That summer is a season of knowledge for Antonio. He becomes more attached to Ultima than to his mother, and, from her, he learns the stories, legends, and history of his people. She cautions him never to touch the three dolls that she fashioned, and, from around her neck, she gives him her folk scapular, a thin pouch of cloth filled with sweet-smelling herbs, for his protection until he makes his first holy communion. Many afternoons are spent waiting for the golden carp to return, and during those months, Antonio listens to migrant workers talk of the social changes — the railroads and the barbed wire — that have ended the old way of life for his people.
One night, one of Ultima's friends, the town drunk Narciso, comes to warn her: One of Tenorio's evil daughters has died, and Tenorio blames Ultima. Outside, a shot is fired, men's voices are heard, and Tenorio demands that Ultima be given to them. Ultima comes to the door, and as Tenorio moves forward, her owl swoops down and gouges out one of his eyes.
Next morning, the family travels to El Puerto to help with the harvest; Gabriel accompanies them. They pass Rosie's whorehouse, and Antonio ponders the sins that will soon cause the town to sink into a lake of water. Like God, the golden carp punishes sinners; in contrast, the Virgin forgives sinners. Antonio thinks that the best god would be a woman.
