The following two Ocho Vampiros  Urban Myths are provided as a courtesy for game players who enjoy reading quirky urban myths.   The following myths contain some violent content and subtle racial/gender identifications that may offend very sensitive readers.  Cold Harbor AZ makes no claim to the authenticity or origin of the following stories, and accepts no responsibility for accuracy of content.  In fact, it is safe to say, these stories are hoaxes. (But that makes them fun.)  For those who enjoy identifying patterns and threads that link first-generation tales to "second-generation and later-generation" urban legends, the patterns are both obvious and entertaining in the following tales.

Eight Young Hombres

There were eight young men who wanted to travel to the United States. They each paid $200 to a smuggler who promised to take them to California. Each young man was instructed to lie down in a coffin. The smuggler and his associates then loaded the coffins into a truck and drove all night until they reached the border. When a guard asked to inspect the truck, the smuggler agreed cheerfully. As soon as the guard saw the coffins, a strong sadness overtook him, and he allowed the smuggler to continue his journey. As the sun rose and beamed through his windshield, the smuggler developed a strong thirst. He stopped his truck at a tavern in the American desert and proceeded to get very drunk. The liquor loosened his tongue, and he said to the other patrons, “If anyone can guess what cargo I carry in my truck, I will buy everyone beer.” No one guessed correctly, and finally the smuggler admitted, “I am carrying coffins with living souls inside them.” No one believed him, so he promised to prove his claim. Many people from inside the tavern followed him out to the hot parking lot where his truck was parked. Laughing, the smuggler pulled a coffin from the truck and lifted the lid. Inside lay a young man with a short beard and eyes closed. The smuggler poked the bearded man with his thumb. “Open your eyes and live!” The Smuggler said jovially. The eyes did not open. The young man had died in the heat of the parking lot while the smuggler drank beer. Inspection of the other coffins revealed the same tragedy. The smuggler was arrested. He died in a holding cell that same night. On his body were found eight bite marks.

The Woman Who Would Not Sleep

Eight women were good friends and slept at each other’s house often. On such occasions, they played games, listened to American music and told jokes about men who wanted to marry them. One night after seven of the women had fallen asleep, the eighth woman wandered out to the porch to look at the stars. It was very dark and very late. Despite the late hour, she spied a young man standing on the street below the porch. “Come up and keep me company,” the woman said loudly. The young man glared up at her as if he had been waiting for her invitation. He was very handsome. The hair on his head was thick and well-combed. A short beard the color of walnut ink covered his chin and cheeks. Slowly, he stepped up, onto the porch and sat on the porch swing. He did not speak. The young woman sat down beside him and kicked her feet gently to start the swing rocking. “Talk to me,” the woman said. The young man looked her in the eye, but did not speak. Using the flat of her palm, the woman stroked the young man’s beard. “Why don’t you speak to me?” she asked. The young man did not answer. With her thumb and forefinger, the young woman pinched the chest hair that showed above the young man’s shirt collar. She tugged the hairs playfully, then asked again, “Why don’t you speak to me?” Without answering, the young man leaned toward the young woman and kissed her. The kiss was strong and possessive and lasted a full minute. When their mouths parted, the young man stood up from the swing, stepped down from the porch and continued down the street. As the woman watched him leave, she began to recognize a peculiar taste in her mouth. She put her index finger to her lips then held the finger up to the porch light. The tip of her finger was smeared with blood. Angry and disgusted, she spit over the railing of the porch until her mouth was dry then hurried back into the house. She decided to wake her friends and tell them of her queer experience. But they were all dead with bite marks on their limbs and trunks. 

A warning to young, women. Please, if you play the cards with skulls [Ocho Vampiros], do not play at midnight. To be safe, do not play between midnight and 1 AM. This is the hour when the Vampiro walks. If you live near sand, do not play between 11 PM and 2 AM.

Editor's Notes: Eight Young Hombres is a wonderful example of a "second-generation" myth. The similarities between it and Illegal Traveler are too many to list; however, a minor character in Illegal Traveler (The Smuggler or Cigar Man) has become the main character in Eight Hombres. Further, sympathies for all characters are lost. Even though the Smuggler is described in much more detail, his character has become a stereotype. Note how in Illegal Traveler, there is some secret sadness in the Cigar Man (Smuggler) that is not disclosed, even as he buries the men alive. In Eight Hombres, his crime is reduced to neglect and drunkenness. And, of course, a new murder is introduced. The monster (although still a sympathetic monster) has been given a specific crime or cause--revenge. One is led to believe this specific event is perhaps documented somewhere. Of course, that is highly unlikely. Although the Eight Hombres story is a clear retelling of The Illegal Traveler, The Woman Who Would Not Sleep distances itself from the original in at least three ways. 1) Would Not Sleep does not introduce the reader to the human version of "The Traveler." We only meet him as a monster, not as a human. (This is interesting if one considers that Eight Hombres begins this "erasing" of the human and humane side of what eventually becomes the monster(s) by introducing "The Traveler" only as a group--"eight young men"--and gives these young men appearances only as death faces and implied agents of revenge. What was originally a specific man with a specific heartache becomes a group of men with non-specific reasons for travel.) Would Not Sleep presents the Traveler only as a monster, one incapable even of speech. The only human aspects remaining appear to be the handsome face, the ability to give a good kiss, and a bit of hair rising up from the front of his shirt collar. We only know this is the same character from Illegal Traveler because of the reference later in the story. 2) Would Not Sleep is a "warning label" story. True, The Illegal Traveler set up the entire tale as a warning to be revealed at the end as well; however, the warning of Would Not Sleep is somewhat "pinned on," rather than a natural and sincere warning of perceived dangers. The speaker appears more concerned, perhaps, that women would congregate together to play games and talk about their men, than that they might actually see harm. 3) The setting of Would Not Sleep has become the city. This is perhaps the best clue that Would Not Sleep is classic "third-generation."  What was originally a rural story involving fantasy romance has migrated (literally) into the city. Here in the city, women apparently need less warning to beware of lonely monsters, more to beware of what opportunities their own actions might allow any and all monsters. Our staff at Cold Harbor AZ has gotten a good number of hearty laughs from the second paragraph--the "specific  or target warning," as these paragraphs are called--that appears after the tragic surprise.  A second (even funnier) warning may sometimes be found attached to this story; however, we have elected not to post it on this page because it doesn't meet our standards of examination.  For the curious, yes, a copy of this story including the second warning will be linked from the Ocho Vampiros Unofficial page in the near future.  -- Luke & KT

     
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