The Boy and the Barn Owl

Shortly after Mexico won its independence from Spain in 1824, Marco Castillo Lopez and his family relocated to a farm on the outskirts of Sinaloa. Marco’s father was a Captain in the Mexican Army during the war and had been rewarded land from Mexico’s first president Guadalupe Victoria.

Armando was tired of fighting and had long desired to live a simple life with his family. After one year passed under the newly appointed Mexican government, Armando got his wish and set off with his family to a remote farm on the Mexican coast.

⧫

Marco had just turned eight years old and was not looking forward to being so far from where he grew up. His head leaned against the window as he stared out at the countryside whipping by.

Maria looked over at him while on the train. “Marco,” she said from across the aisle.

“Yes, Mama?” Marco said without moving his gaze.

“We are going on such a wonderful adventure! I know it doesn’t seem like it now, but I know you will love it,” Maria said with a smile.

She turned toward Armando, who was smiling blissfully. Armando’s small, circular glasses framed his face well and matched his gray beard.

“Your mother is right Marco,” Armando said. “Where we are going is enchanting and you will find meaning there,” he said with reassurance.

Marco shook his head in response and stared back out the window as the train began to slow down for a stop. Marco turned to look out the window once again. This time, he noticed a barn owl perched on a signpost.

Armando leaned over his son. “What a magical creature,” Armando said with reverence.

“Magical?” asked Marco curiously.

“Yes, and it looks like that magic has already found you,” Armando said with a smile.

Marco gave his father a skeptical look. “I don’t think there’s such a thing as magic Papi.”

“Of course there is!” Armando said firmly. Attempting to quell his son's puzzled expression, Armando asked, “Have I ever lied to you, mijo?”

“No Papi,” Marco retorted wearily.

Four more hours passed before the Lopez family arrived at their stop in Sinaloa. It took another hour by wagon before they finally reached their new home. It was just before dusk, and the afternoon sun shone a gorgeous burnt orange hue.

The wagon driver yelled, “Señor, we have arrived at your hacienda!”

Armando poked his head out of the purple curtains of the covered wagon. Grinning from ear to ear, Armando offered his hand to his wife. “Mi Amor, take a look at our new home.”

“It’s perfect”, Maria said, embracing Armando.

Marco, still apprehensive, finally peered his head out of the wagon.

“Come out here mijo! You must see our new home!” Maria exclaimed.

Marco stepped out of the wagon and walked towards his parents.

“Isn’t it beautiful Marco?” Armando said, taking in a deep breath as if to wash away the past decade of conflict and hardship.

Marco examined the home’s exterior. The large porch and thick stone beams held up a regal-looking roofline. It had a yellow clay facade with a faded white front door and a set of arched windows on either side.

Marco glanced over to the western edge of the property. “What’s that Papi?” he said while pointing off into the distance.

“That looks like our barn,” Armando said.

Marco looked up at his father with big eyes, “Does it have animals inside Papi?” he asked eagerly.

Armando let out a resounding laugh as he said, “I guess we will find out!”

Marco’s eyes filled with wonder and excitement.

⧫

The sun barely crept over the valley as Marco shot up from his bed. He ran quickly through his sleeping quarters and down the stairs. Maria was already in the kitchen preparing breakfast.

“Where are you going, Marco?” Maria asked, knowing exactly where he wanted to go.

“To the barn Mama!” he said half-dressed as he hurried through the kitchen.

“Come back here Marco,” Maria said as her son turned the corner.

“But Mama…” Marco said impatiently.

“Wait for you father, just in case a scary beast is waiting to eat you,” Maria said as she pinched Marco’s cheeks with a smile.

Marco returned her smile.

Armando came lumbering down the hallway and Marco could barely contain himself. “Papi! Can we go to the barn?”

Armando bent down and met Marco’s face with his. He slowly started to smile before uttering, “Why did you wait so long to ask? Vaminos!”

“Woohoo!” Marco yelled as he ran to the front door.

Marco sped down the sloping terrain to their farm.

“Slow down Marco!” Armando yelled from behind his son’s cloud of dust.

The barn, faded red and built 30 years prior, was situated about a quarter mile from their house. Marco finally reached the barn and began pulling on the door handle with no luck. He struggled for nearly three minutes before Armando’s hand grabbed the handle and gave it a firm pull, finally jolting it open.

As the door opened, an ear-piercing shrill came from the rafters above. Marco jumped back into his father’s stomach in fear.

“Oof! It’s okay Marco, look!” he gestured up revealing a small barn owl perched above their heads. Marco took one look around the barn and didn’t see anything but some old farm equipment and loose straw.

“There’s only junk here Papi,” Marco said, unable to contain his disappointment. “How can we bring animals to live here?”

Armando looked at him and said reassuringly, “We can fix up this barn together mijo! It looks like it just needs some paint, maybe a window or two…” he paused, “but the first thing we need to do is fix this door,” Armando said.

“It looks like a lot of work Papi,” Marco skeptically replied.

Armando put his hands on Marco’s shoulders and with a twinkle in his eyes said, “You can do anything you put your mind to and go anywhere your imagination takes you. Armando put his hands back on his hips and with determination asked, “For now, will you help me get this barn back into shape?”

Marco gave his father a nod and a smile.

As Marco and Armando were leaving the barn, Marco asked, “How will we lock the barn for now Papi?”

“Don’t worry, he’ll watch it for us,” Armando replied as he pointed toward the owl.

Marco and Armando were exhausted by the time Maria had called them in for dinner.

“How was the barn? Did you find any animals, Marco?” Maria asked as she filled their plates.

“It is very big but there aren’t animals. Papi said we need to fix it up together before we can get any. I can’t wait!” Marco exclaimed.

Maria looked at Armando curiously. “We are huh? Who will be taking care of all these animals I wonder?”

Armando started to laugh, “Marco and I are happy to do it, right mijo?”

“Yes Papi, I will take care of them. Don't worry Mama,” Marco reassured his mother.

“But you forgot that we do have one animal Marco,” Armando said.

“I forgot Mama,” Marco said. “We have a small barn owl. He’s loud sometimes but he's my new friend,” he told his mother with a gleam.

“Well, it’s a good thing you don’t need to feed your new friend,” Maria said with a glance at her husband. She continued, “What will you name him?”

Marco looked over at his father and then back at his mother. “I will call him Armando, after my Papi.”

Armando’s face beamed with pride. “I am sure he will look after you, Marco.”

⧫

Three weeks passed as the Lopez family acclimated to their new surroundings. Marco would often daydream in the barn with his owl friend, Armando. He would pretend he was on an adventure high above the clouds with Armando. The owl would occasionally let out a screech but never flew down to interact with Marco.

One morning, Marco’s father set off for the town to buy everything they needed for the barn.

“I will be back in three days, Marco. You be a good boy for your mother and help her with the house while I'm gone,” Armando said.

Armando kissed Maria goodbye and hopped in the wagon. Maria and Marco watched as Armando waved goodbye from the gate of their hacienda.

Marco then turned to his mother and said “Mama, can I go play in the barn?”

“Yes, but I need your help later making dinner,” Maria replied.

“Thank you, Mama!” Marco said as he began running towards the barn.

Marco swung open the barn door and marched in like a soldier ready for battle.

“Armando!” he said with command in his voice, “It’s time to go to battle! The evil owl army is coming, and we have to defend the barn!” Marco exclaimed as he placed his foot on a bale of hay.

For hours, Marco played in the barn pretending to fight off the evil owl army. He and Armando were courageous in battle and had successfully defeated the evil owls.

Marco, pretending to swing a sword, glanced up at the sky and noticed it was getting dark. “Oh no, I told Mama I would help her with dinner!” Marco said with a panicked look on his face. “Adiós Armando!” he said to the owl as he shut the door.

Marco began running to the house with great haste, as he didn’t want to let his mother down. As he grew closer, he noticed a wagon out front.

“Papi!” Marco cried out in joy.

A strange man was talking to his mother. Marco couldn’t tell who it was, but it was not his father. As he got closer to the porch, he saw his mother crying.

“Mama, what is the matter? Where is Papi?” Marco asked with a concerned tone of voice.

The man, dressed in all black with tan boots and a big mustache, grabbed his hat from his head and placed it over his chest.

“I am sorry,” the man said as he looked over to Marco. The death had been sudden, he explained. Armando had just made it to town when he suffered an unexpected heart attack. After giving his condolences and returning Armando’s items, the man proceeded back to the wagon and drove away.

Marco was still processing but was old enough to understand. He walked over to his mother, tears streaming down her face, and hugged her tight. They both began to weep. Maria could no longer hold herself up and collapsed in sorrow as she held her son on the steps of their porch.

⧫

A month passed without Marco visiting the barn. He had done his best to help his mother and try to be the man of the house in his father’s absence. Maria was also very distraught, but she was a strong woman. She had planted a vegetable garden and purchased a few chickens with some money they had saved. But even having more animals at the farm did not make Marco happy.

⧫

Marco woke up one morning to the sound of a wagon entering the gate to their hacienda. Since the last one brought ill news, he was uncertain of whether he wanted to investigate. Marco still had hope that maybe his father would come home after all.

He left his bedroom window from where he would spend countless hours staring at the big oak tree while thinking of his father. As he walked through the house, he heard his mother call for him.

“Marco!” she called out. “Come see who is here!”

Marco felt a wave of hope rush over him. Perhaps he was right, and it was his father returning after all this time. He turned the corner and saw his mother standing next to a woman he did not recognize.

“Marco, my sister has come to stay with us,” Maria said. “This is your Tia Veronica.”

Marco could see she was a great deal younger than his mother. She had dark black hair, pretty brown eyes, and a little freckle on her left cheek.

“Hola Sobrino, it’s wonderful to finally meet you! Your mother has told me so much about you.''

Marco stood next to his mother and gave his aunt a reluctant greeting. “Hola,” he said.

Tia Veronica bent down and placed her hands on her knees. “I must thank you for letting me stay with you in this magical place,” she said.

Marco looked at her and responded with sadness in his voice. “I don’t think there’s any magic here.”

“You just need to know where to look,” she replied cryptically.

Maria, still embracing Marco, stated “Why don’t you help your Tia with her bags?”

“Yes Mama,” he replied.

Marco was having a tough time sleeping that evening. A flash of lightning caused his already restless mind to wake. He glanced at the old oak tree and thoughts of his father flooded his mind. As he continued to stare out the window, another flash of lightning revealed a shadow on the tree.

Taken back for a minute, Marco jolted out of bed. As he peered out of his bedroom window, he saw an owl perched on the highest branch of the tree. It was his friend Armando.

Marco looked up at the bird and noticed he was looking back down at him. The barn owl never came to visit Marco. The rain and wind heaved against the window, startling Marco. He decided to get back in his safe and cozy bed.

As Marco lay there trying to fall asleep, more thoughts of his father raced through his mind. He occasionally glanced at his friend out the window until finally, the owl flew away. As Marco drifted off into sleep, he couldn’t help but feel the presence of his father and decided he would finally visit his owl friend tomorrow.

The next morning, Marco woke up early and went down to the kitchen. To his surprise, Tia Veronica was already awake and making coffee.

“Buenos días Marco!” his aunt said cheerily.

“Hola Tia Veronica,” Marco said.

“Oh, please call me Vero or Tia,” she said kindly.

“What are you doing awake so early?” Marco replied.

“Oh, I’ve always gotten up early.”

“I’ve always preferred staying up late,” Marco said as he took a seat at the dining room table. He was interested in getting to know his aunt. After all, this was the first time he had ever heard of her.

“You must have gotten that from your father,” Veronica said. “You do look so much like him,” she said with a glint in her eye.

“Is my mother awake?” Marco asked.

“Oh yes, she’s already tending to the garden.”

Marco looked at Veronica. “How come you’ve never come to visit before?” he asked inquisitively.

“Well, your mother is 15 years older than me and when I got married, I moved away to Nicaragua. Your Uncle, my husband, died fighting in the war. When your mother told me you were moving here, I thought it would be a great chance to come and visit."

Marco shook his head, “I’m sorry about your husband.”

“That’s okay Marco, we all experience loss. What’s important is that we keep living for the ones we love.” She grinned as she looked into his eyes. “Your mother tells me you have quite a nice barn here.”

Marco started to form a smile, but before he could respond, it disappeared. “I was supposed to fix it with my father. That was what he was doing when it happened, he was going to buy supplies…now there’s no way to fix it” Marco stated sadly.

Veronica picked up her cup of coffee and took a slow sip. She looked at the window and then back at Marco. “I’m sure we can find a way, you just have to believe,” Veronica said, drawing Marco’s gaze. “I will be here if you ever want the help.”

Marco looked at her and gave a nod, then made his way out of the kitchen.

On Marco’s way to the barn, he saw his mother in the garden and waved. “Buenos días Mama, I’m going to the barn.”

Maria, already full of dirt, responded, “Okay Marco, make sure you’re back for lunch.”

As Marco approached the barn, he noticed the door was slightly cracked open. He carefully peered in with one eye. “Nothing seems to be out of order,” he thought, and swung open the door. He heard a piercing screech come from the barn rafter. This time, he was not startled. Marco looked up to see his friend Armando.

“Hola Armando,” he said as he almost welled up thinking of his father. “Sorry I haven’t come to visit in a while.”

Armando let out another audible screech as if to respond to his statement.

Marco continued, “But I saw that you visited me. Thank you for watching over me during the storm.”

As if having a conversation, Armando once again replied with a loud shriek.

Marco began walking through the barn and noticed a tarp in the back corner. With a puzzled look, Marco said out loud, “What’s that?”

As he began to take tiny steps to the tarp, the owl swooped down and landed on top of it. Marco paused for a minute and slowly started to walk towards the bird with his hand outstretched.

“Did you put this here?” Marco asked the owl hoping for a response. “Armando, what are you hiding in the barn?” he asked while inching closer.

The owl let out another screech and then flew up back into the rafters.

Marco glanced up at Armando and then continued towards the tarp. With one swift pull, he yanked the tarp up, revealing several buckets of red and white paint. Marco was almost instantly frozen.

Questions started flooding his mind. Who put these here? How long have they been here? Could it be my father?

He was so excited that he took off from the barn and ran straight back to the house.

Marco flew in through the front door and started yelling, “Mama! Mama!”

“What’s wrong Marco?” Maria asked as she came down the stairs.

“Mama you’ll never guess what happened!” Marco exclaimed.

Veronica came around the corner to see what all the excitement was about.

“Mama, all of the paint that Papi bought is in the barn!” he shouted with tears of joy.

Maria, with a puzzled look on her face, responded, “But Marco, your father never bought the paint…”

Without hesitation, Marco said, “But he did Mama! It's in the barn. You have to come see!” unable to contain his glee.

Maria and Veronica exchanged glances and decided to follow Marco back to the barn.

Marco flung open the door and said “Look, Mama!” as he pointed to the paint cans.

Maria, in disbelief, responded “Dios Mio, how could this be?”

“Papi must have put them here and gone back into town. It must have been a surprise Mama!”

Maria, with her hands on her face, began to tear up. “That’s wonderful Marco,” she said.

Marco turned to his aunt and said, “Vero, did you really mean you would help me paint the barn?”

“Yes Marco, of course!” she exclaimed. “We can get started first thing tomorrow,” Veronica said.

Maria looked over at her sister, then back at Marco. “Let’s all head back to the house, mijo,” she said.

“Okay Mama,” Marco said beaming.

⧫

Marco and his Aunt Vero spent the next several weeks painting the barn. Maria even joined them a few times too. The entire time they were working on the barn, Marco never saw his owl friend, which caused him to worry.

The morning after they finished painting the barn, Marco went down for breakfast. “Aunt Vero, have you seen a barn owl around here recently?” he said concerned.

His Aunt turned and replied, “You mean your friend Armando? No, I’m sorry. But I wouldn’t worry,” she said with a smile. “I’m sure you’ll see him again soon.”

He gave her a nod.

“Now that the barn is painted, should we find some animals?” Vero asked.

“Not yet,” Marco replied. “We still need to fix the windows and the door handle, that’s what Papi wanted,” Marco explained.

Marco’s aunt and mother looked at each other.

“You’ve done a great job painting the barn Marco, but we don't have the glass for the windows or metal for the door handle,” Maria told him. “I’m sure we could get the other things fixed next year when we have the money.”

Marco looked at her with big eyes, “Yes Mama,” he said as he started to tear up. Marco left the kitchen for his bedroom, saddened by the thought of waiting an entire year.

Three days passed until Marco went to the barn to see if Armando the owl had returned. As he approached the farm, he began to appreciate the hard work he and his family had put into painting it. The sun highlighted the red hue and white trim.

As Marco pulled open the still broken door, he was once again greeted by the shrill of his friend Armando. He smiled from ear to ear.

“Armando!” he cried out. “It’s good to see you, mi amigo!” He then noticed another tarp set aside in the corner.

“Armando, did you bring us more paint?” he said as he ran over and pulled the tarp off.

“Dios Mio!” he exclaimed. “How is this possible?”

There was a pile of new glass and metal, exactly what they needed to fix the windows and door handle. Marco ran home to tell his mother and aunt.

“Mama! It happened again! You won’t believe what I found in the barn!” Marco shouted as he ran through the front door.

“What is it, Marco?” his mother replied.

“There is glass for the windows and metal pieces for the door handle, just like Papi wanted!”

Maria shot a glance at her sister, who was having coffee in the kitchen. She then approached Marco and squeezed him tight.

“That is so wonderful! We must be truly blessed Marco,” she said with a tear in her eye.

“I would love to help you again if you’d like Marco?” Veronica asked as she sipped her coffee.

“Thank you, Tia. I'm so excited!” Marco cried. “We can finally finish the barn!” he exclaimed.

⧫

With some help from a neighbor, Marco and his aunt were able to get all four windows installed and fix the broken door handle. It had taken nearly five months, but after all their hard work, the barn was finally complete.

As a tribute to his father, Marco inscribed the names of each Lopez family member on the north side of the barn. Although she wasn’t technically a Lopez, Marco added his Tia Vero to the inscription with a little heart. She had helped him tremendously with the barn and Marco had become quite fond of her in the time they had spent together.

Oddly enough, Marco had only seen his owl friend a couple of times since finishing the barn. Maria had suggested that Marco leave a window open for him, as the owl was probably using one of the broken ones to enter the barn previously. Still, Armando did not come.

⧫

On one particularly rainy day, Tia Veronica walked into the barn to find Marco staring at the inscription he had made.

“Your father would be proud of you Marco,” she said warmly.

“I miss him a lot, Tia.”

Veronica put her arm around Marco and he looked up at her with tears in his eyes.

“I don't want to let go of him. But now that the barn is finished, I feel like there’s nothing left to do in honor of Papi,” Marco said.

“Sure there is,” Vero said. “You can find some animals for the barn.”

Marco chuckled and wiped a tear from his face. “I don't think we can afford any animals right now,” he said.

Vero looked at him deeply, “You just have to believe in the magic your father told you about. Maybe it will guide you,” she said.

Marco turned and hugged her. “I do believe Tia, thank you,” he said.

Before Marco went to sleep that evening, he could hear his mother and his Tia arguing about something. It wasn’t like them to argue, but he was too tired to try and listen.

A storm quietly rolled across the valley that night. A bolt of lightning lit up the night sky and one burst of thunder was so strong it seemed as though it had hit the house. Marco shot up out of bed.

“What was that!” he screamed.

“Marco…” a voice called to him from outside his window. “Marco…” it called out again.

The rain stopped and the wind calmed as the voice calling his name continued to grow.

“Marco…” it called again.

He approached the window and saw a glowing blue figure with gray hair and glasses. Marco looked in disbelief as his father floated by his bedroom window.

“Marco, there you are,” Armando said.

“Papi!” Marco cried out. “Papi, is it really you?”

“Yes, mijo, it’s me,” he said with a radiant smile.

“Papi, we finished the barn! Tia Vero, Mama, and I finished it just like you wanted,” he explained excitedly.

Armando let out a loving laugh, “I am so proud of you Marco! It looks fantastic!”

Marco looked at his father and started to tear up. “I miss you, Papi,” he said.

Armando tilted his head slightly. “I miss you too mijo. But I want you to know I will always be with you,” he said, pointing to his son's heart. “Thank you for believing in the magic!” Armando said as his body slowly began to fade in front of Marco’s eyes.

“No Papi! Come back!” Marco cried.

“Marco…” the voice called again as Marco closed his eyes. The voice grew louder, “Marco...Marco…” it said.

The boy opened his eyes.

“Marco?” his mother said, touching his arm as he lay in bed.

“Marco, you were having quite a dream,” Maria said as her son regained consciousness.

Marco, looking around the room for a minute, stared back at his mother.

“I thought you’d like to know that Armando came to visit you last night,” Maria said looking out the window.

Marco’s eyes widened as he jumped out of bed and hurried to his window.

“Marco?” his mother asked, “what's the matter?”

“You saw Papi last night?” Marco asked anxiously.

Maria looked puzzled. “Your owl friend mijo…I saw him late last night watching you sleep,” she said.

Marco looked at her and almost cried.

“I think you should come downstairs and have breakfast,” Maria said.

Marco was still in a state of shock as he put on his clothes and went downstairs for breakfast.

“Buenos días Sobrino!” Tia Vero said.

Marco was still a little shocked but told her good morning nonetheless.

“You look a little down Marco,” she said. “What's troubling you?”

“Nothing Tia, it was just a dream.”

She smiled at him. “I was wondering if you heard that noise last night? It was very loud.”

“No, Tia. What kind of noise?” he asked, half pretending to care.

“Well,” she said before taking a breath, “I kept hearing a strange noise from the barn, maybe you can check it out,” she said, still smiling.

“Okay Tia, I will go after breakfast,” he said groggily.

“Now that is not the Marco I know,” Veronica said playfully. “It sounded like an animal!” she exclaimed.

Marco’s eyes widened for the second time this morning.

“Go on!” Vero said laughing.

Marco ran out of the side door and to the barn. As he approached, he noticed the door was shut and the window that was usually left open was closed. Without hesitation, he yanked open the barn door, and there it was.

Marco’s smile couldn't have been bigger. A small black pony with big eyes and brown hair was standing in a stall. As Marco approached the pony, he noticed a note pinned to the post in front of him. Maria and Vero were just catching up to Marco as he grabbed the note and began to read it aloud.

“Marco, it’s just as I told you before. You can do anything you put your mind to and go anywhere your imagination takes you. Thank you for believing in the magic! Love, your Papi Armando.”

Marco was overwhelmed by a sea of emotions. He began to cry tears of joy as his mother and aunt hugged him fondly.

At that moment, Marco realized his father would always be with him. He decided he would devote his life raising and caring for animals, and vowed to always believe in magic.