There was once a handsome soldier from Spain named Leonardo, who married an ordinary woman named Esperanza. She was in love with Leonardo from the first day he marched into town with his comrades. For her it was love at first sight. The women of the town greeted the soldiers and Esperanza watched from the cantina window as they laughed and flirted. Leonardo was the most desired of them all. He was very tall and slender. He spoke with a very deep, strong voice. All of the town’s women flocked to him but he was not interested in their advances.
Esperanza did not speak to him for many days after his arrival. She felt he would reject her for not being beautiful. Esperanza worked at her papa’s cantina called La Luna. This is where she and Leonardo met for the first time. She can recall asking him what he wanted in her low timid voice. Leonardo was not used to a woman being shy. He joked with her and could sense she was uncomfortable. He told her there was no reason for her shyness. He was just a simple man.
Leonardo would sit alone and observe the different people in the cantina. He heard many of the patrons chattering gossip about how peculiar Esperanza acted. Although she was not the prettiest woman he ever set his eyes on, there was something he was drawn to. Most men saw her as plain leaning more towards ugly. Esperanza was unlike all the other women of the town. She was very tall, piercing eyes, with olive skin and jet black hair.
She enjoyed spending time on her own. At night when the whole town slept she would walk to the river in her favorite white gown and bathe under the moon. As she would float on her back she would play connect the dots with the endless stars above. She would try to figure out the many constellations. The town’s people thought this was a strange thing.
Every day Leonardo would go to the cantina and she would prepare an amazing meal for him. It was apparent that Esperanza knew the way to a man’s heart! One day while Esperanza was preparing tamales and beans from the pot, she lost herself in a daydream about her and Leonardo. She prepared his meal with all the love and passion she possessed inside her heart. Leonardo entered La Luna, and sat at his usual table. He could see Esperanza busy in the kitchen, hand flattening homemade corn tortillas. He and Esperanza exchanged a few looks. He thought to himself for a brief second that he had not ever seen a more beautiful sight.
She proudly walked over to Leonardo, with the tray of food in her hands and set down every hot plate in front of him. Leonardo was taken back by the flavorful meal she prepared. Esperanza watched him scoop up everything as if he had not eaten in days. She was delighted to see the look of satisfaction on his face.
As the years passed Esperanza grew used to seeing Leonardo at lunch time. In fact, it was the highlight of her day. After lunch was over she would think about what to prepare for his lunch the following day. Esperanza wished he would love her. She enjoyed their friendship. She felt he was the only one that understood her. Esperanza’s mother died while giving birth to her. She always felt alone. Everyone thought she was a bad omen and as a result they treated her like an outcast.
Leonardo did not listen to what people had to say. Instead he got to know Esperanza for himself. He loved her and wanted a life with her. Leonardo asked Esperanza’s papa Don Francisco if he would allow him the great honor of having Esperanza’s had in marriage. That night Don Francisco had a huge celebration to announce the engagement of his only daughter. All of the women were jealous and some say this is the night a curse was cast on Esperanza.
Once married, Esperanza started to change. She was paranoid Leonardo would leave her for someone else. She did not tell him her fears. Instead she decided it was time to have children. Esperanza gives birth to two twin boys Alexander and Leonardo Jr. The boys were very close to their father and were at an age where they are coming into their own. Leonardo Jr. was born a whole two minutes ahead of Alexander and he never let him forget who was the eldest of the two.
Esperanza and Leonardo have their daily tradition of eating lunch together. She still prepares his food with the same feeling of love and hope as she did many years ago. The boys were only 4 years old but already they helped out at La Luna. They prepared the tables and refreshed water glasses. Esperanza watched her boys from the kitchen and admired them for their eagerness to help. She realized she was very lucky.
One day, Esperanza planned a very special lunch for Leonardo. She prepared it all night while he was sleeping. In the morning as he slept, she kissed him goodbye and left with the children. When Leonardo awoke he realized he overslept. The soldiers were waiting for him and he left in a rush. He planned to tell Esperanza he was not going to the cantina because he was leaving to help fight against the invading enemy. Regretfully he wrote her a note and left it by their bed.
Esperanza had the children prepare their father’s table and she brought out the special meal. She sat down and waited for Leonardo. 30 minutes passed and he still was not there. This was unusual. Esperanza did not want to panic. But soon she was losing her mind over where he might be. She thought to herself, “I knew this day would come”! She was convinced that he was with another woman! She waited for hours. That night there was a terrible storm that rampaged through the city bursting through homes and causing chaos. The note that Leonardo left for Esperanza flew out of their bedroom onto the street.
The hours turned into days. She did not want to go home for fear of what she might find. She thought if he missed her for sure he would come to look for her. He never came. Esperanza snapped out of her heartbreak and promised the boys an afternoon of fun at the river. In a moment of clarity she realized that she must think of the kids. As soon as Esperanza opened the door the boys ran to the river for what they thought would be an adventurous afternoon.
She tried to take her mind off of Leonardo. She sat on the sand and thought of her life. She thought about how she always thought she was not pretty enough for him and now he had proved her right by running off with another woman. She was devastated. Her heart was broken. She knew how much Leonardo loved his boys. She began to feel resentment towards them. In her mind she had to hurt Leonardo the way he hurt her. In a jealous haze she walked into the river where her children were playing and she drowned them. As she watched them being swept away by the current she realized what she had done! She was mortified! She began to scream! She was in a state of shock!
Esperanza’s mind blocked the horrible act from her memory. She awoke the next day on the river’s edge with no recollection of what happened. She did not know how she got there or what happened the day before. Esperanza frantically searched for the boys. Their little bodies were nowhere to be found. Every day she would search for them, crying out their names, yelling for her children.
She lost her mind and would wonder down to the river every night in her white gown as she once did when she was younger. She was a ghastly sight. She would still search for her boys accusing everyone of stealing them. She no longer bathed or kept herself up. Her hair was long and tangled. She did not eat very much, if anything at all. She would talk to herself for most of the day. It was common for her to yell and scream at people passing by.
Don Francisco was also robbed of his hopes and dreams of one day giving La Luna to Esperanza and her family to have when Leonardo no longer was a soldier. He did what he could to keep busy. He knew the whole town was watching him and Esperanza. Don Francisco would try to bring Esperanza back by telling her the boys were safe and that they ran off with their father. Which enraged Esperanza even more.
Esperanza could not take the heartache. She grew more and more out of control and was soon wailing and howling at the moon from the river. She yelled and screamed out for Leonardo Jr. and Alexander. She wanted her life to be over.
Don Francisco was on his way to retrieve Esperanza from the river when he spotted what looked like money crinkled on the floor. He leaned forward to pick it up. He opened the dirty paper and realized it was not money. He was about to toss the paper down when he recognized the writing. It was the note from Leonardo to Esperanza!
The note read " To my love Esperanza, You did not wake me. I wish you would have. I wanted to say goodbye to you and the boys before I left. The soldiers are outside waiting for me. There are rumors that the French are at the sea and plan to invade us. I can’t let this happen! I must protect the home of my family! I promise to come back as soon as I can. Regretfully I must leave now. Tell my boys I love them. I love you and I will think of you every moment I am away. Love Always, Your Leonardo.”
Don Francisco ran as fast as he could to the river. In the meantime Esperanza was walking around the river collecting rocks. She gathered them in her white gown and walked inside the river where there was a strong current. She was instantly carried to the river’s floor. Her eyes were open as she was being pulled under. She could see in the water the necklace and gold cross little Alexander wore around his neck. As she drowned she remembered what happened to her boys.
It is said that because Esperanza committed such an unforgiveable act she was not wanted in heaven or in hell. She was cursed to walk this earth. Her restless spirit haunts the rivers of Mexico. She still cries and wails for her children. She can be spotted with her white tattered gown and long stringy, tangled hair. She is very tall, with the appearance of being a skeleton. Many people believe she is responsible for any drowning or disappearance of children. All parents warn their little ones not to play outside past dark. At night people who stay near rivers or lakes can hear a woman yelling out “Where are my children! I want my children!” The screams are carried off by the wailing of the wind. Many are not sure what they hear but feel something is out there.
