Bless Me, Ultima

Bursting into his mother's kitchen, he blurts out all that has happened, and that night, he has a nightmare: The girl at Rosie's pulls Andrew into the fires of hell. Antonio cries out to God, asking for Andrew's forgiveness. A voice answers that Andrew is condemned to hell for eternity. If Andrew is forgiven, then Tenorio must be forgiven. The Virgin appears and says that she forgives all. God intervenes and says that vengeance belongs to Him — and not even the golden carp has His powers. As the flames of hell part, the blood of Narciso flows into a river, to be mixed with the blood of Lupito. A mob gathers, demanding Ultima's blood. Antonio sees his three brothers, whipped by three women, confessing to their sinful natures and asking for Antonio's blessing. The three Trementina sisters begin dancing around him, taking cuttings of his hair, which they mix with the blood of foul things. His body begins to wither and he dies without ever having taken holy communion. He is doomed to go to Purgatory. Meanwhile, the angry mob murders his father, mother, and sisters. They behead Ultima, drive a stake through her heart, and burn her body. Then they go to the river, catch the carp that swim there, cook them, and eat them. The earth parts and the entire town sinks into the raging waters of the black void. The sun turns red. Farmers from El Puerto bury the ashes of Antonio's family, night falls, and the golden carp appears. It opens its mouth, swallows everything, and swims upward toward the stars. Its golden body becomes a new sun that shines upon a new earth.