True Encounter with La Llarona

Name:            Paul Cantu
Email:           tiger6@ACnet.net
Location:        On the Rio Grande River
Type:            Ghost
Date:            Friday, July 21, 2000
Time:            04:29 PM

This personal encounter with the legendary sobbing woman or how in our culture call her "La Lorona", occurred back in 1988 when I was working at the irrigation pumps that pumped water to the ranchers from the Rio Grande River.

It all happened one evening when I started to go into work at 6 p.m. The irrigation pumps have to be monitored 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The water plant is only maintained by two workers. One worker works from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. The other worker works from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. Both workers have to be on alert at all times. I had the pleasure to be put on the "graveyard shift." The moment I went into work, I began to get the supplies I needed for the entire night. I grabbed a high powered flashlight and a single action shotgun.

If you're going to work "graveyard", you need to carry a gun with you for the purpose of people who are called "macheteros" or men with machetes who just kill for fun. Since we're so close to the border of Mexico, illegal aliens pass by through the water plant. They usually mean no harm, but you never know.

Once I got my supplies for the night, I went ahead and started to clean the water plant. It was already getting dark and it was only 10 p.m. i thought to myself "It's going to be a long night." I didn't know what the night held for me.

It was late October and the weather in South Texas is basically warm all year around, so we hardly bother to wear jackets and such. It was that night when I felt a sudden chill in the wind.

It was midnight and I had already cleaned the plant. I decided to make my rounds around the plant. The only other living being with me that night was Snowball, a tiny white dog. She accompanied me whenever I made my rounds around the plant.

One of the rounds that dreaded everyone was making the rounds near the river. "Hay espantan!" the older people would say. "It's haunted there!" was their response.

I remember of stories about that area, but I had to keep my mind on my work. I had to go near the bank of the river whether I wanted to or not. As soon as I was done making sure that there wasn't any branches that could be sucked into the water ways, I felt a cold chill again and I saw a light off in the distance at the bend of the river. I didn't pay much attention to it. I was thinking that it must be a fisherman doing some night fishing. I continued on with my rounds.

Nothing much was happening, except for that cold chill in the wind. Snowball went off hiding in the office. I still had to make my rounds. It was already 2:30 in the morning.

While making my rounds at 2:30, I heard a cry. "It must be the cats." I told myself. I heard the cry again, This time it was coming from the bend of the river.

The cold wind picked up again and the sounds were becoming louder and clearer. I knew by this time that it wasn't any kind of animal. It was her. "La Llorona."

I raced over to the bank of the river with both flashlight and gun in hand. I saw the white light edging its way by the banks of the river. At first, it was on the other side of the border. The light was about less than 150 yards away, but I noticed that it moved in one motion, as if it was floating. It was coming closer.

The light then seemed to hover over to the other side of the river. It was now on this side! It was now no farther than 55 yards away from where I was standing.

I took the shotgun safety off and kept the barrel pointing at what I didn't know. Then I heard a familiar sound and cry that scared the daylights out of me.

The apparition cried out in an unholy cry: "Mis Ninos! Donde estan mis ninos?" "My children! Where are my children?" were the words she was crying out. With these words, I ran as fast as I could to the office. I was still hearing her moans and wails.

I finally reached the office and locked the door and started praying to God. Even with the power generators running, I could still hear "La Llorona" crying out for her kids.

I finally saw her pass by the office since the office is about 20 feet away from the river. I closed my eyes and continued praying, but I could still hear her crying and wailing.

I kept the shotgun loaded and aiming to where I saw "La Llorona" pass by. I didn't move an inch from that chair or from that office. It was 4:05 a.m. when it was all over.

The morning worker came in and asked what I was doing pointing the gun to the wall. I told him on what happened last night and when I finally finished, I thought for sure that he was going to laugh and mock me. I was wrong.

"So, you saw 'La Llorona,' too, eh?" he said with a smile. He told me that he's seen her several times while working "graveyard."

To this day, I still won't go back to that water plant...at night. "La Llorona" still walks along the banks of the river between the later months of October and the early part of November because this is the time of the month when the pumps are on 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and where the water runs freely and when there's a full moon.

Legend has it that "La Llorona" roams the banks of rivers where the water runs freely and when the moon is full.