STORY OF THE RUNAMULA

Maria had been left only accompanied by her younger siblings, because
his parents and older siblings attended a wake in the band of the river and it was a day
Friday. María was already an 18-year-old young lady, while her little siblings were 8 and
10 years, until they felt sleepy and laid down the three of them in the same bed, to
feeling more united and they fell asleep. After midnight, María was
suddenly awakened with a great start by a loud neigh.
Wow, the surprised girl thought, if there are no horses around here, where could it have come from?
this? And after a brief silence, I can clearly hear the galloping of the animal that is
approached the house and a new neigh pulled him out of his thoughts to
face the reality.
She woke up her little siblings and they started to observe through the gaps in the fence.
from the room and saw appear along the path, a beautiful animal of color
jet black and its skin emitted flashes and they stared at the animal unable to differentiate if
it was a horse or mule and then the animal disappeared neighing, followed by a precipitate
gallop and the loud whips that fell on him, and then everything fell silent.

The boys were left thoughtful and impressed and couldn't sleep. The next day
when his parents and siblings returned from the wake, they told him what had happened and
I ask my parents: Dad, have any of our neighbors bought a horse?
No, my daughter, as far as I know.

But from the description you gave of the animal, it seems that it is not a horse,
son of a mule.
So, where did that mule come from that you say? asked the girl. We will find out.
Daughter, don't worry, just forget all of this.
Then, everyone went to their tasks and the father with his older children headed towards the
they touched on the topic of the mule again.
The father said, I didn't want to explain to them at home about the animal they saw.
Sisters, but now that we are among men, we can speak frankly.
What they saw is the soul of Doña Ana, transformed into a mule by the devil.
They remember that people whisper about her, a young woman without children, who lives alone.
for having been abandoned by her husband. Everyone knows that she lives with her
friends and also frequently visits the priest, claiming to go wash his clothes and
clean up your room. Several people have seen her leave in the early morning of the
Parish many times.
Well, that kind of women is punished by the devil, turning them into a mule, while
they are asleep and then he takes his place as a rider to make her gallop until the
exhaustion from fierce lashes and this happens only on Tuesdays and Fridays
in the full moon, because the devil likes to show off on his steed in the light
from the moon, so that the sinner may be seen by mortal eyes of those who
They transit after midnight.
And so that you are convinced, we are going to prepare a plan to wait for you on the road.
next Friday when the full moon is still in its splendor, thus we will give it a
beating, in addition to the one received from the devil.

Wonderful dad, one of the boys commented and all week long, they prepared
the plan carefully so that nothing would go wrong if the 'mule rune' appeared.
On the anticipated Friday night, around eleven o'clock, the father
He grabbed a long machete, the three children picked up their clubs and hid, along with others.
trusted neighbors to participate in this plan.
The moon had already risen and was bright enough to clearly distinguish the beast,
It was around midnight when they still heard the whinnies.
distant, then they felt the galloping that was getting closer without stopping to neigh, they
I heard the blows that fell on the animal.
At last, they saw her, coming in a rush, throwing sparks from her nose and mouth. A rider.
dark clothing dress, she was being hit hard and the rider wore a black hat
that covered him up to half his forehead.

At first they felt fear, but they reacted just at the moment the mule passed by.
together with them, they managed to deliver a single blow each and confirmed that the rider
had mysteriously disappeared.
Astonished parts, they ran in the direction the animal had come from, with the
intention of discovering the rider who they assumed had thrown himself to the ground, but it turned out
the search was useless, because the rider was nowhere to be found.

Meanwhile, the 'mule rune' continued running and receiving blows from the other couples.
that were hidden along the way, then the runamule disappeared from sight.
Then all the participants in this plan, pleased to have achieved their objectives,
they commented that the rider was none other than the devil himself, as is the belief
popular.
The next day, following the outlined plan, the results of what was to be confirmed.
happened to the runamula and for that, it was necessary to visit the suspect. Upon passing by the
At Doña Ana's house, the father and the children stopped on the way and knocked on her door.

A languid and pained voice replied from within: Come in, come in, here you have me stuck
in bed, unable to move, my whole body hurts, as if I had been hit
a beating, but last night I went to bed early without feeling any discomfort and I have
bruises all over my body, as if I had been beaten up.
And they told her to get better and that they would come to visit her again later.
Then they felt sorry for her and felt a lot of compassion, not without some
remorse for the atrocity they had committed against her, just because
simple curiosity.
With this fact, there was no longer any doubt about the existence of the RUNA MULA.
 THE RUNAMULA

In Quechua, runa means people. Consequently, runa mula means: mule people.
According to popular belief, the mule rune is the soul of a living, sinful woman.
converted into a lively mule by diabolical action, as punishment for her sins during the
night, while the body rests asleep.
He is always seen in a frenzied race, shooting flames from his mouth and nostrils.
under the relentless punishment of his cruel and fierce rider who is none other than the devil in
person.
This is the punishment that the woman receives who lives with the priest, the brother-in-law, the friend, or with the
own brother. It is usually seen after midnight, on Tuesdays and Fridays,
in which the devil takes possession of the sinful soul while she is asleep and the
turn him into a mule to punish him in a brutal and merciless way.
The next morning, the unfortunate woman remembers nothing of what happened, but she does feel the
effects of the beating received, as he is left with a sore body, unable to explain it.
the reason for this discomfort.

Any night owl mortal can stumble upon this strange and mysterious
night ride, the passage through places close to the sinner's house, despite
that in those places there has never been a MULE.

Taken from the version of Carlos Velásquez Sánchez