woostify domain was triggered too early. This is usually an indicator for some code in the plugin or theme running too early. Translations should be loaded at the init action or later. Please see Debugging in WordPress for more information. (This message was added in version 6.7.0.) in /home/latestwordpress/lonestar.a1professionals.net_public_html/wp-includes/functions.php on line 6131New YA fiction by Diana L\u00f3pez<\/p>\n
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Excerpted from\u202fFelice and the Wailing Woman\u202fby Diana L\u00f3pez Copyright \u00a9 2023 by Diana L\u00f3pez. Excerpted by permission of Kokila. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher. <\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Prologue <\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Today, the students of Tres Leches Middle School in Tejas would rather eat dirt than go on a field trip. This<\/em> field trip, to be exact. They\u2019d rather stay inside and take pop quizzes. They\u2019d rather eat raw broccoli for lunch and do 1,153 jumping jacks for PE. Instead, they move slowly, double-knotting their shoelaces and topping off their water bottles as Mr. Tercero hurries them along. \u201c\u00a1\u00c1ndenle!\u201d he says. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n They\u2019ve heard of other schools in other towns with field trips to museums, or firehouses, or historic sites like the Alamo. They\u2019ve heard that instead of hiking to their destinations, the students travel by bus. They\u2019ve even heard\u2014and this one\u2019s hard to believe\u2014that the field trips often include tour guides who know everything and then some, and gift shops\u2014yes, gift shops!\u2014where visitors can buy postcards or refrigerator magnets or tiny spoons. But for the pobrecitos of Tres Leches, there were no buses, tour guides, or gift shops. They went to only three places, and they went to these places every year\u2014El Camar\u00f3n Dance Hall & Arcade in the fall, the mud expanse in the winter, and La Llorona Park in the spring. The \u201cpark\u201d part was always said tongue-in- cheek, and if anyone knew what the opposite of a park was, they would have used that word instead. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cCome on. Let\u2019s go!\u201d Ms. Peters calls out. And so the students start their trek, not bothering to look around or make jokes. They pass the playground and the library and the vacant lot. They march right out of town, crossing the soon-to-be bluebonnet field and a small, dark forest, and on the other side of it, a clearing of mostly dead grass. They gulp warm water from their bottles and swat at mosquitoes, the humid air thick around them, until finally arriving at a wooden marker\u2014like a tombstone\u2014nearly hidden by webs and vines. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cStop!\u201d Mr. Tercero demands. The students freeze, not daring to go farther. The teachers pull out hedge shears and pruners, and they start cutting away, little by little revealing a sign. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n beware the river, <\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n for here haunts la llorona. in life, she was a fool for love. <\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n then she drowned her children out of spite, and now her ghost wants to drown you, too. <\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The teachers and the students take a moment to read. Some of the braver souls speak the words aloud, while others can only manage to mouth them silently. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Then the principal, Ms. Cavasos, says, \u201cAny volunteers?\u201d After a moment of silence, she asks again, this time with a \u201cHmm?\u201d <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The students look at their double-knotted shoelaces and the burrs clinging to their socks. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cVery well, then,\u201d Ms. Cavasos says, opening a bag. One by one, the students utter a prayer and reach in. They pull out folded bits of paper. \u201cDon\u2019t look till I say,\u201d Ms. Cavasos reminds them. The last student reaches into the bag. She has no choice but to take the remaining paper. At that, the principal says, \u201cOkay. You can look now.\u201d <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The students unfold the papers, most sighing with relief except for Ignacio, whose paper is marked with an X. The poor boy shivers and asks his friends, \u201cWant to trade? Want to trade?\u201d but no one accepts the offer. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ms. Cavasos puts a hand on his shoulder. \u201cYou\u2019re a daring boy,\u201d she assures him, but he looks scared. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Then Coach steps forward with a rope. He ties one end around Ignacio\u2019s waist, and because Coach is strong and makes a good anchor, he ties the other end around his own waist. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s time to step forward,\u201d Ms. Cavasos tells Ignacio. \u201cReport what you hear and what you feel. You\u2019re our hero today. Your friends\u201d\u2014she waves an arm at them\u2014 \u201cthey need to be reminded.\u201d <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ignacio gulps. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cAnd when we return to town, you\u2019ll be rewarded with a delicious slice of tres leches cake,\u201d she adds. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n This is usually a strong motivation, but not today. Instead, Ignacio looks back at his friends as if to ask for help. They can only nod to urge him forward. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ignacio turns toward the river. He clenches his fists, closes his eyes, and takes one step and then another. About ten steps in, he moans. \u201cOh!\u201d he cries. \u201cI hear La Llorona! She\u2019s crying! It\u2019s so terrible!\u201d <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWhat is she saying?\u201d Ms. Peters wants to know. \u201cShe\u2019s calling for her children. She wants her chil<\/span><\/span>dren,\u201d Ignacio answers. \u201cShe\u2019s calling for me. I\u2019m her child. I need to go to her!\u201d <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cCover your ears!\u201d his friends tell him. \u201cTurn back!\u201d \u201cBut she needs me!\u201d Ignacio says with urgency. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n He runs forward, and suddenly the rope goes taut. Coach digs his heels in the dirt to hold Ignacio back, but it works only for a few seconds. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cQuick! I need help,\u201d Coach calls. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Mr. Tercero and five or six students grab the rope for an intense tug-of-war. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n It shouldn\u2019t be possible for one small boy like Ignacio to hold them off, but the dreadful lure of La Llorona\u2019s spell is unparalleled. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cPull!\u201d Coach shouts, and the rope moves a little. \u201cPull!\u201d he shouts again. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Coach, Mr. Tercero, and the students pull, using the full force of their muscles and will. Their hands get sweaty, and their arms and legs start to shake, but inch by inch, they manage to reel Ignacio in. When he\u2019s on the safe side of the sign, everyone drops to the ground, exhausted. They ask for their water bottles, some for drinking and others for pouring the water over their heads. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n After a stunned moment, Ignacio unties the rope, rubs at his belly, and starts to sob. \u201cI wanted to go to her, even though her cries were like a nightmare. Why did I want to go to her? She would have drowned me. I knew she wanted to drown me, and I still wanted to go.\u201d <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ms. Cavasos nods knowingly. \u201cThat\u2019s the curse of La Llorona. She tricks you into thinking you\u2019re her child, and when she sees that you\u2019re not . . . well, let\u2019s just say her rage takes over.\u201d Then, turning to the group, she says, \u201cYou must never go past this sign, for if you do, you will hear La Llorona\u2019s cries and feel compelled to approach the river, where she\u2019ll grab you and\u2014\u201d <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n She stops midsentence. The students nod because they all know what will happen next. They\u2019ve been coming to La Llorona \u201cPark\u201d every year since kindergarten, and they\u2019ll keep coming till they graduate from high school, because you could never hear it enough: Beware the river, beware the river, beware . . . <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n