"Ashes for the Wind."

Hernando Télles.

Summary: The morning was sultry and threatening. So was the visitor, giving Juan warning to clear out of his property before it was too late. Reminds of Kafka. You know the threat is there, but you don’t know why. The merchants in the town are unfriendly and uncooperative. And the policeman has a whip.

Later, the Mayor of the town asks if Juan had left his land. “No,” was the answer. Instead, he retreated into his house and locked the door. Then the house was burned to the ground with Juan,  his wife and baby included.

A true horror story. “Ashes for the Wind.”

Spanish Stories and Tales. Ed. By Harriet de Onís. The Pocket Library, 1956.