The Hoarse Drum

This is the fourth and final legend from the field in our series of Halloween stories. Andrés Barreno, Communications Coordinator brings us a tale from Quito, Ecuador.

In the dark of night the drum produces a hoarse, distant sound, usually accompanied by the melancholic sound of a small flute. It announces the beginning and the end of the procession of doomed souls and demons who travel south through small Andean towns to the highlands of Ecuador. Two ghosts dressed in red play the drum as a coffin and packs of howling dogs follow.

Sounds of the drum can be heard from far away, warning those who wander the night to beware and return to their homes as quickly as possible. If they fail to heed the warning, they could be taken by the souls of those who have risen from their graves. Some people even say that the devil himself plays the hoarse drum...

Let this be a warning to all those sponsors who wish to visit their sponsored children in Ecuador. Enjoy your time with your child in the daylight, but when darkness falls and the faint sound of drumming can be heard in the distance, make haste back to your hotel room and lock the door behind you. The hoarse drum is calling, and the doomed souls have come out to play.

Have a safe and happy Halloween from all of us at Children International!

The picture (courtesy of Nicolás Herrera at nicolasherrera.com) depicts the funeral procession of the hoarse drum.

An Unexpected Visitor

You may know by now that in preparation for Halloween, we asked all of our Communications Coordinators to send us scary tales from their countries. Our Communications Coordinator in Quezon City, Philippines, Margaret Tadeja-Cruz didn’t have a story to share, but she did send us two very interesting photos.

Margaret tells us that a couple of months ago she went to one of Children International's community centers in Quezon City to take photos of Rovelyn, a young sponsored girl who dances. It was about 7 o’clock at night and there was no one around except the guard and two other people who were sitting down outside. The community center was closed, and the children you see inside the community center in the second picture are actually statues. She began snapping pictures of Rovelyn standing in front of the door of the center, and she ended up capturing something she cannot explain...



Who’s the girl standing behind Rovelyn in the first picture? (Click the photos to enlarge.) Was it just someone walking by that Margaret didn’t notice or is the community center haunted? You be the judge.

The Veiled Lady

A legend submitted by Communications Coordinator, Patricia Huerta.

Circa 1700, Guayaquil, Ecuador: She is never seen before midnight. Where did she come from? Nobody knows, but any man wandering around at night is sure to see her walking just six feet ahead of him, close, but unattainable. Although her face is always wrapped in a veil or shawl, anyone can tell she is beautiful, and as she walks, the soft scent of flowers follows.

Every Casanova, old or young, feels irresistibly attracted to her and inspired to tell her some flattering words. Yet she walks ahead, as he follows her footsteps… walking and walking, she never changes her pace, walking in a steady rhythm. No matter how fast he walks, he can never reach her. Under the influence of her charm, he pursues her. Expertly traversing alleyways and crossing streets, the starched fabric of her skirt swooshes in the darkness. She invites him to follow her by simply nodding her lovely head.

A vision only for her pursuer, no one else sees her. He follows her, hypnotized, not knowing where they are going. Then suddenly, the veiled lady stops, and with military precision, she turns around and uncovers her face. The beautiful face with its porcelain complexion and sparkling eyes stare back at the man. But in an instant the magnificent features melt into a cadaverous skull and her flowery perfume is replaced with the smell of decay. “Now that you can see what I am, follow me if you will,” she tells him.

She quickly turns around and vanishes into an old abandoned house. Paralyzed and trembling, her pursuer stands in the darkness, terrified and confused.

Legend has it that this lost soul was once a beautiful woman who gave into the sins of the flesh. In her death she walks the streets at night searching for an eligible suitor.

Portrait by Pierre-Auguste Renoir, courtesy of ibiblio.com.

More Scary Legends from the Field

In honor of Halloween, we’ve asked our Communications Coordinators to send us spooky legends from their countries that have been scaring generation after generation. Javier Cárcamo, Communications Coordinator in Rural Guatemala, brings you the first in a series of frightening and mysterious tales:

Manuelita

Hundreds of years ago in colonial times, a beautiful woman came to the quiet streets of Antigua Guatemala. Her long black hair and big eyes caught the attention of all the neighbors, but nobody knew her or why she was living alone in that old house.

Shortly thereafter she introduced herself as Manuelita, and her reputation as a witch and healer grew. Her remedies were very effective and the people would see her gathering herbs and colored candles to carry out her rituals.

Despite her success as a healer, one of her clients went to the Governor and accused her of witchcraft and casting curses. Because of this accusation, she was put on trial in the Court of the Holy Inquisition, and sentenced to burn alive in the town’s central square. She was taken to the jail as she waited for her punishment, but as Christmas was nearing, her execution was postponed until the first week of January.

Despite her imprisonment the beautiful woman did not show any signs of anxiety, and on the night of December 24, Manuelita humbly begged the prison guard for one last favor. She asked for a piece of coal. Touched by the sadness in the woman’s eyes, the prison guard could not refuse her request, and he handed her a small lump of coal.

As legend goes, Manuelita took the coal and, murmuring secret conjurations, she drew a ship on the wall. Mysteriously, she boarded the ship and sailed between the bars of her cell, leaving nothing behind except the drawing of the ship on the wall...