The scarecrow vampire - TheInkwell Creative NonfictionPrompt #58
My four brothers did not like to dress up in carnival costumes, the one who loved to dress up was me. Since I was a teenager, I was fascinated to do it, any costume was good for me, since I didn't have the money to buy one in the stores. I managed to do it and my brothers supported me.
In the neighborhood where I live, every year traditionally, they appoint the Carnival Board, made up of three people from the community, a president, a treasurer and a secretary. They were the ones who coordinated these activities and established the guidelines to be followed.
This Carnival Board programmed, for Friday, the coronation of the Community Queen, and then the walk of this one in her float, along Fernandez de Zerpa Avenue where the different queens paraded in their floats from all the communities that make up the city. At that time, my friend Maritza and I were 15 years old, we were classmates. She liked to make up, she lent me a set of white blouse and jacket, she made up my face in such a way that my face looked like a caravel, I got on the carriage and many of those present wondered:
Who is this caravel that looks like Doctor Death?" Inwardly, I laughed, because they did not identify me.
Once the parade was over. We left for our homes. On the road, when we were going, I scared all the people I met on my way, they left terrified.
Saturday was scheduled to culminate these activities with a dance on the first street of our community, starting at 8 pm.
The costumed person who had an original costume and danced the best would be rewarded with a prize.
In a matter of seconds I decided to dress up as the scarecrow vampire. I dressed in a pair of my older brother's black pants, which were a bit baggy on me. A black flux, underneath a shirt with a collar attached to a black cape. Inside this shirt backwards a hump, my hair tousled and on top a hat.
Maritza made up my face, identical to Dracula's, she placed in my mouth some plastic fangs that protruded from my mouth, inside this she placed a concentrated granulated drink, to make juice. This concentrated drink, upon contact with saliva, expelled a red liquid from my mouth, similar to blood. When I arrived at the dance with that disguise, everyone looked at me with fear. Most commented:
"The scarecrow vampire" .
When the dance section started, like me, I had knowledge of various dances and dances. When it was my turn to go on stage, I was the last one to go on stage, to show off my costume, and do a dance. As soon as the music played I began to dance and at the end of the dance, leaning with my hands on the floor to support my body, I began to turn in semicircles. The audience applauded loudly. At the end of the contest the president of the Carnival Board took the microphone and addressing the audience said:
Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, the winner was, The Scarecrow Vampire, for the originality of her costume, make-up and the timing of her dance.
The audience began to shout:
""Let him speak, let him speak!
The Chairman of the Board handed me the microphone, I had no choice, I turned to the audience and said:
"I feel very proud to have participated and won this contest."
As I spoke everyone identified me, again they began to applaud. Then, the Carnival Board gave me the prize of $500.00 dollars. Which I accepted with great joy
Using the Deepl translator
https://pixabay.com/es/photos/vampiro-vampirfrau-vampirlady-2783034/
ESPAÑOL
El vampiro espantapájaros
A mis cuatro hermanos no le gustaban disfrazarse en carnaval, a la que le encantaba disfrazarse, era a mí. Desde muy adolescente, me fascinaba hacerlo, cualquier disfraz para mí era bueno, ya que no tenía dinero para comprarme uno en los almacenes. Yo me las ingeniaba para hacerlo y mis hermanos me apoyaban.
En el Barrio donde vivo, todos los años tradicionalmente, nombran la Junta de Carnaval, conformada por tres personas de la comunidad, un Presidente, un tesorero y un secretario. Ellos eran los que coordinaban estas actividades y establecían las pautas que se debían de cumplir.
Esta Junta de Carnaval programó, para el día viernes, la coronación de la Reina de la Comunidad, y luego el paseo de esta en su carroza, por la Avenida Fernández de Zerpa donde desfilaban las diferentes reinas en sus carrozas de todas las comunidades que conforman la ciudad.
Para ese momento, Mi amiga Maritza y yo teníamos 15 años, éramos compañera de estudios. A ella le gustaba maquillarse, me prestó un conjunto de blusa y chaqueta blanca, me maquilló el rostro de una manera tal, que mi cara, parecía una carabela, me subí a la carrozada y muchos de los presentes se preguntaban:
¿Quién será esa carabela, que se parece al Doctor muerte?” Interiormente, yo me reía, porque no me identificaron.
Una vez concluido ese desfile. Nos marchamos a nuestras casas. En la vía, cuando íbamos, asusté a todas las personas que conseguí en mi camino, estos salían despavoridos.
Para el día sábado se programó culminar esas actividades con un baile en la primera calle de nuestra comunidad a partir de las 8 de la noche.
El disfrazado que tuviera un disfraz original y bailara mejor sería gratificado con un Premio.
En segundos Decidí disfrazarme de vampiro espantaPájaros. Me vesti con un pantalón negro de mi hermano mayor, que me quedaba un poco ancho, un flux negro, debajo de este una camisa con un cuello aunado a una capa negra . Dentro de esta camisa hacia la espalda una joroba. Mi pelo alborotado y sobre de estos un sombrero.
Maritza me maquilló el rostro, idéntico al de Drácula, me colocó en la boca unos colmillos plásticos que sobresalían de mi boca, dentro de esta me colocó una bebida granulada concentrada, para hacer jugo. Esta bebida concentrada al contacto con la saliva expulsaba por mi boca un líquido rojo, similar a la sangre. Cuando llegué al baile con ese disfraz, todos me miraban con temor. La mayoría comentó:
“Es idéntica a un vampiro espantapájaros”.
Cuando comenzó la sección del baile, como yo, tenía conocimiento de varios bailes y danzas. Cuando me tocó el turno de subirme a la tarima, que fui la última en subir, para exhibir mi disfraz, y realizar un baile. En cuanto sonó la música comencé a danzar y al final del baile apoyando mis manos, en el suelo, que soportaban el peso de mi cuerpo, comencé a girarlo en forma de semicírculos. La callé se venía abajo de los fuertes aplausos de la gente que se hallaba presente. Al culminar el certamen. El presidente de la Junta de carnaval tomó el micrófono y dirigiéndose al público dijo:
Buenas noches, señoras y señores, el ganador fue, El vampiro espantapájaros, por la originalidad de su traje, maquillaje y la sincronización de su baile.
El público presente comenzó a gritar:
""¡Que habla, que hable!
El presidente de la Junta me entregó el micrófono, no me quedó otra opción, me dirigí al público y le dije:
"Me siento muy orgullosa de haber participado y ganado este certamen"
Al hablar todos me identificaron, nuevamente comenzaron a aplaudir. Luego, La junta de Carnaval, me entregó el premio de 500,00 dólares. El cual acepte con mucha alegría.
What a wonderful prize! And how nice that you won. I've dressed up many times, but I've never won anything. Regards
Thank you for your comment. Have a nice day
Responder
Dressing up in such a way so that nobody knows who you are can be a lot of fun! It sounds like you have a talent for pulling together a knock out outfit, and $500 is a wonderful prize to win. This story does show a nice sequence of events from that Carnival weekend but tends a little more toward non-fiction than creative non-fiction. I'm sure the prize you won was put to good use but I wonder what you used it for... Did it make a real difference in your life at the time? Did you learn anything or grow from this experience? Was there any point during the carnival where you had concerns that you wouldn't be able to pull together an outfit in time? And then were inspired to throw things together from your family's wardrobes? Answering these questions through your story would have provided a conflict, a character arc, and resolution, ticking some big boxes in writing a good piece of creative non-fiction. It's about tackling things from a slightly different perspective.
On another point, on this occasion you have not image sourced the picture that you have used. It appears to be from a royalty-free site, but we need you to provide a URL link for it, to provide the correct accreditation, before we can curate this piece.
Thank you for sharing a story from your life in The Ink Well.
Thank you for your comment. Have a nice day
Hello @rammargarita,
The curators of the Inkwell need to have a link to the site from which you borrowed the vampire image. Can you provide a link so they can check out the source? The URL (http:.........) would give the curators that link.
Thank you!
Good evening, I have already edited, and placed the image link. Thank you for your suggestion. May God bless you and give you much health. Happy night to you
Wonderful!
May God bless you, also. I wish you a happy evening, @rammargarita
A great costume and very original, I imagined the scarecrow vampire expelling the blood-like liquid. Very ingenious and creative that's why you were the winner.
Thank you for sharing your experience with us.
Good day.
Thank you for your comment. Happy birthday to you