Joy, Fear, Confidence, Anger, Sadness, Friendship, Disgust Calm, Surprise, Shame, Enmity, Anticipation, Compassion, Kindness, Envy, Emulation, Contempt, Gratitude, Admiration, Pride, Jealousy, Sympathy, Obfuscation, Irritation…
The first time my eyes saw the immensity of the sea, my heart almost literally exploded inside my chest. I don’t remember how old I was, but I had already heard many fantastic stories about sea monsters that lived at the bottom of the sea. Tales of beautiful mermaids who, with their charms, attacked the crew of ships that entered their waters. The story of the giant white whale. Pirate adventures in search of treasures and the many love stories that took place on the shores of the beach.
The expression of amazement on a child’s face when they receive a pleasant surprise or discover something new for the first time, reflect the purity of his heart that overflows with joy; the innocence of his thoughts and the love that surrounds them.
Yesterday, it rained all day. There were times when the rain became very heavy with a lot of wind. Then it turned into a gentle drizzle; over which, my thoughts rushed to navigate a mighty river of memories. While listening to music from the seventies, my spirit moved to the streets of my town, to the years of my childhood. To those streets of dust and stone on which I used to run barefoot.
Lark went to sleep that midnight with a smile on her lips and joy in her heart. The satisfaction she felt for having won the singing contest made her thoughts race, as she remembered how the audience applauded her with admiration and gave her a standing ovation as a show of respect. Lark stayed awake watching the moon through the window of the truck cab until her fatigue overcame her, forcing her to fall asleep deeply.
After jumping through the window and falling onto the old bed, the broken plaster figure that was there fell to the ground and was completely broken. I quickly picked up the pieces and threw them at Pepe’s brothers, who had turned into hens when they jumped into the small chapel. The hens cackled in pain from the force of the stones. I ran to the exit and grabbed hold of a curtain hanging from the side of the stairs, ripping it from the wall.
I knew the scream was coming from one of the four doors in front of me, so I instinctively approached the iron railing and looked down, trying to find another way to get out of where I was. What my eyes found was that on the next level down was the dining room, perfectly lit by an antique chandelier. There was a very long table with baskets of freshly baked bread and several cups filled with hot chocolate. It also had 12 chairs where 12 young people were sitting.
The atmosphere was humid and cold. I felt pain all over my body as if I had performed a complete workout routine. I wanted to open my eyes, but I was so tired that I could not do it. However, I was slowly waking up, but I still felt very sleepy. My heart was racing, and a strange feeling came over me and warned me of the danger around me. At that moment it seemed to me that I had a horrible nightmare, my body felt extremely heavy, and I could not move freely.
I had no idea how I could escape the bedroom, since we were all sleeping in the same room. I knew it was already nightfall, although the room had no windows; It was dark when we went to sleep already. That night I felt very hungry because I did not want to eat more, because I was afraid to eat the food prepared by Mrs. Lola. Little by little I started to get nervous. I did not want to miss the time when Pepe comes to say goodbye to Mrs. Lola, and I did not want to miss the opportunity to be outside the room to be able to follow him. I did not have a watch and I did not want to ask the time because I did not want to arise suspicion about my plans, so I got the idea and I asked my sister, “Can I turn off the candle that you left burning in case a blackout should occur? The candlelight won’t let me sleep. “
Since I was a child, I’ve liked cooking and modifying cooking recipes to give them a very personal touch and somehow, I always convert the recipes into original combinations of ingredients and flavors creating my own particular style of preparing them. On this occasion I want to share with you a recipe, which I’ve given the name of “Maria Amelia”, as a tribute to a great woman. She was an example in many aspects of life and she touched the lives of many people. I’ve used this recipe every Christmas season to prepare “María Amelia Cake”, and whenever I do, I remember how Maria Amelia ate almost the entire cake and with a jovial smile she told me, “You are to blame for making it so good, it’s perfect!, and then she asked ; “Could I take a little piece for Papa?, that as usual he had decided to stay at home”. So, every time I baked, I would make a special cake just for her and since it has been a few days since her passing I want to say that her joy and sweetness will become infused in the flavor of this cake. Even though this Christmas season will be the first of many in which Maria Amelia will not be eating the cake.
Columbus Day. Hispanic Heritage Day. Day of the Americas. Day of respect for Cultural Diversity. Day of Discovery.
In addition to the previous names I like would to add: Equality Day. Culture day. Day of Celebration for Hispanic Traditions.
Every year in the month of October, we Hispanics, we venture to remember and celebrate our roots and places of origin. Representing our countries with pride, regardless of whether we have one, two, three, four or even five nationalities within our blood. Dressing in colors representative of the symbols of our nationalities; filling our environment with fun, and thus show the beauty that frames our homeland.
EMOTIONS AND PAPER STRIPS 