1.

The cat

It was a cold night when a cat was meowing near Luis's window.
the boy got up quickly and silently, he didn't want his parents to hear him
because he planned to put the poor animal in his room, and so he did, then he
She arranged to keep it a secret for several days.
Soon he gained confidence, and he moved calmly around the house when there was no one.
nobody; a couple more days, he started to play pranks on Luis's father, he
I hid in the corners, scratched the doors when I was alone, and one day
I simply scratched all of his/her clothes.

The man then exploded upon discovering the animal, he wanted to kill it and went after it,
Luis pleaded for the life of the poor cat, but only earned imprisonment when the
the man was about to hit him with a stick, the feline's eyes shone, it took
human form and asked a question:—Isn't killing me once enough?
Luis's father's body trembled so much that he couldn't even keep holding the
stick, he had recognized the voice perfectly, it belonged to a colleague of
party, to the one who had delivered a fatal blow during a fight.

As soon as the figure emerged from the shadow, he could confirm it was the same one, but in
shape of a spectrum, through those who know about treacherous dealings, had managed to return to
this world to obtain his revenge, but he did not want to harm it, not physically,
I just wanted to let you know that I was close, that I was watching each one of your...
movements, who inhabited his house, and who had become the best friend
of his son.

I would torture him day after day, steal his sleep at night, until he
I simply couldn't take it anymore...

Some people say that after death, one can take the body of
an animal to return to this world, that's why it worries me that sometimes my cat me
I look strangely and behave in a way that seems so human... maybe
it's no longer my cat, and it might be something else...

How sure are you that yours is still the same?

2.In the storm

That's how Uncle Gerardo was, every time we gathered at the family ranch, he would get
to talk about all the anecdotes he had and that he shared with all of us
nephews, but that day he didn't recount the adventures if not a horror story in the
storm, from a few years ago, and of which it was only known, had disappeared
many people.

The horror story in the storm began in the state of Tabasco, and according to
the uncle said, those storms started to bring out the bodies from the cemeteries,
due to the floods, something that annoyed the deceased and hence the anecdote.
The town of Tapijulapa, Tabasco, is located just a few kilometers from
The capital, there have always been rumors that in the main cemetery, the
dead people were coming out of their graves, but with the storm everything changed, now they were seen
Wandering along the paths, what startled the village community was no longer
stories ormyths, people saw them wandering along the roads, as if
they will wander in search of something.

After the storms, and all the bodies that the waters took away,
people who worked in the fields started to disappear as if they were
the earth would swallow them, without any explanation, they disappeared never to be seen again
never.

Many people gathered with the parish priest of the village church to ask
perpetual rest for the disappeared and the dead who began to
to wander through the region, which made everything calm down.
It is not known for sure whether the disappearance of people is related to
what people saw of the dead in the cemetery, but none were ever seen again.
leaving everything like a horror story or another urban legend.
A disastrous excursion

Fidel was a boy of approximately 20 years of age who

He was fascinated by going on vacation with his 'backpack on his shoulder', that is, he never did
reservations in hotels or inns, as he preferred to use his tent and
to sleep covered by a blanket of stars.

After walking a few kilometers along a winding path, he came across a

a place that could very well be part of paradise. It was a location filled with vegetation.
Suddenly, he began to hear the murmur of water and realized that nearby
there was a peaceful river of crystal-clear waters.

When evening fell, he set up his sleeping bag as usual and lit
a large bonfire to keep the beasts away from the area. Despite that, during
the night managed to hear a series of noises that somehow woke up a
feeling of terror in his mind.

In the morning he got up and went to the river to take a good bath. He left his
belongings on the shore and literally dove in like a fish in water. No
Not even two seconds passed when he became paralyzed upon noticing that he was approaching
at full speed a large snake.

Some say that this type of reptile is known in the countries

Spanish speakers as "Freshwater Snakes", however, one of the
Aspects that cause the most fear about this species are that its fangs could be.
full of poison.

Fidel shouted in panic, waiting for some other tourist to come closer to him.
help him. Quickly an amateur nature photographer, came to his
help, but it was not fast enough as upon arrival he found that the
the voice of that man had been caressed by the claws of death.

Then, the only thing that occurred to him to testify to what had happened was to portray
this mythical creature. The photo was published on various internet portals and
including some of them added a red circle to warn
the new travelers.
The Storyteller

I was alone in the room, sitting in a corner, filled with worry, because
out of nowhere, one day, he woke up without any inspiration, he felt the
empty soul, the heart sluggish, all the things that once excited him to write,
invent, feel, became indifferent.

I was thinking about how I still had many commitments, hundreds of stories to tell.
deliver and nothing that would give her a reason to write, after trying
many times, with the floor covered in leaves full of letters, but with no meaning.

Lost in his great sorrow, he heard a voice that softly said to him - Don't you
Don't worry, here I am - I was looking around, searching for the source, but unable to.
see nothing, he thought he was going crazy, but since he still carried a great
depression above, he lowered his head again, then felt a shiver in the
spine when a hand touched his neck. He stood up in a second,
waiting for the cause of such fright to be revealed to him. But again. Nothing!

He felt that his sorrow grew larger until it brought him to tears, and then
he let himself fall onto the bed, at one moment his body weighed so much that he couldn't even
I wanted to turn, staring fixedly at the ceiling a faint black smoke, started to
to form a figure above him, right in front of his eyes, a black tunic was created
among which a cadaverous face could barely be discerned, embracing its
the body firmly said to the appearance -I am death and I am with you- the
the storyteller broke into deep tears, some might think that it had come to him.
the hour, but he on the contrary felt peace, and a new joy, that transformed his
crying in laughter and then death said again: You are my inspiration
service, write my deeds so that people remember I still exist.
the storyteller accepted without hesitation, for at that exact moment he had already created one.
story for that very singular event.

Embraced by death, turned to dust in the midst of a whirlwind, they traveled

all night to every corner of the earth, where death reaped its harvest.
He took each soul in a different way, making the storyteller's mind
will fly, creating thousands of stories.
5. The dark place

In the state of San Luis Potosí, near Real de Catorce, in a population of

no more than a thousand inhabitants, the rumor had started to spread that they did not
they would approach the silver mine, from which the entire town benefited, since
They had found a passage to hell, they called it 'The Dark Place'.

The mine had not been profitable for some years now.
multinational that exploited her, and the miners who remained, continued on their
count, with the permission of the mining company, but since the tunnel appeared in which to
In the distance, wailing could be heard, many families had left the region.

It was said that it was like hell itself, what was heard in the place, The place
dark, which seemed like a tunnel that at some point a mantle of lava had
created, seemed to be the work of man, then the fears of the
people were valid, but not everyone believed in what people said, such was the
case of two friends, who always lived in alcohol and who
They became emboldened, and in need of money, they wanted to go to that mine.

Upon arriving at the place, it seemed that the mine had been abandoned, all the
tools were left on the floor, it seemed that the people had left
running and not even the work tools had been taken, Luis said to Julián: look
Buddy, they even left us the tools.

Upon entering the mine and delving deeper, they arrived at the place everyone was talking about, the
dark place, and there no one had dared to enter, upon learning of it, they thought
that perhaps some silver vein was visible, with which the buddies
they entered the place, they were no more than 20 meters inside when the
laments began to be heard, terrified they wanted to get out of there, but in their
same drunkenness, Luis slipped, and grabbing Julian's pants they fell
to the void both.

When they all got up bruised, they realized that everything was dark,
but they were alive by miracle when they lit the lamp they had in
their heads, the sky fell upon them, they were at the gates of hell, they
They wanted to go back, but because of the steepness of the tunnel, they knew it was impossible.

From that moment on, nothing more was heard of the two friends, with which
the horror story: the dark place became more relevant than before.
The oak of the garden

When Alejandro came into the world, the oak I was already in the garden, no one cared.
He was surprised that the boy was afraid of him, as he was bigger than him and his branches seemed
arms stretching to reach something. They thought that as he grew up he would forget the fear,
but it was not like that, the boy refused to go out to the garden, saying that the tree wanted
catching him, trying to enter through the window, until she completely covered it with a
furniture, and sometimes they found them sleeping in the bathtub.

No one could believe his story, so he simply dedicated himself to pretending that everything
it was fine. Since the boy was no longer complaining, everyone considered it forgotten
subject, until that the child disappeared. The window was broken, there was
some oak leaves on the ground, and signs of dragging across the yard, which
they even reached the tree. Still, no one wanted to mention the relationship
evident.

They declared the boy missing, initiating the police protocol for his
search, but this did not yield any positive results.

As the days went by, only the mother recognized that her son was not lying,
the tests spoke for themselves; it had even been so long looking with
distrust of the oak, which saw the branches change position more than once.
So he took an ax and went to hit the trunk hard; blood flowed from his wound,
the branches extended in fear and the woman hit harder, but little
could do to bring down the great oak.

She fell to her knees on the ground, filled with disappointment, but then she saw in front of her another
opportunity, removed the earth with great enthusiasm, to uncover the roots of
tree and salt them, but never imagined encountering such a scene, the body of his
it lay there, among the roots, almost dry, as they fed the oak with
the boy's blood.

This had happened for many years, because in addition, 14 bodies were found.
more, just the same as the number of branches that the tree had.
7. Evelyn

Dad has left home, I heard him telling mom that he couldn't take it anymore.
so much responsibility and now she has a new boyfriend, I don't like him.
There are many things that are not right, but mom doesn't want to believe me that it is.
Bad, she is in love.

She broke all my dolls and my brother's toys, she said we were
we and then they punished us. We picked them up from the trash to return to
I made them, but they didn't turn out very well, my doll Evelyn is very upset, no
he likes to have wooden legs and a face full of threads, but if I remove them, his face doesn't
it keeps her together, she says she can't see very well with those buttons that they
I put in place of eyes; to me she is still beautiful, but I don't see her very much.
happy, she has said that she will take revenge, I know that revenge is not good, but no
I believe the dolls know.
For several nights she sneaks out when she thinks I'm asleep, but,
I feel when he/she takes my hands slowly and removes them from on top, then I...
put the pillow so I don't realize he has left.

In the early morning, she curls up with me again, and in the mornings, I only receive
Reprimands for mischief that I didn't do. Everything is clear, she broke the clothes of the
mom's boyfriend, also his guitar.

I hope that is all your revenge, because for everything you do, it affects me.
bad. I don't know what to do anymore, the best thing will be to leave home, if we live in another
place Evelyn will be happy, she will smile again and we will be happy again. That
It's a good idea! I'm going to look for her. I hope she hasn't started breaking things yet.

Heavens!, I have arrived late, Evelyn broke mom's boyfriend with a knife.
there is blood everywhere, its pieces are scattered on the floor. Poor me
mom is very sad, I think she doesn't like to see what has happened, it will be better if I
I took out the eyes with the knife...
The woman of the night

As part of the social service inherent to his new profession as a doctor, Demetrio
he was sent to a remote community high in the mountains. He was very
excited to be able to help people, but upon arrival, he mostly found
distrust. They saw him as so young that he seemed inexperienced.

Only a couple of people viewed it positively and received him in the best way.
possible form, since they had gone months without a doctor in the village. So it
they arranged a nice room in one of their houses and the rest
I was in charge of giving him food or anything else he needed.

Like it or not, in the end, everyone had to accept it, because why not.
they had no one else to turn to, and he was seen walking to and fro at late hours of the
night, to take care of some sick person in their own home. There was always someone
that would accompany him, even though the town was small, no one wanted him to get lost.

One early morning, he heard the barking of dogs and went to see what it was about.
She distinguished a female figure moving away and found a trail on the ground.
blood. With urgency, I begged him to stop, identifying myself as a doctor and
offering to help her, however, the woman seemed lost, she was just walking towards the
forehead with head bowed.
The rigid and slow movements with which he moved made one think of the
young woman who was very badly injured, so she ran to catch up with him.

It wasn't that easy to reach her, she really moved faster than she seemed.
But being near, their torn clothes and disheveled hair made it more
nervous about the boy thinking that something very bad had happened to him. He touched his back;
At that moment she turned around, showing her cadaverous body, emitting
a pitiful cry of pain on the young man's face that forced him to run away.

Thus the town lost another of its doctors, all for keeping the secret of the
appearances of the woman of the night they are very accustomed to,
but not the city dwellers, who long ago forgot that things like this
they exist.
The wizard's ring

No one could understand the decision of that man, who after having obtained life
apparently perfect, she left everything to take refuge in a secluded cabin
up in the mountains. He took with him his young wife and three children, cutting off everything
contact with the rest of humanity.
Years passed in complete solitude, just the five of them; until it caught him.
old age and illness, on his deathbed, struggled to have time
enough to tell his children the terrible secret that led him to success, that
the same that became the reason for his isolation.
He then told them that he possessed the wizard's ring, a powerful object capable of
to get her everything she desired, in exchange for the soul of a good man, them
he confessed how many people he sacrificed for his own purposes, since not even the
he knew, the ring itself was looking for them, but he was very regretful about it.

That's why he stayed away from everything, so he wouldn't long for anything other than his simple
existence, and the rest of the people were safe. He did not get rid of the ring, for
I didn't want someone else to take it and make the innocent suffer, so I had...
converted into his guardian. He hoped that his children would follow his path, but
they had something else in mind.

As soon as they knew where he was, they wanted to test his effectiveness; they fought for him, they
they were wounded, until only one remained alive and placed the ring on his finger. But at that
a terrible burning ran through his whole body, scorching him from the inside,
enormous flames were coming out of every pore, causing terrible pain, but
keeping the skin intact. He twisted and screamed, at the feeling that something
It invaded his body, and in a few moments, he was also dead on the ground.

The ring should not be worn, it was enough to approach it to make wishes, only a
a good soul was required to make it work, but a twisted soul served to
that the sorcerer would return to life.

He did it in the body of the ambitious boy, and descended from the mountain to get to know the
new world, and spread again the sureness of terror.
10. The forest hotel

The Rodríguez family felt a bit nervous because the inauguration of the Hotel
of his dreams, had been clouded by the arrival of a storm and
possibly some people who were on their way were lost
in the forest in the middle of the storm. As if that weren't enough, the constant lightning
they affected the electricity, leaving them in complete darkness, only
illuminated by the light of the lightning.
Candles were distributed among guests and workers, and without having much to
do, most decided to go to sleep. It was then that one of the guests,
between the murmur of the wind, the ticking of the raindrops, and the roar of the
thunder, he caught the sound of a child crying in his room. Without looking into it.
nothing, the man went to report it at reception, where despite knowing that he did not
there was a baby in the hotel at that moment. They sent two employees to the
room, hoping that they would catch a cat or some raccoon that had entered and
could scare other guests.

The two young men returned from the room with pale faces, one of them did not
he could pronounce a word, but the other said that he had seen a small child, of
a few days old, but the impressive thing about it is that it had huge claws and
sharp fangs, and a pair of well-defined horns on its head.
According to what he said, he was laughing and even if they had wanted to catch him, they wouldn't have been able to do it.

because it was too fast and elusive.

Although it was hard for them to believe what the pair of boys said, everyone
Hotel staff went to the mentioned room, but the devilish one
the little boy was not there. But soon they knew where he was because a series of
screams flooded the hotel.
When the light returned, many of the people who were there found themselves
bites and scratches on your body, and the hotel closed before it opened.

And without knowing where that creature came from that now had a whole hotel for
he alone, waiting for lost travelers to arrive there.
11. The new room of Luis

Luis had earned his own room after several years of sharing it.
space with her younger siblings. Upon seeing her, he was fascinated, she had a design
modern, with metal furniture, it even had a wall full of lockers like
in school.
That night while he was sleeping peacefully, he was awakened by a squeak, after
when others came, as the lights were turned on, he noticed that the doors of all the
the lockers were open. As he approached, he saw that the locks were
mistreated, and assumed that was why she couldn't close them, so she went again to
sleep. In the morning, he got up in a hurry, as it was late for school, but
he had to interrupt his career because he realized that all the doors
they were closed.

During the classes, I couldn't stop thinking about what had happened, but I accepted it.
sitting as if it had all been a dream, having fallen asleep thinking about his
new room. But that night what happened was the same as the previous one and at the same time.
Only this time, he managed to see a little more in the midst of the gloom, a
a parade of shadows passed in front of him, they headed to the lockers and opened them
causing those squeaks.

The boy was speechless, about to faint from the shock, but fortunately
his father heard the commotion and came in to ask Luis to be quiet. His
eyes nearly ended up bulging at the sight of shadow after shadow flooding the
room.
His reaction was immediate, he took his son out of the room while apologizing.
Apparently all the furniture had been rescued from an old hospital, which
it had stopped working since the day it burned and they died in it
majority of employees and patients.

Apparently, many of them did not realize that they had passed away, and it continued
tied to their routine, they opened the lockers at shift change, and placed a
patient in the boy's bed, fortunately, he arrived after they
they had left the room...
12. The paintings of the cabin

A university student went to the forest in search of some specimens.

for their final project, their task was simple, to find plants and insects for
after cataloging them. It was a passion for him, so time flew by.
when he realized the night had caught him, the darkness surrounded him in a
instant, and although I thought I knew the way very well, it wasn't like that.

He walked for a moment, but he felt lost, he didn't know where to go next.
with tremendous darkness. He was careful with his steps so as not to trip, the only thing that could
Distinguishing was the bright light of the moon and the stars. Thinking a little about the
situation, she knew she should not move blindly anymore, as she could get lost. For
Fortuna was able to distinguish a small cabin in the middle of the forest; she thought that
It would be a good idea to go in and seek shelter that night until dawn.

Upon arriving at the cabin, he knocked on the door a few times while saying in a voice
strong: – Good evening -, but nobody responded, the cold was beginning to creep in between
his clothes, so upon checking that no one was around for the moment, he passed without
to be invited.

Once inside, she was surprised by the size of the cabin, as it didn't look that big from the outside.
it seemed so big, a long hallway filled with doors extended for a long
section, in the darkness as he moved forward he could notice that
on the walls there were strange paintings of people with sinister appearances, that
they followed him with their gaze, filled with chills, he quickened his pace, to get out of
that dark hallway.

He found a room almost at the end and spent the whole night in it until the
dawn, with the first rays of the sun, his fears had vanished, and
he retraced the hallway to leave the cabin, only to feel how it froze him.
blood, returning all that fear to him, which left him paralyzed, the walls
they were empty, there wasn't a single picture, they were just numerous windows that
They surrounded that long hallway.
13. Noises... in the kitchen

We were having dinner together as a family when throughout the house there
they began to hear a series of noises, it sounded like the doors were being slammed,
and we will smash glasses against the ground. My husband asked us to stay in
our places while he got up to find out, he had walked alone a
little, when a shadow crossed behind her at full speed. My children and I
we let out countless screams and ran out of the house.

My husband went behind us and we told him what happened, for his part he said
that I hadn't found anything out of place, that we should enter the house to
to finish dinner, but of course, we refused. Still, we had
What to do, because it was freezing outside, but my children didn't want to sleep in.
their rooms. They placed blankets around our bed, and they did not want
close your eyes.

Just a few minutes had passed when the sounds in the kitchen
they listened again, this time more intensely, I don't know if it was because of the silence of the
night or because the phenomenon was occurring more violently. My husband
he came down with a bat in hand, there were a few minutes of silence and he ran up, without
the bat, the pale face, and very scared, could hardly even articulate words...
he said that his brother was in the kitchen, but he wasn't real, he was translucent and
with a big open wound on his head...

We didn't know what to do, we were very puzzled, and we were for a long time.
more, when we received a call saying that my brother-in-law had died at
falling from the roof...

We immediately thought that the ghost of his brother had made an appearance.
because I blamed my husband for his death, as they had agreed to
repair the roof together… maybe if my husband had been there… his brother
he wouldn't have died... and we wouldn't have to see him roaming around in our
house, trying to take revenge.
14.In the midst of darkness

It was a quiet night when the young couple went to sleep, but as night fell
early morning a strong wind unleashed a commotion, the windows were vibrating, and the
walls were battered by anything that was nearby. After going out to
review and put everything in a place where it would cause the least noise possible, they tried
sleeping again, but it was somewhat complicated, when they were just starting to stick
eyes, some loud noise would fray their nerves, the minutes went by like this,
the eyes open, waiting for the next roar not to catch them so
unprepared.
Suddenly the sound of broken glass scared them more than they expected.
they hurriedly lifted it up to check, but the lights wouldn't turn on, they weren't used to it
to have a lamp on hand so they had to walk in the dark to the kitchen.
They stumbled every step, despite it being a path they all traveled.
days.

Upon arrival, the man took the lighter and activated it. For a fleeting second,
in front of his face, as if it were a reflection in a mirror, a face with the mouth
open and empty black eyes stared at him intently, slowly approaching like
if she wanted to merge with him, it seemed to her an eternal moment, in which she let go of the
lighter and squeezed his wife's hand tightly.

He was sure of what he saw, but he couldn't say anything so that his wife wouldn't...
he should do something... but, what? that was there, watching, but
he also couldn't just stand still waiting. When the head was about to
it burst from thinking so much, the electricity returned, the light of the kitchen appliances
They provided enough lighting to make him calm, as they were completely
solos.

But after that there was no peace, what was it?, why was it there?... and the
Most terrifying of all... will it return?... or is it already in someone else's house?
15.First visit to the cemetery

It was the first time that Omar went to the cemetery to visit his brother's grave.
mayor, who died while still very young. His parents had told him about
him, but he had never accompanied them before. But, they decided that Omar was already
mayor and could join the family tradition.

The boy attentively observed everything around him, large

stone statues shaped like angels, crosses of all sizes and all kinds
of scribbles, and of course many graves.

His relatives who already knew the way well, moved agilely among the
tombstones, and they left him a little behind. As he hurried so as not to
stay very far behind, passed between two graves stepping on a wooden horse.
Since his parents used to bring toys to their deceased son in their
birthday, probably many more people did it, so he picked it up to
put it in its place.

I look at the inscription of the two graves, and in both there was a child buried, which
it made it a little difficult for him to return the toy to its owner. So he left it at the
luck, and tossing a coin, he decided to leave it at the grave to his left.
He prepared to run to catch up with his family, but his foot got stuck with
, and while I was bent over trying to free it, someone touched my shoulder
right and a soft voice whispered in his ear: -That toy was mine...-
The boy turned as fast as he could, his eyes only perceived a faint shape.
translucent that slid beneath the tombstone to her right.

Although his feet were ready to run and he wanted with all his might
to do it, he had no choice but to take the little horse and return it to its owner, in order to
after that never step foot in a cemetery again.
Quicksand

In the afternoons, after doing his homework, Dagoberto would go out to the street to play with
his friends a good soccer match. His neighborhood was not paved, it
what made him always end up covered in dirt.

The day that the horror story I'm going to tell you happened, it started to rain.
earlier than expected. No one noticed it because the clouds remained
white and it was even possible to see the sun shining among them.
Faster than a rooster crows, the surface where they were playing
it turned into a real mud pit. So much so that it was impossible to keep playing.
Several of Dagoberto's friends said goodbye to him and ran back to
their homes to shelter from the torrential downpour that was falling.

However, he was not able to do the same so quickly, because of the commotion that
the game ball was lost. Dagoberto had a
special affection for that spherical object because it had been a gift from his late father and for
no reason was going to allow any rainstorm to take him away from her side.

He had almost given up when he noticed that the ball remained

stuck in the mud. He tried to pull it out with all his strength, but he couldn't, as if it was like
someone was stopping him.

At the moment, the boy felt as one of his legs was being held by a hand.
of man. At first, he felt terror, but then he calmed down when he noticed that in the
the ring finger wore a ring just like his father's. However, within seconds
the hand turned into a claw and pulled the boy down to the depths of the
earth.
The child's screams were silenced thanks to the presence of the thousands of
thunders that were heard at that moment. After the incident, only could it be
find a soccer cleat.

To date, no child leaves that area of the city unless it is in

adult company.
17. The diamond mine

Mining is one of the oldest activities that man has developed.

for centuries, as the extraction of gemstones has always
interested to thousands of people.

Today I am going to tell you a horror story that happened in a small village.
not long ago. It turns out that in that place there was a large mine of
diamonds, only that no one dared to go even a little closer to her. The reason
it was because they claimed that a witch lived inside.
Nelson believed that all of this was nonsense and one day he decided to go ahead with it.
an inspection by itself, in order to show others that they were
completely wrong.

Just by taking the first step inside the site, he was able to realize that that
the cavern was completely covered in diamonds, including some that lay in
the floor literally waiting for someone to pass by and pick them up.

That's exactly what he did, he stopped to gather a few stones.

when suddenly he heard a series of eerie laughs. Without knowing exactly why
What made him, that laughter forced him to delve deeper and deeper into the mine.

Seeing that he was taking longer than agreed, his friends began to call him out loud,
although without receiving any answer. Meanwhile, the young man prolonged his
walk just as if it were a zombie or rather a soulless being. In
With a sigh, the witch appeared before him and said:

Why did you break in to steal my things?

I haven't taken anything that isn't mine. The young man replied without flinching.

Of course you do, in that backpack you have several of my diamonds. Now
you will pay for your audacity.

And saying this, the witch raised one of her bony hands and pointed at the boy.
and cast a spell.

Nelson's skin and flesh were slowly being eaten away, not without leaving
behind him a series of screams that burst from the mouth of that man. Act
afterwards, his bones were turned into diamonds.
18.Camping

This short horror story was sent by our friend Newborn and begins.
So... Those five boys had planned their camping trip for months, so they
they felt very disappointed when it could not take place due to a strong
nevada that prevented access to the mountain. So great was his excitement to go, that he
They refused to take the equipment down from the car.

Seeing this attitude, one of the parents suggested using an alternate site, a piece of land.
empty space where he used to play as a child and that remained the same
conditions, upon arriving there, all the kids flew out of the car and
They set up their tents in the blink of an eye.

They enjoyed the day like never before, and anyone could believe that they would fall exhausted by
the night, but it wasn't like that, they were still very excited, sitting next to the
campfire, waiting for the typical horror story that one of the elders tells
to scare the small ones.

The story that the father shared with them was about a boy from his generation, who
had disappeared under strange circumstances and from whom nothing was ever known
certain science, but it was claimed that he could have been murdered and buried in
that open space because some people swore they had seen it lurking around
there, going back and forth a little anxious.

For the children, this was more of a comedy than something scary and it didn't steal a single one from them.
minute of sleep, hardly had they got into their sleeping bags when they were
snoring. The parents took turns keeping watch and would take turns every twenty
minutes to count them: one, two, three, four, five... it was the count over and over again.

But with little time before dawn, the last round was made: one, two, three,
four, five, six... six children this time.
19.The Hellhound

It was common to hear barking and howling come from the park daily. Many
neighbors used to gather in the afternoons, some played with their children and others
They were exercising, and the dogs watched quietly sitting under the trees.
that everyone would leave to see what kind of delicacies they had left behind.

There were those who waited for the sun to completely set before going out to run, and
they felt very good being accompanied by a group of faithful
guardians were following them, also training. But that night, the
runners were completely alone, the silence was total, wherever they went
look, there was no dog.

Suddenly in silence it was interrupted by desperate barks, and in a

At that moment, there were already shrieks, the bushes were moving, and silence returned.
The people in the park were a bit impressed by those noises, the
most of them stopped...

They looked back and forth, but none of the dogs appeared when
they resumed their march, a restless breathing filled the whole park, it
I was hearing it everywhere, accompanied by a faint growl, and it was then that
They saw him come out from among the bushes, with his snout covered in blood, walking.
slowly, and each lamp was going out in its wake...

Her footsteps left a burning mark on the ground, and a dense fog was coming.
Behind him, a huge black dog, more than a meter and a half, it doesn't matter how
It would have been good for all those people to be running at that moment.
they were completely paralyzed. The dog got in between them, smelling all of them.
body, drooling...

When everyone felt lost, a whistle called him to his master, he was only seen
to emerge from the fog a huge hand covered in fire, which left the environment
impregnated with sulfur. The next day, fewer dogs showed up.
to the daily banquet, and when their barks are not heard the neighbors in the area
they know they shouldn't set foot in the park, because that night it's their turn
walk, the dog of hell.
20.The substitute nanny

Some time ago, an ordinary couple found themselves involved in

urgent situation that forced them to leave in a hurry. They called Laura,
the nanny who commonly supported them, but she was busy, so she
He recommended his sister Sonia. As soon as the girl was at the door, the gentlemen
they left. However, Sonia didn't know where to start, Laura only told her that
the children took care of themselves as their mother did with them and did not give more details.
After a few moments of confusion, he went to the upper floor where he found a
boy watching television, they introduced themselves and the boy said he was ready to
sleep, I just had to put him in bed. In a couple of minutes he fell asleep
asleep, so she went down to watch television.

Then he heard noises in the kitchen, there was another child looking for a little bit.
for water, the girl gave him what he needed and then wanted to take him to her room,
but the little one ran to hide. He looked for him for a long time without finding him, only
I heard her laughter and her footsteps.

While she was searching, she received a call from her sister asking how she was doing.
Sonia said that aside from the fact that one of the kids was hiding and not
I could find it, everything was fine.
Laura paused in complete silence, then informed him that in that
At home there was a child, no one talked about receiving visitors.

Sonia immediately went to wake up the boy who was sleeping, and he told her that he was
Only when his sister arrived did they search for him everywhere, but they couldn't find him.
to find it, however in the kitchen, there was still the glass of water, on which
left marked some dirty hands.

The girls kept silent about what happened, they simply stopped working in that house.
just like dozens of nannies who followed after them.
21. Straight to hell

Rocío didn't like the idea of being the new girl in the neighborhood very much, since
he found it very hard to make friends. He did not enjoy solitude, but in that
moment was the only thing I had.
As the days went by, only one boy approached her, he was not the best.
candidate to include her in a social circle, because people categorized him
As "strange," but Rocío felt good in his company. He was the grandson of the antique dealer.
and he always used to bring something in his hands to show it to his new
Friend. That's how the hours flew by for them, assigning stories to everything.
new.

As he gained more confidence, the boy decided to take her to the store, so that the grandfather could.
it will show more interesting objects. Among them an ancient key, which he said,
it was used to open the doors of hell itself. The three took it as a joke,
It was very difficult for them to believe that theory, and of course, the old man never did.
I had checked.

However, the young man had something else in mind, he wanted to take her to the room.
where they kept armor, jewels, and really valuable things. They tried to enter
when grandpa went to attend to a customer, but the door was locked, not a
the purpose, simply the lock was not working; then the young man asked for
Rocío to bring her something to push the mechanism.
The closest thing I had was the key, which the gentleman had left on the
desk, and that was what he gave to the boy.

When she brought it closer to the lock, a red glow was seen beneath the portal, and a
The key inside changed to fit perfectly with the mechanism. In its
As soon as the door opened, it released a dense and dark smoke.

After that, it was all screams and desperation when the neighbors showed up.
seeing what was happening, they only found the poor antiquarian lying on the ground, crying
and saying that the Demon went out through that door and took the children, straight to the
hell.
22. The circus of phenomena

At five years old, Román found the circus show very entertaining; that
magical and colorful world, where everyone always smiled, it was like bringing their
dreams into reality. So the boy always sought a way for his parents
they would fulfill his whim.
On one occasion, a circus came to the region, but it was not like the others, it was only
his name said it all 'The Circus of Phenomena', that was reason enough
so that Román's parents wouldn't take him that time. But we already know how they are.
the children, for them nothing is impossible, so he escaped from home and went by himself
same to see the goat woman, the snake child, the wolf man, the monkey child and
other monstrosities that were announced on the poster.

It was the first time he did something like this, and he had to look for an alternative entrance already.
that I had forgotten to bring money for the ticket. A clown with a sad look
and the smudged makeup was discovered while snooping; without giving him any time, she took it.
by force, ignoring their screams and kicking.
Hastily dragging him, she took him to a trailer, which released a cold vapor when opened.
the door. There were some people sleeping on some silver tables.

Soon Román fell asleep too, upon waking... another dream had taken him.
fulfilled, it was part of the freak show!, it had a long monkey tail,
and he was missing both arms.
They dressed him quickly, and that night he performed his first act, alongside the boy.
demon, the woman without a face, the torso man... their first and only function.

The clown was far from being a surgeon, he only cut and glued to his understanding.
he didn't worry about infections or bleeding, after all, in the
next city, there would be more "material to work with".
Forever my love

Two days after Olivia's death, German had barely mustered the courage to
to read her letter. It was strange that she had written it, as if she sensed it.
that death was near, probably that scared the boy a little;
he feared what those words would reveal to him, but still, he was finally able to
open it to read.
The first lines returned her peace of mind, she only showed the great
love he had for her. He tried to remember the day they met, everything that
they did together, even the fights. He mentioned how much he liked it.
watching him sleep, hugging him when he had nightmares, waking up by his side
the mornings after snuggling in it all night.

A couple of tears rolled down German's cheek, he would undoubtedly miss his
proximity, it would be very difficult for him to overcome his absence... but again he
It calmed me to read in the last paragraph, in which a promise was made.
She swore that she would never abandon him, that she would not allow him to feel alone, that
I would still be hugging him despite everything...

After that, there was only a loving signature, but German could no longer even
at least hold the sheet between his hands, all he wanted was to throw himself on his
bed and sleep until the pain passes.
However, I couldn't fall asleep, I kept turning and turning, and even though my
eyes were closing, his mind doesn't turn off, he thought of her, he missed her, in a certain
At that moment, he was able to perceive her perfume, mixed with the smell of decay.

Silencing her crying, she heard a faint breathing in the room, and there in the
In the darkest corner, something was moving, he pointed the lamp towards the corner, and there it was.
Olivia! had escaped from her grave and the claws of death, only with the
intention to fulfill the promise to her beloved and be with him eternally.
24. At the end of the tunnel

It is not uncommon to encounter an abandoned building anywhere, be it

the rural or urban environment, they are everywhere, some simply
they are there in the oblivion and others have their history, such is the case of that warehouse of
supplies in an old mining town.
The property had been unused for so long that nature had taken it back.
that belonged to him, the no trespassing signs were hung everywhere
due to the instability of the structure, still, the teenagers loved to visit this
place to stay away from watchful eyes. Although they went there in search of
adventure, they were moving away from the darker areas, as the place was truly
dangerous and they tried to avoid an accident.

One day, bothering one of the girls, using her bag as a soccer ball.
American, he fell into a dark corner. Without thinking for a single second, a
the boy who felt attracted to her ventured to win her back, enlightened
only with your cell phone.
Upon reaching the point, he felt a cold air freezing his feet, and discovered a tunnel.
almost vertical, apparently quite deep, covered with a few pieces of
crunchy wood. Realizing where he was standing, he made a leap almost feline.
to get to safety.

When everyone stopped laughing at his feat, he told them what he saw, and the others
they approached, and despite there being many phones directed towards there, no
they could see nothing but darkness, they tried to guess its depth
throwing things at him, but there was no luck either. As they got bored, they started to
to shout, one of them yelled:

"Is anyone there?" And from the depths, a childlike and cavernous voice responded.
mocking tone —Yes!, and I'm coming for you—.

It wasn't necessary to stay to find out; they just didn't come back that way. Only
that they did not warn others about their experience, perhaps the next ones, yes
discover what dwells at the bottom of the tunnel.
25. Go out in the dark

Bogdan was the name of an individual who had come to live from the continent.
European to South America. It was said that he had a great fortune, due to the fact that
he ordered the construction of a castle in the middle of nowhere.
His fortress was surrounded by fences of logs and stones. Only a few of the
locals were able to see his face, since he used to go out at late hours of the
night and also covered with a mask.

The horror stories about him spread like wildfire.

the entire surroundings. There were those who claimed that his face was
completely disfigured due to a serious illness, there were others who
They said he was missing parts of his face (for example, an ear, an eye, etc.).

Those rumors continued without the authorities paying them any attention.
due, until the animals of the village (particularly the sheep and the
goats) began to disappear from the nearby farms.

The shepherds and overseers of the estates began to watch to see who it was.
the one who was stealing their cattle. They soon realized that something was happening.
strange, the animals were coming out in droves following a perfect straight line that was
she was heading towards the castle of Bogdan.

Upon arriving there, he was already waiting for them at the door. Those men who
they got to observe this fact more closely, they assert that Bogdan was dressed
in black, with a cape that reached down to his feet.

However, that was not what caused terror, but rather that two came out of his mouth.
prominent fangs. That scene soon turned into a feast
bloody, as the vampire pounced on the sheep sinking its incisors
on their neck, leaving them dry inside.

The peasants who had previously dealt with other vampires, him
they shot with shotguns loaded with silver bullets, which caused Bogdan to
would crash losing their life. Moreover, they left their corpse exposed to the elements, to
that the sun will finish disintegrating it.
26. Is anyone there?

The neighborhood kids used to play soccer in front of an abandoned house.

that's why of the windows, damaged gardens or the noise that many of the neighbors
they bothered them. They were regularly called to sleep before 9, but that
Saturday night they let them enjoy a little longer, as the neighbors had a...
pleasant meeting.
The ball went back and forth from one yard to another, where it was retrieved without much effort.
problem, until he entered through the second-floor window of the dirty house.
They were about to climb a tree to go get her when she was thrown from
inside —Is anyone there? —Daniel asked with some caution, to which
a timid and childish voice replied: —Yes! And I want to play with you all —after
After a quick chat among the children, they decided to play hide and seek.
new friend, of whom they could only see the shadow peeking through the window.

One of the girls counted to 100 and everyone hid, but it was impossible for them.
find the unknown child before they were called home. They spent
several days without hearing from him, until they were again able to stay late and his
a shadow appeared in the window inviting them to continue the game and find him.
The boys immediately refused, it seemed tedious for them to have to look for it.
because it was too good to hide, so they insisted that
I will go play soccer.

The boy refused on every occasion with a very sad tone. Noticing his state of
cheer — "Why don’t you want to play with us?" said Daniel. — "Because I don’t want to."
I can..." replied the little boy with a lump in his throat, "It's that the...
ghosts don't have feet! —he added, and floated down from the second floor,
in the incredulous gazes of the boys, who ran back to their homes.
27.The House of Mirrors

This horror story dates back centuries, in a small but beautiful

town, where a wealthy family lives: the father, the mother, and their beautiful
daughter. This girl was so beautiful that she was the envy of the whole town, everyone admired her.
they wanted, although the children hated it.
She had a weakness: mirrors. She loved to look at herself and comb her hair in them. She was
the girl's obsession with them is such that her father every time he returned from
trip, he was bringing a different one, thus managing to fill his own room with them.

But they were not a happy family. The mother hated her daughter because she achieved too much.
more attention from the father, and I felt too jealous, to the point that
one day the mother put poison in the dinner, and while the girl was eating, she
she entertained her husband in the upstairs room. When they returned to the kitchen, the
the young girl was dead.

His father sank deeply into sadness, he was shattered. So much so that
Every day he would spend time in his daughter's room crying and consoling her sorrow.
Until one day a special light appeared in one of the mirrors. He approached and saw
her daughter reflected in him. She showed her through this how her mother
He had killed. The infuriated father demands the arrest of his wife.

He never stopped visiting his daughter's room day after day to see her ghost.
reflected in the mirrors of the room.
28. The girl and the doll

He saw her for the first time when he visited Cecilia's house, a little friend who
she was very sick. The pale girl hugged that pretty doll very tightly.
that Rosalba couldn't take her eyes off and which she left her as a gift after
his death days later.
The poor girl didn't know what to feel, although the present had fascinated her,
sadness over losing her friend did not let her enjoy. At times she believed that her
the desire to possess the doll had caused Cecilia's death and the guilt it
I was consuming. Especially because there was no one around who cared about
she was completely ignored by her own family.

Because of this loneliness, her only refuge was the doll, it became her
partner, in her friend, in her everything. She shared with her secrets, fears,
frustrations and problems in their environment. And soon something very strange happened, for
Anyone who harmed Rosalba in any way appeared dead, with their face...
scratched to pieces.
Not even their own family was safe from this terrible evil, one day upon waking up, they realized
she said she was alone in the world, as her relatives were lying in the
cooked drowned in a puddle of blood.

The poor girl began to cry and cry for being immersed in that terrible story of
terror, in which everyone left in a horrifying way, leaving her in oblivion.
Her tears were so many that she ended up sleeping on the table.
She woke up enveloped in flames, and strangely saw that her body was watching her.
smiling while it burned.

Everything ended with a charred doll, and two happy parents for having
returning to her daughter, since taking advantage of the charm that Rosalba felt for the toy,
they brought him closer to her after putting the spirit of her dying daughter in there, so that
at the precise moment this would make an exchange and have again a
human body
29.Foreign body

Upon waking up, he found himself sitting on the bed, apparently looking
toward a fixed point, he might have been scared then, however, his attention
I was focused on something else, as I did not recognize the place I was in, although
he knew it was his room; his body wasn't familiar to him either, he looked at his hands,
he saw them again, and although they were the same as always, he felt that body
it was strange, even the woman who had been with him for ten years seemed
unknown to the eye, but a feeling of attachment towards her urged him to
to trust and tell him what was happening, even though the next morning the man would forget
everything.
To show him what had been happening the last few nights, she suggested putting a
camera, and so they did. At exactly 3:30 am he was already seated,
unaware of everything around him, and following the same routine.
His wife was so eager to show him what was happening that she could only wait.
that the man will rest his head on the pillow again to wake him up and
show him the video.

They went to the living room, started the filming, and in a couple of minutes too
they ran, they didn't want to look back, not even to go back for their things, the
impact of seeing a group of grayish figures approaching strange objects
as they walked around the bed, it was more than they could bear,
while some were assembling and disassembling their bodies in a matter of seconds,
like I was playing with a potato head, others were taking things from the
room, they replaced them with a viscous substance and in a matter of seconds
this took on the appearance of the stolen object.

The terror of knowing oneself to be a subject of experimentation gnawed at their insides, not
they knew where to go, or what to do, but whatever they decided was okay
more...a light in the sky discreetly followed them since they left
house.
30. Three steps in the dark

He was standing there in the middle of nowhere, with the glow of the city at
his back, and the darkest darkness he had ever seen in front of him, because
both sides were surrounded by his neighbors, a dozen boys who challenged him to
cross that dark area as an initiation before joining the group, according to their
words, everyone faced the same thing in their time, however, it was a
lie, none of them had set foot near that place not even
day.
People said that there lived an old crazy man, a hermit who liked to throw
dullards to anyone who came near, and on purpose had planted trees there so
dense that they did not allow a ray of light to pass even on the sunniest days, but
Once again a lie was appearing, for the place itself had something strange about it.
heaviness that settled on the shoulders just by getting close, the feeling of
being stalked, and the fear... the fear that was felt was from another world.

The new boy was exempt from these stories, but not from the effect he caused.
that dark place, where one only had to take three steps to obtain
recognition and approval of the people who formed their world at that time.
Only three steps to prove your worth, just three simple steps within the
deep darkness...but there was no opportunity for her to give just one, a sudden
and the agitated breathing put them on alert, then only screams, shouts, and screams
filled with terror that drowned in the darkness.

No one dared to take those three simple steps to save him, to know what
it happened, but they are very clear that what was taken that night was not a
old hermit, for old hermits do not have horns, nor leave hooves
marked on the ground.
31. The Red Bracelet

When someone is admitted to a hospital, a plastic bracelet is placed on them.

white with your name and details printed on it. There are other colors of bracelets,
and each one has its meaning. The red bracelets, for example, are placed on
only to the deceased.

An experienced surgeon from the hospital had finished his shift and was ready.
to go home to rest, the night shift was heavy as it was and
he had just finished operating on a patient, and he felt very tired,
almost dragging his steps, he was about to go down to the parking lot, as he was in
the fourth floor. The elevator was taking a while so he leaned against the wall
while waiting, going down the stairs didn't seem like a very good idea at that moment.
moment.

At the end of his wait, he quickly got into the elevator, and with great pleasure, he
leaned against the wall again after saying goodnight to a young woman
that was already in the cabin. Being alone together, he continued the conversation in a way
casual to the young lady as the elevator went down.
Suddenly the elevator stopped on a floor, the doors opened and a woman
he wanted to go up with them, but the doctor quickly pressed the button to close the
doors and randomly any other that took them to the top floor.

The girl who accompanied him was too surprised, and she did not waste any time to
express their disagreement, saying that it had been quite rude and with a
with a disapproving grimace she asked: - Why did you close the door on that one?
woman? –the doctor with a very pale face and trembling hands replied: -It is
The woman I just operated on sadly died in the operating room...
Did you not see the red bracelet she was wearing? -The young woman smiled at him as
he raised his hand saying: - one like this? -
32. The Mark of the Devil

There are things that surpass our knowledge, causing some to see as
game, everything that is beyond this world. Such is the case with this pair
of brothers, who jokingly tried to prove who was the most cowardly
Of the two, they made a homemade Ouija, of course, one of them was quite
fearful regarding spirits, but under the pressure from his brother he ended up
to access.

That same night when her parents left, they began with their
mischief, with their fingers on a glass they asked the typical questions of novices:-
Is anyone there? Does anyone want to play with us? - said the boldest of them.
the boys, while the other watched nervously, as the glass seemed to come to life
sliding quickly over the board -Who are you-? the boy insisted,
E*L**D*I*A*B*L*O was quickly spelled out, the most fearful little one jumped.
scared, screaming inconsolably, but his fingers seemed to be glued to the glass
that continued to move to answer his brother's questions,
Are you here? -,-Manifest yourself!-, the two dropped the glass as they could and jumped.
to embrace each other when a dense smoke filled the room, materializing afterwards
a horrible demonic face in front of them that let out evil laughter.

Fortunately for the little ones, the nanny in charge had heard the
she made a scene and went over there to help them, the smoke gathered when it heard her open
the door, leaving behind a couple of scared boys.

They told the young woman everything that had happened; any other person wouldn't have...
believed, but she had been sent from above to take care of them.

Now spend every moment following the boys wherever they go, watching, for
that night the children got a mark on their head, a
"burn" 666 says, announcing that they now belong to the Devil.
I will never forgive.

One day Silvia appeared at Melissa's house to ask for help, despite being
sisters, had not seen each other in 15 years, since Melissa became a
businesswoman and broke ties with her humble family of origin. Probably
some time ago Silvia would not have been well received in that house, but in this
on this occasion, she was carrying a baby in her arms and was allowed entry.
Silvia shared the tragic story that brought her there, and when she finished, her brother-in-law said to her.
offered to buy the baby from her, as they had failed for over 10 years to
try to have a child.

Although she was having a very hard time, Silvia refused, taking her daughter in her arms to leave,
but; his own sister stabbed him in the back, then he was
buried in the garden and later placed a playhouse on top
when the girl grew up.
Weeks later, while they were taking care of the baby, they heard sounds in the garden,
the little house door was slamming, although that night there was no wind, they went out to
and it suddenly closed when the two were in front of her; then it opened
slowly accompanied by a loud creaking... the silence became absolute and
as the surrounding lights were fading, the little house creaked,
It trembled as if trying to detach itself from the ground and run after them.

They returned home immediately, and on the table they found a written message.
with blood that said: -I will never forgive!- and next to it the knife they had
left nailed in Silvia's back.
34. The girl on the sidewalk

A couple returns home in the middle of the night after walking their dog.
They walk between poorly lit streets and alleys, and when turning into a
corner, they see a couple of bundles lying in front of them. They approach to give a
They take a look and find a dead woman, with her throat cut and in her
a small bloody arm.

The girl was very pale, but no injury was apparent on her, they thought.
which was likely suffering from hypothermia, as it was a cold night. In a decision
the man hurriedly wraps her in his jacket and takes her in his arms,
while his wife tries to contact emergency services.

But the cell phone battery was dying and they couldn't complete the call.
so they run home, to ask for help from there or take the car
take her to the hospital.

In his frantic rush, the man suddenly stops, apparently tired,

because he falls to his knees on the ground, a puddle of blood surrounds his body, his face
pales, and in a moment releases the little girl revealing a terrible
wound in her abdomen.

What she cradled in her arms was not simply a girl, but a spawn.
malicious, who tried to eat him alive, biting his entrails. The little one
take off the jacket on top, her eyes are darker than the night, and smile
gloomy mind displaying its multiple rows of sharp fangs, and shaking its
filthy claws pierce the chest of the woman.
35. THE SEEKER
This is the story of a man whom I would define as a seeker. A seeker is someone who
search. Not necessarily someone who finds. Nor is it someone who knows what is.
searching. It is simply for those whose lives are a quest. One day a seeker felt that
he had to go towards the city of Kammir. He had learned to pay strict attention to those feelings
that came from an unknown place within themselves, so they left everything and set out. After two days
On the march along the dusty roads, Kammir was spotted in the distance. Just before reaching the...
village, a hill to the right of the path caught his attention. It was covered in green
wonderful and there were a lot of trees, birds, and lovely flowers. It was surrounded by
I completed a kind of small polished wooden fence... A brass door invited it.
to enter. Suddenly he felt that he was forgetting the town and succumbed to the temptation to rest for a
moment in that place. The seeker passed through the portal and began to walk slowly among the
white stones that were scattered randomly among the trees. He let his eyes be
from a search engine, perhaps that is why he discovered, on one of the stones, that inscription ... 'Birch'
Tare lived for 8 years, 6 months, 2 weeks, and 3 days.” She was a little overwhelmed when she realized that this
the stone was not just a stone. It was a tombstone, he felt sad thinking that a child of such
at a short age was buried in that place... Looking around, the man realized that
the stone next to it also had an inscription, he approached to read it said "Call Kalib, lived
5 years, 8 months, and 3 weeks.” The seeker felt terribly shaken. This beautiful
place, it was a cemetery and each stone a tombstone. All had similar inscriptions: a name
and the exact lifespan of the deceased, but what connected him with the horror was realizing that,
the one who had lived the longest barely surpassed 11 years. Overwhelmed by terrible pain, he
he sat down and started to cry. The caretaker of the cemetery was passing by and approached, watching him cry for
a moment of silence and then he asked him if he was crying for a family member. - No, no family member, he said.
searcher - What is happening with this town? What terrible thing is there in this city? Why so many
dead children buried in this place? What is the horrible curse that weighs upon these people,
What has forced him to build a cemetery for boys? The old man smiled and said: -Can you
calm down, there is no such curse, what happens is that we have an old custom here. I will tell you:
when a young person turns 15, their parents give them a notebook, like this one I have here,
hanging from the neck, and it is a tradition among us that, from there on, whenever one enjoys
intensely about something, open the notebook and write in it: on the left what was enjoyed..., to the
right, how long did that joy last? Did he meet his girlfriend and fall in love with her? How much
how long did that enormous passion and the pleasure of knowing her last? ... A week? Two? Three weeks and
media?... And then... the excitement of the first kiss, how long did it last?, The minute and a half of the kiss?
Two days? A week? ... and the pregnancy or the birth of the first child? ..., and the marriage?
of friends...?, and the most desired trip...?, and the meeting with the brother who returns from a
distant country...? How long did the enjoyment of these situations last? ... hours?, days? ... That's how we go.
writing in the notebook every moment, when someone dies, it is our custom to open their
notebook and sum up the time enjoyed, to write it on their tomb. Because that is, for
we, the only and true lived time.

36. THE BEAR

This story is about a tailor, a czar, and his bear. One day the czar discovered that one
one of the buttons from his favorite jacket had fallen off. The czar was capricious,
authoritarian and cruel (cruel like all those who entangle for too long in
the power), so, furious about the absence of the button, he ordered his tailor to be called and
ordered that he be beheaded by the hangman's axe the next morning.
No one contradicted the emperor of all Rus', so the guard went to the
tailor's house and tearing him from his family's arms, he took him to the
dungeon of the palace to await his death there. 4 When the sun set a
The prison guard took the last supper to the tailor, the tailor stirred the plate of food.
with the spoon and looking at the jailer said - Poor the tsar. - The jailer
I can't help but laugh - Poor the tsar?, you said poor you, your head will remain
a few meters away from your body tomorrow morning. - Yes, I know but
Tomorrow morning the tsar will lose much more than a tailor, the tsar will lose the
possibility that her bear is the thing she loves most in the world, her own bear
Learn to speak. - Do you know how to teach bears to talk? asked the
prison guard surprised. - An old family secret... - said the tailor. Eager
to win the favor of the tsar, the poor guard ran to tell the sovereign his
discovery: The tailor knew how to teach bears to speak!! The czar felt
delighted. He quickly sent for the tailor and ordered him: - Show him my
I would like to please you but the truth is that teaching...
talking to a bear is a daunting task and takes time... and unfortunately, time is
The least I have... -The tsar fell silent and asked how long it would take.
Learning? - Well, it depends on the bear's intelligence... said the tailor. - !! The
The bear is very intelligent!! - interrupted the tsar - In fact, he is the most intelligent bear.
of all the bears in Russia. -Well, the tailor murmured... if the bear is intelligent... and
feels a desire to learn... I believe... that learning would last... would last... no
less than...... TWO YEARS. The tsar thought for a moment and then ordered: - Well, you
the penalty will be suspended for two years, meanwhile you will train the bear. Tomorrow
You will begin! - Your Highness - said the tailor - If you send the executioner to deal with me
head, tomorrow they will be dead, and my family will find a way to be able to
to survive. But if you commute my sentence, I will have to dedicate time to
work, I won't be able to dedicate myself to your bear... I must support my family. - That's not it
problem - said the tsar - Starting today and for two years you and your family will be
under royal protection. They will be clothed, fed, and educated with the money of the
cut and anything they need or desire will be denied to them... But, that yes... If within
For two years the bear hasn't spoken... you will regret having thought about this
Proposal... You will wish you had been killed by the executioner... You understand, right?
Yes, Your Highness. - Well... Guards!! - shouted the Tsar - Take the tailor home.
court carriage, give them two bags of gold, food, and gifts for their children.
Yes... Out!!. The tailor bowed and walking backwards, began to
to retire while murmuring thanks. - Don't forget - the tsar said to him
pointing his finger at the forehead – If in two years the bear doesn't speak... – Your Highness... -
...When everyone in the tailor's house was crying over the loss of the breadwinner,
the little man appeared at the house in the czar's carriage, smiling, euphoric and
with gifts for everyone. The tailor's wife could not contain her astonishment. Her husband
that just hours before he had been taken to the gallows was now returning, successful,
wealthy and exultant... When he was alone, the man told him the facts.
You are CRAZY - yelled the woman - to teach the czar's bear to talk. You, who can't even
Have you seen a bear up close? You're crazy! Teaching the bear to talk... Crazy, you are
Crazy... - Calm down woman, calm down. Look, they were going to cut off my head tomorrow at
dawn, now... now I am two years old... So much can happen in two years
things in two years. In two years... - the tailor continued - the tsar could die...
I can die... and the most important thing... there the bear talks!!
37. THE FEARED ENEMY

The idea for this story came to me while listening to a tale by Enrique Mariscal. I
I allowed, from there to prolong the story and transform it into another story with another
message and another meaning. Just as it is now, I gave it as a gift one afternoon to my friend.
Norbi. Once upon a time, in a very distant and lost kingdom, there was a king who liked
to feel powerful. His desire for power was not satisfied just by having it, he,
he needed everyone to admire him for being powerful, just like the
Snow White's stepmother not only wanted to appear beautiful, but also him.
he needed to look in a mirror that would tell him how powerful he was. He did not have
magic mirrors, but he had a bunch of courtiers and servants at his
around whom to ask if he was the most powerful in the kingdom.
Inevitably, everyone told him the same thing: -Your Highness, you are very powerful, but you
You know that the wizard has a power that no one possesses: He, he knows the future. ( In
at that time, alchemists, philosophers, thinkers, religious figures, and mystics were
called, generically "wizards"). The king was very jealous of the wizard of the kingdom
well, he not only had a reputation for being a very good and generous man, but that
furthermore, the whole village loved him, admired him, and celebrated his existence and
I would live there. They didn't say the same about the king. Perhaps because he needed to prove that
he was the one who ruled, the king was neither just nor fair, and even less so
kind. One day, tired of people telling him how powerful and beloved he was
he was the wizard or motivated by that mix of jealousy and fears that envy generates,
The king hatched a plan: He would organize a grand party to which he would invite the magician and
After dinner, I would ask for everyone's attention. I would call the magician to the center of the room.
and in front of the courtiers, I would ask him if it was true that he could read the future. The
as a guest, I would have two possibilities: to say no, thus disappointing the admiration of
the others, or say yes, confirming the reason for his fame. The king was sure
I would choose the second option. So, I would ask him to tell me the date.
in which the 5th wizard of the kingdom was going to die. He would give an answer, one day.
anyone, it didn't matter who. At that very moment, the king was planning to take out his
sword and kill him. With this, I would achieve two things in one blow: the first,
get rid of your enemy forever; the second, to prove that the wizard does not
he had been able to move ahead to the future, and that he had been wrong in his prediction.
It would end in a single night. The wizard and the myth of his powers...
Preparations began right away, and soon the day of the celebration arrived...
...After the grand dinner, the king called the magician to the center and before the silence
He asked everyone: - Is it true that you can read the future? - A little - he said.
wizard. - Can you read your own future, the king asked? - A little, said the wizard.
Then I want you to give me a test - said the king - What day will you die? Which one?
Is it the date of your death? The magician smiled, looked him in the eyes, and did not answer.
What's happening, magician? - said the smiling king - Don't you know?... Isn't it true that
Can you see the future? - That's not it - said the wizard - but what I know, I do not dare to say.
Tell me. - What do you mean you don't dare? - said the king -... I am your sovereign and you
I order you to tell me. You must realize that it is very important to him.
kingdom, knowing when we lose its most eminent characters... Answer me
Well, when will the wizard of the kingdom die? After a tense silence, the wizard...
he looked and said: - I can't specify the date, but I know the magician will die
exactly one day before the king... For a few moments, time...
frozen. A murmur ran through the guests. The king had always said
that did not believe in wizards or divinations, but the truth is that it did not
encouraged to kill the wizard. Slowly, the sovereign lowered his arms and remained in
silence... The thoughts crowded in his head. He realized that he
I was mistaken. His hatred had been the worst advisor. - Your Highness, you have put yourself
Pale. What’s wrong with you? - asked the guest. - I feel unwell - answered the
monarch - I’m going to my room, I appreciate that you came. And with a gesture
confused he turned silently heading to his rooms... The wizard was cunning,
he had given the only answer that would prevent his death. Had he read his mind? The
the prediction couldn't be true. But... what if it were?... He was stunned.
It happened that it would be tragic if something happened to the wizard on his way home. The king
he turned back and said aloud: - Wizard, you are famous in the kingdom for your
wisdom, I beg you to spend this night in the palace because I must consult you about
The morning about some real decisions. - Your Majesty! It will be a great honor...
said the guest with a bow. The king gave orders to his personal guards.
so that they would accompany the wizard to the guest rooms in the palace
and to guard their door ensuring that nothing would happen... That night
the sovereign could not sleep. He was very restless thinking about what
What would happen if the wizard had disliked the food, or if he had gotten hurt?
accidentally during the night, or if, simply, it had come his time.
Early in the morning, the king knocked on his guest's rooms. He
he had never in his life thought about questioning any of his decisions, but
this time, as soon as the wizard received him, he asked the question... he needed an excuse.
And the wizard, who was a wise man, gave him a correct, creative, and fair answer. The king,
barely listening to the response, he praised his guest for his intelligence and asked him
that he will stay one more day, supposedly, to 'consult' another matter...
(obviously, the king just wanted to make sure that nothing happened to him). The wizard - who
he enjoyed the freedom that only the enlightened conquer - he accepted... From
So every day, in the morning or in the afternoon, the king went to the
wizard's rooms to consult him and committed him for a new consultation
the next day. It didn't take long for the king to realize that
the advice of her new advisor was always right and would end up, almost without
notice it, taking them into account in each of the decisions. Months passed.
and then the years. And as always... being close to the one who knows makes the one who doesn't.
knows, wiser. This is how it was: the king gradually became more and more fair. Already
he was neither despotic nor authoritarian. He no longer needed to feel powerful, and
surely that's why he stopped needing to prove his power. He started to learn
that humility could also be advantageous began to reign in a more
wise and kind. And it happened that her people began to love him, as never before.
had wanted before. The king was no longer going to see the magician looking into his health, he was going to
really to learn, to share a decision or just to chat,
because the king and the wizard had become excellent friends. One day, more than
four years since that dinner, and without reason, the king remembered. He remembered that plan
that plan he once devised to kill his then most hated one
enemy And he realized that he could not continue keeping this secret without
to feel like a hypocrite. The king gathered courage and went to the magician's room. He knocked
the door and as soon as he entered he said: - Brother, I have something to tell you that I
squeeze your chest - Tell me - said the wizard - and ease your heart. 6 - That night,
When I invited you to dinner and asked you about your death, I didn't actually want to.
knowing about your future, I planned to kill you and in front of anything you told me,
because I wanted your unexpected death to forever demystify your fame of
I hated you because everyone loved you... I am so ashamed... - That one
last night I didn't dare to kill you, and now that we are friends, and more than friends,
brothers, I am terrified to think what I would have lost if I had done it. Today I have
I feel that I can no longer hide my shame from you. I needed to tell you all of this.
in order for you to forgive or despise me, but without concealments. The magician it
he looked at him and said: - You took a long time to tell me. But after all
ways, I am glad, I am glad that you did it, because this is the only thing that
will allow me to tell you that I already knew it. When you asked me the question and lowered your
Hand over the hilt of your sword, your intention was so clear that it was unnecessary.
fortune teller to realize what you were thinking of doing, - the magician smiled and put his
hand on the shoulder of the king. - As fair payment for your sincerity, I must tell you that
I also lied to you... I confess today that I made up that absurd story about myself.
death before yours to give you a lesson. A lesson you are just today
in conditions to learn, perhaps the most important thing that I have ever told you
never taught. We go through the world hating and rejecting aspects of the
others and even ourselves that we consider despicable, threatening or
useless... and yet, if we give ourselves time, we will end up realizing that
how much it would cost us to live without those things that at one moment
we reject. Your death, dear friend, will come right, right on the day of your death, and neither
one minute before. It is important for you to know that I am old, and that my day
surely it's approaching. There is no reason to think that your departure should
to be tied to mine. It is our lives that have become linked, not our
deaths. The king and the wizard embraced and celebrated toasting to trust
that each one felt in this relationship that they had managed to build together... It counts the
legend... that mysteriously... that same night... the wizard... died during the
dream. The king learned of the bad news the next morning... and felt
desolate. He was not distressed by the idea of his own death; he had learned.
from the wizard to detach even from his permanence in the world. He was sad,
simply because of the death of his friend. What strange coincidence had happened?
Could the king tell this to the wizard just the night before his death? Such
once, perhaps in some unknown way the wizard had made him able to
to tell him this to take away his fantasy of dying the next day. A last act of
love to free him from his fears of other times... They say that the king
he lifted and with his own hands dug in the garden, under his window, a
tomb for his friend, the wizard. He buried his body there and spent the rest of the day there.
side of the mound of earth, crying like one cries over the loss of loved ones
Dear ones. And just as night fell, the king returned to his room. It tells the
legend... that very night... twenty-four hours after the death of the
wizard, the king died in his bed while sleeping... perhaps by coincidence... perhaps
of pain... perhaps to confirm the master's last teaching.

38. THE ALLEGORY OF THE CART

One day in October, a familiar voice on the phone says to me: -Go out to the street, there is
a gift for you. Excited, I step out onto the sidewalk and find the gift.
It's a beautiful carriage parked right in front of the door of my house. It is
polished walnut wood, it has bronze fittings and ceramic lamps
white, everything very fine, very elegant, very 'chic'. I open the cabin door and
I go up. A large semicircular seat upholstered in burgundy corduroy and some lace curtains.
white gives a touch of royalty to the cubicle. I sit down and realize that everything
It is designed exclusively for me, the length of the legs is calculated,
seat width, ceiling height... everything is very comfortable, and there is no room for
nobody else. Then I look out the window and see "the landscape": on one side the front of
my house, across from my neighbor's house... and I say: "How amazing this is"
Gift! "How nice, how beautiful...!" And I stay for a while enjoying that feeling.
Soon I start to get bored; what I see out the window is always the same. I
I ask: 'How long can one see the same things?' And I start to
convince me that the gift they gave me is useless. That's what I
I am complaining out loud when my neighbor passes by and tells me, like
guessing me: -Don't you realize that this carriage is missing something? I'll put
What is missing while I look at the carpets and upholstery. -They are missing the
horses - she tells me before I even get to ask her. That's why I always see it
same -I think-, that’s why it seems boring to me. -True - I say. Then I go to.
the corral of the station and I tie two horses to the carriage. I get back in and
From the inside I shout: -Woohoo!! The landscape becomes wonderful,
extraordinary, it changes permanently and that surprises me. However, upon
a short time later I start to feel a certain vibration in the carriage and see the beginning of
a crack on one of the sides. They are the horses that lead me through
terrible roads; they take all the pits, they climb onto the sidewalks, they take me through
dangerous neighborhoods. I realize that I have no control over anything; the
horses drag me wherever they want. At first, that route was very
nice, but in the end I feel it is very dangerous. 7 I'm starting to get scared and to
I realize that this doesn't work either. At that moment, I see my neighbor passing by.
Nearby, in his car. I insult him: 'What did you do to me!' He shouts: 'You're missing the coachman!'
"Ah!" I say. With great difficulty and with his help, I rein in the horses and decide.
hire a coachman. A few days later he takes on his duties. He is a serious man and
circumspect with a serious face and a lot of knowledge. It seems to me that
Now I am ready to truly enjoy the gift that I
they did. I get in, I settle down, I poke my head out and I indicate to the coachman where
He drives, he controls the situation, he decides the appropriate speed and chooses the
better route. I... I enjoy the trip. "We have been born, left our home and we
we have found a gift: our body. Shortly after being born our body
registered a desire, a need, an instinctive requirement, and moved.
the carriage would be useless if it didn't have horses; they are the desires, the
needs, drives, and affections. Everything goes well for a while, but in
At some point, we started to realize that these desires were coming to us through
somewhat risky and sometimes dangerous paths, and then we have a need
to soften them. This is where the figure of the coachman appears: our head,
our intellect, our ability to think rationally. The coachman serves
to evaluate the road, the route. But those who really pull the carriage are your
horses. Do not let the driver neglect them. They need to be fed and
protected, because... what would you do without the horses? What would become of you if you were
Only body and brain? If you had no desires, what would life be like?
It would be like those people who go through the world without contact with their emotions,
letting only his brain push the carriage. Obviously not either
you can neglect the carriage, because it has to last for the whole project. And this
it will involve repairing, caring for, fine-tuning whatever is necessary for its maintenance. If
nobody takes care of it, the carriage breaks, and if it breaks, the journey is over...
39.OBSTACLES

I am walking on a path. I let my feet take me. My eyes rest on

the trees, in the birds, in the stones. On the horizon, the silhouette of
a city. I sharpened my gaze to distinguish it well. I feel that the city is
attracts. Without knowing how, I realize that in this city I can find everything.
what I wish. All my goals, my objectives and my achievements. My ambitions and my
dreams are in this city. What I want to achieve, what I need, what I want the most
I would like to be that which I aspire to, or that which I try for, for which I work, what
I have always desired what would be my greatest success. I imagine that everything
it's in that city. Without hesitation, I start to walk towards it. After walking a little,
the path goes uphill. I get a little tired, but I don’t mind. I continue.
I divide a black shadow, further ahead, on the road. As I approach, I see that a
a huge ditch blocks my way. I fear... I doubt. It angers me that I cannot reach my goal.
easily get. In any case, I decide to jump over the ditch. I step back, take
impulse and jump... I manage to pass it. I recover and keep walking. A few meters.
further ahead, another ditch appears. I take a run again and jump over it as well. I run.
towards the city: the road seems clear. I am surprised by an abyss that
It stops my way. I stop. Impossible to jump over it. I see that to one side there is
woods, nails, and tools. I realize that it is there to build a
bridge. I have never been skilled with my hands... I think about quitting. I look at the goal
how I wish... and I resist. I start to build the bridge. Hours pass, or days, or
Months. The bridge is built. Excited, I cross it. And upon reaching the other side...
I discover the wall. A gigantic cold and damp wall surrounds the city of my
dreams... I feel down... I'm looking for a way to dodge it. There's no way. I must
scale it. The city is so close... I will not let the wall block my way. I
I propose to climb. I rest for a few minutes and take a breath... Suddenly I see, at a
By the roadside, a child looks at me as if he knows me. He smiles at me with.
complicity. It reminds me of myself... when I was a child. Perhaps that’s why, I
I encourage expressing my complaint out loud: -Why so many obstacles between my
Objective and me? The boy shrugs and replies: -Why do you ask me that?
questions to me? The obstacles weren't there before you arrived... The
You brought the obstacles.
40. SEED DREAMS

In the silence of my reflection, I perceive my entire internal world as if it were a

seed, in some small and insignificant way but also full of
potentialities. ...And I see in its innards the germ of a magnificent tree, the tree
of my own life in the process of development. In its smallness, each seed
contains the spirit of the tree that will be afterward. Each seed knows how
transform into a tree, falling into fertile soil, absorbing the juices that it
they feed, expanding the branches and the foliage, becoming filled with flowers and fruits,
in order to give what they have to give. Each seed knows how to become a tree. And
as many are the seeds as are the secret dreams. Inside us,
countless dreams await the time to germinate, take root, and be born,
to die like seeds... to become trees. Magnificent and proud trees
which in turn tells us, in its solidity, to hear our inner voice, that
let's listen to the wisdom of our dreams seed. 8 They, the dreams, indicate
the path with symbols and signs of all kinds, in every fact, in every
moment, between things and between people, in the pains and in the pleasures,
in victories and in failures. What is dreamed teaches us, whether asleep or awake, to
let's see, let's listen, let's realize. It shows us the way in
fugitive premonitions or in flashes of blinding clarity. And thus we grow,
we develop, we evolve... And one day, while we traverse this eternal
present that we call life, the seeds of our dreams will transform into
trees, and they will spread their branches which, like gigantic wings, will cross the sky,
uniting in a single stroke our past and our future. There is nothing to fear,...
an inner wisdom accompanies them... because each seed knows... how to arrive at
be tree...
41. A STORY ABOUT LOVE

It is about two beautiful young people who became a couple when she was
thirteen and he eighteen. They lived in a small logging village located next to a
mountain. He was tall, slender, and muscular, having learned to be
lumberjack since childhood. She was blonde, with very long hair, so long that it reached
up to the waist; she had beautiful and wonderful blue eyes.. The story
it is said that they had been dating with the complicity of the whole town. Until one...
day, when she was eighteen and he was twenty-three, the whole town came to an agreement
to help both of them get married. They gifted them a cabin, with a plot of land.
of trees so that he could work as a lumberjack. After getting married, he
they went to live there for the joy of everyone, of them, of their family and of the town, that
he had helped so much in that relationship. And they lived there for all the days of a
winter, a summer, a spring, and an autumn, enjoying being together a lot.
As the day of the first anniversary approached, she felt that she had to do something.
to show him her deep love. She thought of giving him a gift that would mean
This. A new axe would relate everything to work; a knitted sweater wouldn't either.
I convinced her, as I had made sweaters for her before; a meal
It was not enough pampering... He decided to go down to the town to see what he could find.
there and started to walk through the streets. However, no matter how much he walked, he did not
I found nothing that was so important that she could buy with the
coins that, weeks before, I had been saving from the change of purchases
thinking that the anniversary date was approaching. Passing by a jewelry store, the
unique to the village, saw a beautiful gold chain displayed in the showcase.
Then he remembered that there was only one material object that he adored.
truly, that he considered valuable. It was a gold watch that his
grandfather had given him before dying. Since he was a child, he kept that watch in a
suede case, which he always left next to his bed. Every night
I would open the bedside table, take out that watch from the suede pouch, polish it, and give it
a little bit of rope, she would stay listening to him until the rope...
I finished, polished it again, caressed it for a while and put it back in the
case. She thought: "What a wonderful gift this gold chain would be for that
watch." She entered to ask how much it cost and, upon receiving the answer, a sense of anguish took hold of her.
surprise. It was much more money than she had imagined, much more than what
that she had been able to gather. She would have had to wait three more anniversaries
to be able to buy it for him. But she couldn't wait that long. She left the town a
A little sad,Thinking about what to do to get the money needed for this.
Then he thought about working, but he didn't know how; and he thought and thought, until, at
Passing by the only hair salon in town, he came across a sign that said: "There
"buy through the natural." And since she had that blonde hair, which had not been cut.
Since I was ten years old, it didn't take long for him to come in and ask. The money that he
they offered was enough to buy the gold chain and there was still some left for a
box to keep the chain and the watch. He did not hesitate. He said to the hairdresser: - Yes
In three days I will return to sell you my hair, would you buy it from me?
Sure - was the answer. - So in three days I will be here. He returned to the
jewelry, reserved the chain and returned home. He said nothing. The day of the
anniversary, they hugged each other a little tighter than usual.
Then, he went to work and she went down to the town. She got her hair cut really short and,
after taking the money, he headed to the jewelry store. He bought the gold chain there and the
wooden box. When he got home, he cooked and waited for the evening to come,
moment he used to return. Unlike other times, that lit up the
house when he arrived, this time she dimmed the lights, lit only two candles and
he placed a scarf on his head. Because he also loved her hair and she didn't want to.
that he realized he had cut it. There would be time later for
explain it to him. He arrived. They hugged each other very tightly and told each other how much they cared.
They wanted. So, she took out from under the table the wooden box that contained
the gold chain for the watch. And he went to the wardrobe and took out a box from there.
very big that I had brought her while she was not there. The box contained two
enormous combs that he had bought... selling the grandfather's gold watch.
If you believe that love is sacrifice, please do not forget this story.
Love is not within us to sacrifice for the other, but to enjoy it.
existence.
42. THE SADNESS AND THE FURY

In an enchanted kingdom where men can never reach, or perhaps where

men transit eternally without realizing... In a magical kingdom, where
The intangible things become concrete. Once upon a time... there was a pond.
wonderful. 9 It was a lagoon of crystal clear and pure water where fish swam.
all the existing colors and where all the shades of green were reflected
permanently... They approached that magical and transparent pond.
bathing in each other's company, sadness and fury. The two took off their
clothed and naked, both entered the pond. The fury, hurried (like
there is always the fury), in a hurry -not knowing why- she quickly bathed and more
quickly still, he/she/it left the water... But fury is blind, or at least not
She clearly distinguishes reality, so, naked and hurried, she put on, upon leaving, the
first clothes he found... And it happened that those clothes were not his, but those of the
sadness... And thus dressed in sadness, the fury left. Very calm, and very serene,
always willing to stay in the place where it is, sadness ended its
bathroom and without any hurry (or rather, without awareness of the passage of time), with
lazily and slowly, he emerged from the pond. On the shore, he found that his clothes
it was no longer there. As we all know, if there is something that sadness doesn't like, it is
to be left naked, so he put on the only clothes he had by the pond, the
clothes of fury. They say that since then, many times one finds oneself
with fury, blind, cruel, terrible and angry, but if we take the time to look
Well, we found that this fury we see is just a disguise, and that behind the
costume of fury, in reality... sadness is hidden.
43. SELF-DEPENDENCE

I always remember this scene: My cousin, much younger than me, was three years old.
I was twelve... We were in the dining room of my grandmother's house. My little cousin
He was running and knocked over the coffee table. He fell sitting on his butt on the floor.
crying. He had hit himself hard and soon after a lump the size of a
a peach pit appeared on his forehead. My aunt, who was in the room, ran to
hug him and while he was asking me to bring ice, he said to my cousin: Poor thing, bad the
table that hit you, clap clap on the table..., while I clapped my hands on the furniture inviting
my poor cousin to whom I would imitate... And I was thinking: ?...? What is the lesson? The
responsibility is not yours because you are clumsy, because you are three years old and you do not look out
where are you walking; the blame is on the table. The table is bad. I was trying to understand more or
less surprised the hidden message of the bad intentions of the objects. And my aunt
he insisted that my cousin hit the table... I find it funny as a symbol, but
as a lesson it seems sinister to me: you are never responsible for what you did, the
the blame is always on the other, the blame is on the outside, not you, it's the other one who has to
stop being in your way so you don't hurt yourself... I had to go a long
Excerpt to distance myself from the messages from aunts of the world. It is my responsibility.
to distance myself from what harms me. It is my responsibility to defend myself from those who hurt me.
damage. It is my responsibility to take charge of what happens to me and know my share of
participation in the events. I have to realize the influence that each thing has.
What should I do? For the things that happen to me to happen, I have to do what I do. And
I don't say that I can handle everything that happens to me, but that I am responsible for what happens to me.
It happens because in something, even if it's small, I have contributed for it to happen. I cannot
control the attitude of everyone around me but I can control mine. I can act
freely with what I do. I will have to decide what to do. With my limitations, with my
miseries, with my ignorances, with everything I know and learned, with all that, I will have to
decide what is the best way to act. And I will have to act in that best way.
I will have to get to know myself better to know what my resources are. I will have to love myself.
as much as to privilege me and know that this is my decision. And I will have, then, something
What comes with autonomy and is the other side of freedom: courage. I will have the courage.
to act as my conscience dictates and to pay the price. I will have to be free even if
you don't like it. And if you are not going to love me the way I am; and if you are going to leave me, just like that
I am; and if on the longest and coldest night of winter you are going to leave me alone and you are going to go...
Close the door, did you see? Because the wind comes in. Close the door. If that is your decision, close it.
door. I'm not going to ask you to stay a minute longer than you want. I'm telling you:
close the door because I am staying and it's cold. And this is going to be my decision. This to me
transforms into a kind of unmanageable being. Because the self-reliant are
unmanageable. Because you can only manage a self-dependent person if they want to.
means a significant step forward in your story and in your development, a different way of
to live the world and probably means starting to get to know a little more about those who are next to you
your side. If you are self-reliant, truly, it is likely that some people from whom
they are by your side, they go away... Perhaps some do not want to stay. Well, it will have to be paid.
that price too. We will have to pay the price of enduring the games of some to me
around and prepare to celebrate the arrival of others (Perhaps...)

44. COOKIES

An elegantly dressed lady arrives at a train station one afternoon.

At the window, they inform you that the train is delayed and will take approximately
an hour to get to the station. A little annoyed, the lady goes to the booth of
diaries and buys a magazine, then goes to the kiosk and buys a pack of
cookies and a can of soda. Prepared for the forced wait, she sits down in
one of the long benches on the platform. While flipping through the magazine, a young man sits down
to her side and starts reading a diary. Unexpectedly, the lady sees, from the corner of her eye,
Note how the boy, without saying a word,
cookies, he opens it and after taking one, he starts to eat it
carefreely. 10 The woman is outraged. She is not willing to be
rude, but also not pretending that nothing has happened; so, with a gesture
Ampuloso, take the package and take out a cookie that you show to the young man and give it to him.
staring at him intently. In response, the young man smiles... and takes another.
cookie. The lady moans a little, takes a new cookie and, with obvious
signs of annoyance, she eats it while holding her gaze on the boy again. The
the dialogue of glances and smiles continues between cookie and cookie. The lady each time
more irritated, the boy more and more amusing. Finally, the lady realizes
It accounts for the fact that only the last cookie remains in the package. "It can't be that...
"cheeky," she thinks, and she freezes, alternately staring at the young man.
And the cookies. Calmly, the boy reaches out his hand, takes the last cookie.
and, with much gentleness, cuts it exactly in half. With her sweetest smile
the friendly woman offers half to the lady. - Thank you! - says the woman taking it.
the rudeness of the little cookie. - You're welcome - the young man replies with an angelic smile.
while she eats her half. The train arrives. Furious, the lady stands up with her things.
and gets on the train. As it starts, from the car he sees the boy still sitting on the
bank of the platform and thinks: "Impertinent". Feels the dry mouth of anger. Opens the
wallet to take out the soda can and is surprised to find, closed, her
package of cookies... ! Intact!

45. LOVING WITH OPEN EYES

Perhaps the expectation of instant happiness that we tend to attribute to the bond of
couple, this desire for exultation, is due to an illusory stretching of the moment of
falling in love. When one falls in love, one does not actually see the other in their entirety,
but the other one acts as a screen where the lover projects their
idealized aspects. Feelings, unlike passions, are more
durable and are anchored to the perception of external reality. The construction
love begins when I can see the one in front of me, when I discover the
another. It is then that love replaces infatuation. After that moment
initially, the worst parts of me that I also project are starting to come to light.
To love someone is the challenge of undoing those projections to
truly relate to the other. This process is not easy, but it is one of
the most beautiful things that happen or that we help to happen. We talk
of love in the sense of "that we care about the well-being of the other." Nothing more and
nothing less. Love as the well-being that invades body and soul and that is
It strengthens when I can see the other without wanting to change them. More important than the
the way of being of the other matters, the well-being I feel by their side and their well-being too.
by my side. The pleasure of being with someone who makes sure you are well, that
perceives what we need and enjoys giving it to us, that is what makes love. A couple is
more than a decision, it's something that happens when we feel connected to another
a different way. I could say that from the pleasure of being with another we take
the decision to share a large part of our life with that person and
we discovered the joy of being together. Although it is necessary to know that finding
a travel companion is not enough; it is also necessary for that person to be
capable of nourishing us, as we already said, that it is indeed an effective aid in
our personal growth. Welwood says that true love exists when
we love for what we know that person can become, not just for what
Falling in love is more of a relationship in which the other person does not
is actually recognized as truly another, but rather felt and
interpreted as if it were a double of oneself, perhaps in version 11
masculine and sometimes endowed with traits that correspond to the image
idealized version of what one would like to be. In falling in love, there is a "I love myself" to the
"reflected worm in you." Mauricio Abadi. Falling in love is to love coincidences, and
to love is to fall in love with differences.

}
46. THE TRUE VALUE OF THE RING

A young man went to a wise man seeking help. - I come, master, because I ...
I feel so insignificant that I have no strength to do anything. They tell me no
I serve, that I do nothing well, that I am clumsy and quite stupid. How can I
Improve, teacher? What can I do to be valued more? The teacher, without
look at him, he said: - I'm so sorry boy, I can't help you, I have to resolve
first my own problems. Maybe later... If you wanted to help me,
I could resolve this issue more quickly and then maybe I can help you.
E... nice to meet you, master -the young man stammered but felt that he was once again being undervalued.
and their postponed needs. - Well - the teacher nodded. - He took off a ring that
I was wearing it on the little finger of my left hand and giving it to the boy.
He added: Take the horse that is out there and ride to the market. I must
sell this ring to pay a debt. It is necessary that you obtain for it the
maximize the amount possible, but do not accept less than a gold coin. Go and
return with that coin as quickly as you can. The young man took the ring and
he left. As soon as he arrived, he started offering the ring to the merchants. They looked at him.
with some interest until the young man said what he intended for the ring. When the
the young man mentioned the gold coin, some laughed, others turned their faces away and
only an old man was kind enough to take the trouble to explain to him that a
The gold coin was very valuable to give in exchange for a ring. In an eagerness to
help, someone offered him a silver coin and a copper pot, but the
the young man had instructions not to accept less than a gold coin, so
rejected the offer. After offering her jewel to every person who crossed her path.
market -more than a hundred people- and defeated by his failure, he mounted his horse and
He returned. How much the young man would have wished to have that gold coin himself!
I could have given it to the teacher to free him from his worry and receive
then your advice and your help. - Teacher - he said - I'm sorry, it's not possible to get
what you asked me. I could perhaps get 2 or 3 silver coins, but I don't think so
that I could deceive anyone regarding the true value of the ring. - What
It's important what you said, young friend! -the teacher replied with a smile-. We must
first know the true value of the ring. Reassemble it and go to the jeweler.
Who better than him to know it? Tell him you would like to sell the ring and ask him.
how much he offers for it. But it doesn't matter what he offers, don't sell it to him. Come back here with
my ring. The young man rode again. The jeweler examined the ring in the light of the oil lamp,
he looked at it with his magnifying glass, weighed it, and then said to him: - Tell the teacher, boy, that if it
I want to sell it now, I can only give you 58 gold coins for your ring.
"58 coins????" - exclaimed the young man. - "Yes," - replied the jeweler. - "I know that with
We could get about 70 coins for it, but I don't know... If the sale is
Urgent... The young man ran excitedly to the teacher's house to tell him what had happened.
Sit down -said the teacher after listening to him-. You are like this ring: a
unique and valuable jewel. And as such, only an expert can truly evaluate you.
What are you doing in life pretending that anyone will discover your true worth?
And saying this, he put the ring back on the little finger of his hand.
left.

47. THE CITY OF WELLS

This city was not inhabited by people, like all the other cities of
planet. This city was inhabited by wells. Living wells ...but wells at
fin. The wells differed from each other not only by the place where they were located
excavated but also by the wellhead (the opening that connected them with the
exterior). There were wealthy and ostentatious wells with marble curbs and of
precious metals; humble wells made of brick and wood and some others
poor, with simple bare holes that opened in the ground. The communication
among the inhabitants of the city, it was from rim to rim and the news spread
quickly, from one end of the town to the other. One day a "trend" arrived in the city.
which surely had been born in some little human village: The new idea pointed out
that every living being worth its salt should take much more care of the interior than the exterior
exterior. The important thing is not the superficial but the content. That is how the
pits started to fill up with things. Some were filled with things, coins of
gold and precious stones. Others, more practical, filled themselves with appliances and
mechanical devices. Some chose art and were filled with
paintings, grand pianos, and sophisticated postmodern sculptures. Finally the
intellectuals filled themselves with books, ideological manifestos, and magazines
specialized. Time passed. Most of the wells were filled to such an extent
that they could not incorporate anything else. The wells were not all the same so
While some were content, there were others who thought they should do something.
to keep putting things inside... One of them was the first: in
place to tighten the content, he thought of increasing its capacity
widening. It didn't take long before the idea was imitated, everyone
the wells spent a large part of their energies widening themselves in order to make
more space inside it. A well, small and away from the city center,
he began to see his comrades growing excessively large. He thought that if
they continued to swell in such a way, soon the edges would be confused and each one
he would lose his identity... Perhaps from this idea it occurred to him that another way
to increase its capacity was to grow, but not sideways but downwards.
To become deeper instead of wider. Soon he realized that everything that
having inside him made it impossible for him to delve deeper. If he wanted to be more
deeply it had to be emptied of all content... At first, it was afraid of the void, but
then, when he saw that there was no other possibility, he did it. empty of possessions, the
the well began to become deep, while the others took possession of the
things he had gotten rid of... One day, surprisingly the well that
it grew inward had a surprise: inside, deep inside, and very deep down
found water!!!. Never before had another well found water... The well exceeded
the surprise and started to play with the water at the bottom, wetting the walls,
splashing the edges and finally drawing water outwards. The city never
it had been watered more than by the rain, which in fact was quite scarce, thus
that the earth around the well, revitalized by the water, began to awaken. The
seeds from its innards sprouted into grass, into clovers, into flowers, and into little twigs
endless that became trees afterwards... Life exploded in colors around
from the distant well that they began to call "El Vergel". Everyone asked him
how he had achieved the miracle. -No miracle- replied the Vergel- there has to be
search within, towards the deep... Many wanted to follow the example of
However, they abandoned the idea when they realized that to go further
they had to be emptied deeply. They continued to widen more and more to fill up
more and more things... On the other side of the city, another well, decided to run
also the risk of emptiness... And it also began to delve deeper... And it also reached the
water... And it also splashed out creating a second green oasis in the
town... 14 -What will you do when the water runs out?- they asked him. -I don't know.
what will happen - I answered - But for now, the more water I take out, the more water there is.
A few months passed before the great discovery. One day, almost by
coincidence, the two wells realized that the water they had found
deep down inside they were the same... That the same underground river that passed
for one flooded the depth of the other. They realized that it was opening to
they a new life. They could not only communicate, from edge to edge,
superficially, like everyone else, but the search had
a new and secret contact point: The deep communication that
only those who have the courage to empty themselves of contents achieve it among themselves and
search deep within yourself for what you have to give...
A PLACE IN THE FOREST

This story tells us about a famous Hasidic rabbi: Baal Shem Tov. Baal
Shem Tov was known within his community because everyone said that he was
a man so pious, so kind, so chaste and so pure that God listened
his words when he spoke. It had become a tradition in this town:
Everyone who had an unfulfilled desire or needed something they didn't have
They could have met with the rabbi. Baal Shem Tov would meet with them once.
per year, on a special day that he chose. And he took them all together to a place
unique, that he knew, in the middle of the forest. And once there, the legend tells that
Baal Shem Tov built a fire with branches and leaves in a very particular way.
and very beautiful, and then she would chant a prayer in a very low voice... as if it were
for himself. And they say... that God liked those words so much that Baal Shem
Tov said, he was so fascinated by the fire arranged that way, he loved so much to
that gathering of people in that place in the forest... who could not resist the request of
Baal Shem Tov granted the wishes of all the people who were there.
When the rabbi died, people realized that no one knew the words.
What Baal Shem Tov used to say when they all went together to ask for something... But they knew
the place in the forest. They knew how to build a fire. Once a year, following the
the tradition of Baal Shem Tov had instituted, all those who had needs and
unfulfilled desires gathered in that same place in the forest, they lit the
fire in the way they had learned from the old rabbi, and since they did not know
the words sang any song or recited a psalm, or just looked at each other and
they talked about anything in that same place around the fire. And they say... that
God enjoyed the lit fire so much, enjoyed that place in the forest so much and
of those people gathered... that even though no one was saying the right words, still
granted the wishes of all those who were there. Time has passed and of
Generation after generation, wisdom has been lost... And here we are
We. We do not know what the place in the forest is. We do not know which
these are the words. We don't even know how to light the fire in the way that
Baal Shem Tov did it... However, there is something we do know: We know this
story, We know this tale... And they say... that God loves this tale so much that
he likes this story so much... that it is enough for someone to tell it... and for someone to
I listen... so that He, pleased, may satisfy any need and grant
any wish to everyone who is sharing this moment... Amen... (So
sea...)

49. NO NAME

A very devout man felt that he was close to receiving a light that would enlighten him.
the path he should follow. Every night, before going to bed, he would ask God to give him
he would send a signal on how he had to live the rest of his life. Thus he walked through the
life, for two or three weeks in a semi-mystical state seeking to receive a
divine signal. Until one day, while walking through a forest, he saw a fallen fawn,
lying down, injured, who had a leg half broken. He kept looking at him and from
suddenly saw a puma appear. The situation left him frozen; he was about to
to see how the puma, taking advantage of the circumstances, was eating the fawn of
just one bite. Then he remained looking silently, also fearful that
the puma, not satisfied with the fawn, would attack him. Surprisingly, he saw the
the puma approached the fawn. Then something unexpected happened: instead of
to eat it, the puma began to lick its wounds. Then it left and returned with
a few damp branches and brought them closer to the fawn with its paw so that
he could drink the water; and then he went and brought a little bit of wet grass and
she approached so that the fawn could eat. Incredible. The next day,
when the man returned to the place, he saw that the fawn was still there, and that the
the puma arrived again to feed him, lick his wounds and give him something to drink. The
The man said to himself: This is the sign I was looking for, it is very clear. "God is
It takes care of providing you with what you need; the only thing you must not do is to be.
anxious and desperate running after things". So he grabbed his little bundle,
he stood at his front door and waited for someone to bring him
of eating and drinking. Two hours passed, three, six, one day, two days, three days...
but no one gave him anything. Those who passed by looked at him and he made a pitiful face.
imitating the wounded deer, but they gave him nothing. Until one day a
a very wise man who was in the village and the poor man, who was very...
worried, he said: - God deceived me, He sent me a wrong sign to
make me believe that things were one way and they were another. Why do you
Did he do this? I am a believing man... And he told him what he had seen in the
forest. The wise man listened to him and then said: - I want you to know something. I too am
a very devout man. God does not send signs in vain. God sent you that
signal for you to learn. The man asked him: - Why did you abandon me?
Then the wise one replied: - What are you doing, you who are a strong and clever puma
to fight, comparing yourself to the fawn? Your place is to look for some fawn at
who can help, find someone who cannot fend for themselves.

50. WITHOUT NAME 2

In a hidden oasis among the most distant landscapes of the desert, there was
the old ELIAHU on his knees, beside some date palms. His neighbor
HAKIM, the wealthy merchant, stopped at the oasis to water his camels and
He saw ELIAHU sweating, as he seemed to dig in the sand. -How's it going, old man?
Peace be with you. -With you- ELIAHU replied without leaving his task. -What are you doing?
Here, with this temperature, and that shovel in hand? -I plant- replied the old man.
-What are you planting here, ELIAHU? -Dates -ELIAHU replied while pointing to his
around the palm. -Dates!!!- repeated the newcomer, and closed his eyes like
Who listens to the greatest stupidity? -The heat has damaged your brain, dear.
Friend. Come on, leave that task and let's go to the store to have a drink. -No
I have to finish the sowing. Then if you want, we will drink... -Tell me, friend: How many
How old are you? -I don't know... sixty, seventy, eighty, I don't know... I've forgotten... but that
what does it matter? -Look friend, date palms take more than 50 years to grow and only just
after becoming adult palms they are capable of bearing fruit. I am not
wishing you harm and you know it, I hope you live to be 101 years old, but you know that
You can hardly expect to reap anything from what you sow today. Leave that and come.
with me. -Look Hakim, I ate the dates that someone else planted, another one who also didn't.
He dreamed of trying those dates. I sow today, so that others can eat.
tomorrow the dates that I plant today... and even if it were only in honor of that one
unknown, it's worth finishing my homework. -You have taught me a great lesson,
ELIAHU, let me pay you with a bag of coins for this teaching that
Today you gave me - and saying this, HAKIM placed a bag in the old man's hand
leather. -I thank you for your coins, friend. You see, sometimes this happens: you me
you predicted that I would not reap what I sowed. it seemed true and without
embargo, look, I haven't finished planting yet and I've already harvested a bag of
coins and the gratitude of a friend. 17 -Your wisdom amazes me, elder. This
it is the second great lesson you give me today and it is perhaps more important than the
first. let me then pay this lesson with another bag of coins. -And to
This sometimes happens - the old man continued and extended his hand looking at the two bags of
coins-: I planted to not harvest, and before finishing planting, I already harvested
not just once, but twice. -That's enough, old man, stop talking. If you continue
Teaching me things, I am afraid that my entire fortune will not be enough for me to
to pay you...

51. DARE TO FLY

..And when he grew up, his father said to him: -My son, not everyone is born with wings. And
while it is true that you are not obligated to fly, I believe it would be sad if you
You will limit yourself to walking with the wings that Good God has given you. -But I don't know
fly - answered the son. -Come - said the father. He took him by the hand and walking him
He led to the edge of the abyss in the mountain. -You see, son, this is the void. When
you will be able to fly. You just have to stand here, breathe deeply, and jump into
abyss. Once in the air you will spread your wings and fly... The son hesitated. -What if I
Will you fall? -Even if you fall, you won't die, just some bruises that will make it more...
strong for the next attempt - replied the father. The son returned to the town, to his
friends, to their peers, to their companions with whom they had walked their whole life.
The smallest-minded said: -Are you crazy? -For what? -Your father is
delirious... -What are you going to look for flying? -Why don't you stop with the nonsense? -And
Besides, who needs it? The most clear-headed also felt fear: -Is it true?
-¿No será peligroso? -¿Por qué no empiezas despacio? -En todo casa, prueba
jump from a ladder. -...Or from the top of a tree, but... where from the
top? The young man listened to the advice of those who cared for him. He climbed to the top of a
tree and with courage jumped... It spread its wings. It fluttered them in the air with all its
forces... but still... fell to the ground... With a big bump on the forehead he...
He crossed with his father: -You lied to me! I can't fly. I tried, and look at the hit I got.
No! I am not like you. My wings are just for decoration... -he cried. -My son - said the father
To fly, one must create the necessary open air space for the wings to
deploy. It's like jumping out of a parachute... you need a certain height first
jump. To learn to fly, one must always start by taking a risk. If one
If you want to take risks, it would be best to resign yourself and keep walking as always.

52. THE BOUNCER OF THE BROTHEL

There was no profession in the town that was regarded worse and paid less than that of a doorman.
from the brothel. But what else could that man do? In fact, he never
I had learned neither to read nor to write, I had no other activity or trade.
reality, it was his position because his parents had been doormen of that brothel and
also before, the father of his father. For decades, the brothel was passed down
parents to children and the goal was passed from parents to children. One day, the old owner
he died and a young, creative, and restless person took over the brothel.
entrepreneur. The young man decided to modernize the business. He modified the rooms and
Then he called the staff to give them new instructions. To the doorman, he said: A
Starting today, you, in addition to being at the door, are going to prepare a form for me.
weekly. There you will record the number of couples that enter day by day. To a
out of every five, they will ask how they were attended to and what they would correct about the place. And
once a week, you will present me with that form with the comments that you
create convenient. The man trembled, he had never been lacking in willingness to work
but..... I would love to satisfy him, sir - he stammered - but I... I don’t know how to read or
write. Ah! How sorry I am! As you will understand, I cannot pay to
another person to do this and I also cannot wait until you
learn to write, therefore... But sir, you cannot fire me, I
I worked on this my whole life, so did my father and my grandfather... He didn't let him finish.
12 Look, I understand, but I can't do anything for you. Logically, it
we are going to provide compensation, that is, an amount of money for you to have
until I find something else. So, I'm sorry. Good luck. And without more, he/she...
he turned around and left. The man felt that the world was collapsing. He had never...
thought that he could find himself in that situation. He arrived home,
first time unemployed. What to do? He remembered that sometimes in the brothel,
when a bed would break or a leg of a wardrobe would get ruined, he, with a
hammer and nails were used to create a simple and temporary fix.
He thought this could be a temporary occupation until someone offered him.
a job. He searched the entire house for the tools he needed, he only had
some rusty nails and a chipped pliers. I had to buy a box of
complete tools. For that, I would use part of the money received. In the
the corner of his house found out that there was no hardware store in his village, and that
I had to travel two days by mule to get to the nearest village to make the purchase.
What does it matter? He thought, and set off. Upon his return, he brought a beautiful and
complete toolbox. He had not finished taking off his boots when
They knocked on the door of your house. It was your neighbor. I'm here to ask you if you don't have a
hammer to borrow. Look, yes, I just bought it but I need it for
work... since I lost my job... Well, but I would return it to you tomorrow
early in the morning. That's fine. The next morning, as promised, the neighbor
He knocked on the door. Look, I still need the hammer. Why won't you sell it to me? No,
I need it for work, and besides, the hardware store is two days away by mule.
Let's make a deal - said the neighbor - I will pay you for the two days of going and the
Two back, plus the price of the hammer, total you are out of work. What do you
Does it seem? Really, this gave him a job for four days... He accepted. He returned to
mount your mule. On the way back, another neighbor was waiting for him at the door of his house. Hello,
neighbor. Did you sell a hammer to our friend? Yes... I need some
tools, I am willing to pay you for your four days of travel, and a small
profit for each tool. You know, not all of us can have four.
days for our shopping. The former goalkeeper opened his toolbox and his
The neighbor chose a pair of pliers, a screwdriver, a hammer, and a chisel. He paid and left.
...Not everyone has four days for shopping,
Sure, a lot of people might need him to travel to bring tools. In the
On the next trip, she decided to risk some of the compensation money.
bringing more tools than he had sold. In passing, he could save.
some travel time. The word began to spread through the neighborhood and many wanted to
avoid the trip. Once a week, the now tool runner traveled and
he bought what his customers needed. Soon he understood that if he could
finding a place to store the tools could save more trips and
earn more money. He rented a warehouse. Then he made a more comfortable entrance and
a few weeks later with a showcase, the warehouse transformed into the first
town hardware store. Everyone was happy and bought at his business. No longer
he traveled, from the hardware store in the neighboring town they sent him his orders. He was a good
client. Over time, all the buyers from more distant small towns
they preferred to buy at their hardware store and gain two days of progress. One day he had...
it happened that his friend, the turner, could make the heads for him.
hammers. And then, why not? The tongs... and the pliers... and the chisels. And
then came the nails and screws..... To avoid making the story too long,
it happened that in ten years that man transformed himself with honesty and hard work into
a millionaire tool manufacturer. The most powerful businessman in the
region. It was so powerful that one year by the start date of classes,
he decided to donate a school to his village. There, in addition to teaching
literacy, the arts, and the most practical trades of the time. The superintendent and the
the mayor organized a grand inauguration party for the school and a
important banquet for its founder. At dessert, the mayor handed him
the keys to the city and the mayor embraced him and said: It is with great pride and
gratitude that we ask you to grant us the honor of putting your signature on the first page
from the minutes of the new school. It would be an honor for me - said the man -.
I think nothing would please me more than to sign there, but I can't read or write. I...
I am illiterate. Are you? - said the mayor, who could hardly believe it - Are you?
Can't read or write? You built an industrial empire without knowing how to read or write.
write? I am amazed. I wonder, what would I have done if I had known
Read and write? I can answer that - replied the man calmly -. If I
If I had known how to read and write... I would be a doorman at the brothel!