I drew the final thread of the spider’s web, closing the outer circle. “Ya, vámonos, Dad,” I said. “Ready?”
“Sí, m’hija.” We headed down the trail, and he talked about the wildflower he’d identified, great blue lobelia, how its leaves cured headaches and coughs. Afternoon faded into evening, and the air smelled of earth and wood and fallen leaves. I felt the strength of the spiderweb’s threads connecting me to people miles and years away, as real as the moon’s force on the oceans. Then I felt my father’s hand, warm and callused around mine. Then I noticed the breeze, light on my arms, through the holes in my favorite green sweater. Then I thought, This is how it feels to be alive.
Epilogue
The moon rises over a girl and her father as they walk on a path down a mountain. The girl points to the moon, and her father’s eyes follow. Their heads tilt to the right. There, there it is, the girl says. The rabbit in the moon.
In Yucuyoo, an old woman with two long braids watches the sky, humming as she takes down clothes from the line. An old man in a palm hat walks to her and puts his arm to her back. He points to a tree branch where a heron, glowing white in the moonlight, is spreading its wings. It rises up and flies across the cornfield.
By a small house, the heron alights on a tree branch. It listens to the song of a boy who sits on the stoop, a guitar on his knees. He strums and sings and watches the heron watching him.
The moonlight bathes them all tonight, its invisible threads moving over them, moving between them, moving inside them.
GLOSSARY
SPANISH ENGLISH
¿A QUÉ HORA REGRESAS? (ah KAY OH-rah rrray-GRES-ahs) What time will you be back?
ABUELITA (ah-bway-LEE-tah) Grandmother
ABUELO (ah-BWAY-lo) Grandfather
ADIÓS (ah-dee-OHS) Goodbye
ADOBE (ah-DOH-bay) A material for building houses, made of clay, mud, straw, stones, and corncobs
¡ÁNIMO! (AH-nee-moh) Have courage! Cheer up!
BAÑO DE TEMAZCAL (BAHN-yoh day tay-mahs-CAHL) An herbal steambath dating to pre-Hispanic times
BUENAS NOCHES (BWAY-nahs NOH-chess) Good night
BUENAS TARDES (BWAY-nahs TAR-dess) Hello/good afternoon
BUENOS DÍAS (BWAY-nohs DEE-ahs) Hello/good morning
BURRO (BOO-rrro) Donkey
CARRIZO (ka-RRREE-soh) A bamboo-like reed that is a healing plant
CHILE (CHEE-lay) Hot chile pepper
CHIVO (CHEE-voh) Goat
COMAL (coh-MAHL) Clay plate for cooking over a fire
COPAL (coh-PAHL) Sacred incense made from tree sap
DOMICILIO CONOCIDO (doh-mee-SEE-lee-oh coh-noh-SEE-doh) “Address Known”—In some small villages, there are no street names or numbers. The mail carrier knows where everyone in the village lives.
DON (Dohn) Mr. (a title of respect)
DOÑA (DOHN-yah) Mrs. (a title of respect)
ESPÉRATE (ay-SPAIR-ah-tay) Wait
FIESTA (fee-ESS-tah) Party
GRACIAS (GRAH-see-ahs) Thank you
GUAPA (GWAH-pah) Beautiful
HASTA LUEGO (AHS-tah loo-AY-goh) See you later
HIERBA AMARGA (YAIR-bah ah-MAR-gah) Bitter herb
HIERBA BUENA (YAIR-bah BWAY-nah) Good herb (in the mint family)
HOLA (OH-lah) Hi
HUELE DE NOCHE (WAY-lay day NOH-chay) “Smells at Night”—a tree with flowers that are fragrant at night
HUESERO (way-SAIR-o) Bone doctor
HUIPIL (wee-PEEL) Traditional woven or embroidered shirt or dress
LIMPIA (LEEM-pee-ah) A spiritual cleaning with fresh herbs and flowers
LORO (LOH-roh) Parrot
MACHETE (mah-CHEH-tay) Long knife used for work in the fields
MAL AIRE (mahl AH-ee-ray) Evil air; a sickness
METATE (meh-TAH-tay) Grinding stone
MEZCAL (mess-KAHL) Liquor made from maguey cactus
MI AMOR (mee ah-MORRR) My love (affectionate term like “honey”)
MI VIDA (mee VEE-dah) My life (affectionate term like “honey”)
MIRA (MEE-rah) Look
M’HIJA (MEE-ha) My daughter (affectionate term)
MUCHACHA (moo-CHAH-chah) Maid, servant
MUY BIEN (MOOY bee-EN) Very good
NAGUAL (NAH-wahl) Someone who can transform into an animal
OAXACA (wah-HA-kah) A city and state in southern Mexico
PETATE (peh-TAH-tay) Woven palm mat
PIRÚL (pee-ROOL) A healing plant
¿QUÉ DECIDISTE? (KAY deh-see-DEES-tay) What did you decide?
QUESADILLA (kay-sah-DEE-yah) Tortilla with melted cheese
RUDA (RRROO-dah) A strong-smelling herb used fresh in limpias
SAUCO (SAH-oo-koh) A healing plant
SEÑORA (sen-YOH-rah) Lady/Mrs.
SEÑORITA (sen-yor-EE-tah) Miss
SOMBRERO (som-BRAIR-oh) Woven palm hat
TAMAL (tah-MAHL) Cornmeal, chiles, cheese, and meat wrapped in a banana leaf or corn husk
TORTILLA (tor-TEE-yah) Flat, circular bread made from cornmeal and water
YA, VÁMONOS (YAH VAH-moh-nos) Let’s go
YO SOLO Y MI ALMA (YOH SOH-loh ee mee AHL-mah) Just me and my soul
MIXTECO ENGLISH
People speak different kinds of Mixteco from region to region and even from village to village. So if you ever meet people who speak Mixteco, you’ll notice that they might have different ways of saying things, depending on where they’re from.
Mixteco is a tonal language. This means, for example, that a word can change meanings depending on whether your voice goes up or down or stays at a middle tone on each syllable. Here is a simplified pronunciation guide that doesn’t indicate syllable accents or tones.
ITA (ee-tah) Flower
ITA TIKUVA (ee-tah tee-koo-vah) Butterfly flower
ITA TINDOO (ee-tah teen-dohh) A healing plant (sauco in Spanish)
IYO VA’A NII (ee-zhoh vah-ah neee) I’m fine
NAJA IYO NUU? (nah-hah ee-zhoh noooo) How are you?
NA KA’AN NO’O ÑUU SAVI? (na kah-ahn noh-oh nyoooo sah-vee) Do you speak Mixteco?
NANA (nah-nah) Mother
NKU TA’A VINI (nkoo tah-ah vee-nee) Thank you
ÑUU SAVI (nyoooo sah-vee) Mixteco (literally, “the Place of Water”)
TA’NU (tah-noo) Grandfather
TON KUAA (ton kwaah) Good evening
YUKU NUXI (yoo-koo noo-she) Sap herb
YUKU KUAA (yoo-koo kwaah) Night herb
YUKU TAXINI (yoo-koo tah-shee-nee) A healing herb (pericón in Spanish)
YUKU TUCHI (yoo-koo too-chee) Bitter herb (hierba amarga in Spanish)
YUCUYOO (yoo-koo yohoh) Hill of the moon
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Published by Yearling, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books a division of Random House, Inc., New York
Copyright © 2006 by Laura Resau
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