Aaron begins to read:
I was walking in the desert, alone, without friends or animals. I am the one, single survivor. My three friends all died last night: Juan, Yolanda and Raúl. Yolanda is Raúl´s wife. Also our two packhorses. I am the only Gringo, but my Mexican friends accept me as one of their own. For me, a great honour. In three months the great drought has transformed our land. Everything is dried and withered, so quickly, so fast, so incredibly fast. We were charged by the mayor of our town to find the legendary springs, the underground rivers that are known only in the ancient myths. When I got up today, my three friends were lying on the ground dead, as well as the horses. Each one had on the left side of their neck the puncture marks of the serpantm the same snake I am now following, in order to avenge them. Just once, from the top of the hill, did I see it briefly, until it hid itself in the huge rocks...
For two days, I pursued the serpent. i have a very sharp instinct for detecting its trail. I don't know why. Perhaps its my burning desire to avenge my friends, who became for me the only family I have ever known. I grew up an orphan in their town. When I was a baby my father abandoned both my mother and me. We tried to find him, and there were rumors that he had gone to Mexico. Shortly after living with the father of Yolanda and Juan, my mother died from a very rare form of cancer. They are twins, Juan and Yolanda, and we have always been very close. Despite my very pale skin and blue eyes, only occasionally have they called me Güero, and only from pure affection and tenderness . Raul, who is Yolanda's husband, is also the mayor's brother, and he knows well the surrounding countryside, which he has explored extensively I still think they are still alive, and I cant imagine anything different. It seems pretty clear that the serpent already knows I am following it. in the ravine where there was a river, I spotted it, just briefly, until it slipped underneath the rocks. Now I know this is no ordinary snake. It is four times the size of a python, black, like a gigantic whip, long and strong. This is not a normal drought. Not only has everything withered away, but also all the trees, bushes, flowers, grass, every living thing has vanished from the earth, as if we are living not on Earth, but on another lifeless planet. everything is desolate, destroyed like the aftermath from a nuclear war. I have almost run out of food and water. I left a lot of provisions in the packs of my companions, but I do not dare return for more. I can only guess the state of their bodies after two days lying in the sun not to mention vultures and coyotes...
I can now clearly see the serpent. It looks at me, then goes on ahead, my guide. I don't know what is going to happen. i sudden see some figures. A bit closer, there are three human bodies, two horses, lying on the ground. The snake has led me to where I started!
Very cautiously, I approach my friends. Nothing has changed. It's as though they are just sleeping and nothing else. I kneel down to have a look at Juan, who appears to have changed his position. I don't see the puncture wounds. He is breathing, very lightly. Also the others. I cannot wake any of them. I am going to search through Raúl's backpack, when I have a sense of another presence. Towering over me I see a very tall young man, dressed in a white robe, shining like the sun,
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