Blue Hands

The Blue Hands is a spooky legend for kids about a brave young man who meets a stranger on All Saints Eve. It is based on an old Spanish legend from the Castilla-La Mancha region of Spain.

In the little town of Huelamo in Spain, it was the night of All Saints. This was the dreaded eve when the paths of the dead and the living are said to cross. On this night, it is believed that the dead rise from their graves and walk the earth while mortal men pay their respects by keeping on their guard and remaining indoors.

Instead of being at home, a brash young man named Jose Manuel was walking around the town. He had no fear of ghosts and scoffed at the old legends, saying that it was all a hoax and men were foolish to be afraid of things they had never seen.

Jose and his friend Estaban were rivals in love, both vying for the affections of one pretty young girl in their village. On the night of All Saints, Jose made a bet with his friend. They agreed that if Jose was brave enough to stay out all night and not return to his house before dawn, Estaban would have to give up his pursuit of the girl. Jose was determined to win the bet and his bravery and recklessness knew no bounds.

At about 4 AM, he was walking through the town square, when he spotted a man lurking in the shadows. The stranger was pale and thin and dressed in a long, stylish black coat. His collars were drawn up around his face, obscuring his features.

As Jose Manuel passed by, the stranger called out to him in a very polite voice and asked if he knew the way to La Serna. The night was quiet and Jose was bored so he told the man that the town he was looking for was not very far from Huelamo and offered to show him the way. The stranger readily agreed and together, they set off on their journey.

They traversed the empty streets of the town, passed through the deserted lanes until they finally found themselves on the desolate, rocky road that led to La Serna. Throughout all this time, the stranger did not utter a word and Jose Manuel was becoming a little uneasy. He did not dare to break the ominous silence that hung over them. The man exuded an odd, unearthly presence.

As they were passing by a place known as the Alto de la Horca, Jose happened to steal a glance at his companion and was shocked by what he saw. For a moment, he thought his eyes must be deceiving him. Underneath the man’s cloak, it seemed as if he could make out a very faint blue flame covering his fingers.

“That’s impossible,” he told himself. “It must be some kind of strange optical illusion caused by the light of the moon. Or perhaps exhaustion is taking its toll on my mind and causing me to imagine things”

Despite his uneasiness, he refocused his attention on the dark road. They continued to walk, following the path in mutual silence. however, Jose couldn’t help but steal another glance at his companion. When he did, he realized with horror that the blue flames were now engulfing the man’s hands and feet. Instead of disappearing, the effect had been increasing and there seemed to be no rational explanation for it.

For the first time in his life, Jose was experiencing real fear. His mind began working overtime in order to come up with a plan. He stopped suddenly and told the stranger that he needed to go to the toilet and couldn’t hold it any longer.

“Wait here,” said Jose, trying to hide his terror. “I’ll be back in a moment.”

“Very well,” replied the stranger in a commanding voice. “I will allow it, but do not take long. You had better be back before you hear three claps. I dislike waiting. Clap! Clap! Clap! and no more.”

Jose ran behind a clump of bushes by the side of the road. There, he heard the first clap. Hidden by the darkness, he waited until the stranger wasn’t looking and took off running. Dashing down the road at high speed, he didn’t dare look back. In the distance, he heard a second clap.

By the time he reached the village, he heard a third clap. Turning around, he realized that the stranger was hot on his heels. His feet were not moving, he was just gliding through the air and gaining quickly. The flaming blue hands were reaching out to grab him. Jose was so startled, he let out a scream and began to run even faster.

When he reached his house, he ran inside and slammed the door behind him. Within seconds, he heard a loud bang as the malevolent entity collided with the door of his home.

Exhausted and terrified, Jose Manuel dropped to the floor and listened as the thing outside began banging and scraping at the door. Then, he heard a growling voice say, “This time, your feet have saved you. Otherwise, I would have drunk your blood!”

After all was calm. Lying on the floor, Jose fell into an uneasy sleep.

The next morning, when the sun rose, Jose awoke to hear the laughter of children coming from the street. He wondered if what he had experienced the night before had all just been a nightmare.

When he looked outside, he noticed two blue handprints seared into the wood of the front door.

Never again would Jose Manuel leave his house for any reason. He became a shut-in and lived in fear that the man with blue hands would come back to drink his blood. He spent the rest of his days a virtual captive in his own home. Everyone thought he was crazy and not one person ever believed his story.