‘Again the fog was bedding down over San Gabriel. On the blue mountains the sun was still shining. An earthen smut covered the town. Darkness came after. The lights were not switched on that night as a mark of mourning because Don Justo owned the electricity. The dogs kept howling till dawn. Candles brightened the stained-glass windows of the church as they vigiled the deceased. Women’s voices chanted in the drowsy night in falsetto Come out, come here, come in, soul of Purgatory. And the bells were knelling the whole night through until dawn, until interrupted for the morning call to prayer.’
from El Llano in Flames by Juan Rulfo
Absence Club 