One Saturday at sunset, my parents cheerfully herded us into the minivan after announcing that we were going to get ice cream. Half an hour later, we were clustered around a table in the outdoor dining area of a Fosters Freeze, enjoying our cones. The sky turned dark, and stars began to twinkle. With our desserts finished, we headed back home. As we passed the river, Dad told us this spooky legend.
“A long time ago, there was a sad woman who lived in a Mexican pueblo,” he said. “Her husband treated her and their children badly, and no matter how hard she tried to please him, the man continued his wicked ways. When the suffering wife discovered her husband’s infidelity, she went mad with jealousy.
‘Come with me to the river,’ she told her children. ‘We’re going to bathe.’