THE CUERO

El Cuero ( the pelt) lives in rivers, lakes, lagoons and the sea too, but is easier to find it on dark and little lagoons. It has a big and laying down pelt cow shape, this is the reason of its native name : "el Threquelhuecuvu". In its boudaries have like sharp paws. Only a few  person had seen its head, they say "El Cuero" has tentacles on it, wich finish in a forceps shape whith two red and prominet eyes. Other people say that they had seen the face of "El Cuero", and say that the face is so horrible. One thing is sure, down of its body in the center, "El Cuero" has something like a mouth, with an air hole shape. "El Cuero" uses it to suck until the last drop of blood from its victims.

Slowly "El Cuero" swims over the waters looking for a victim to eat. Unlucky is who is close to the edge of the water where "El Cuero" lives, becacuse it uses its dark magic to make arise the waters, it hypnotizes the victim, and when the waters have the appropiate level, "El Cuero" quickly spreads itself to the victim, involves it, and carries down to the deep of the river, where it will eat it. When a man or an animal is swimming on the waters, the dark appetite of "El Cuero" is easer to satisfactory.

People say stories about person who were close to the edge of a river, sudendly appears "El Cuero", and hunts them. There is a story about a woman who was washing clothes on a river. She left her baby close to the edge, then appear ed "El Cuero" to abduct and eat the baby.

If someone wants to free the waters of a lagoon or river from the notorius "Cuero", he has to ask for the Machi services. This person uses her magic to atract the dangerous "Cuero" close to the edge. Here the Machi deceives "El Cuero", and throws "calafate"  branches on the water. "El Cuero", is blind by the Machi magic, it thinks that the branches are a delicious capture, envolves and holds them strongly. With this action, make the thorns penetrate its flesh. Then "El Cuero bloods until it dies.

This water-monster, not only lives in Chiloé. It lives in several places of Chile. When I was a child, my neighbors and me went to a lagoon in a hill next from my home. But our parents didn't allow us to swim in those water, they say there live "El Cuero".