The old man of the stream

El viejo del arroyo

Bautista always gets scolded for his mischief, but he manages to get out of trouble. His mom believes only half of what he says. Every day, she asks him to go buy something for cooking from the store a few blocks away. Bautista loves to ride his bike and explore his neighborhood, greeting his neighbors. There is only one thing he is afraid of: the old man by the stream. He doesn’t know if he really exists or if it’s just a story his mother made up to scare him, but just in case, he never goes near there. They say the old man by the stream patiently waits by the shore of Las Piedras Stream until children appear, puts them in his bag, and doesn’t come back for several days…