Chapter 13 Summer of the Mariposas

Main ideas / plot points

Travel guidance and magical protection

• The girls struggle to find the correct route at night after being affected by a nagual spell, taking hours to get back on what they believe is the right path.
• They discuss La Llorona’s amulet/ear pendant:
  • The narrator has been using it to call for help while traveling.
  • La Llorona’s guidance is said to work when the girls remain noble and kind.
• The group links this guidance to divine or supernatural order—if they act correctly, help is more likely to arrive.

Origin and power of a lullaby/song

• The girls debate whether Mama understands the true reason behind a lullaby/song she sings.
• They strongly suspect the lullaby has supernatural lineage, passed down through generations, and may be tied to survival.
• They connect the song to divine/supernatural intervention, including:
  • Teresa/Teresita’s role
  • The promise that Naachiin would come

Miscommunication about what to expect

• Velia argues that Teresita never promised direct rescue—only that they should sing the birds’ song.
• The narrator and Juanita push back, emphasizing that:
  • Teresita warned them about the nagual but wasn’t “specific.”
  • They were not warned about the extreme threat posed by Lechuzas (witch-like owls), including the sense that the danger is worse than expected.

Finding shelter

• They discover a barn suitable for resting.
• The narrator lights an old oil lamp (using matches/kerosene) to reduce fear and improve safety, while also conserving flashlight battery power.
• Inside, they prepare to sleep—exhausted from days of travel.

The attack begins

• The narrator sees figures overhead and realizes they are lechuzas (evil owl witches)—six are visible at first.
• They discuss lore:
  • A true coven requires 13 members.
  • The girls suspect some members are missing or already dead, while others are still on the way.
• Juanita explains terminology:
  • A group of owls is a “parliament,” not a brood.
  • Coven matters for how strong the witches are.

Countermeasure plan using silk thread

• The narrator prepares a marked silk thread previously given by Teresita.
• Their instructions:
  • Wake Beatrix (Beta) quietly, without scaring her.
  • Form a protective circle around the narrator so lechuzas can’t reach her while she ties knots.
• The lechuzas detect the thread immediately and escalate the attack.
• During the chaos:
  • The thread is taken away by a lechuza after the narrator’s eye is injured.
  • The narrative shifts from defense to survival.
  • Velia and Delia flee with lechuzas pursuing them, abandoning the others—causing shock and fear, but also thinning the lechuza attention on the remaining girls.

Extreme violence and intimidation

• The lechuzas chant in voices of familiar supernatural figures (including Mama, La Llorona, Teresita, Cecilia, Inez, etc.).
• They accuse the girls of being evil spoiled children who must repent.
• The girls are physically overwhelmed:
  • One pins Juanita.
  • Another pecks/simulates cruelty toward Beatrix.
  • The narrator suffers both psychological and physical attacks, including threats that she “relinquished the thread” and is to blame.

Arming and slaughter for survival

• Velia and Delia return with giant metal bat-like weapons, and the girls grab barn tools:
  • Delia uses/takes a rake
  • Juanita uses a pitchfork
• They fight as a defensive cluster (compared to “Avengers”/combatants).
• Result:
  • The lechuzas are stunned and killed.
  • Juanita finishes one by piercing it; others are clubbed/staked.
• The group believes they “won,” but the narrator realizes more remain overhead.

Final resolution: prayer + knots as a binding defeat

• Dawn approaches; the narrator decides they must finish the remaining lechuzas.
• She realizes the solution is already present:
  • She uses the silk thread from Pita’s dress bow, tearing out a piece to replace what was lost.
• They carry out a ritual method:
  • Seven Lord’s Prayers and seven Hail Marys
  • Seven evenly spaced knots, tied one after another with the thread
  • They position themselves so lechuzas can’t interrupt the knot-tying
• During the prayer/knots:
  • Rain through the roof slows, then stops.
  • The lechuzas are harmed (screeching, weakening, losing flight control).
  • A whirlwind/mass of debris appears, but is steadily weakened by continued prayer and knots.
• Outcome:
  • The remaining seven lechuzas die after the last knot.
  • Finally, all 13 lechuzas vanish, leaving only feathers floating in daylight.

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Method / instructions (detailed bullet list)

Navigation & protection logic (earlier guidance)

• Use La Llorona’s amulet/ear pendant to call for help while traveling at night.
• Maintain the moral condition associated with La Llorona’s requirement:
  • Remain noble and kind, believing it ensures protection.

Defense plan for the lechuza encounter (thread + circle)

• When the narrator ties knots with the silk thread:
  • Wake Beatrix (Beta) quietly and without panic.
  • Form a protective circle around the narrator so the lechuzas can’t reach her while she ties knots.
  • The narrator:
    • Holds/positions the silk thread for knot-tying.
    • Ties knots in sequence while praying.
• Key thread requirement:
  • Knots must be evenly spaced (the distance is not specified, only the spacing).

Final defeat protocol (prayer + knots)

• Replace lost thread by extracting silk from:
  • Pita’s dress bow (a sacrifice tied to what Pita values most)
• Execution steps:
  • Hold the thread tight against the chest while beginning prayer.
  • Perform:
    • 7× Lord’s Prayer (in Spanish, spoken by the narrator)
    • 7× Hail Mary
  • After each prayer, tie a knot:
    • The narrator closes each knot consecutively so they sit tightly together (still “evenly spaced” in her interpretation).
• During the process:
  • Stand positioned so attackers can’t disrupt knot-tying.
  • Keep focus; continued prayer reduces storm/whirlwind power.
• Expected effect:
  • Rain lessens → stops.
  • Whirlwind weakens.
  • Remaining lechuzas weaken, slow flight, and die.
  • Ultimately, all lechuzas (total 13) vanish.

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Speakers / sources featured (as named in the subtitles)

• Guadalupe Garcia McCall (author referenced via title line)
• Melinda Garcia (reader/performer referenced via title line)
• The narrator (main speaker; name not given in subtitles)
• Velia
• Juanita
• Pita (also referenced as “Pita (Beatrix is also referenced as ‘Beta’)”)
• Beatrix (“Beta”)
• Delia
• Mama (voice; invoked/quoted)
• La Llorona (voice; invoked/quoted)
• Teresita / Teresita’s voice (voice; invoked/quoted)
• Cecilia (voice; invoked/quoted)
• Inez (voice; invoked/quoted)
• La Ciguapa (voice; invoked/quoted from the rafters)
• Naachiin (mentioned as coming/rescuing)