La Llorona

There is an arroyo that cuts behind the teachers’ house and across the street from the school. An arroyo is a gash of a riverbed that fills occasionally. When ours fills it is called Amargo Creek. It has steep sides.

One night, a long time ago, a woman drowned her children in the arroyo. It was at a moment of desperation and she regretted it immediately. Weeping in agony, she tried to rescue them from the creek, but it was too late.

At night you can still hear her crying. Some people think it is just the wind, but if you listen carefully, you can hear the words, "Where are my children? Where are my children?" The kids in my class have heard her and seen her many times. They know better than to go near the arroyo when it is dark. La Llorona, the weeping woman, might snatch them and drown them too. You never know.