The Horned Toad

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A short story byDaniel A. Olivas
            There was a man who lived in a small Mexican fishingvillage with his wife and three children in a two room wooden house not farfrom the shore.  The man was not afisherman like the others.  Rather, hemade the fishing nets that were used by the fishermen.  He had long delicate fingers that were put togood use tying the tiny knots of the nets that he made.  His nets were the best in the village becausethey could withstand heavy catches and he earned a good living selling them to thefishermen.  The man lived a quiet butloving life with his bride of ten years and his children ages one, three andfive.            The man's daily routine was set early on in his marriageand he veered from it only in emergencies such as when one of his children gotsick or when a terrible storm blew into the village.  Each morning, his wife served the man strongblack coffee and two pieces of pan dulce. He would eat his sweet bread and drink his coffee at their too-crowdeddining table while his children played more than they ate and his wife attendedto her never ending chore of cleaning. After eating, the man would kiss his wife and children and take hislittle bag with his lunch and head off to his little shop that was about tenminutes away by foot.  When he got to hisshop, he would open all the windows and sit down to his work of making fishingnets.            The man had a view of the ocean from his littleshop.  To rest his eyes, he would look upfrom his work every so often and focus on the waves as they hit the sand.  Sometimes he would be mesmerized by the wavesand lose track of time.  After finishinga full day of making and selling nets, he would pack up his empty lunch bag andwalk home to his family.            One day, the man sat in his shop and looked out the windowand saw a rowboat sitting on the sand. He had never seen it before and did not notice who had put itthere.  He put aside the net that he wasworking on and went out to inspect the boat.            It was a simple boat with both its oars set inside.  There was no net or any personal belongingsin it and no name on its side.  The manlooked around and saw no one.  The sunshown brilliantly as it hung at its highest point and even made the man's darkMestizo skin burn hot.  He looked out tothe ocean and saw the little island the people called El Lagarto Cornudo, whichmeans “The Horned Toad.”  It was calledthat not because horned toads populated the island but because its silhouetteresembled a horned toad.            The man often wondered what was on El Lagarto Cornudo.  He had heard that getting there was verydifficult because of the crosscurrents that had to be navigated.  He thought for a moment about his wife andthree children and his little shop.  Theman then turned and walked back to his shop and retrieved his lunch and walkedback to the rowboat.  He looked aroundagain and, without hesitation, he pushed the boat to the edge of the water, gotin and started rowing in the direction of El Lagarto Cornudo.            The man enjoyed the broad movements of his arms as herowed.  It was in contrast to thedelicate work he did each day making fishing nets.  He breathed deeply the ocean smell.  Rowing was easy and pleasing without anyfight from the notorious crosscurrents he had heard about.  Several white egrets flew by the boat andlanded in the water nearby.  The manrowed with his back to the island and the egrets stayed along side of the boathoping the man would throw them some bread. The man looked over his shoulder and saw El Lagarto Cornudo in thedistance.            After a half-hour of rowing, the man stopped to eat.  He opened his bag and pulled out a tortillafilled with carnitas and he ate itslowly enjoying the feel of the tender meat in his mouth.  The man then opened his bottle of red wineand drank deeply.  He wiped his mouth andput the bottle away in his bag and started to row again.  The island was much farther than he hadrealized.            Eventually,the man grew tired because he had entered the crosscurrents that made it harderto row.  Suddenly, without warning, theboat jerked and started to twirl and spin and the oars flew in everydirection.  The egrets flew awayhelter-skelter.  The man tried to staycalm and attempted to gain control over the oars but to no avail.  Every few seconds as the boat went round andround, the man could see El Lagarto Cornudo which, by now, was only about onehundred yards away.  But the man couldnot calm the boat and one of the oars flew up and hit the man hard on hisforehead and he fell to the bottom of the boat.            The man felt himself slip from this world into thenext.  His soul left his body and stoodover the still figure lying on the bottom of the boat.  The man looked so small to himself.  The water became calm and the boat eventuallywas still.  The egrets flew back andlanded by the boat.  The man's soullooked at the island.  With one movementof his outstretched arms, the man's soul rose into the air.  He aimed himself towards the island and flewaround it.  It was a beautiful islandwith many trees and plants and waterfalls. The sand of its beaches gleamed a white different from the darker sandof the mainland.            After surveying El Lagarto Cornudo, the man turned to themainland and passed over the little boat where his body lay.  He then glided towards the shore and over hislittle shop and eventually he found his little house.            The man entered a window of his house and found his wifeworking in the kitchen.  She could notsee him but she looked up momentarily when he came close to her.  The man noticed that his wife was indeed quitebeautiful and had lovely brown skin and gleaming black hair.  He used to notice such things but with timehe had forgotten how to look at her.            The man then went out the back door and entered the yardwhere his children would be playing.  Andthey were there, as he anticipated, playing loudly and joyously.  He watched them move and yell and laugh andhis heart filled with a love that would have made him cry but he was a spiritso he could not cry.  The man looked upinto the sky and before he knew it, he was floating again over the little houseand he headed back to the boat.            In awhile, he was again over the boat and he looked downupon his still body.  Without warning,the man started to fall and he fell fast and silently.  All went dark.            “Mateo,” said a voice. “Are you all right?”            The man opened his eyes. He lay at the bottom of the boat that now sat on the shore.  Several fishermen looked down on him.            “Did you try to go to El Lagarto Cornudo by yourself?”asked one of the fishermen.            “What a dangerous thing to do with such a small boat,”said another.            The man rubbed his forehead and realized that he was notdead but very much alive.  He thanked thefishermen and after gaining his strength, he walked home.  It was almost sunset.            The man entered his little house and saw his wife.  She said hello and they gave each other alittle kiss.  His wife noticed the bruiseon her husband's forehead but said nothing. His children came in and ran to the man and hugged him.  That night, they had a very good dinner offish and vegetables and bread.            The next morning, the man's wife served the man strongblack coffee and two pieces of pan dulce. He ate the sweet bread and drank the coffee at their too-crowded diningtable while his children played more than they ate and his wife attended to hernever ending chore of cleaning.  Aftereating, the man kissed his wife and children and took his little bag with hislunch and headed off to his little shop that was about ten minutes away byfoot.  When he got to his shop, he openedall the windows and sat down to his work of making fishing nets.            After an hour or so, the man looked out his window andsaw the same little rowboat that he saw the day before.  He set his work aside and grabbed his lunchbag and walked to the boat.  The manlooked around and saw no one.  He put hislunch bag in the boat and pushed it to the edge of the water.  He looked around again and, withouthesitation, he pushed the boat into the water, got in and then started to rowin the direction of El Lagarto Cornudo.            Several white egrets flew by the boat and landed in thewater nearby.  The man rowed with hisback to the island and the egrets stayed along side of the boat hoping the manwould throw them some bread.  The manlooked over his shoulder and saw El Lagarto Cornudo in the distance.  The sun was hot and the man smiled as herowed towards the island.[“TheHorned Toad” is featured in DevilTalk: Stories (Bilingual Press).]