Sunday morning of October, 1998; Sonsonate, El Salvador… I was on my way to one of the many terrains my grandparents owned. It was described as a cool, relaxing place. But there was more to it than that.
My grandpa had hired a pick-up truck for our family and a few friends of mine to go to the terrains. One could fit 12,563 people on the back of the truck, but there were only 7 of us there, so it was ok… as the ride kept on going, I started to notice the change of ambiance. We were getting out of the city and into a mix of forest/jungle with cultivated grasslands. Most of the trees were full of vigor, with their roots purging the highway pavement. There were mostly corn plantations on the left side; it looked like a sharp, greenish sea. On the other side, there was nothing but monstrous hills that chiseled in the landscape.
We kept on going into the depths of this environment. I saw the end of the highway followed by a "dirt bridge" crossing atop a huge river. One could hear the birds chirp and the waters ravaging the mossy rocks. As soon as we crossed the bridge, it started to rain. It was not a big deal at first…
A friend of mine wanted to taste the rain, so he stuck his tongue out. "It's good" he said, followed by an "ARGH!!! THAT HURT LIKE HELL!!!" It started to hail, and, apparently, the beginning shard of ice landed on his tongue. We couldn't really care less. We began to laugh like hyenas… until the hail struck all of us. My grandpa eventually said that "that is God's way of telling us to shut up."
Finally, we arrived at the terrain… it was hill-up. Once we climbed the hill to the top, I began to contemplate the ambiance around me.
There were five modest houses to the East. They were all simple; they were all just four walls made of adobe and a piece of old roof above each. Inside there were tables, beds, and kitchens. Surrounding them all was a small wire fence, which covered almost all the East side of the terrain. Between the fence and the houses were a bunch of animals: Chickens, roosters, pigs, a greyhound, and an iguana. On the West side were a few cultivated patches. My grandpa said that the workers there rotate the crops every couple of months; the current plantation there back then was corn. I recall entering the cultivated area and pretend to be a spy. I used to walk up behind people, scare them, and run for my life, hiding between the corn plants.
My favorite part of the terrain was the Northern edge; it was the end of the hill (A very steep hill, by the way). A few ladders down the edge, there was a bunch of trees. They were tall as hell and their leaves scattered a variety of colors around. There were almost no animals, except for a few insects such as mosquitoes and ants. The trees were so close to each other, than one could hop from the top to the next one; one was bound to land safely on (at least) a stable branch. I climbed one of those trees and reached the highest branch. Then I looked beyond the terrain.
The vista was the coolest thing I've ever seen. The hill apparently continued beyond the tree section, but I never dared to go that deep due to my grandparents forbidding it. Regardless, it could be seen just how vast the area was from above that tree. It was the greenest canopy I've ever seen. Some other trees were even taller and their branches disrupted an almost perfectly even canopy. They were scattered around and, unusually, some of them formed a weird, Zelda-like shrine structure. Really, it looked like a door with some steps and a herald behind it. Even beyond that, there was another hill; another terrain. It was like a freaking green ocean, with a bunch of bushes I've never seen before. They were in segments that resembled sea waves.
That place was radical. I enjoyed every detail of it; specially the fruit… There was a mango tree breaking the "even" corn plantation. I used to climb it and take down mangoes for everyone.
The day we left was a sad one. I wanted to cause some havoc. A few weeks later, my grandpa told me we were going to return and stay for a week. So I got hyped again, and right before leaving, I took my eskrima sword with me to the terrain.
That night, I escaped my assigned room and grabbed my sword. I climbed to the trees and unsheathed my damn blade, and began to jump around, slashing branches off and balancing myself on top of the blade, from treetop to treetop. I felt like a maniac after committing the vengeance of his dreams.
I was dressed in black, making it more fitting for this scenario. I just randomly yelled that I was freaking El Zorro. I recalled a few lines from the cartoon and the old movie, and just began to slash and jump around again. I eventually noticed a few nocturnal animals staring at my adventure. I did not get bothered whatsoever and kept on jumping around. In the end, I climbed down the trees and laid down on the ground, staring at the even-more-fitting full moon.
