From the Very Apropos Series

by

Jake Taylor

The Chupacabras

Jack:                “Manny, have you heard about the chupacabras?”

Manny:             “Of course Jack, everyone has. Why do you ask?

Jack:                “’Cause I would like to know more about it.”

Manny:             “Well, chupacabras is a Spanish term that means ‘goat sucker’. And as its name implies, it sucks the blood out of goats and other small animals.”

Jack:                “I heard that some of its victims are chickens.”

Manny:             “Yes, in addition to goats it has been known to attack hens, ducks, small dogs; but, as I recall, no cats.”

Jack:                “Why do we use a Spanish word for it?”

Manny:             “I suppose because it was first detected in Puerto Rico and in a couple of countries in Central America. It later moved north into Mexico and even all the way up to the States.”

Jack:                “Do you believe it crossed all of Mexico to get here?”

Manny:             “Apparently; I saw a report on TV where a Mexican woman doctor went to help a poor farmer that had lost several animals. In fact, the physician found a few goats still alive, barely breathing. They showed signs of having been bitten by something that left fang-like incisions near their heads. She called the authorities and all. She wanted to find the culprit and was dead serious about it.”

Jack:                “Did they find the chupacabras?”

Manny:             “No. The animal had already left the area. It was never seen again near that place.”

Jack:                “Well, I saw a report on American TV about a sheriff in Texas that chased one of them chupacabras and actually shot him.”

Manny:             “Who knows if that was a real chupacabras. I saw the same report and the animal looked more like a dog with mange.”

Jack:                “What’s mange?”

Manny:             “A skin disease produced by mites. The animal loses its hair and looks sort of weird.”

Jack:                “Come to think of it, the animal did look like a dog, a dead dog. I don’t think there have been any new sightings after that. Maybe the sheriff did kill the culprit and that’s why we no longer have the chupacabras around.”

Manny:             “What do you mean? Do you think that that dog crossed the Caribbean Sea to arrive in Central America and then made his way to the U.S. by crossing all of Mexico and is now gone because the sheriff shot him?”

Jack:                “Well, some folks believe that the chupacabras is, or was, an extraterrestrial creature, which would certainly explain why he was able to roam such large areas.”

Manny:             “Jack, you’ve just hit the nail on the head! The chupacabras ARE in fact extraterrestrial and they metamorphosed into highly-paid executives who now work in Wall Street and for some big banks.”

Jack:                “Oh, come on Manny; why would they do that?”

Manny:             “To suck us all dry!”

© Jacob A. J. Taylor 2011