11 minute read
Zapata Valdés Alejandro, The Butcher
THE BUTCHER
Written By Alejandro Zapata Valdés
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My name is Demian, and I live in Transylvania. Since I was a child I have worked in the business of butcher shop, Because my father was born in the countryside, somehow he was always involved with the cattle business. That’s why all my childhood I was around many farm animals, like horses, cows, chickens, pigs, hens, etc.
When I finished high school, I decided that the academics were too hard for me, so I decided to work in the butcher shop of my uncle because my father does not allow anyone to get into his business.
When I started working, every morning I had to go to the market and buy some things, it was a really easy job, I didn’t complain, as well I had the opportunity to see some beautiful ladies right there. In other cases, I had to go and pick up the cows and pigs on my uncle’s farm, I took around half an hour from Transylvania, but as well I did that task with pleasure because the girls could see me when I was driving that big truck. In some cases, I had to go with a child of around 12 years old who always talk to me during the entire trip. The road was very particular, because at one point it spread in a half and created to different streets, forming a species of “Y”, one road took you to the city and the other to one small cavern, or that’s what people say about it. The older people told stories about that particular cavern, they said that inside there was “something”, something supernatural.
In the decade of the ’60s, many teenagers were hired by one of the wealthiest men in the area, and as my father and uncle, he had farm business. People said that he arrived at the cavern with an enormous truck of three tones and inside the car was his most expensive and healthy cow, all intending to feed someone or something inside the cavern. If I have to be honest I never believed in this kind of stories but the community already saw this as normal, however, no one knew what
he was doing inside that cavern. Besides his deceptive appearance was mysterious, he appeared to be Younger, It seemed as if life had restored his age.
Many citizens think that the money, the locals, his territory, and finally his Cattle, he has it is thanks to a pact he made with the devil. My uncle met with Manuel, because he was one of this helpers in Manuel’s business, at the beginning his deal was a complete disaster, he had many debts, and no one bought his products, sometimes he had to sleep outside because he had no money for the rent, but one day his good luck streak started and in a blink, he was so rich that he could swim in money. Later, with all that cash he bought the business of his competitors. At that moment, he brought loads of attention to himself and the curious people started checking what he was doing in this daily life. After a while, they noticed that Mr. Manuel one day at the month goes to the cavern with a cow and when he leaves the animal is not with him. However, nobody knew what happened inside the hollow, and why he does that.
One night, my uncle and two friends met Mr. Manuel —his boss at that time— in the middle of the road. He was placing the cow on the grill of the truck, on one side of the street. Subsequently, Mr. Manuel asked them what they were doing so late on this particular road, since it was midnight With a fixed and angry look, he told my uncle and his friends that he didn’t want to see them here, and threatened to take away their work if when he comes back they are still there.
The three of them stayed quiet until he finished, and then my uncle said that they were already leaving because they were very drunk. My uncle and one friend did what Mr. Manuel told them, but one of them said mockingly that he would follow the old man to see what party he was doing in the cave with their partner the devil. This because he was tired
to be poor and he wanted to be a rich man quickly like Mr. Manuel. Finally, they decided to live his friend to luck, who was willing to discover the secret of Mr. Manuel.
The next morning my uncle and some friends were talking about the sudden disappearance of his drunk friend, it had been weeks and a couple of days without any news of him. However, this was pretty normal in him, because his house was very away from Transylvania, and every time he went to a party he disappeared for some days.
One day, my uncle was working as always in the butcher shop when Mr. Manuel arrived, then he asked my uncle with a calm voice,
“How was your day?” and my uncle replied that everything was good, nevertheless he also, added that he was worried about his lost friend, the one that was with me that night we met. My uncle wanted to ask Mr. Manuel if he had seen him, but he didn’t have enough courage to do it when Mr. Manuel said “Don’t worry, if your curiosity in knowing your friend’s status, he’s fine. Moreover, yesterday I set him free because he already did what he had to do, and I couldn’t stand him any longer.”
When my uncle heard that he just turned pale and the only thing that he did was watching how Mr. Manuel was going out of the butcher shop, he was just disconnected from the real world until the end of the shift. In the afternoon, my uncle saw far away his friend all covered in mud and with the appearance of spending days without being able to change his clothes. Then funnily my uncle asked him if the drunkenness was that good, but his friend, with a serious look said that this time was different. He said, “you remember when I decided to spy Mr. Manuel and see what he was doing in that cave?” And my uncle answered “yes, I remember, you’re crazy” then his friend continued “well, I did it, I followed him. I took a distance of about 20 meters and when we arrived I put my
body to the ground because there were no drifting trees, then Mr. Manuel parked his truck in reverse, leaving it about five meters from the cave entrance…Dude, What I saw that night, I will never forget.” He added firmly. Then he continued; “When the old man got out of the truck on the side where I was, I saw that he was putting a foot outside, but this was not a foot with a shoe, rather it was the leg of a black rooster, its three welltoned fingers were seen, the rest of the leg was covered by black feathers. I swear I saw them like that. I was so anxious when he took a few steps in front of the cave I completely paralyzed. I wanted to run away but my body wouldn’t let me. I could only see that thing that was supposed to be Mr. Manuel doing a kind of prayer in front of the cave. While the cow was making strange sounds as if she knew something was wrong in the environment. Then Mr. Manuel got inside the grotto and the truck without reason started moving, at that moment I thought I was dreaming, I couldn’t believe what was happening. I was so afraid that my symptoms of drunkenness completely vanished.
Afterward, the sounds of hundreds of pigs begun to leave the cave, and when the pickup was closer, those noises became louder and louder. When the truck was inside the darkness, the cow that was in the back of the automobile began mooing of terror, this happened while the truck shook from side to side in an absurdly violent way.
Something was killing her and the poor animal’s fear was present with every heartbreaking sound. Then, when the horrible sounds stopped all the place was in complete silence during two minutes, nonetheless the whole place began to smell equal as rotten, like when an animal has been dead for several days under the sun, at that moment my feet began to tingle, I thought that were ants but I remembered that I was using my work shoes, so I turned around and what I saw were
no ants, but white worms that looked like grains of rice. The road to the cave was upholstered with these worms. I turned my head again and it was when I felt and saw on my shoulder a thin gray hand which was burning my skin, later I heard a voice that said “so you want to have money and stop being poor, huh!”, in that second I was about to pass out, but then, something inside me wanted to say “yes” and stuttered I said it with difficulties.
At that point, he took me by the shoulders, and then he told me that I have to get inside the bakkie that was in the entrance of the cavern and take him to the town and he would reward me, in that instant I knew that thing was Mr. Manuel. Although I was very afraid, I agreed and got up with the few forces I had to go and pick up the truck. When I was getting closer the smell of rotten was more unbearable, I can swear by my mother. Then Mr. Manuel told me that if I look backward he will eat my soul, so for my security, I got inside the truck as fast I could. The only problem was the sound of the pigs that were inside the cave, but I think that those were no pigs since it sounded like an old language. Then that thing got inside the truck with me and said: “There is no doubt that you have the eggs well glued”. During all the trip he took my arm and when we arrived, he said “too bad, he didn’t like you, however as I said, I’m going to give you a reward” Then he reached into his pocket and took many bills, more than I would have ever imagined. Fearful I took them and I approached them to my face to see them more closely, but these bills had the same smell of rot so I pulled them away quickly. The morning finally arrived and the first rays of the sun were catching. I knew I was safe.
Then Mr. Manuel said, “Well man, I am not going to waste your time anymore, I’m going to leave you here because I need to find something to eat.” Then he took the place of the pilot and I got out of the truck. Finally, he put his face out of the
window to say goodbye with the eyes, however that face was not that of the old man I knew, but it was a black goat’s head with huge horns, it had red eyes and it was very smoky from its mouth as if it were smoking. Instantly, I heard the first chimes of a church near there, then the truck disappeared in about 50 meters with that thing inside. I was very tired and confused about this unusual experience.
Returning to my home I saw a guy with a flock of goats, The shepherd wished me good morning, then by courtesy I wished him the same, I noticed that at the end of the flock one particular goat —this was bigger than the other ones and his hair was completely black— started to follow me with his eyes, drawing a kind of mocking smile on his face. I just stopped walking and without noticing I was already alone with that black goat, sharing looks. Suddenly he stood on two legs and began to say “I hope the money I gave you will help you a lot and you know how to take advantage of it”. That’s the last thing I remember before I lost my conscience and passed out. So basically that’s what happened that night. But when some people found me they said that one of my bags was full of worms, the bag where I had the money that Mr. Manuel gave me.”
This is what that friend of my uncle told him, and I have to believe this story because that guy is already dead, so I can’t confirm the myth. Nowadays, Mr. Manuel still alive but you hardly see him. Many people said that Mr. Manuel is alone in his house on the outskirts of Transylvania, the only thing he does is administrate his business. Nevertheless, it is said that the pact already charged him the bill, since recently a son of him died thanks to the pact he made with the devil many years ago. The cavern still there, but Mr. Manuel no longer feeds that thing, and for several years he pays a large amount of money for someone with the courage to do so. Would you do it?