Little colored men

Walconda was my neighbor, a lady who always had stories to tell. One day she began to tell me about some little colored men who came out of the hole behind the wall of her room.
— Can you come and ask them to let me sleep at night? She — she asked me — because they are such bandits that when I want to sleep they start playing all over the house.
I smiled to ease the tension of the moment.
«Can I call you tonight so you can talk to them?» She,» she insisted.
—Of course, Walconda, let me know when they come and I’ll talk to them.
That same night she knocked on my door.
— They are already relaxing in my room again, I told them that someone would come today to help them return to their house, they ignored me, but I’m sure they heard me. Why am I going back to sleep right?
«Of course,» I answered, «I’m sorry for having said yes in the afternoon.» But hey, now it was time to go to her house and make her see reason or call a doctor if I couldn’t do it on my own.
—Come on, Walconda, I’ll accompany her. When we entered the smell of confinement she hugged us.
«It would be a good idea to open the window to let them out, don’t you think?» —I told her to see if she could change the air in the stuffy room.
—Daughter, if we open the window they’re going to go out into the patio and get into your house. They won’t let you sleep, that’s not a good idea.
—I don’t think they’re going to my house, they’re sure entertaining themselves in the patio, they’re so mischievous that they’re not going to miss that opportunity to play.
—If that’s okay with you, then we’ll open it up, but don’t say that I didn’t notify you afterwards, look, once they get inside you they don’t leave.
—Walconda, don’t worry about me, I’ll deal with them, the important thing here is that you can sleep, so let’s let him out.
I opened the window and waited for a little while, giving them time to leave.
«You see that they are bandits,» Walconda told me, «now you can’t see any, however, I’m sure they’re listening to us.» If they are going to bother you, speak firmly to them, they will be quiet for a while.
—Calm down, Walconda, they’re going to entertain themselves in the patio.
—Thank you for your help, now I’m going to rest because I haven’t slept well for many nights.
I helped her to lie down and went home. It had been easier than she had thought and without the need to call the doctor.
My bed was right under the window where, according to Walconda, the little men would enter, when I returned home and saw her, I smiled, I couldn’t stop thinking about Walconda and her little colored men.
I lay down and began to feel how little feet were walking through my body, «I’m suggestive I can’t believe it» —I thought.
I turned around and saw little men hanging from a rope coming down from my window. No, it can’t be, Walconda —I yelled— Can I go to sleep with you?

Gabriela Motta