In the game of Lotera, we are each destined the cards that decide our fate as players. A sensitive young man in mourning is visited by his dead mother’s spirit. A girl is captivated by her brother’s melancholy music with no clue of the grim sadness his future holds. A trio of youngsters learn the meaning of retaliation against the ultimate summertime rejection. Beginning with a few pages of ghost stories told to her by her grandmother, Christina Ceballos started a blog that featured short memoirs based on family lore and personal experiences. For an amusing challenge, each story was inspired by one of the iconic images of the popular Mexican card game Lotera. With fifty-four cards in the deck, she flipped through the images until an idea sparked and a memory was awakened. These memories, best shared around the dinner table, on long road trips, by letter, or those delicious one-on-one conversations over coffee or beers, are intimate examples of pain, struggle, and love that build our identities and make up our destinies.
