1923, newspapers published photos of King Alfonso XIII and the dictator, General Miguel Primo de Rivera. The war in Africa, between Spanish and French forces against the Rif tribe, a town in northern Morocco, had been going on for 12 years and would still have 4 more to go. Francisco Franco was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and returned to Morocco to take command of the Legion, which is why the word soldier and war were widely heard in the Leré house. Mysteriously, a halo was forming very slowly in the triptych of the Virgen del Socorro de Carmina, which only she and her mother XANA could see. 

In the Arena, people began to feel a certain need to be close to Carmina, when they saw her in the water. On the beach they made a circle around her to listen her stories and her dreams. Carmina was already 15 years old, the pretty girl, but she looked like she was 25, she was tall and naturally athletic. There was a group of women who confessed the infidelity of theirs husbands, looking for an answer or a curse, I would say. She was approached by young fishermen attracted by her walk with the basket full of fish on her head and Serafin with his pipe, he became serious as he only knew... he didn't like the idea of ​​losing his eel .  

XANA was 42 years old and her pleasant sense of humor kept her young and beautiful. None of her daughters physically resembled her, they had taken her grandfather's height and body, who had always been a mystery in the town. Her mother fell in love with Manuel Alonso, a very young Asturian Cuban, with jet-black hair and very white skin, who arrived in a sun-burned boat to San Juan de la Arena and found her while washing in the river. 

Maria del Carmen healed his wounds and he fell madly in love with her. He was so handsome that he looked like a Hollywood actor. But the same day that she gave birth to XANA and Sara, since they were twins, she guessed his infidelity and she punished him; —You will never see us again. The next day Manuel Alonso embarked for Havana. And so it was, he does not appear on any birth certificate of his two daughters. 

Elvira, XANA, had become a wise counselor and very proud of the family that she had created together with her only love of her life. But one day she began to feel different, she had a feeling as if she had little time left... she had to leave her daughters on their way and her husband accompanied . 

It was the night of San Juan and Elvira took her four daughters and her sister Sara to Los Quebrantos beach, like every year, they made the Zacarías bonfire, that's what they called it in her house. And they all got into the water as usual, dressed in silver tunics that Carmina had sewn. XANA's tunic was white with gold thread. 

— If ever I am no longer with you, I want you to continue celebrating the bonfire of Zechariah wherever you are, that you look for my face in the foam of the waves, in the clouds, in the fish that will bring you my messages, the birds will warn you every June 24th and I will visit you in your dreams, I will never leave you… said XANA. Benjamina, Sara and Elvira thought that her mother had drunk too much wine or that she was inspired to be Saint John, but Carmina immediately realized that something was wrong. For the first time in her life she felt fear. 

 Elvira told her sister Sara that she was still very beautiful and young. That she knew her husband Serafin perfectly and that she did not want that if one day she was no longer there, that he would go with another woman and that her daughters would suffer. That her nieces were like her daughters, especially Sara, who was the living portrait of her. She told Benjamina that she was a few months away from being of legal age that it was time to take her place. And she asked Carmina to be very attentive to her dreams because her life was about to change. But that she always carried with her the sewing machine that her father gave her brought by ship from America and that she always put the triptych of the Virgin of Perpetual Help on top of it and when a halo began to form, that would be the sign of her. 

 XANA, while serving wine and the “preñated bollu” (bread roll with sausage inside) and “rapon” (corn cake with bacon and onion) began to tell them the spectacular story of the ambitious and eccentric Jewish actor from New York, Isaac Merrit Singer. . The creator of the Singer sewing machine. That he used to go out for a walk around the Big Apple, in a 31-seat carriage, pulled by nine horses. The show soon outgrew him and he ordered a platform to be installed on which he climbed an orchestra to liven up the tour. His financial success did not come quickly, because American husbands did not like the idea of ​​investing money in an extravagant machine when their wives and mothers could do it for free. Singer did not give up and invented the first and best marketing “Buy now and pay later” he had 24 children with 5 different women and died alone in Paris. At that moment XANA gave her golden scissors to Carmina to sew, predicting her future; With them you will cut the white ribbon of the Carriage pulled by 7 virgin horses at the wedding of your first daughter who will be named like you. 

They were all admiring XANA with the immense and unconditional love of a daughter when she looks at her mother, and XANA couldn't help tears of pain, knowing that this would be her last bonfire. But it was already 12 o'clock at night and she came out of the water with a big smile, it was time to dance the fire dance. They put a ribbon of pearls and flowers in XANA's hair, they all danced and sang around her and everyone came to see the ritual they had been doing since they were little. But that year the end of the dance was different, they all hugged each other in a way that they would never ever forget, in that hug and for the first time Serafin was present, to listen to the last wishes of the inseparable Elvira for him; —When my time comes, I want you to return me to the sea, where my mother was born, where I had Carmina and where I was born. The one who has given me so much joy and without him that I cannot live, let him take me where my soul rests in peace. 

January 10, 1925. XANA's farewell. It had been 5 years since women had won the right to vote thanks to the Suffragist movement promoted by the British Emmeline Pankhurst and her daughters in 1848. "Deeds, not words"... XANA was in bed holding Carmina's hand, surrounded by all her daughters and her sister, she was giving them a lesson in courage, never letting anyone intimidate them. That they always fight for their interests as a woman and for equal rights between men and women. And most importantly, to be able to be happy next to the father of their children, that they not confuse equality with wanting to be equal. The first time a man disrespects and is unfaithful to his wife, it will be his fault, the second time it will be the woman's for having consented.  

XANA stayed with Carmina, who didn't want to be separated from her mother for a single minute. 

Carmina told her that she had dreamed of a soldier dressed as a priest and XANA smiled telling her; —You have to register as a war godmother with the pseudonym XANA because from tomorrow you will be one of us. You will write to your godson, the soldier you have seen in dreams, and you will transmit with your words all your love and joy, do not ask him about pain and fear, do not talk about war. The godmothers are there to give them what they don't have there and help them have an illusion to live for and not die. Tell him about your trips to the river, to the fountains, ask him to look at the moon at the same time as you. Send a photo so he can see how beautiful you are. Embroider a blanket and with your gold thread sew a scapular that says “Stop, bullet” and tell him to carry it close to his heart… you will marry him and have 6 children. Your husband will love you so much that when you are gone, he will die of grief. Your fourth pregnancy will be with twins, a boy and a girl , you will call the girl like me, Elvira. of it will have all my personality and you will see me reflected in her. She will give you a blonde granddaughter with curly hair who will be the only one who will physically resemble me and when she turns 5, you will save her life. Make sure, when you are in the last years of your life, to give her the triptych of the Virgen del Socorro. 

Emilio Ponce Cañas, was a young 20-year-old Lieutenant soldier, so his career in the army was well underway. He was studying philosophy and theology while defending his position at the front and dreaming of being a Lieutenant Colonel. Born in a town in Valencia that suited XANA perfectly and her passion for fountains, Caudete de las Fuentes. He liked wine glasses and women. And he always conquered with his motto; 

Short step, long view, and bad milk! . XANA was a head taller than Emilio and that was fun for her the rest of her life; — And with the jar on top of my head, I'm sure I'll lose him sometimes, he told other godmothers of war while she separated the fish. Emilio won XANA's heart in the first letter, because of how affectionate and excellent person he was. 

XANA, transported him to a different world and each letter was a strong hurricane of love, hope and future. The day he received the first letter from XANA, he completely changed his life. XANA, already 16 years old, told him that she had lost the most important person she had in life, her mother, but that she had brought them together forever and predicted the future that I will tell you about in my letters... I met you in my dreams and you were dressed as a priest, I like that you are religious like me. I am sending you a scapular that says stop bullet! That I have embroidered for you, it seems that all the godmothers are sending it to their godchildren so that they can wear it close to their hearts. But I want you to know that our future is already written and that nothing is going to happen to you, the Virgin of Socorro always warns me and will protect us. 

The day the ship arrived in 1926, XANA was radiant, her eyes sparkling with emotion and intrigue to see what the almost Lieutenant Colonel would be like, the man she already loved and had only seen in a photo. Emilio was on deck along with hundreds of godchildren who would meet their godmothers for the first time. When he had XANA in front of him, he had to look up a little, and XANA a little down, they laughed for a while until they merged into a hug that they would always remember. 

A year later they got married and in 1928 they had their first daughter who was named like her. María del Carmen Ponce Garcia. Carmina would be her daughter and Carminina the mother, as Emilio called her. 

Life in S. Juan de la Arena was already coming to an end. The military government assigns Emilio and his family to the Simancas de Gijón barracks. There they would have their second child, a boy after many generations of females. Emilio Ponce García, destined like his grandfather Serafín to be surrounded by women. 

In 1936 the Spanish Civil War breaks out and the coup d'état in Spain changes the course of XANA and Emilio. Don Emilio Ponce is promoted to Colonel and is sent to Morocco, to Chaouen, in the Rif mountains. XANA and her children would stay in a palace in civilization.

All the stories that XANA would tell her grandchildren to go to sleep, are taken from how the Moorish maids taught her the ritual they did to give birth on a full moon. She learned Moroccan gastronomy from her cooks. And every time her husband came back, she gave them the day off and she herself prepared a dyafa, which is a kind of banquet, with vegetable tajin and couscous with vegetables and tfaya, made with caramelized onions, raisins and chickpeas. 

Organizations such as Popular Culture distributed books among the soldiers and performed plays at the front, and XANA read them all to their children. Until the inspiration of the Spanish painter Pablo Picasso arrived in 1937, with his work Guernica and XANA investigated so much and so deeply in that painting, that it aroused her interest in fine arts and made her sense something incredible that was about to happen. 

That same year the city of Cordoba was conquered and they were assigned there. XANA became pregnant as soon as she arrived... she would give birth one full moon night, to another girl in January 39, called María del Perpetuo Socorrro. At that time all names should always bear the name of Mary before the chosen Catholic name, and thus pay homage to the Virgin Mary. Three months later, on April 1, Franco publishes a statement "The war is over." But everything was still revolutionized, the aftermath of the war could be seen in the streets, but worst of all, days and weeks passed and D. Emilio did not return home. 

The family had to leave Cordoba, and travel to Valencia to wait for news. Since each soldier would return to their houses, if they were lucky and would return. 

That night XANA was more nervous than usual, she had a lot of faith in God but she couldn't take it anymore, she didn't understand anything and she went to bed asking the virgin and her mother for a sign from her. 

She had her sewing machine in her room in front of the bed and with the Virgen del Socorro on top of it as her mother advised her. She prayed like every night for her husband to come back safe and she fell asleep. That night at dawn, a resplendent light appeared above the sewing machine and woke up XANA, it was the figure of Christ Carrying the Cross by Tiziano S. XVI, who announced this message to her; When you wake up in the morning, gather your children in the living room, near the entrance door and start counting, when you reach 100, the father of your children will enter. The children were young and they thought it was a game played by her mother to cheer them up… ninety-seven! ninety-eight! ninety-nine! And ONE HUNDRED!… Mr Emilio Ponce Cañas, entered through the door safe . The battle was over.