The paradise

My grandfather used to tell me that as soon as the sun went down and the stars came out, ‘The Paradise’ opened its doors. Music filled the air and people came from all corners.

The cantina was always packed, with the bar and tables occupied by cowboys and flirtatious women with a drink in their hand.

But the most curious thing, according to my grandfather, was the bartender. Always dressed in black, standing behind the bar, he served drinks with an enigmatic smile on his face.

He didn't drink or smoke, he just watched with those deep, dark eyes that seemed to read the soul of whoever was in front of him. And although he smiled, there was something uneasy in his gaze.

Months later, ‘The Paradise’ had become the most famous cantina in the region. People from all the towns came to drink there and nobody could understand how it was always so full, as if new patrons were coming in all the time.

One night, however, something strange happened. The drunks who came out began to tell chilling stories. They said that when the bar closed at two in the morning, the bartender was left alone inside with the doors locked.

But then there would be murmurs and laughter, as if the party was going on with an unknown crowd.

From then on, the rumours about ‘The Paradise’ became more and more sinister. It was said that the bartender was not really alone inside the cantina at dawn.

And that those who accompanied him during those dark evenings at night... were not exactly human.