Introduction

“And Of Clay Are We Created” is a short story by Chilean-American writer Isabel Allende, first published in Spanish in her 1989 collection, The Stories of Eva Luna. An English translation was released in 1991. All of the stories in the collection unfold from the perspective of Eva Luna, the titular character of Allende’s 1987 novel, Eva Luna.

Set in an unidentified area in Latin America in the 1980s, the story draws upon the real-life eruption of the Nevado del Ruiz volcano in Colombia in 1985, which claimed more than 22,000 lives. Allende based the character of Azucena on Omayra Sánchez, a victim of the eruption whose face was broadcast across national television in the wake of the disaster.

Plot Summary

“And Of Clay Are We Created” begins with a stark image: The head of thirteen-year-old Azucena protruding from a mud pit, the rest of her body trapped beneath the rubble of her home. An avalanche caused by a recent volcanic eruption destroyed the region she lived in, trapping her and resulting in more than twenty thousand casualties.

At dawn, Eva Luna bids goodbye to her lover, Rolf Carlé. A news reporter, he is one of the first to reach the scene of the disaster. Upon reaching Azucena, Rolf and a few volunteers attempt to pull her out of the wreckage. However, this causes her to scream in pain, as her legs are trapped under not just rubble but also the bodies of her family members.

Rolf tries using poles and ropes to retrieve Azucena, but this proves to be too much pain for the girl to handle. He dives under the mud pit and concludes that without a pump to drain the water, he cannot free her. Because no transport is available, he promises Azucena that the pump will arrive tomorrow instead. The girl begs him not to leave her side.

Throughout the night, Azucena tells Rolf stories about her life in the village. In return, he shares with her tales of his travels as a news reporter. Meanwhile, Eva watches this unfold on the television. She goes to the station and calls upon different authorities to beg for a water pump but finds only empty promises.

On the second day, hundreds of soldiers, civil defense volunteers, and doctors arrive to retrieve the victims' bodies and rescue those still alive. Resources such as water, food, and medicine are scarce, with no antibiotics to spare for Azucena, who has contracted a fever. While more reporters and news teams come to interview the trapped girl, Rolf does not give up on his search for a water pump.

At nighttime, Rolf sings Azucena to sleep with old Austrian folk songs he learned from his mother. The situation causes him to quietly reminisce on his deeply troubled childhood in post-World War II Austria. He realizes that his hectic, dangerous work as a reporter has kept him from confronting the wounds of his past. When he starts weeping, Azucena tries to comfort him.

On the third day, the president arrives with a television crew and confirms the disaster is “the worst catastrophe of the century.” Conceding that the thousands of corpses cannot all be retrieved, he declares the entire valley to be holy ground. He also makes vague promises of aid to the rescued victims and volunteers. Upon being taken to Azucena, he commends her courage. When Rolf asks him for a water pump, the president vows to attend to the matter personally.

In the evening, Eva watches the live broadcast of Rolf kneeling beside Azucena, having given up on the hope that a water pump will come. When the girl laments that she is leaving the world without having ever known love, Rolf declares his love for her. He kisses her forehead before she passes away. Tragically, Eva secures a water pump, but she knows she is too late.

The story ends with Eva acknowledging that Rolf has not been the same man since the disaster. She often accompanies him to the station and watches him repeatedly analyze videos of Acuzena, contemplating if there was anything he could have done differently. Finally, Eva promises to once again “walk hand in hand” with Rolf once he has healed from his wounds.