EVIL LURKS
By Marissa Reyes Durán
MOM, the Devil Is Pulling Me!
Let’s recall volumes 1 and 2, the story titled I Love You, The Family Downfall. A lot of the family downfalls, mysteries, and secrets were withheld; honestly, just due to not knowing how to introduce, what I am sure happens a lot and no one wants to speak about it, Let’s get into it.
My sister Cańa was in 7th grade, and I was in 5th. We lived in a small town named Friona in Texas, by this time our parents moved us from our “safe haven” the small community in Roswell, New Mexico named The Oasis. We lived in a 2-bedroom house in Friona, TX that had a garage that was converted into a large bedroom. My sister and I loved our room, we felt as if we lived on our own and had our own space. Our parents and brother Gabriel lived there at that time. I recall the weekends as my favorite time since we didn’t have to go to school, I truly despised going to school in Friona, we were very few Mexican American kids in school, and we felt that. One of our eldest sisters (Cuca) had recently come back from running away and had to sleep in our bedroom. One of the nights as Cańa and I slept in my bed, and Cuca in my sister Caña’s bed, we started to hear her mumble words we didn’t understand or maybe just couldn’t hear correctly. Cuca, from what I can remember always ended up sleeping on her back, in the strangest position, one leg bent to where her right foot was flat up against her left calf area, so this formed what looked like the number 4.
While she spoke in her sleep the sounds got louder and a lot clearer, I get tears just thinking about this night. Loud, scared, and in a panic, she screams for mom “Ama, she yells, “Ama el diablo me Esta jalando” Let me translate that very scary phrase. “Mom, MOM, the devil is pulling me!” Remember her sleeping position, this never changed, my sister Cańa and I were already wide awake, our eyes were locked on her, and we had the blanket up for our faces right under our eyes. Her position remained the same when suddenly, her body jerked and within seconds her body was, what looked like it was pulled with the leg that wasn’t bent, from the top part of the bed down to the floor.
Mom had already made her way into the garage bedroom carrying candles with the Jesus and Mary images you know the ones that are taken to church and blessed, yes those; as she was yelling her pleads to release whatever evil had a hold of Cuca, I recall mom screaming her prayers as if that would come in like a magnet phone ad take priority. Mom was standing at the entrance of our converted bedroom as she looked in disbelief, let me remind you all that my sister and I were next to the bed where apparently the “devil” according to Cuca was pulling her! Mom had a rosary and a thin small book where she was getting what were supposed to be prayers but sounded more like scattered words. I’m sure she wanted to read it correctly but at the same time, she was thrown into the position of being an exorcist, savior and pretty much only hope. She was standing at the far end of a mirrored dresser Caña and I shared.
Imagine waking up to your daughter screaming that what she believed to be the devil was pulling her, watching her body unexplainably move as if someone had a very powerful leaf blower and turned it on That as many secrets and trauma in the Reyes-Durán family was swept under the “rug”. That was one of many evil things that took place, you know the stories that happen, and no one wants to talk about.
Who moved all the dishes?!
The fact that I was too young to understand what was happening is the reason I cannot tell this next story in detail, but from what I do recall being spoken about later; was a time when everyone in the house, in Dimmit, TX was asleep and either mom or dad heard dishes moving around in the kitchen, they got up and everyone was asleep, but every dish, glass, pan, and pot was removed from the cub bared and placed all over the kitchen.
The Bright and Silent Light
One story I can speak about in detail is when on the way to Roswell, New Mexico from the Dallas/Fort Worth area my 2 kids, my then husband, and I were close to arriving at the TX/NM border when I noticed a bright light, I was driving so I noticed it first with all the mirrors. It was close to 11:00 pm, I know that because we were about to gain an hour and it was going to be 10:00 pm Mountain time- leaving Central time zone. I started to slow down, so much so that I opened up the sunroof because the fact that the light was too bright, too close and there was no sound started to worry me, at first, I thought it was a small airplane, but when the sunroof opened, there was silence, the only noise was the kids yelling "mom, don't stop, keep going!" All 4 of us were left speechless and breathless when the light hovered right above us with no sound, as my daughter screamed and begged louder for me to drive off the light shot up as if it was a rocket, that story we have never told and one we will never forget.
Hidden Money with spell protection
Take a step back to November 20, 1910, the order was made to overthrow the then-current ruler and dictator, Porfirio Diaz Mori. Diaz was an ambitious president, keen to develop the country into an industrial and modernized one. Liberals and intellectuals began to challenge the regime of Diaz who had begun power in 1877, therefore ruling for 34 years! Welcome to the Mexican Revolution.
When word was received to have all weapons ready close to the US/Mexican border a lot of the richest townspeople started burying their money, because there was a lot of money, they decided to not only bury it but add a spell over where they buried it. Some spells would consist of loud noises, firearms going off, and horses rambling through, this was to scare the would-be-thieves so it is said that this is where a lot of negative spirits emerged and may still be there today.
One of my brothers Chemo (Anselmo) shared the following with me. This took place in the city they grew up in Aldama in the state of Chihuahua Mexico. He and some of our cousins and local neighborhood kids would get together nightly to hang out and play different games outside. One game was the regular racing game that turned into a nightmare.
Chemo starts recalling that our only cousin on our mother's side and his brother-in-law were some of the many people that constantly searched for some of all that money that was buried years before they were a thought. They spoke of finding some of that money, this was in gold pieces form. They found some gold pieces and suddenly, a horse appeared, they didn't think anything at first until this horse started to shrink and grow right before their eyes. They were held up by this evil force for quite a while. They told the story with hesitation and enough fear but were able to escape the force. They also speak of how much gold they were able to take, no they didn't fear the dark force enough to leave the gold behind; one mention is that money didn't last long at all. They shared with my brother that jealousy overtook a lot of what could have been a life-changing event. Chemo spoke of a local soda delivery man by the name of Domingo Lopez, Mr. Lopez became a millionaire with the gold he found decades later, which was in a farm he purchased where he grew, cultured, and sold quince - the fruit.
Invisible WHITE SHEET
Playing a game called "el bote bolado" translates to "the flying can" The object of the game was one person would toss the empty coke or beer can and everyone else would need to guess where the can was thrown, since it was dark it was a guessing game. Chemo and his local friends Lorenzo Candia, Juan, Javier Silva, and Beto Cruz started playing. Some time into the game there in Aldama, Chihuahua Mexico. Right in the middle of the alley at the same time, 5 of the boys witnessed a white fog-looking sheet, in a clear no cloud-in-the-sky type of night it seemed impossible; nonetheless, they continued to go towards it all running. "I recall Lorenzo was the fastest out of all of us, he was the biggest and strongest," Chemo explains. Lorenzo comes up to the "invisible white sheet" and thinks he's just going to go through it like fog, except it felt like a sheet that with the strength of cotton, it retained him, and he couldn't go through! Some of the other boys felt the same thing and by the time the others and Chemo got to it, the sheet was gone!
THE HORSES THAT WERE HEARD AND NEVER SEEN
Chemo and the boys and some others at that time were together at an event with their families, after it was over, they would all walk home together, being boys decided to walk through a path everyone warned them about, a path that unfortunately many witnesses saw and told the same story, that at times when one would walk by. they could see random people hung by the neck on all the trees. That night they may have wished that's all they saw because at least this way it was a common sighting. For the boys, they would witness something more taunting, to each of them.
One Night they were all coming from a Posada, a posada is a traditional Mexican/Catholic event held around Christmas, it's where a group of participants get together and go house to house asking other participents for posada, meaning, will you give me a space in your home to rest, eat, and stay warm. It's traditional to have food, drinks, and music. The participants asking for posada would sing before asking to come in out of the cold holding candles and at times dressing up as the traditional Mary and Jesus.
The boys were done eating and decided it was time to head home, the meeting point was at our aunt Consuelo's house near a small plaza (park area). The boys were making their way there and to keep the candles on at least until they passed up the Callejon del oajorcado (the hanged alley) as it was dubbed, because a lot of locals claimed to witness groups of people hung by their necks on the trees around that area; they were walking slowly and carefully. Playing around as kids normally do, they were playing around with the candles and also hoping they wouldn't go out until they passed up the alley.
They heard a pack of horses coming through and decided to split some to the right and the others to the left, as they heard and felt the horses coming closer and louder, imagine a pack of horses coming so close to you- you could feel them, they started to make their way back into the street, that would never take place! The horses were heard but never seen.
The group of boys looked at each other and realized those were not horses but yet again they were experiencing a darkness, they all started running past the alley they were so afraid to pass up, they park and made it to Aunt Consuelo's house and started to blow the candles out, yes BLOWING THE CANDLES OUT! They couldn't understand how the candles were still lit, but that was the least of their worries, they boys never spoke about this.
What could go wrong in a church
One of our other aunts, aunt Petra (Petrita as we called her) lived in San Carlos an old Catholic church in the same city Aldama, Chihuahua Mexico. Our parents at some point were also living there. The kids would sleep it want is called la Capilla ( it's the smaller part of a Catholic church, normally where the communion is housed) as they were about to lay down and go to sleep they cousins Fausto, Tacho, Gero, and my brother Chemo were taking and laughing about an hour later they were almost asleep when out of nowhere the hugh church doors swung open like with a strong wind force, they all cover up with the blankets up to their heads, next they heard the footsteps loudly as the floors were made out of adobe, they all waited to see who would take the covers off first, they all agreed to look, when they looked at the doors and they were shut and never opened. In the same church our cousin Martina was in the restroom, when all of the sudden everyone in the house would hear her scream, the problem was that no one could help her because the door was locked and they were unable to unlock it, she was unable to open the door on her end, as if something had a hold of her, to this day our cousin Martina cannot go to the restroom or shower with the door closed. She was never able to talk about what happened.
Let’s recall volumes 1 and 2, the story titled I Love You, The Family Downfall. A lot of the family downfalls, mysteries, and secrets were withheld; honestly, just due to not knowing how to introduce, what I am sure happens a lot and no one wants to speak about it, Let’s get into it.
My sister Cańa was in 7th grade, and I was in 5th. We lived in a small town named Friona in Texas, by this time our parents moved us from our “safe haven” the small community in Roswell, New Mexico named The Oasis. We lived in a 2-bedroom house in Friona, TX that had a garage that was converted into a large bedroom. My sister and I loved our room, we felt as if we lived on our own and had our own space. Our parents and brother Gabriel lived there at that time. I recall the weekends as my favorite time since we didn’t have to go to school, I truly despised going to school in Friona, we were very few Mexican American kids in school, and we felt that. One of our eldest sisters (Cuca) had recently come back from running away and had to sleep in our bedroom. One of the nights as Cańa and I slept in my bed, and Cuca in my sister Caña’s bed, we started to hear her mumble words we didn’t understand or maybe just couldn’t hear correctly. Cuca, from what I can remember always ended up sleeping on her back, in the strangest position, one leg bent to where her right foot was flat up against her left calf area, so this formed what looked like the number 4.
While she spoke in her sleep the sounds got louder and a lot clearer, I get tears just thinking about this night. Loud, scared, and in a panic, she screams for mom “Ama, she yells, “Ama el diablo me Esta jalando” Let me translate that very scary phrase. “Mom, MOM, the devil is pulling me!” Remember her sleeping position, this never changed, my sister Cańa and I were already wide awake, our eyes were locked on her, and we had the blanket up for our faces right under our eyes. Her position remained the same when suddenly, her body jerked and within seconds her body was, what looked like it was pulled with the leg that wasn’t bent, from the top part of the bed down to the floor.
Mom had already made her way into the garage bedroom carrying candles with the Jesus and Mary images you know the ones that are taken to church and blessed, yes those; as she was yelling her pleads to release whatever evil had a hold of Cuca, I recall mom screaming her prayers as if that would come in like a magnet phone ad take priority. Mom was standing at the entrance of our converted bedroom as she looked in disbelief, let me remind you all that my sister and I were next to the bed where apparently the “devil” according to Cuca was pulling her! Mom had a rosary and a thin small book where she was getting what were supposed to be prayers but sounded more like scattered words. I’m sure she wanted to read it correctly but at the same time, she was thrown into the position of being an exorcist, savior and pretty much only hope. She was standing at the far end of a mirrored dresser Caña and I shared.
Imagine waking up to your daughter screaming that what she believed to be the devil was pulling her, watching her body unexplainably move as if someone had a very powerful leaf blower and turned it on That as many secrets and trauma in the Reyes-Durán family was swept under the “rug”. That was one of many evil things that took place, you know the stories that happen, and no one wants to talk about.
Who moved all the dishes?!
The fact that I was too young to understand what was happening is the reason I cannot tell this next story in detail, but from what I do recall being spoken about later; was a time when everyone in the house, in Dimmit, TX was asleep and either mom or dad heard dishes moving around in the kitchen, they got up and everyone was asleep, but every dish, glass, pan, and pot was removed from the cub bared and placed all over the kitchen.
The Bright and Silent Light
One story I can speak about in detail is when on the way to Roswell, New Mexico from the Dallas/Fort Worth area my 2 kids, my then husband, and I were close to arriving at the TX/NM border when I noticed a bright light, I was driving so I noticed it first with all the mirrors. It was close to 11:00 pm, I know that because we were about to gain an hour and it was going to be 10:00 pm Mountain time- leaving Central time zone. I started to slow down, so much so that I opened up the sunroof because the fact that the light was too bright, too close and there was no sound started to worry me, at first, I thought it was a small airplane, but when the sunroof opened, there was silence, the only noise was the kids yelling "mom, don't stop, keep going!" All 4 of us were left speechless and breathless when the light hovered right above us with no sound, as my daughter screamed and begged louder for me to drive off the light shot up as if it was a rocket, that story we have never told and one we will never forget.
Hidden Money with spell protection
Take a step back to November 20, 1910, the order was made to overthrow the then-current ruler and dictator, Porfirio Diaz Mori. Diaz was an ambitious president, keen to develop the country into an industrial and modernized one. Liberals and intellectuals began to challenge the regime of Diaz who had begun power in 1877, therefore ruling for 34 years! Welcome to the Mexican Revolution.
When word was received to have all weapons ready close to the US/Mexican border a lot of the richest townspeople started burying their money, because there was a lot of money, they decided to not only bury it but add a spell over where they buried it. Some spells would consist of loud noises, firearms going off, and horses rambling through, this was to scare the would-be-thieves so it is said that this is where a lot of negative spirits emerged and may still be there today.
One of my brothers Chemo (Anselmo) shared the following with me. This took place in the city they grew up in Aldama in the state of Chihuahua Mexico. He and some of our cousins and local neighborhood kids would get together nightly to hang out and play different games outside. One game was the regular racing game that turned into a nightmare.
Chemo starts recalling that our only cousin on our mother's side and his brother-in-law were some of the many people that constantly searched for some of all that money that was buried years before they were a thought. They spoke of finding some of that money, this was in gold pieces form. They found some gold pieces and suddenly, a horse appeared, they didn't think anything at first until this horse started to shrink and grow right before their eyes. They were held up by this evil force for quite a while. They told the story with hesitation and enough fear but were able to escape the force. They also speak of how much gold they were able to take, no they didn't fear the dark force enough to leave the gold behind; one mention is that money didn't last long at all. They shared with my brother that jealousy overtook a lot of what could have been a life-changing event. Chemo spoke of a local soda delivery man by the name of Domingo Lopez, Mr. Lopez became a millionaire with the gold he found decades later, which was in a farm he purchased where he grew, cultured, and sold quince - the fruit.
Invisible WHITE SHEET
Playing a game called "el bote bolado" translates to "the flying can" The object of the game was one person would toss the empty coke or beer can and everyone else would need to guess where the can was thrown, since it was dark it was a guessing game. Chemo and his local friends Lorenzo Candia, Juan, Javier Silva, and Beto Cruz started playing. Some time into the game there in Aldama, Chihuahua Mexico. Right in the middle of the alley at the same time, 5 of the boys witnessed a white fog-looking sheet, in a clear no cloud-in-the-sky type of night it seemed impossible; nonetheless, they continued to go towards it all running. "I recall Lorenzo was the fastest out of all of us, he was the biggest and strongest," Chemo explains. Lorenzo comes up to the "invisible white sheet" and thinks he's just going to go through it like fog, except it felt like a sheet that with the strength of cotton, it retained him, and he couldn't go through! Some of the other boys felt the same thing and by the time the others and Chemo got to it, the sheet was gone!
THE HORSES THAT WERE HEARD AND NEVER SEEN
Chemo and the boys and some others at that time were together at an event with their families, after it was over, they would all walk home together, being boys decided to walk through a path everyone warned them about, a path that unfortunately many witnesses saw and told the same story, that at times when one would walk by. they could see random people hung by the neck on all the trees. That night they may have wished that's all they saw because at least this way it was a common sighting. For the boys, they would witness something more taunting, to each of them.
One Night they were all coming from a Posada, a posada is a traditional Mexican/Catholic event held around Christmas, it's where a group of participants get together and go house to house asking other participents for posada, meaning, will you give me a space in your home to rest, eat, and stay warm. It's traditional to have food, drinks, and music. The participants asking for posada would sing before asking to come in out of the cold holding candles and at times dressing up as the traditional Mary and Jesus.
The boys were done eating and decided it was time to head home, the meeting point was at our aunt Consuelo's house near a small plaza (park area). The boys were making their way there and to keep the candles on at least until they passed up the Callejon del oajorcado (the hanged alley) as it was dubbed, because a lot of locals claimed to witness groups of people hung by their necks on the trees around that area; they were walking slowly and carefully. Playing around as kids normally do, they were playing around with the candles and also hoping they wouldn't go out until they passed up the alley.
They heard a pack of horses coming through and decided to split some to the right and the others to the left, as they heard and felt the horses coming closer and louder, imagine a pack of horses coming so close to you- you could feel them, they started to make their way back into the street, that would never take place! The horses were heard but never seen.
The group of boys looked at each other and realized those were not horses but yet again they were experiencing a darkness, they all started running past the alley they were so afraid to pass up, they park and made it to Aunt Consuelo's house and started to blow the candles out, yes BLOWING THE CANDLES OUT! They couldn't understand how the candles were still lit, but that was the least of their worries, they boys never spoke about this.
What could go wrong in a church
One of our other aunts, aunt Petra (Petrita as we called her) lived in San Carlos an old Catholic church in the same city Aldama, Chihuahua Mexico. Our parents at some point were also living there. The kids would sleep it want is called la Capilla ( it's the smaller part of a Catholic church, normally where the communion is housed) as they were about to lay down and go to sleep they cousins Fausto, Tacho, Gero, and my brother Chemo were taking and laughing about an hour later they were almost asleep when out of nowhere the hugh church doors swung open like with a strong wind force, they all cover up with the blankets up to their heads, next they heard the footsteps loudly as the floors were made out of adobe, they all waited to see who would take the covers off first, they all agreed to look, when they looked at the doors and they were shut and never opened. In the same church our cousin Martina was in the restroom, when all of the sudden everyone in the house would hear her scream, the problem was that no one could help her because the door was locked and they were unable to unlock it, she was unable to open the door on her end, as if something had a hold of her, to this day our cousin Martina cannot go to the restroom or shower with the door closed. She was never able to talk about what happened.