They told us a story about the devil,mala cosa, small in stature with a beardwhose face they could never see clearlywho traveled from house to housewith a flaming piece of wood, who stolewhomever he wanted and, with a flint,gave them three incisions one palmo wideand two long in the sides, then pulledout their entrails, cut off a piece to throwinto the fire, made three cutsin the arm, the second in the sangraduraobverse to the elbow, dislocated it beforesetting everything back in place, handstouching the wounds and saying they were healedSometimes he would appear at their dances,in costume, dressed as a woman or a man,and whenever he wanted to he picked upthe buhío house, lifted it into the air,then dropped it with a crashThe food they offered himhe never ate, and…