Fiction: The warning

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The warning

An old man was sitting on a stone by the side of a road weaving some wickerwork. A late-model red car pulled up and inside was a young newlywed couple:
_Can you tell us which road we should take to get to San Lorenzo? -said the man behind the wheel. The old man, who looked strange, looked at them carefully and then, in a slow voice, told them:

_You can take this road, but don't stop to take any passengers, whoever they are, don't put them in the vehicle, because you won't reach your destination. The couple smiled and put their car in gear. When the old man saw the car drive away, he crossed himself and spat on the ground. The dirt quickly adsorbed the spit and the old man shook his head in the negative:

_Bad sign! -he said and continued weaving.

On the way, the woman expressed with curiosity:

_What could that old man have meant? -She powdered her nose as she looked at herself in the mirror.

I'm sure this is an area where there are many delinquents, bad people who hide in the bushes. -Anyway, we are not so naive to stop and ride in our car with someone suspicious.

The people in the villages have the wrong idea about the people in the city. They think we're stupid," the woman said, and they both laughed.

They had gone a few kilometers, when the young couple saw a little girl on the side of the road with a basket of candy in her hand. The woman made a little cry of excitement:

_That little girl is selling doughnuts - how I love doughnuts! We should stop and buy some to go.

Remember what the old man said," the man said hesitantly.
He said not to ride anyone. What can a child do to two adults anyway? -The woman argued and the man was convinced.

The man stepped back and stopped in front of the girl, who smiled angelically and showed the merchandise. She was a girl of about 10 or 12 years old, friendly and talkative.
My mother makes the doughnuts and I go out to sell them. I've been here since early in the morning, because I don't have classes. -she confessed, smiling. Her eyes were small and bright, her hair was straight and every time she smiled, two dimples appeared on her cheeks.

The young couple liked her so much that they bought all the doughnuts in her basket.

And where are you going? -asked the girl.

-We are going to San Lorenzo. Some friends are waiting for us. -said the woman calmly.

Ah, they are already close. I live there and every day I come and walk there," said the girl, smiling.

Well, if you like, you can come with us," the woman offered and then looked at her husband, "Right, honey?

The man remembered the warning the old man had given him. He felt something strange in his body. A shiver akin to lightning flashed across his skin and knowing why, he simply stated:

_I don't think so, love. I feel sick and I think we'd better turn back," he said, starting the vehicle.

But why, honey..." the woman began to say, surprised and somewhat angry. The man did not answer and started the car in a hurry. At that moment, the man looked in the rearview mirror and saw how the girl's face was completely transformed: she looked like an old woman, her eyes were injected with rage and her mouth had a grimace of cruelty and hatred. The terrified man accelerated the vehicle and drove as far away from the area as he could.

Thank you for reading and commenting, friends. Until next time