The Girl Who Stirred The Pot

Sophia watched the corner of her phone and groaned at the absence of bars. She turned to her cousin, Alejandra who followed her around like a lost puppy. Sophia was the cool cousin from America afterall, and it made for some good practice speaking English. For Sophia however, she dreaded visiting abroad her father's birthplace but, tried to make the best of her time there.

"Ugh. I'm bored again. Let's play a game?"

"OK sure. What game?"

"This one I made-up sitting around in Math class with my friends. We'd get substitute teachers almost every week, most of them cranky grannys, so we'd play a game to guess their personalities and have some fun with them. We called it, Spot the Witch or Spot the Bitch!"

"Sophia!" her mother scolded. "What did I tell you about using that word?"

"Oh, leave your daughter alone." Aunt Rosa interrupted. "She's a thousand miles from home. She gets a free pass when she's on vacation. Isn't that right, neice?"

Sophia smiled at her Aunt then turned to her Mom whose eyes she could easily interpret. "Just you wait until your father gets back. He won't be so forgiving." 

Sophia's Dad was a strict devout religious person, along with her mother, they both didn't allow cursing of any kind around the house or would allow for such ill-mannered games to be played. Lucky for Sophia, her potential punishments were nullified by her father's older sister Aunt Rosa. So Sophia took solace in being in her protection. She intended to have a better time on her trip, than just helping cook and doing chores. And since there was no functioning internet or phone network around, or the saving grace of a local shopping mall, she really had no other choice.

Sophia opted to hang around the front of her Aunt's house, a prime place for people-watching. Their home had functioned as a liquor store that attracted a large number of patrons and vendors from the only well traversed steet to the beach. It was the perfect place to execute their game of judgment.

"Ok, so ready for this game?"

"I don't know Sophia, your mom seemed pretty pissed at you."

"Oh she'll be alright. So here's how to play the game. You need to spot three characteristics of whoever comes by, if they're a secret foul faced witch among these people like, La Llorona, you call it out or you know the other thing."

"I don't get it, why witch?"

"Ugh because it rhymes? Ok you need to convince me of three reasons. They need to be funny or at least supported in a creative way, the more reasons you find, the more points you get. Three points max total per person." 

Alejandra's face looked dumbfounded. She would have rather played video games instead.

"OK. Just watch."

A middle-aged lady walked in through the porch in search for their Auntie.

She smiled and greeted everybody.

"Look!" Sophia pointed and smiled suspiciously.

"No shoes. In this terrain? After it had just rained? Could be because she doesn't need them at all and hovers around everywhere? That's one reason, one point."

"Ok...?"

"So I get one point because I gave you a valid reason."

"Got it."

"Can't think of anymore. So...You do the next person."

Throughout the rest of the day, Alejandra and Sophia vetted the local villagers that came by shopping for Auntie's snacks, drinks, and some for her freshly grinded corn and home-made hard stinky cheese. There were vendors selling their bigger bulk of merchandise as well. 

One of their elderly Aunties came by for the fourth time who lived next door.

Alejandra eagerly pointed her out. They both giggled loudly as she was an easy double-pointer for the Bitch-category. She came by with her mocking remarks and never greeted anyone when she came by to speak with Uncle in gossiping whispers.

"Gossip! Gossip! One point for me. Wait until she says something offensive." 

Sophia scooted her chair away as a familiar chocolate-colored mutt came by sniffing for food. He would come by several times earlier that morning scratching and sniffing around.

"Stealing Auntie's snacks without paying? Two points." said Alejandra subtly glancing at their older Aunt.

"Ew. Not you again. Gross Fleabag. Gross. Gross! Get away, it probably has worms. Ugh." Sophia nudged the street dog away with the bottom of her sandals.

"Chucho won't bite you. You know." said Alejandra. She tossed a crumb his way to get rid of him. "He's just hungry."

"Ok. I have 20 points and you have 18. The next person's our last one, Ok?"

"Ok" Alejandra agreed.

"You're up."

A frail and friendly old woman came by and greeted the Aunties and Uncles who lounged around the porch as they frequently did.

"Buenas Tardes." she said. Her voice was warm and polite.

"Buenas Tardes" said everyone else collectively.

Sophia raised her eyebrows up and down taunting Alejandra. She knew she had lost her opportunity for finding something rude from her. This old woman was like Mother Teresa. She was sure she'd purchase a few items and be on her way. 

Alejandra would need to be inventive to find any funny witch characteristics.

The chocolate lab made a God-awful screeching sound and urinated on himself while the old woman approached. He leaned his back cowering under Sophia's chair.

It was as if the dog knew the woman and was terrified of her.

He curled his tail between his legs whimpering. Sophia looked at him then back to the old woman who ignored the situation.

"Oh! Oh!" Alejandra said excitedly.

"That's a little weird..." Sophia said. Even she, who never cared for street dogs felt bad for the animal. 

The woman smiled and continued on to find her Auntie Rosa for a purchase.

"She scared Chucho! One point, Bitch!"

Sophia turned quickly to Alejandra.

"Oh, I meant for the B category. Sorry."

Sophia abruptly got up and walked into the kitchen to look for the old woman."

There, she was talking about medicine Aunt Rosa would recommend for her. It was a mundane conversation, but Sophia noticed something under her bare feet. The old woman had on sandals but a strange substance under her heel, something that looked swollen, small almost protruding lumps of green tissue.

"Ew." 

The old woman looked at Sophia and crossed her feet together embaressed but, never let her smile fade away.

Sophia observed them from across another room and noticed they never once blinked, and they spoke to each other what appeared peculiar. Their eyes were also almost emotionless and lifeless. It almost looked as if they were acting. Auntie never looked this way before. Something was up with this strange old woman she couldn't shake.

The old woman grabbed her bags of medicine she had purchased and said her goodbyes.

Auntie then walked back into the porch with everyone else lounging and said something Sophia didn't catch completely, but something about the woman being a blessing but tight on the money. Sophia's Spanish comprehension still needed a little work. 

She then walked back outside to the porch where Alejandra sat disappointed.

"I was one point away... " she pouted. "It's not fair!"

"Ok enough about the game. What do you know about that old woman?"

"Doña Lupe? She's... Well she's always here on Fridays. She buys a lot of salt and sprite bottles from Auntie. Who goes through that much salt anyways?"

"Ok thanks Sherlock Holmes, anything else?"

Alejandra paused to think.

"Come on, like where she lives and stuff?"

"Oh, there's is this story about her that's super creepy."

"Ok that's where you should have started. Continue?"

"Ok well. I heard from my Grandma, her and her husband when he was alive years ago had some kind of business to hunt down wild dogs. You know like animals that were in the way for people. Her home use to smell like rotten meat when people would pass by. And also you could see the piles of the bodies stacked through the fences. This was all before the practice was outlawed. Aunt and Grandma use to tell me that story. They said people did anything to survive back in the day."

"That is pretty creepy."

"Yes so why are you so interested in her anyways?"

"Well, you wouldn't believe me if I told you and you'd think I was crazy."

"Not true." Alejandra smiled. "I already think you're crazy."

"Ok real funny. I know it was a stupid game we were playing but..." Sophia sighed. "I think she might be a real witch."

Alejandra arched an eyebrow. "What?"

"Ok hear me out. I have never seen an animal so scared in my entire life. I know when an animal looks scared, trust me, my little sister has a stupid Chihuahua. But the way that dog looked so hopeless around that old lady it almost seemed like she did something to him."

"Ok, but Chucho is always like that around Grandma because Grandma shoos them away with the tree branch."

"I don't know. Something seems up about that lady, not just that when she was talking to Auntie. There was something really weird with the way they were looking at each other. Like Aunt Rosa was under some spell."

"Her eyes? What? Like squinting?"

"No! Never mind. Ignore me. Knew you wouldn't get it."

"Ok fine. But how can we know for sure?"

"Did you say she lived really close?"

"Yes, but. You know she comes late at night, and they close the gates around the house right after sun down. They are going to find out we left. I don't want to get in trouble." 

"Who cares, remember my Aunt said I can get away with anything while I'm on vacation?"

"Yes...So..."

"Well we'll blame it all on me if we get caught."

"Ugh this is bad idea."

"Ok we will just see her go inside her house and leave. I just want to know if we see anything else that's suspicious."

"Ten minutes and that's is all."

"Ok ten minutes it is. Thank you Alejandra."

Later that night the two cousins slipped out through the gate before their Uncle locked them around the house. They would find a wooden pallet to climb back inside after.

"Ok be quiet. We'll trail behind her."

They continued taking quiet steps following the old lady who seemed to shuffle her feet slower than molasses. And behind, the cousins peeked and hid behind bushes.

They finally made it to her home. It was an old building made of concrete. The gates had been rusted and besides it, a water well that seemed to be producing a foul smell.

As they watched the old woman enter her house, her silhouette hung her light sweater on a clothing rack by the door while she left the door open.

Alejandra rolled her eyes nudged Sophia to go back home. Sophia remained staring. Alejandra averted her eyes to the street where they came from and they spotted a street dog watching them and sniffing garbage.

The old woman continued removing articles of clothing, another sweater, her straw hat, a light scarf, even her blouse.

Sophia winced. "What the heck."

 Then when she had nothing else to remove, the old woman continued. She removed what seemed like her wrinkled skin that left her form thin and boney.

She hung the skin coat limp onto the hangar rack as well. 

"A-Alejandra... please tell me you saw that." Sophia said shaking.

She couldn't get that image out of here mind of that frail androgynous figure.

Sophia grabbed forcefully her cousins chin and pointed it towards the old woman.

"Bruja..." Alejandra whispered. "How could you bring me here!" She pushed her cousin.

"I can't believe we're arguing about this. We need to..."

Then a loud screech distracted them. The old woman seemed to react as she turned her head to the bush where they hid.

Alejandra quickly grabbed Sophia's arm and desperately fled back onto their path.

A series of eerie amplified whispers called out for them.

They ran faster, but the further they felt they ran, the more the path seemed to be never-ending. Their passageway looped with similar tree patterns they noticed with their peripheral vision.

The whispers became louder and more invasive in their ears, but no sight of the old woman.

They continued running for ten more minutes until finally giving up.

Sophia fell to the ground. "I'm tired..." 

"Nenas adonde van sin mi regalos!?" the old woman howled out from the trees.

Sophia turned behind her and only saw an empty path "What did she say?" she cried.

She turned back to her cousin who had just been there a second ago.

Alejandra was missing.

Sophia was left panicking. "Alejandra!!! Where the hell are you!" she yelled.  

Sophia watched as a figure approached from the thick mist.

"I'm right here stupid. One point and I win right?" Alejandra said.

The closer she appeared, the more she could make out Alejandra, but her face was still hard to make out. 

Sophia reached out her hand to pull her closer, but as the mist began vanishing around Alejandra's face, her true form was revealed, she had a wrinkled face as if she had aged sixty years.

It was the old woman in disguise, and she had the same cold lifeless yellow eyes.

"Es difícil imitar los ojos." She smiled.

"W-What?" Sophia stuttered.

"Oh, I can speak your language too. You weren't too nice to me, bicho. You need to learn your lesson."

Sophia's eyes had frozen watching the old woman's hypnotizing face and screamed as loud as she could. Suddenly the old Woman winced. Sophia heard a growling sound and looked down to the witches feet. The brown mutt had been gnawing on the back of her ankle. Sophia ran as quickly as she could back to her Aunt's house and found Alejandra standing near a wooden pallet by the entrance. "What took you so long?!" she cried.