In the dark forests of faraway places legends are born that invoke fear and trepidation in the local people, but scorn and disbelief in the wider community. On Chiloé, a group of islands off the south of Chile, such a legend exists. The locals speak of a gnome like creature they call 'El Trauco' that preys on their young women.
Such legends always fascinated Dr Anthony Thatcher, a renowned English Archaeologist who had spent his life trying to find proof of the existence of such creatures, and to unravel primitive beliefs about ancient monsters. So he arrived on Chiloé with his daughter as part of a scouting party for a new expedition later that year because some interesting artefacts had been discovered in some remote caves.
It was hoped that these artefacts may point to the root of these primitive beliefs the locals still held about sexually potent gnomes that target virgins and essentially rapes them with the goal of making them pregnant. Dr Thatcher himself was sure there was no truth to the legends as in all the years man has been uncovering the past, no remains of any creatures like this has ever been found.
Miss Lily Thatcher was excited as they landed on the Isla Grande de Chiloé which is the largest of a group of islands that form the misty, verdant archipelago of Chiloé. Lily had just finished High School and had been accepted into the prestigious English University of Cambridge. Her family of course were very proud and that was why her Father brought her on this trip as a reward for her achievements.
Lily was a pretty English rose with long black hair, 5' 5" (165cm), 121 pounds (55Kgs) with small breast's but quite curvy in her way. She has had several boyfriends during her high school years but due to her strict upbringing the most she had ever done with a boy was kissing. Unlike some girls she had not channelled her energy into boys and fashion as a teenager, but into academia mostly and of course horse riding which was he favourite hobby.
"What do you think?" her father asked her as their taxi sped through tight streets that hugged a rugged coast with dwellings huddled together that looked crowded and about to fall down on top of them.
"This place is amazing. Not like home that is for sure," she smiled nice white teeth.
"Wait until you see the caves we are going to tomorrow. They will blow your mind," he enthused.
"Dad, is it true the locals believe in gnomes? I mean believe they are alive and walking around?" she asked amused.
Her Father laughed, "They have a few stories that I think are designed to frighten little children rather having any basis in fact. Archaeologists and Palaeontologists have never found anything that validates their stories and we have been working this place for years."
"That doesn't mean they aren't true though," Lily said teasingly poking him in the ribs with her elbow.
"Ahhh the first tool an Archaeologist needs is an open mind. If we do happen to find some of their remains then we would certainly become famous."
"Maybe we will find them on this trip? That would be cool."
"It would certainly help increase the funding I have for the expedition in June that's for sure. If you see one then let me know. Deal?" he said with a smirk holding out his hand.
"Deal," she said taking his hand ands shaking it.
*****
The next day a helicopter took them to a field high up on a mountain and they climbed out and watched it depart. It was cool up here but in a weird way still humid. Not exactly like the tropics but as they looked around heavy rain clouds swirled and dumped their loads an all and sundry. A Jeep came out of the trees on a small track and eventually pulled up in front of them and inside was Manuel, a local man who was acting as a guide.
"Good day Professor and this must be Lily eh?" he said with a toothy smile.
They exchanged pleasantries and the Jeep took off over the rough terrain and into the forest. The trip took a while as the road was pretty rough and calling it a road was very loose use of that word to be honest. But eventually they arrived at a camp set up outside a large cave opening with a few men milling about and several fires burning. How they found dry wood in this dank wet place was something that amazed Lily.
She got out and enjoyed a hot cup of tea which was handed to her by a local man with a smile. To her surprise it was Earl Grey and as she drank it she had a sudden feeling of luxury amongst the rugged primitive beauty that was all around her. Her father was off immediately talking to another man she later learnt was Pablo, an Archaeologist from a University in Santiago. He didn't seem too pleased to see Lily was there, and she overheard him tell her Father that it wasn't wise to bring a young inexperienced women to these places.
She felt hurt as she was only there to support her father, and inexperience in Archaeology should not be an issue as all she will be doing is some grunt work which seemed fine for these inexperienced locals here. Lily heard her Father poo poo Pablo saying he didn't believe in all that nonsense and Lily should be fine. Pablo shrugged and made it pretty clear that if anything happens be it on his head.
Lily didn't really get what Pablo was so worried about? What could happen while digging around in a dirty old cave?
*****
After a week of painstaking survey of the inside of the cave with a few odds and ends that seemed to excite her Father and Pablo (but not her) she had to admit she was starting to get a bored. In her mind when agreeing to come on this trip she was maybe thinking of South American beaches and hunky guys, but here she was stuck up on the side of a wet dank mountain waddling around in mud, rubble and what was essentially bat crap.
There was a table in the middle of the camp under a big awning with what looked like to her bits of rock laid out on it yet her Father was excitedly trying to explain what all the bits meant. But even he could see that she didn't really hold his interest in such things.
"Listen Lil, how about tomorrow instead of helping us you go for a walk down to the lake. I am told it is quite a beautiful place and there is a really huge waterfall there. I think you will like it. Take your camera and get some shots maybe? Find some gnomes for us eh?" he suggested warmly placing his arm on her shoulder.
"What if I get lost?" Lily said feeling a little alarmed but excited.
"Well I could send one of the men with you but they have been going there twice a day for over a week now to get water for us, so I am sure the path will be easy to follow," he said.
So the next day after breakfast Lily grabbed her camera, a small backpack shoved with food, a compass, and some water; and headed off down a fresh looking trail that their helpers had been making on their trek to collect water. She had to admit this was just what the doctor ordered and the musky scent of the forest filled her with fresh enthusiasm.
The track was more difficult than what she imagined it would be and had to admit she had new-found respect for the local men who had been lugging buckets of water along it. She slipped a few times on the muddy ground and at other times hung on for dear life as the incline was extremely dangerous. But after an hour she came to a large lake that was indeed fed by a majestic waterfall, and then water from this lake cascaded over a cliff down to another one a long way below.
It was breathtaking.
She walked around it and the water looked so clear and clean she could see fish in it (ones she recognised they had been eating). She took pictures of everything that grabbed her attention and there was loads of things. After a while she grew a little tired and took her back pack off and put her camera down and kicked off her shoes. Then she sat on a rock and dangled her feet in the water and to her utter surprise it was warm.
The water was warm.
The only explanation was that this was part of some hot springs but in a moment she had stripped off to her panties and bra and jumped in the water. It was just what she needed as she lay there swimming then floating and just being at peace with her surrounds. It was finally a holiday, she thought.
Then an eery feeling came over her. The feeling she was being watched.
She poked her head up and looked around but couldn't see anyone!
"Is somebody there?" she called out. "It's OK you can come out I am not nude."
She thought that maybe it was some water collectors that have come from the base camp with their buckets. Still she didn't hear anything except the sounds of the waterfall and maybe a grunt. A bit like a pig. Could it be a wild boar maybe come for a drink?
She tried to ignore it but a feeling of dread was growing in her more and more and it turned into fear. So she headed back to the shore where her clothes were and got out of the water. Lily then reached down to where she left her clothes to find them gone.
"Oh Shit," she said quietly. "Come on this is not funny. Give me my clothes back," she screamed out looking about her voice echoing inside the canyon.
Silence.
Then in the corner of her eye she seen something move in the bushes. "Ah ha. Gotcha," she smiled and ran off in that direction bursting through the bushes into a mossy clearing to be confronted with a strangely dressed small boy leaning against a rock. He was wearing a big straw hat and with his head bent forward so the brim covered his face.
She started to form a question in her mind in Portuguese and then said, "Menino você tem visto minhas roupas??" (Little boy, have you seen my clothes?).
