At the beginning of the story, Pelayo and his wife found a very old man lying face down on the mud. It was not just a normal old man, but an old man with wings. They did not know what exactly the old man could be considered, so they sought their know-it-all neighbor. According to the neighbor, the very old man was an angel who had come to take the couple's sick baby - as in the baby's death was near.

In regard to Latin Americans having mythical stories as part of the culture, the know-it-all neighbor makes me think of a ‘bruja’ (witch), but not the sort of ‘bruja’ that has a green face with a big, pointy nose that flies on its broom. It is the one that tells an individual his or her future by reading cards or the palm. I am not sure how other Latin Americans identify someone who does this ‘witchcraft’, but since I am familiar more with Mexican culture and traditions, I want to share what I know. ‘Bruja’ or ‘brujo’ is certainly known for removing the evil spirits from someone through strange and quick procedures involving alcohol at times. A very common one that I know when this procedure occurs involves babies. It is believed that if a baby is continuously crying and does not want to eat it is because it comes from a person who gave the baby the ‘evil eye’ which can sometimes mean that the person is passing their dark or evil energy to the innocent baby. The cure is to rub the baby with an egg. Why rub the baby with an egg? I am not completely sure, but I am guessing that the evil energy will easily be transferred into the yolk. After rubbing off the baby with an egg, the egg is cracked in a cup of water where one can then see the malformation of the yolk. I remember when one of my little brothers was being rubbed by an egg, after the procedure the egg was cracked and I saw from a distanced the yolk showed a red color which can be caused from a person giving the baby the ‘evil eye’ and then it is to be thrown out. Pelayo’s neighbor reminds me of a ‘bruja’ because she tells him and his wife that the angel has come to take their baby, like if she had the presence that the baby was going to die of illness. 

Another thing that I want to point out from the story is the part when the spider woman showed up and told everyone her story of how she was turned into a spider, resulting in the loss of interest people had towards the angel. It makes me think about my way of life with respect to the aspect of my religion – Catholic. Based on what I have learned from church, anyone can believe in nonsense and can become confused with reality. People did not think that the old man was not real, but an imposter to grab attention; on the other hand, people actually believed the spider woman through her story of how she became such a creature. Realistically speaking, in regard to my religion, I have gone through moments where I have been confused with reality and fantasy. I used to read my daily horoscopes, which is against the Catholic religion because it redirects one from good to evil and it makes one believe in unrealistic things. The Catholic church has taught me that one should not believe what the outer world has to offer in the aspect of evilness. Sometimes, when a priest gives advice to me after telling my sins, I have doubted the advice that I was given. It was like the advice that I was given was not fun or attractive in a way for me to enjoy. Horoscopes, on the other hand, are a way of entertaining others and making one’s life more fun. I have learned that horoscopes are just lies, that are made up or made up of fortunetellers. People believe lies more than what can actually be realistic.