Una Candelita
At Mi Campamento in some recoveco of the Escambray mountains, we played lots of round games. I never knew the rules but I tried hard, concentrated on following everything the blonde girl did. She knew everything real Cuban girls did even if she too was a protestante. Her name was E. I admired her but I was very jealous of her blondeness and at the same time, hated it, wanted to vanquish it.
At dusk, in the shadow of the mountains, after the sun disappeared behind them, but while the sun still made a gray blue glow in the sky, we played Una Candelita. It was always somehow E who never got caught out when whoever had gotten caught out was running around behind the circle, saying, "Una candelita, a la otra casita." When I forgot how scared and humiliated I felt from not knowing the rules I got carried away by the euphoria when someone called out "una candelita"....someone said a la otra casita until someone else else said..."Por alla fumo"...and we all ran around...