The Valley of the Guanacos

The Valley of the Guanacos

Originally by Charles J. Finger

Retold by NAVIN

Once upon a time, there were two children, Juan, and Juanita. They lived with their parents in a small hut at the foot of a mountain beside a lake. The nearest house was many miles away, and the siblings had never been to school. They had an enjoyable life, running around, playing with the birds (who were not scared of the children), and riding a pet ostrich, who stood tall above the ground. When the children sat on his back, he would spread his wings and sprint far and wide around the plains. Most of all, however, Juan and Juanita loved their guanaco.

Their father was a shepherd, and one day, found a baby guanaco, no bigger than a lamb, and brought him home. He grew tall and proud, but stayed with the family, as tame as a puppy – they named him Campeón. The children would bury their faces in his golden fur and roll over and wrestle him, till he tired and decided to move to a quieter spot. The children would harness Campeón to their little wagon for fun, but always ended up tumbling onto the soft grass. Campeón would then leap in great bounds to the top of some little hill and stand there like a sentinel.

One day, when Campeón was standing atop a tall rock, a passing hunter saw him. Having never seen such a creature before, the hunter shot him, desiring to bring him back to his village as a trophy. Campeón was severely wounded and fled back to the hut. The children and their parents cared for Campeón as best they could, but one day his health was much worse. The next morning, he was nowhere to be found!

The children ran to the top of the nearest hill and scanned miles and miles around the area using a spying glass, but they were not able to spot Campeón. Their father got on his horse and searched for the animal far and wide. A day’s ride south, the father finally found Campeón’s tracks in a belt of sand. They continued straight south, and the father knew they would probably never find Campeón. He returned home, disappointed. That night, the children sat glumly by the fire when the gaucho hired to care for the horses spoke up. He told the children a true story about the guanacos, and here is how it went:

A long time ago, there was a Gentle People, who did not know pain or sadness. They lived in harmony with the animals and plants of the earth. They did not eat animals, and violence and death had no place in their land. Their leader was a good prince, who was wise and listened to the people. The only thing forbidden to the Gentle People was to go so far north that they reached the forest where stars no longer shined. The Prince said that on the other side of this forest, there were evil men.

One day, a man named Capa saw a beautiful bird, unlike any he had seen before. As the prince loved birds, Capa decided to bring it to him. However, when he tried to call it, it flew away. Capa followed the bird for many days, as it looked very enchanting: the perfect companion for the prince. Without realizing the magnitude of his actions, Capa followed the bird to the forest where stars no longer shined, and through it to the other side, which was barren of plants. Capa looked about him, astonished, and saw strange men with the teeth of dogs. As he walked among these men, he saw them kill animals and use their pelts as clothes. When they saw Capa, they attacked him and pried off his beautiful robes and jewels. Thankfully, they began fighting among themselves, giving Capa a chance to escape.

Capa ran all the way back through the forest and continued at this pace till he reached the land of the Gentle People. He explained everything that happened to the Prince. At this, he looked solemn and called for a meeting. The Prince said that since the evil men had seen Capa, they would not rest till they found the Gentle People, took the rest of their possessions and brought death to their midst. The Prince said that if the people chose so, he could make weapons for them to defend themselves. He added that if the people learned of war and the like, though, they would end up also bringing sorrow and death to each other. The Gentle People unanimously voted against this.

After much thought, the Prince came up with a solution. Before the evil men arrived, he would use his magical powers to turn all the Gentle People to animals. He turned them all, and himself, into golden and proud guanacos. These graceful animals do no harm to any others, are friends of all, and seem majestic. Till today, when guanacos are in herds, one always stands sentinel on some high rock to look out for the evil men. When a guanaco feels that it is ready to die, it goes to the Valley of the Guanacos in the south of South America. When it lays to rest, it vanishes, and a blue flower with gold tips springs up in its place. On the day when the last guanaco dies, the evil men will be gone forever. Then, each flower will bend and whisper to its neighbor. And when the greatest flower (that of the Prince) gives the word, all the flowers will be transformed back into the great host of the Gentle People, and they will come into their land again.