La Voz del Pozo
(The Voice from the Well)
La casa rural estaba en un pueblo abandonado de Teruel, rodeada de campos secos y un silencio que pesaba como una manta.
The country house was in an abandoned village in Teruel, surrounded by dry fields and a silence that weighed like a blanket.
Irene y su marido la habían comprado para reformarla.
Irene and her husband had bought it to renovate it.
En el patio trasero había un pozo de piedra tapado con unas tablas viejas.
In the back yard there was a stone well covered with old planks.
El agente inmobiliario les había dicho que no tenía agua desde hacía años.
The estate agent had told them it had not had water for years.
La primera noche, Irene se despertó a las tres de la madrugada.
The first night, Irene woke up at three in the morning.
Algo la había despertado, pero no sabía qué.
Something had woken her, but she did not know what.
Se acercó a la ventana y miró al patio.
She went to the window and looked at the yard.
Las tablas del pozo estaban apartadas.
The planks on the well were pushed aside.
Ella recordaba perfectamente que su marido las había clavado esa misma tarde.
She remembered perfectly that her husband had nailed them that very afternoon.
Bajó al patio con una linterna.
She went down to the yard with a torch.
Al acercarse al pozo, escuchó algo que le heló la sangre: una voz suave que subía desde la oscuridad.
As she approached the well, she heard something that made her blood run cold: a soft voice rising from the darkness.
No podía entender las palabras, pero era claramente una voz humana.
She could not understand the words, but it was clearly a human voice.
Irene se inclinó un poco y gritó: <<¿Hay alguien ahí?>> La voz se detuvo.
Irene leaned forward a little and shouted: <<Is anyone there?>> The voice stopped.
Después, muy despacio, repitió exactamente lo que Irene había dicho.
Then, very slowly, it repeated exactly what Irene had said.
Con su misma voz.
In her own voice.
Irene corrió dentro de la casa y cerró la puerta con llave.
Irene ran inside the house and locked the door.
Su marido se despertó y le preguntó qué pasaba.
Her husband woke up and asked her what was wrong.
Ella intentó explicar lo que había oído, pero sabía que sonaba imposible.
She tried to explain what she had heard, but she knew it sounded impossible.
A la mañana siguiente, las tablas estaban otra vez sobre el pozo, perfectamente colocadas, como si nadie las hubiera tocado.
The next morning, the planks were on the well again, perfectly placed, as if nobody had touched them.
Key Vocabulary
el pozo the well
la tabla the plank, the board
la linterna the torch, the flashlight
helar la sangre to make one's blood run cold
inclinarse to lean, to bend over
la madrugada the early morning (before dawn)
el agente inmobiliario the estate agent
reformar to renovate, to refurbish
clavar to nail
detenerse to stop, to come to a halt