While sleeping, Maria dreamed of flying with a Quetzal,
a long tailed bird which is the national bird of Guatemala. In
ancient times the bird was thought to be a spiritual protector
of the chiefs and it was a capital offense, punishable by death
to kill one. Diego heard Maria making bird noises in her sleep
and looked over the edge of his hammock to make fun of her. He
was immediately startled by the outline of a thief grabbing his
mother's cloth and running out of the house. A -- A ROBBER!
Diego screamed. His mother and grandfather woke up startled. "Where?"
Maria asked. He just ran out with all mother's cloth! Sure enough,
the cloth was gone. Flora began to cry, "That was two season's
worth of work! Now I'll have nothing to sell at the market!"
Flora sobbed the rest of the night.
When the children were leaving for school the next day, Mother was still laying in her hammock and was coming down with a fever. Grandfather would stay with her. When the children returned from school in the afternoon, mother's fever was worse and they were nearly out of food. Maria said, "Diego we need to help!...I have an idea."
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