María María lived with her parents in a small, conservative community. She was innocent, sincere and, above all, her father's pride and joy. When she was only fifteen, something unusual happened. María gave birth to a baby boy. No one had even suspected she was pregnant. Her parents--especially her father--felt disgraced and betrayed. A shotgun wedding was the only solution. But when asked who the father was, María claimed she had never been with a man. Finding this hard to believe, María's parents struggled to keep the baby a secret. One night when María was sleeping, her father quietly entered her room and took the child. He carried the helpless bundle to a nearby river and threw him into the water. María woke up screaming, sensing that something terrible had happened. She ran out and saw her father heading back to the house. By the time she reached the river, it was too late--not only for the baby, but also for her. Blood was pouring out of her body. María left only a trail of blood beside the river. Shortly after her disappearance, people in the community started seeing apparitions of a young girl holding a baby, weeping beside the river. These sightings continue to this day.

Submitted by: A believer Copyright 2000