My grandfather has always lived most of his life in the countryside, specifically in the interior of Amazonas. He is also a very adventurous man and loves to go into the forest to hunt. He claims to know the surrounding forest very well because he has been going there for over 40 years.
When I arrived at my grandparents’ house, my grandfather said he was going to prepare a feast for the family, and he was going to hunt the dinner himself, a wild boar. So, he left alone to hunt in the dense Amazonian forest. I asked my grandmother if it was normal for him to go alone to hunt without any help or company, and she said yes, he did it every week and always returned before 6 pm. I wasn’t worried and waited with the rest of my family.
As the clock ticked to 5:58 pm, he still hadn’t returned, and I was the only one in the house who was worried about him. Hours passed, and he still hadn’t returned. I was upset and went to my grandmother and asked, “Where is grandpa? It’s been 5 hours since he left, and it’s already 7 pm!” My grandmother laughed and said it was normal, so I went to bed to wait. I eventually fell asleep, but when I woke up at 4 am, I saw that my family was looking worried. I asked my cousin what was going on, and she said, “Grandpa Bernardo didn’t come back. The men are waiting for the sun to rise before going to look for him.”
Finally, at 5:52 am, the sun rose, and the men in my family armed with knives and pieces of wood left the house to look for my grandfather. We entered the forest and saw a light shining among the trees. We followed the light and found my grandfather sitting there, looking tired but unharmed. We were happy and confused at the same time. We had only walked less than 30 meters into the forest, so how did my grandfather get lost? He said he had been there for hours without finding a way out. How was that possible? The way out was less than 30 meters away from him. And where did that bright light come from? My grandfather only had a shotgun and a knife with him, so where did that strong light come from? How did he get lost?
When we got home, we asked him how he got lost. “It was him, that little guy from the forest,” my grandfather said. “Little guy? Who?” we asked until he said, with a trembling voice, “Curupira.” We asked him who Curupira was, and he explained that in Brazil, his country, there are many folk legends that are used to scare children. I never believed in them, but I always found them very interesting. Curupira is a mythical being known for being the guardian of the forest and punishing those who enter it to cut down trees or hunt animals. He has many peculiarities in his appearance. He is short, has red hair like fire, and has feet turned backwards, which allows him to trick people who enter the forest and get lost. It was always an interesting story to hear, but I never believed it until I visited my grandfather.