man in town, but Berto paid no attention, he felt that he was like an invincible superhero.

One day Pedrito, Tata José's great-great-grandson, was walking happily savoring a chocolate ice cream. Berto saw him from the corner and went towards him. With a slap he knocked over the ice cream, not satisfied, gave him a smack on the head and waited.

Of course, the little boy began to cry causing a sea of laughter in the mischievous young man who ran off in search of new mischief.

to the mañaThe next night, while he was tying his shoelaces on a park bench, Tata José appeared almost mysteriously. Serious and imposing he spoke to her:

__ I told you many times, you are no longer a child, and as a man one day you will be punished.__

The young man tried to ignore it, but the sparkle in Tata's eyes made an impression never felt before.

__ "Whoever mistreats a child will see them with Eleggua".__

Tata said and left, leaving Berto with an indescribable chill.

Although he continued with his wickedness, the image and words of Tata did not leave him all day. He decided to go to bed early to end that mysterious feeling soon.

In the mañaNa, willing with the same desire as always, went out into the street in search of action, then he saw them, there were four children each playing with a doodle (cane) of guava.

The idea came to him like a flash: reach out, split the scribbles and whip them on the buttocks. He already had them close when he suddenly froze, paralyzed, he couldn't walk. He wanted to ask for help, but his voice didn't come out, no reflexes worked, and worst of all, no one paid attention to him, as if he didn't exist, as if he were invisible, only the four children were staring at him, holding their scribbles in a war pose.

Suddenly the sky darkened, the park was left in darkness, only the space between him and the little ones remained illuminated. He again he tried to run, scream, but in vain. The worst was yet to come, strange and terrifying noises set the scene, little by little, out of the darkness, various groups of animals began to appear: goats, roosters, black and red mice, forming a herd, all with shiny eyes.

A deep and icy fear crept into his body, as those beasts, as he saw them, approached, he felt he was losing his breath, the sweat ran like springs, contrasting with a cold that froze his eyelids.

And while waiting for the inevitable end, Tata's voice emphasizing:__ "Whoever mistreats a child will deal with Eleggua".__, hammered his ears, impotently suffering that horrible punishment.

In one last attempt, he opened his mouth expelling an immense scream that reverberated throughout the room where he was, it was when he understood that it had all been a bad dream. Not knowing what to do, her feelings surfaced out of nowhere, breaking into tears, and she was like that until dawn.

On the outskirts of town, where the Tata had lived for a long time, the young Berto arrived, on his knees he asked for forgiveness, the old man grabbed him by the shoulders, making him stand up, he looked at the repentant face of the boy and with a good man's voice he said thus:

__ It's okay boy, you learned your lesson, Eleggua forgives those who repent.__

From that moment the young Berto changed his behavior. Time passed, he became a father and a grandfather, someone loved and respected in the town, especially by the children, who from time to time gather around him and ask him, with a lot of merriment, to tell them the story of Eleggua... And Berto pleases them starting like this:

__ "Eleggua is the messenger of the gods, the beginning and the end of the roads".__