1908 (pub): A Calcu Woman

This tale was collected from Quan Pichun, of Galvarino, Chile, and was first published in 1908.

        In the village of Galvarino, there was a wife who knew witchcraft. This was discovered one day when her husband went to a party, and left her at home alone, arriving home himself both very late and very drunk. As morning approached, the husband felt very thirsty, and asked his wife to get him some water. When she hadn't responded after a few moments, he got up to check on her... her head was missing. He'd once been taught that a headless monster could not reconnect if the body was turned over when found, so he immediately turned the body over. He stood by the fire to think things through, which is when he heard a chonchoñ shouting at close range. The shouts soon came from over the house itself, followed by what sounded like something falling on the roof. Shortly after, a bird came through the door and wandered about as if blind. When it found the headless body, it started to go around it, turning into a dog as it did so. This dog then approached the husband, and seemed to beg him to turn the body back over. After some hesitation, the husband flipped the body back over, and the wife's head immediately reappeared upon it. He asked what this was all about, and she explained that every night she would fly to visit distant lands without him knowing it. She begged him not to tell anyone, and he chose not to until after her death.