run. Come back quietly.”
The soldiers had forced Manuel back to his feet and tied his hands behind his back. One by one they started taking turns hitting him in the stomach and face. One soldier kicked Manuel between the legs. Manuel’s face paled as the cowards in green uniforms hit him again and again. When he looked over at us, the tears in his eyes told me that he cared and worriedmore for us than himself. But we were only children. We couldn’t help him.
All of us stood whimpering and shaking, terrified. I tried to look away, but a soldier grabbed me and twisted my face forward to watch. All of us were forced to watch what happened that day. Lisa cried loudly, and Manuel had the strength to look at her and mouth the words
Don’t be afraid.
Then another fist smashed his face.
Taking turns, the soldiers struck Manuel again and again until their fists grew sore and their arms tired. I wanted to throw up from all the anger and fear inside of me. Manuel’s face swelled and became puffy. Blood leaked from his nose and from the sides of his mouth. His eyes bulged, and his skin changed from white to red and back again.
He grunted each time he was hit, but not once did he cry out or fight back. Manuel was the bravest man I had ever known. When he grew so weak that he could no longer stand, two soldiers held him up by his arms while others continued to strike him.
I noticed during the beating that two of the soldierswere Indios. They didn’t seem to delight in their actions the way the other soldiers did. They probably knew they would be beaten themselves if they refused to help torture Manuel.
I don’t know when Manuel died. The soldiers didn’t know either, but they suddenly grew angrier when they realized they were beating a dead man. I felt overwhelming relief when at last I realized that the freedom of death had lifted Manuel from his body and carried him up to a place where no soldier could ever reach him. Up to the place where we had danced the night of my quinceañera.
I peeked at the other students, Victoria, Lisa, Rubén, Federico, and Pablo. We had all stood bravely through the beating, but when Manuel’s body dropped to the ground, we all cried. The ugly comandante tucked his shirt back into his pants, then turned and walked up to us as if killing Manuel had made him more important. “If any of you speak of what happened here,” he said, “we’ll find you and kill you. Do you understand?”
We all nodded our heads obediently.
“Then go!” he screamed.
We ran.
As a group we scrambled across the rocky shore toward the forest a hundred yards away, but before we reached the trees, shots rang out. Beside me, young Pablo stumbled and went down, smearing blood on the rocks where he landed. I looked back and saw Victoria also collapse in a heap, shot dead.
I gasped for air and screamed in terror as Rubén fell next. He fell hard, and his head made a dull thud as it hit a rock. I looked back and saw young Lisa running frantically behind us, unable to keep up. I slowed to grab her hand, but as I reached for her, a shot rang out and she, too, crumpled to the earth.
I wanted desperately to stop and help each of them, but in that moment to stop was to die instantly. Only Federico and I remained. Federico was taller than I but couldn’t run as fast. “Run faster, Federico!” I screamed.
We had almost reached the trees when another shot echoed and Federico collapsed. The sound of each shot felt like a jolt of lightning hitting me, numbingme, making me feel as if everything was happening very slowly. I had never known such fear. My distance from the soldiers was all that saved me then, though I expected each step to be my last.
As I reached the trees, the soldiers shouted to each other and began chasing me. I knew if I kept running they would catch me. My only chance was to do what they least expected. When the trees hid me completely, I ran to the nearest machichi tree and climbed faster than I had
The soldiers had forced Manuel back to his feet and tied his hands behind his back. One by one they started taking turns hitting him in the stomach and face. One soldier kicked Manuel between the legs. Manuel’s face paled as the cowards in green uniforms hit him again and again. When he looked over at us, the tears in his eyes told me that he cared and worriedmore for us than himself. But we were only children. We couldn’t help him.
All of us stood whimpering and shaking, terrified. I tried to look away, but a soldier grabbed me and twisted my face forward to watch. All of us were forced to watch what happened that day. Lisa cried loudly, and Manuel had the strength to look at her and mouth the words
Don’t be afraid.
Then another fist smashed his face.
Taking turns, the soldiers struck Manuel again and again until their fists grew sore and their arms tired. I wanted to throw up from all the anger and fear inside of me. Manuel’s face swelled and became puffy. Blood leaked from his nose and from the sides of his mouth. His eyes bulged, and his skin changed from white to red and back again.
He grunted each time he was hit, but not once did he cry out or fight back. Manuel was the bravest man I had ever known. When he grew so weak that he could no longer stand, two soldiers held him up by his arms while others continued to strike him.
I noticed during the beating that two of the soldierswere Indios. They didn’t seem to delight in their actions the way the other soldiers did. They probably knew they would be beaten themselves if they refused to help torture Manuel.
I don’t know when Manuel died. The soldiers didn’t know either, but they suddenly grew angrier when they realized they were beating a dead man. I felt overwhelming relief when at last I realized that the freedom of death had lifted Manuel from his body and carried him up to a place where no soldier could ever reach him. Up to the place where we had danced the night of my quinceañera.
I peeked at the other students, Victoria, Lisa, Rubén, Federico, and Pablo. We had all stood bravely through the beating, but when Manuel’s body dropped to the ground, we all cried. The ugly comandante tucked his shirt back into his pants, then turned and walked up to us as if killing Manuel had made him more important. “If any of you speak of what happened here,” he said, “we’ll find you and kill you. Do you understand?”
We all nodded our heads obediently.
“Then go!” he screamed.
We ran.
As a group we scrambled across the rocky shore toward the forest a hundred yards away, but before we reached the trees, shots rang out. Beside me, young Pablo stumbled and went down, smearing blood on the rocks where he landed. I looked back and saw Victoria also collapse in a heap, shot dead.
I gasped for air and screamed in terror as Rubén fell next. He fell hard, and his head made a dull thud as it hit a rock. I looked back and saw young Lisa running frantically behind us, unable to keep up. I slowed to grab her hand, but as I reached for her, a shot rang out and she, too, crumpled to the earth.
I wanted desperately to stop and help each of them, but in that moment to stop was to die instantly. Only Federico and I remained. Federico was taller than I but couldn’t run as fast. “Run faster, Federico!” I screamed.
We had almost reached the trees when another shot echoed and Federico collapsed. The sound of each shot felt like a jolt of lightning hitting me, numbingme, making me feel as if everything was happening very slowly. I had never known such fear. My distance from the soldiers was all that saved me then, though I expected each step to be my last.
As I reached the trees, the soldiers shouted to each other and began chasing me. I knew if I kept running they would catch me. My only chance was to do what they least expected. When the trees hid me completely, I ran to the nearest machichi tree and climbed faster than I had
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