This is a little story about medium-sized creatures with big responsibilities. I continued to develop the concept of psychopomps and juxtaposition of Mexican and Scottish folklore. I called them kelpabrijes; they are a part kelpie, part alebrije and transport souls on their backs to what I imagine a Scottish/Mexican afterlife looks like: it’s in the mountains. I made these illustrations with ink, color pencil, and digital retouch. The story reads:
When the little souls began to float away, they held on to the rowan berries as they flew past the tree tops. They each took one and let the weight bring them back down to the ground, landing close to the river bank. The kelpabrijes waited patiently.
“May I have your ticket?”, the tallest kalpebrije asked.
The little soul looked around and noticed other little souls handing the rowan berries to the kalpebrijes.
“One single trip, please”, she said as she handed over hers.
The kelpabrije tied a red string around the berry and gave it back to the little soul.
“Where are we going?”, she asked.
“Upstream, to the mountains, where the river begins”, the kalpebrije replied as he walked towards the water. The little soul followed and felt the strings on the berries pull with every step. She looked at the other little souls and noticed they were all now connected.
The kelpabrije got in the water and offered his back to the little soul.
Maxim Zaragoza 