Naming to heal
Since she was a child, she had been left alone with her father, who had taught her how to survive in those wild lands that sometimes were a refuge, but other times were an enemy, a monster from which they had to flee. It was her father who taught her to fish, to hunt, to make fire, but also to run and ride on trees in front of a fierce animal. It was in those lands where Yeira grew with total freedom, as wild plants germinate and wild animals grow.
But it was also in those same lands that Yeira lost her father, after a storm that made the river rise. The two, father and daughter, had been trapped on a promontory of land and the father, trying to reach a rope, was dragged by the current of the river, leaving behind little Yeira who cried and screamed without knowing what to do.
"What are you doing here, where are you from?" -asked Yeira as if the animal could speak to her. Then she looked everywhere and found no one.
"Are you lost, are you hungry?" -she asked again and the dog barked in response.
"If you want, you follow me," said Yeira and grabbed her load and started walking. The dog as if he had been waiting for her all his life, went after Yeira quietly, smelling her footprints, her bare feet and jumping with a little boy's joy.
"I'm going to call you Dad,“ Yeira said to the dog and he looked at her with tender eyes. ”That name fits you well," Yeira assured the dog and that's what she called him from that moment on.
To say that Yeira turned the dog into her friend is an understatement. The dog was her companion, her confidant, the only being with whom Yeira played, laughed and talked:
"Daddy, come, let's go to the river to fish",_ she would say and the dog would go with her.
"Wait for me here, Dad, I am going to climb on this bush to get some mangos," she would say and the dog would stay waiting below, looking at the branches where the fruits were.
"Daddy, daddy, daddy",_ she shouted harshly, trying to make her voice louder than the sound of the storm:
"Daddy, Daddy, Daddy, Daddy",_ Yeira exclaimed, but got no answer.
Without wasting time, she began to run to the possible places where the dog was used to be. Suddenly, when she saw the river, on a promontory of land that looked like an island, she saw the nervous animal, jumping, not knowing what to do:
"Don't move, daddy, stay there!" -Yeira shouted, but the dog, seeing his mistress, jumped into the river, trying to reach her. The current of the swollen river, full of debris, stones and sticks began to drag the animal who was doing everything to save himself. At that moment, Yeira's memories came back to her, and she only said:
"We both swim or we both sink" -and she jumped into the river, imagining that this was what she must have done years ago, when she only saw her father's hands, moving in the air, as a sign of farewell or relief.
All images are free of charge and the text is my own, translated in Deepl
Thank you for reading and commenting. Until a future reading, friends
Click here to read in spanish
Nombrar para sanar
Con un montón de leña sobre los hombros, Yeira caminaba descalza, mientras que las hojas secas y los trocitos de ramas muertas crujían bajo sus pies. Sus manos callosas agarraban con fuerza el bojote pesado y su cuerpo, aunque flaco, soportaba el peso de la carga. ¡¿Cuántos años podía tener Yeira?! Por su cuerpo, no más de 13; pero por la vida que había llevado, seguramente más de cien.
Desde niña se había quedado sola con su padre, quien le había enseñado a sobrevivir en aquellas tierras agrestes que a veces eran refugio, pero otras veces eran un enemigo, un monstruo del cual debían huir. Fue el padre quien la enseñó a pescar, a cazar, a hacer fuego, pero también a correr y montarse sobre los árboles ante un animal feroz. Fue en aquellas tierras donde Yeira creció con total libertad, como germinan las plantas silvestres y crecen los animales salvajes.
Pero fue también en esas mismas tierras que Yeira perdió a su padre, luego de una tormenta que hizo crecer el río. Los dos, padre e hija, habían quedado atrapados en un promontorio de tierra y el padre, intentando alcanzar una cuerda, fue arrastrado por la corriente del río, dejando atrás a la pequeña Yeira que lloraba y gritaba sin saber qué hacer.
De eso había pasado ya bastante tiempo y la pequeña Yeira había crecido en aquel universo donde imperaba la fuerza y lo salvaje. En ese paisaje venía caminando, cuando de repente Yeira se puso alerta al escuchar un ruido. Se detuvo y guardó silencio. Orientada por el ruido, comenzó a caminar pensando que si era un animal, podía ser el almuerzo. Así que bajó el manojo de leña y se puso en guardia, pero cuando avanzó, encontró que era un perro:
_¿Que haces aquí, de dónde eres? -preguntó Yeira como si el animal pudiera hablarle. Luego miró hacia todos lados y no encontró a nadie.
_¿Estás perdido, tienes hambre? -volvió a preguntar y el perro dió un ladrido como respuesta.
_Si quieres, me sigues -dijo Yeira y agarró su carga y comenzó a caminar. El perro como si la hubiese estado esperando toda la vida, se fue detrás de Yeira tranquilamente, oliendo sus huellas, sus pies descalzos y brincando con una alegría de muchacho chiquito.
Ese fue el comienzo de aquella relación de amistad entre animal y mujer.
_Te voy a llamar Papá -dijo Yeira al perro y éste la miró con ojos cargados de ternura- Ese nombre te queda bien -aseguró Yeira al perro y así lo llamó a partir de ese momento.
Decir que Yeira convirtió al perro en su amigo, es decir poco. El perro era su compañero, su confidente, el único ser con el que Yeira jugaba, reía y hablaba:
_Papá, ven, vamos al río a pescar -decía y el perro se iba con ella.
_Espérame aquí, Papá , que voy a montarme en esta mata para agarrar unos mangos -decía y el perro se quedaba esperando abajo, mirando hacia las ramas donde estaban los frutos.
Cuántos años habían pasado, nadie sabe, pero cierto día, mientras que Yeira arrancaba frutos de los árboles, comenzó a caer una tormenta. Se bajó rápidamente y halló que el perro no se encontraba a los pies del árbol como siempre. Comenzó a llamar al animal:
_Papá, papá, papá -gritaba duro, intentando que su voz fuera más fuerte que el sonido de la tormenta:
_Papá, papá, papá -exclamaba Yeira, pero no obtenía respuesta.
Sin perder el tiempo, empezó a correr a los posibles lugares donde acostumbrada estar el perro. De repente, cuando vio el río, en un promontorio de tierra que parecía una isla, vio al animal nervioso, saltando, sin saber qué hacer:
_¡No te muevas, papá, quédate allí! -gritaba Yeira, pero el perro, al ver a su ama, saltó al río, intentando llegar a ella. La corriente del río crecido, llena de escombros, piedras y palos empezó a arrastrar al animal que hacía todo para salvarse. En ese instante, se le vinieron los recuerdos encima a Yeira, quien solo dijo:
_O nadamos o nos hundimos -y se lanzó al río, imaginando que era eso lo que debió haber hecho años atrás, cuando solo vio las manos de su padre, moverse en el aire, en señal de despedida o de auxilio.
Oh my! A beautiful tale with a sad end. She experienced the same traumatic event before but this time around she wouldn't let that memory linger in her head so she rather let the both of them share in such an experience, a sad on at that.
I loved your story, it kept me locked in.
Thank you for your words. Regards
I hope she was able to save them both. Very touching story.
That's why I wanted to leave that ending open: either both are saved or both sink. Greetings
What a sad story. Losing her dog the same way she lost her father.
I would like to hope that both of you were saved!!! That in the end they were able to swim and save themselves and not that she was left alone again. Greetings
It must have been really triggering for her to lose her dog. One can tell she really loved her dad and the dog.
Sometimes love can hurt, especially if it is lost. Greetings
A touching story between the dog and the girl of friendship, but not everything can go well and the circumstances became stormy. The sacrifice for those who are loved is demonstrated in your story.
Thanks for sharing your story with us.
Excellent Saturday.
I think that's what it's all about: to love is to sacrifice. With the father, the girl felt she should have done something, then with the dog, she acts: The real one or we sink or swim and save ourselves. Greetings, friend and nice Saturday
Thank you very much for your appreciation. I feel happy and honored. Success to the whole team
Could her father come back to life in form of the dog. Either way I hope she saves the dog.
Hey, that idea would be interesting! I think I might put out a new story on that. Thanks for your comment
Really sad!..nice write-up 👍
I want to believe that they were saved! Greetings
It was sad to see Yeira lose her father but good a thing, he had taught her how to survive under a harsh and unfriendly environment.
His father's legacy was so great that he even named the dog after him. Greetings
She hadn't healed completely from the trauma of losing her dad, and now her only companion was going to die the same way, too. I don't blame her for jumping in too
I think it's a kind of cure, a kind of healing, his decision to jump into the river. Greetings
Nancy you leave us on tenterhooks!
For me the dog is saved...
For me too! :)
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Hello, @nancybriti1
As always, superb story. I didn't expect the ending, although I should have suspected it. I kept up with the story, imagining Yeira playing with the dog. I hope that on this occasion, Yeira and Daddy came out unscathed. Well, I love happy endings, and being open-ended, so be it.
Greetings.
A story that simply draws the reader and doesn't let go...
Lovely writing ✨
What a sad story, certainly seeing the dog drowning had to bring back memories of his father, he was very brave to jump in to save his dog, I think he was saved, the story can't be that tragic, he went through work but he was saved in the end.
I'm glad that Yeira found her companion to keep her company during the long lonely years. I hope that they were both able to make their way out of the river and live happily ever after! Nice story!
I wish I read a paragraph more narrating how both swam their way out. But then, it's left for every reader to imagine the ending scenes. Nice story as usual.
Delibar wants to bring Roxana down because of her talent and is very jealous of her. Have a nice evening
Excellent concept. It's a good one and a well-exposed plot.
Greetings.
What if they didn’t get out of the river😅
I’m glad they did. It’s painful to lose someone and it’s really traumatic…
I hope she was able to face the trauma from her last and save her dog.
Losing the dog the same way would be a very painful experience.
I wouldn't have imagined how terrible it must have been to lose both loved ones twice. A trauma too great to bear and I bet it would have been a fate worse than death. Thank Goodness, afflictions did not rise again.