April 3, 2025

El Tabudo

There's plenty of fish in the sea! But only one him (El Tabudo). In this episode of Susto, Ayden dives into the cool water of the legend of a fresh-water guardian from Lake Coatepeque in El Salvador.

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Show Notes
Transcript

WEBVTT

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Big girl Friends. It's me Adrian or Aiden. Either way,

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I am still your host, and you are still listening

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to Soustal, the podcast of spooky scary stories centered on

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Latin American folklore. Not only can you listen to this episode,

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you can watch me. We're making direct, uninterrupted eye contact here.

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I'm looking into your soul and you're looking into where

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I should have a soul. But I sold it, okay,

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speaking of selling things, Big life update, Listen, when I

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say girlfriend, I mean it. I get on here to

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yap and talk to y'all, and I want you to

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talk right back to me too. I sold my car.

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Major life updates. I am thankfully a Jeff and I

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are in a situation where we don't need two cars.

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We don't each need to have a car, so we

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downsize to one car. We hang out all the time. Anyway.

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He's kind of cool. He's kind of my friend. I guess, so,

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I don't know, just something fun I thought i'd share

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with you. What about you? Do you have any big

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life updates, anything exciting that's happened that you were looking

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forward to. Aside from that, no major updates. There are

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a few things coming up, but I'll announce them in

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future episodes, but as always, you can follow me online

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at at soustl podcast on every social media platform for

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any and all updates on the show. Speaking of we

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had our winners. I announced the winners for the Cynthia

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Belile books giveaway. Again. Cynthia was so nice in the

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lost episode just in general, it was a great interview.

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She's amazing. Her work is so good. If you haven't

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read her books, please go out and read them. Most

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recently I read Vanishing Daughters, which I've talked about and

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it was amazing. But in the giveaway, Cynthia actually sent

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me two books. You sent me a signed copy of

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Vanishing Daughters and assigned copy of Forgotten Sisters to give away,

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and we did that, and so congratulations Tartoo winners. Your

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books are on their way to you already, hopefully more

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things like that in the future. You all know I

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love to give back to you as much as I

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can because y'all are so generous and so kind to me.

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So with that being said, no major updates, So we'll

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go ahead and get into today's episode, which is the

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story of El Tabulor on the peaceful shores of Lake Guatepeke,

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nestled among the volcanic hills of El Salvador, a wealthy

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man made his home. He wasn't a native of the region.

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He relocated from San Salvador, fleeing the chaotic bustle of

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the city for the serene beauty of the lake. His

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mansion stood grand and imposing, staffed by locals, but the

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man held little respect for them. He scoffed at their

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customs and laughed at their tales of the goddess Eatz Gallet,

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the ethereal guardian of the lake's depths. To him, their

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warnings and beliefs were phantasies, unworthy of his attention. One

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summer night, as a gentle breeze stirred the surface of

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the lake and the moon hung like a lantern in

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the sky, the man decided to take his canoe out

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for a moonlit ride. The locals begged him to reconsider

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the goddess doesn't welcome visitors at night. They warned, the

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currents are her whispers, and those who don't heed her

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will be taken. But the man dismissed them with a

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wave of his hand and set off. His laughter echoed

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across the water. Disappearing into the silence of the night.

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As he paddled back into the dark expanse, the lake

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seemed to come alive. The currents swirled around him, playful

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at first, then insistent. The air grew cold, and the

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waters churned with unnatural force. His canoe spun faster and faster,

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until the man's cries were swallowed by the roar of

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the lake. A final mighty swell rose, and the man

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vanished beneath the surface. By dawn, his canoe washed ashore,

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empty and still the villagers knew the truth Itzgayea had

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claimed him, yet they did not rejoice. The staff cared

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for the abandoned mansion, unsure of their future, while the

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lake remained calm and silent once more. That silence, however,

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did not last. Months later, the man returned, but he

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was no longer the figure they had known. His legs

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had stretched grotesquely unnaturally long, and his knees had ballooned

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to monstrous proportions, round and swollen like basketballs. His presence

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sent chills down the spines of those who saw him.

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The locals dubbed him el tabudo, drawing from the regional

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word for knees. Thabas, But to their surprise, El Tabudo

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was not vengeful. He announced that his home and its

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lands now belonged to the local people who had once

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worked for him. He urged them to live in harmony

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with the lake and honor its guardian. The locals, ever

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respectful of the goddess, erected a monolith on the Aban

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island to honor Ittgaye. Fishermen who approached the waters with

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reverence found their nets heavy with fish, their lives blessed

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by the goddess and protected by Tabullo. Years passed, and

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Lake Guadepeca's beauty began to attract outsiders, drawn by its

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shimmering waters and lush surroundings. Among the visitors were Anna, Leslie,

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and Julio, three friends on vacation eager to soak in

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the lake's charm. Anna was the boldest of the group,

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her energy infectious but often reckless. Julio shared her carefree attitude,

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quick to dismiss anything he deemed old fashioned. Leslie, on

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the other hand, was thoughtful and kind, her curiosity tempered

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by respect for the local culture. Their first day at

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the lake began with a stroll through the bustling market

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that lined the shore. Vibrant stalls overflowed with handmade crafts,

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fresh produce, and steaming plates of bubusas Leslie admired the

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intricate pottery and struck up conversation with the artisans, asking

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about their techniques and their stories behind their designs. Anna meanwhile,

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darted from stall to stall, snapping photos without asking permission

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and loudly haggling over prices. Julio followed suit, laughing as

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he grabbed a handful of fruit samples without so much

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as a thank you. Other tourists wandered the market, but

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none were as loud or brash as Anna and Julio.

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Leslie couldn't help but notice the disapproving glances from the locals.

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She pulled her friends aside. You're embarrassing yourselves, she said quietly.

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This isn't just a vacation spot, it's their home. Anna

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rolled her eyes relaxed, Leslie, We're just having fun. Besides,

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they're used to tourists. Leslie's sighed, knowing her words would

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fall on deaf ears. She stayed close to the artisans,

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hoping her genuine interest would make up for her friend's behavior.

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Later that afternoon, the trio of approached Lake Guadepeke, its

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surface glimmering like molten silver under the blazing sun. The

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air seemed changed, humming with an energy that Leslie couldn't

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quite place, but felt instinctively. As they stepped closer to

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the water's edge, a woman emerged from a nearby grove

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of trees, her movements graceful and fluid, as though she

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were gliding rather than walking. Her expression was warm, yet

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her eyes held an other worldly depth, like they carried

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ancient secrets no mortal could comprehend. Welcome to Lake Guadepeke,

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she said, her voice soft but rich, each word resonating

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like the gentle lapping of waves. Anna and Julio barely

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glanced at her, too preoccupied with pointing out photo worthy

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spots near the lake, but Leslie couldn't look away. The

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woman had an air about her, something intangible, like the

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lake itself, was reflected in her being. Her long black

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hair shimmered in the sunlight, and her presence seemed to

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shift the atmosphere, the breeze cooling as she stepped closer.

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You may enjoy its waters, the woman continued, her tone,

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carrying a weight that seemed to echo through the hills,

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but only if you do so respectfully. The lake is sacred,

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protected by itzgayet and a tabulo. They do not tolerate disrespect. Anna,

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snapping another photo of the lake, replied with a distracted

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got it, while Julio nudged her with a smirk. Clearly unmoved. Leslie, however,

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felt the words ripple through her, planting themselves like seeds

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in her mind. She couldn't shake the feeling that this

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wasn't just a casual warning, but something divine, a message

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wrapped in layers of mistice that Anna and Julio were

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too stubborn to see. Leslie cautiously stepped closer to the woman,

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compelled by something she couldn't explain. For a moment, she

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thought she saw a flicker of light pass through the

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woman's eyes, like sunlight reflecting off water. Thank you, Leslie

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said quietly, her voice tinged with awe. The woman smiled

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gently at Leslie, her expression softening. Respect the lake, she

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said simply, Then, with a glance at Anna and Julio,

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who were now laughing and nudging each other, her serene

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expression seemed to harden ever so slightly, as though she

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already knew their hearts were untouched by her warning. She

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turned and walked away, her figure seeming to dissolve into

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the dappled shadows of the trees. Anna and Julio laughed

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it off. That was dramatic, an equipped. Come on, we're

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here for fun, not ghost stories. Elderly man in a

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weathered fishing coat approached them, his face lined with years

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of experience. I can take you out on the lake,

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he offered, gesturing to his nearby motor boat. Leslie hesitated,

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her feet frozen in place. I'll stay here, she said firmly.

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Her voice was quiet but resolute, surprising even herself. You

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two go ahead, but I don't think it's a good idea.

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Anna snorted in disbelief. Leslie, you're seriously buying into that nonsense.

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We're going to have a blast. You're missing out. Julio

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nodded in agreement, already heading toward the dock where the

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old man waited with his boat. Leslie didn't budge. She

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turned back towards the woman's path, where the trees now

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stood still and silent, no trace of her presence remaining,

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but Leslie felt it an unseen force, as vast and

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enigmatic as the lake itself. While her friends boarded the boat,

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Leslie sat quietly on the show, her heart heavy with foreboding.

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Out on the lake, Anna and Julio marveled at the scenery,

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the volcanic hills rising majestically around them. The elderly man

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piloted the motor boat in silence, his gaze fixed on

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the horizon. Anna and Julio, however, were anything but quiet.

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They blasted music from their phones, shouted over the engine's roar,

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and tossed food wrappers into the water without a second thought.

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The lake is alive, the man said suddenly, his voice

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low and grave. It feels everything. Anna smirked, well, I

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hope it enjoys the snacks for sharing, Julio laughed, tossing

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another rapper overboard. Relax, old man, It's just water, the

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man said nothing more, his expression unreadable. As the sun

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began to set, the lake's beauty took on a mysterious quality.

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The water darkened and the air grew heavy. Anna and

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Julio signaled that they were ready to return, but the

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man did not move. His silence turned to heavy breathing,

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and then cracks. The transformation began slowly, then accelerated with

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horrifying intensity. His legs stretched grotesquely, the flush contorting and

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snapping with sickening pops. His knees swelled, ballooning outward like

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monstrous spheres. The boat rocked violently as his new form

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took shape, El Tabulo had revealed himself. Anna and Julio froze,

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their laughter replaced by terror. What's happening, Anna screamed, clutching

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the edge of the boat. Julio tried to start the engine,

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but it sputtered uselessly. The shore was too far to swim,

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and the currents too strong to fight. You desecrated the lake.

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Il la Bulo said, his voice resonating like thunder. You

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ignored its warnings. A dense fog rolled in, enveloping the boat.

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The waters churned, and with a swirl of wind and waves,

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their fates were sealed. Anna's legs fused together, transforming into

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a shimmering tail. Her voice became a haunting melody, her

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screams replaced by the mournful song of a siren. Julio

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cried out as his body shrank, his skin hardening into

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vibrant scales. He was now a fish. Swimming aimlessly through

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the currents. Their punishment was complete. Back on the shore,

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Leslie sat in the growing twilight, her heart heavy with

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dread as she waited for Anna and Julio. The lake

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lay before her, its surface unnervingly still, as if it

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had swallowed the noise of the world. The gentle hum

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of crickets and the rustle of leaves did little to

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ease the tightening in her chest. Something about the air

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felt charged, like the calm before a storm. As the

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moon's pale light cast its glow over the landscape, the

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woman from earlier appeared again. This time, her presence felt

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almost ethereal. She moved silently, her form seeming to shimmer

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faintly under the silvery beams. Leslie hadn't heard her approach,

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but she wasn't startled. Somehow she had known the woman

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would return. The woman's expression was grave, but serene. Your

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friends disrespected the lake, she said, her voice carrying a weight.

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Her tone wasn't harsh, but it resonated with an undeniable authority,

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a truth that Leslie couldn't dispute. El Tabulo does not

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allow such deeds to go unpunished. The waters are sacred,

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and those who mock them face consequences that even prayers

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cannot undo. Leslie's breath hitched. She felt it all along,

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but now the words confirmed what her heart already knew.

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What will happen to them? She asked, her voice barely

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above a whisper, her lips trembling. The woman didn't answer Immediately,

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she gazed out at the lake, her silhouette blending with

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the shadows of the trees. The water seemed to ripple

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in response, as though it understood her silent communion. If

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they had shown respect, the woman finally said, her tone softer,

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now almost mournful. Their bodies would return human, unharmed. But

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now she paused, and the silence that followed felt eternal.

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Now they have become part of the lake, They will

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be remembered, but never returned. Tears welled in Leslie's eyes,

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and she forced herself to look at the lake, its

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surface deceptively calm, holding unfathomable mysteries beneath. She wanted to

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call out to her friends, to demand answers from the

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goddess she now felt was listening, but the weight of

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inevitability silenced her. Leslie knew with chilling certainty that she

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would never see Anna and Julio again, at least not

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as she remembered them. The woman turned to Leslie, her

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expression softening with the faintest trace of compassion. You understood

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the warning, she said, and for a fleeting moment, her

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voice sounded less like a person's and more like the

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whispers of the water itself. That understanding will protect you.

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Honor the lake, and it will honor you You in return.

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Without another word, the woman stepped back into the shadows,

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her form dissolving like mist into the light. Leslie sat

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there alone, the lake stretching endlessly before her, its beauty

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now tinged with grief and reverence. She stayed by the

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shore until the stars reflected off the water, her heart

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heavy with the lesson she hoped others would heed. To

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this day, Lake Guaateepecha remains a place of beauty and mystery.

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It welcomes those who honor it and casts out those

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who dare to defy its guardians. And if you ever

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find yourself there, remember to respect its depths or risk

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facing a tabuto himself. True True. Welcome back, well, friends,

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Thank you so much for listening to this story, which

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is another Sustal original researched written and co written by

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Jeffrey and myself. So we have a couple of sources

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to get through right off the bat, though, I do

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want to say that this story is coming out of

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El Salvadord, which I believe you mentioned in the story itself, right, Yes,

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we did so. That's the area of the world that

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we're exploring today. And we have against several sources. This

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first one that I have perfect, perfect, perfect name for

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this website leandas the dot com and again all director

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links are in the Susto Google docs on Patreon. This

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is just from their mythological legends, the entry of the

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Tabudo or El Tabudo, and this is talking about the

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area itself and El Tabudo himself, right it says. Lake

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Guaatepeca is a fantastic spot located in the department of

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Santa Ana in the municipality of El Congo. This lake

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is popular with tourists who want to admire the natural

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beauty that adorns it. Although many people come to this

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place every day, I few know that there was a

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legend hidden here that is well known to most residents.

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The legend of the Tabulo and then this again, this

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is going to kind of recab the story itself, but

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a kind of like condensed version. This says, the Salvadoran

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legend is well known to fishermen residence and some visitors

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of Lake Guaateebeke Hotel of a day when the owner

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of a beautiful mansion located on the other side of

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the lake went out for a ride in a canoe.

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But something strange happened. According to the story, while he

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was on the shores of the lake, he was mysteriously

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swept away by an underground current that carried him to

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the domain of Itzgaye, the goddess of fresh water. Since then,

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nothing more has been heard of him, and he has

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never been seen alive again. A few months after this happened,

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that man appeared transformed into a thaulo. So then this

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continues to say, as we mentioned the story, that some

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time went by and the people that were working at

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his home they just kind of continued their work because

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they were like, I mean, who knows what happened to

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this guy? Will he ever return? And how do we

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I would assume that they're thinking, how do we explain this? Right?

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But it says that you know. Time went by, they

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continued to care for the for the home and the property,

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and he returned. But this continues. They were perplexed to

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see him because his knees had widened so much they

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looked like a pair of soccer balls. This says, we

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said basketball's in the star, which similar sizes right as

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had his lips. This is a detail that I don't

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think we included in the story, but that his lips

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kind of they what I've seen in what I saw

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in several of these storts is his lips stretched. So

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if you think like a fish's mouth, the mouth is

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a lot wider, right, and it's got that like I

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don't know how to make that face, but you can

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imagine what I'm saying. So it also transformed his face. Again.

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The name that Tabudo comes from Davas, which means knees,

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and it says, although many people relate this with a

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certain degree of fear, the truth is that that Tabudo

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is a good spirit who should not be feared. So again,

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after he came back already physically transformed, so in this

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non human maybe kind of like aquatic humanoid form. He

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then that's when he tells people like, hey, what is

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up my guys, Like, thank you for taking care of

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the property. It's yours now you it's you take it.

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So he just came back to deliver that message. It

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also says that when he appears to people, he appears

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as a fisherman. I guess he has this shape shifting ability,

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right again, these like shape shifting nature protectors. Is this

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it just like a big genre in the stories that

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we've done here on Sustal. But this says that he

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appears to people as a fisherman and that those who

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fear him and they flee, they run away, that they're

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just kind of they don't nothing really happens to them.

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But if they're out there, you know, fishing, they don't

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catch anything. Right. But if they maybe not welcome him,

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but if they're just like chill with him there, if

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they're okay, they they don't freak out, they're like, yeah,

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you're fine whatever, you can hang out random fishermen, then

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they have a good catch. Right. So not really a

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spirit or like a creature, he's not. He's not a

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spirit like well, I don't know, is he a spirit?

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Who knows? Because if he's still he was still around

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or he could just be an immortal creature now, but anyway,

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so he's not this like evil entity, this says. However,

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it is also said that on other occasions, when confronted

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by tourists, visitors, and curious onlookers, the Taboudo cordially invites

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them to explore the most hidden depths of the lake.

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He turns the men into enormous, colorful fish and the

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women into freshwater mermaids. After such an incredible journey, he

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returns them to the shore transformed into human beings. So,

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as a tourist, if you go and you come across

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the taboodle, he offers you this I guess private tour

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of the lake, or you can explore it as a

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sea creature. It would be fun to choose, like what

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kind of sea creature? Right? And this is kind of

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assigned by gender on a binary so for it's only

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men and women, but gender is a spectrum. So can

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I go and say, hey would love to take the tour?

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Can I be like a mantis shrimp or something cool

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like that? Right? Do you only get those two options?

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Come on, Tabudo, it's twenty twenty five. What are we

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offering the peace people? Right? This continues there are those

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who don't wish to return to everyday life because at

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the bottom of the lake they know peace, tranquility and

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above all freedom. And when they are declared quote missing

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on land, their bodies are never recovered. So I guess

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people can choose to stay down there. They're like, actually,

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this is a nice deal. I want to live down

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here in the lake and not deal with the world

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that's happening out there. But this missing part, this is interesting.

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So is it they're declared missing because they've just chosen

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not to come back, or is it if they're down

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there long enough and they declare them they're declared missing,

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is then like the change irreversible. I wonder if you

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can go spend some time down there and then come back,

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you know, however long later, would be interesting. The next

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source that we have here, this is from Melosca ten

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dot wixsite dot com. This is an entry or I'm

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not sure this is the blog name or the entry,

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but this says Baboolo Route or Taboolo Root And this

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is just kind of like again condensed version of the

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story and of Lake Guatepece. So this says one of

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the most beautiful places in El Salvador is Lake guate Depeke,

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which is actually located in the municipality of El Congo

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or El Congo el Congo, in the department of Santa Ana.

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Its name apparently comes from the name Guatepec of the

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volcano from which it originated. It sits at an altitude

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of seven hundred forty five meters above sea level and

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has a surface area of twenty five point three kilometers squared.

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Its depth is estimated at one hundred and fifteen meters.

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The name Guatepeca means hill of snakes in Ahuat. The

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lake is bordered by the municipalities of again Santa Ana,

384
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El Congo, and Isalco, the latter in Sonsonate. The story

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goes that fifty thousand years ago, between fifty seven thousand

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00:25:48.039 --> 00:25:52.240
and seventy two thousand BC, the Guatepeca volcano, which is

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now Lake Guatepec, and other volcanoes in the area experienced

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a fierce period of megatilluric activity that ended with a

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great explosion. So I guess it was just several volcanoes

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00:26:03.839 --> 00:26:07.000
in close proximity that had this big explosion. It says

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that left the enormous whole of more than twenty kilometers

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in radius and about too deep, which began a long

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process of capturing rain water and groundwater to become a lake.

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So it's like a naturally formed lake. But it wasn't

395
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there already, like a naturally vent happened again, I guess,

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