It's been close to 12 years since I first heard about this creature; and each and every time that I tell anyone about the experience I had, I still got goose bumps; for this was the very first thing that got me involve in finding out more about the hidden tales of the city... now its my time to share it with you, so get ready and start reading.
I was reading a book at my house when the phone got me up, it was a call from my friend Andrea, who told me that her husband Mike was injured and wanted to see me at the Hospital as soon as possible.
As I was traveling in the bus to the Hospital, I started to think on Andrea's words, it seemed that Mike had been beat-up by some thief he encountered on the road while he was coming to San Jose, and according to the doctors, his injuries were bad enough to keep him in the Hospital bed for at least a week.
This was really hard for me to believe, for Mike was a though trucker, 6'6 with bad temper, and had quite a reputation among his friends as one of the strongest truck drivers in our home town of Moravia. The thought of a single guy beating him up without any weapon, was not within my imagination to conceive; and yet Andrea assured me he was seriously hurt.
When I finally get to the Hospital, I saw Andrea was waiting for me at the entrance, she looked worried as she gave me the visit pass; and I could tell by the look on her face that she was thinking on something else than just the physical injuries of her husband.
-"He don't want to talk to anybody about the incident"(She said, and trying not to cry she added)-"Mike just want to talk to you first... I don't know why; but please don't let him down!"
I nodded, and holding her hands for a second I tried to calm her down, giving her my word to do my best effort to make him feel better. Andrea gave me a little smile, and letting go of my hands she started to walk back to her car, while I move towards the hospital doors, not knowing what to expect anymore.
I got to be honest here, I was certainly not prepared to see my friend in such a pitiful state; he had 3 huge slashes across his face, his huge arms were covered with fresh bandages; and there was another cover on the left side of his neck. As for the rest of his skin, well.... all of it was bruised in a minor degree as far as I could tell. Mike smiled when he saw me, and silently pointed a finger to a chair near his bed.
-"I know this could sound crazy, and that's why I asked for you to come"(Mike said)
-"Thanks for the compliment!"(Was my answer, not to sure of what he meant by those words)
-"You read a lot and you have seen some stuff... that's why I called you"(Mike insisted, and giving me a furious look, he continued)-"Its about "little Nails", Ive seen him!
Of all the things he could have said, that one was not on my head; "Little Nails" was a famous apparition that supposedly haunt highway truckers at night. Many described him as a monkey like creature, others as a small child with vicious teeth; but regardless of his shape, "Little Nails" was nothing more than an urban legend among the Central America truckers, just a legend.
-"Mike, are you aware of what you are saying?"(I said, getting closer to him)-"A comment like that could get you fired!"
-"That's why I'm telling you and nobody else; I just need to get it off my chest!"
I saw the look on Mike face, and gazing in his eyes, I knew he was telling the truth...
-"Roberto and I were coming back to San Jose; I was leading while he followed about 10 minutes behind me. I was hungry and thinking on nothing else than getting home... then I saw him.
-"What you mean you saw him?"(I asked him, doing my best not to freak out)
-"I mean just that!(Mike said, raising his voice a little.)-"I'm not fucking crazy!"
-"OK, so what happened then?"
Mike took a deep breath, get his back straight and looking at his bed he continued
-"It looked like a small kid, walking on the side of the road with his clothes covered in blood; when I saw him, I grabbed my radio and send a message to Roberto, letting him know I was stopping to help an injured kid"
-"What was your location when that happened?(I asked him)-"And what was the time?"
-"I was leaving Montenegro and just a couple of minutes away from Pavas,... regarding the time, it was about 2:55 A.M."(He turned his eyes in my direction for a second and mention)-"Is that important?
-"Yes off course"(I needed the information, not only to question him later; but also as general reference.)-"Please continue"
Mike's eyes returned to his bed, and he started to move the fingers in his hands...
-"Once I was done telling Roberto what was going on, I grabbed my Emergency kit and got out of the truck, I thought that the kid was hurt man... but it was not a damn kid at all."
-"Why you say that?"(And I really wanted to know)-"How did you realized that?"
Mike look at me one more time, his eyes were a little red, not with anger... it was fear.
-"His voice gave him away"(He said)-"It was not a kids voice,.. actually, there were 2 voices"
It was right there that I started to get a little uneasy...
-"So what did he say?"(I had to ask, I really need to)
-"One voice was indeed like that of a children; but the other one... the other one was like the sound of dry leaves when you step on them. And it said nothing at first... he just laughed."
-"The kid started to laugh?"
-"It was not a kid!"(He answered, with fear in his eyes and voice)-"He looked like one, but was not,.. he was wearing an old t-shirt and worn shorts... I saw that even though he was covered with blood; he didn't have a single wound on him."
Suddenly Mike started to rock back and forth on his bed, looking at the ceiling and clasping his wretched hands together, as if he were was praying, he said.
-"I froze when I saw his teeth man... they were like those of a shark,... I knew there was something wrong with that thing"(Mike’s eyes were wide open, terror behind them)-"then he spoke"
-"So what did he say?"(I insisted)
-"He asked me if... if I want to see his nails..."(And looking at his hands, Mike carried on)-"I am not a coward, yet, I must admit that my blood froze... and yes, I started to run back to the truck."
I could not blame him; for who could tell what our behavior would be facing a monster such as this?
-"But the creature was fast, and he jumped on my back and started to use his nails"(Mike rubbed the wounds on his face)-"The first thing he went for was my face... then he continued with my arms, and before I knew it, the bastard bit me!"
And without me asking for it, He showed me the marks that lie beneath his neck bandages; I could tell that it was a bite alright, but the shape of the teeth were not normal... for each one looked like small knife wounds. I did not know what to believe anymore, and I seriously doubted that all the injuries that Mike had could have been inflicted by himself... I was really scared.
-"I started to loose consciousness due to the blood loss"(Said Mike, finally looking at me)-"It was then that I heard Roberto’s truck finally arriving... the creature let out a vicious growl and escaped, while I finally collapsed to the floor"
-"What the hell?"(I thought, this was some serious shit)-"Mike, we seriously have to tell somebody about this!"
-"As if I could afford to loose my job"(Mike pointed out, and giving me a smile he added)-"The reason why I called you is because I knew you were smart, and that you will figure a way to let the people know about this creature without screwing me or Andrea."
-"I will Mike, trust me."
-"Just promise me to wait until little Erick is old enough to understand the story"
I have to admit that I did some research, and a couple of days later I spoke with Roberto, who confirmed Mike's radio call, and also how he find ed his friend. I also get together with some of the old truckers, who confirmed to have heard about the creature, and as they told me about the way it was supposed to look, I realized it matched Mike’s description. Needless to say all this information really impressed me. And even though I wanted to let everybody know about this urban legend, I kept my promised and true to my word I waited all this years to share my story with you.
But this was nothing else than the first of my encounters with the hidden urban myths of Costa Rica, and as I continue to write in this Blog, I will share more of them with all of you.
Excellent story congrats for the blog, I hope to reed more of your stories.
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