The Bewitching

by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

We wait until night falls, skin an animal, and lay its dead carcass upon the ground. Then we wait in the shadows until the scent of blood draws the teyolloquani out. When it approaches, we take a cord and tie a knot, then say some words. Then tie another knot and say more words. Once you’ve tied twelve knots it will be trapped. Then you can kill it.” “What words?” “The first word is ‘earth.’ You tell it that you’re holding it with earth. Then you say you’re holding it with water, then with fire and air. You say it again until you reach twelve. Once you’ve begun tying the knots, you can’t stop speaking. That’s the trick. It might try to scare you or trick you, but you must keep going.”