The Legend (Story)

When I arrived in the town where I was born, after 15 years of absence, I was contemplating the entrance and the changes I had suffered since the last time I was here.

I was almost a child when I left, now that I have arrived again everything that happened seems a nightmare.

The town still has some things like that loneliness during the day and some old facades of the houses have been lost and the colonial environment has been transformed by modern and insignificant constructions and its streets are full of shops and factories.

It is no longer the town lost in time, even the people have changed, now they walk the streets indifferent and indolent, as if yesterday had not existed and the only memory that remains of that is myself.

Nobody remembers anymore that night that has marked my existence, it is as if all those happy memories of my childhood have been transformed into a horrible nightmare.

Immediately I wanted to go to my parents' house; a few years ago it was the most beautiful and largest house in the village, in its gardens flowers abounded but when I got there I realized that I had been a victim of the passing of time, now it is an old and lonely house and in its gardens there is only waste accumulated by time.

I decided to enter and walk around it all, she was the reflection of all the happiest and bitterest memories of my life.

When I arrived at the room where I saw my mother and my two sisters for the last time, I lacked the strength and fell to the floor remembering those horrible images.

There was a young man who had been mistreated by life and on seeing me he was frightened enough to throw the bottle of cane that he had in his hands and taking his hands to his head he began to scream.

-Don't kill me, don't kill me!

I wanted to get closer to help him but when he saw this he ran out and fell down the stairs. I quickly went down to observe what had happened to him and when I checked him I realized that he was fine, just a little bit beaten up pretty drunk, so I decided to leave him there and go out of the house to where the Montesinos' house was, a very prestigious family in the town, now turned into a big tourist hotel.

When I arrive I ask for a room with a view of the river and the receptionist is surprised and says to me.

-How strange that you asked for that room. -Haven't you heard the legend?

I immediately ask her:

-What legend are you talking about?

-Don't believe me, I didn't live in this town at that time, but they say that fifteen years ago a father went crazy and killed his daughter by the river so that people wouldn't know what he had done, and buried her right there.

-Do you know the name of this young woman?

-I think her name was Loneliness.

-For me, it's just a story about people. Give me the room.

-Who do I register it under?

-To Soledad Gomez.

She stares at me in surprise as if she saw a ghost.

Then a doubt comes to mind.

Am I dead?