Sky People by Ardy Sixkiller Clarke Page A

area and not found in language courses.
    As I got to know the women by their first names and learn about their families and dreams, I asked them to share with me the folklore or stories of the area. At one point I shared with them my interest in UFO stories. On one occasion, a woman named Julia told me about the problem her husband, Alonzo, was having with his cattle herd. “Something comes at night and kills them. We do not know what to do,” she said. “Alonzo hired people to watch the cattle, but it does no good. They are killed anyway. Some people say that on each of the nights the cattle were killed, a UFO was seen. Others believe it is a
nahual.”
    One afternoon, Alonzo showed up at the café. Julia introduced us, walked to the cafe door, and locked it, placing a sign in the window announcing a temporary closing. At first, Alonzo was reluctant to talk to me, but at Julia’s urging he agreed. He took off his cowboy hat and placed it on the chair behind him. His damp black hair fell around his ears. He wore jeans, a white, starched Western-style shirt, and brown leather cowboy boots, which was basically the uniform of the Honduran cowboys.
    “I do not know what is happening,” he said. “I found two cattle last week. Both had their eyes removed and their tongues. There was a hole in their heart, but no blood. I have never seen anything like it. It was like something sucked them dry but there were no teeth marks or any indication that an animal was the culprit.”
    “Have you called the police?” I asked.
    “Even the university people, but no one has an answer. Some say it is a chupacabras, but I do not think so. Chupacabras are vicious. Whoever or whatever is attacking my cattle knows about doctoring. They cut out the eyes perfectly. Like they were trained to do it.”
    “Have you seen anything unusual on the nights your cattle are killed?” I asked.
    “One of the men I hired to guard the cattle said he saw a light in the sky. I thought it was lightning and did not think about it more. One of the aunties in the village said she saw a UFO, but most people ignore her. She is a
bruja,”
he said. I knew he was referring to a witch.
    “Did you talk to her about what she had seen?” I asked.
    “No. We see strange lights often in Copán. Some say the UFOs like this place. Do you think that the UFOs are killing my cattle?” he asked.
    “I really cannot say. I am asking you if you think there is a connection.”
    He shook his head but did not respond. He stood and picked up his cowboy hat. He spoke quietly to his wife and then excused himself. I did not expect to see him again.
    However, that evening I walked to the plaza. As I found a place to sit and people watch, Julia and Alonzo approached me with two companions. They asked me to join them at a secluded spot.
    “My husband would like to talk to you again. He has brought two friends.”
    “This is Alberto and the other one is Pedro. They work for me,” Alonzo began. “I hired them last week to look after my cattle at night. Pedro says he saw a light in the sky around midnight but doesn’t remember anything else. Alberto said he saw a spaceship one night, but he did not tell me because he did not want the people in the village to know.”
    “Why not?” I asked.
    “We do not want people to think we are crazy
loco
or that we are
brujos,”
Alberto explained.
    “Father Francis [the local Catholic priest] says they come from the Devil and if we see them and do not run away, we are dancing with the Devil.”
    “What happened the night that you saw the UFO?” I asked Alberto.
    “Nothing. I remember seeing it stand over the field above the cattle. I could do nothing. It was too powerful,” Alberto said.
    “Too powerful? Can you explain?” I asked.
    “It made pin pricks all over my body. Thousands of them. I was in pain. I could not move. They did that to me. I think I passed out from the pain.”
    “I remember the same thing,” Pedro said. “It was