I have been asked several times, If what I write, are real stories or fiction? And in response to the question “I just smiled.” Then I let them define whether it is a yes or a no, if they want to believe what they are reading so immediately I ask: What do you feel as you read? Is it a real emotion or a product of your imagination? By reacting this way, I do not intend to be rude or pretentious about my stories, the truth is that if I give a concrete answer, “They would not believe it is possible to see how reality can become fantasy and they would doubt how fantasy can exceed the limits allowed by the truth, to become real facts through my lifetime”.
PEPE’S HENS.
As a child I learned to enjoy the colors of nature by carefully observing the different shades that could be seen in the bark of a tree, in the leaves of a bush, in the shell of a fruit, in the skin of an animal, in the reflection of the light on the water, in the dawn of a hot day, in the sunset of a cold day, in the darkness of the night where the moon shines covered with silver, in the raindrops and in the eyes of the people I love.
In the middle of the party, Fred stopped the music and shouted, “It’s time to open the presents. But this time I will not be the first one to give out the gifts I bought. Because we have a mysterious businessman who anonymously sent us many gifts, coincidentally with the number of people in our house. But let me tell you that my heart knows that the mysterious man is called Ebenezer! Uncle Ebenezer, I give you the honor of being the first one to deliver the gifts. And I must add that we have no gift to give you this Christmas because we did not know that you would be here with us, but tomorrow I will personally take your Christmas gift to your office.”
Ebenezer walked slowly. He didn’t know what time it was. Although he could discern that it was already past noon, he did not think about how much time He had used on Christmas Day because He did not want to feel limited or restricted by time, He wanted to enjoy that day December 25 to the fullest. He had already been a slave to time and work for many years. Ebenezer wisely repeated to himself that the coming years would be different because he would live them with joy in his heart and although he did not know how many more years he had left of life, he knew that in the years to come, he would live them fully, without selfishness, without resentment , without bitterness in the soul and without worrying too much about the future since the spirits had taught him that the future does not belong to us and is uncertain.
While walking Ebenezer, kept the images of the man and his family under the bridge in his head, just as the spirit of Christmas Present had shown him the night before. When he reached the bridge, he could recognize it immediately; without hesitation, he began to descend the steep path in search of that man. As Ebenezer was under the bridge, he encountered terrible sights that could easily reach the heart of any sensitive person to human pain and thought,
Ebenezer made a mental list of the visits he would make and while walking down the street, he met three men who a few days earlier had asked for a donation for the shelters of the town that protected the homeless, the elderly and orphans throughout the year. The three men, facing Ebenezer, ignored him and continued walking. Then Ebenezer turned around, raising his right hand, shouted at them, “Gentlemen, I would like to talk with you for a moment.” The three men stopped and looking into each other’s eyes, nodding their heads as to say okay.