Finally! The national gymnastics competitions had arrived, and Sarita, the youngest girl in the competition, was ready to give her all. Since the age of four, she had been training in gymnastics with great motivation. As she grew older, she practiced it daily for long hours, but since it was what she loved so much, she did not feel tiredness. She truly seemed like a «spring.» This ability and discipline helped her quickly master the vault, uneven bars, balance beam, and floor exercises. She always encouraged her teammates to boost their confidence, giving her coach a little tap on the shoulder and gently saying, «Trust.» When the competitions began, she liked to loudly say to her teammates, «Let’s go all out!» It wasn’t because she underestimated the other competitors, but it was the confidence she had in her coach, teammates, and most importantly, in herself. The other gymnasts were tall and slender, which favored them a lot, while Sarita was short and of a sturdy build. However, she took it as a challenge and embraced it wholeheartedly.

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For the little tamarin, it was extremely hard to be shamelessly abducted from his family and home in the Amazon. The larger monkeys had talked about the issue before, but he never imagined that he would be a victim of animal trafficking. The monkey relatives always said they were taken to very distant places, so distant that it was impossible to see any member of the troop again or even set foot on Amazonian lands. He remembered and cried in his cage, still somewhat sedated. He clumsily jumped in the cage and moved the bars with nothing able to happen. When he turned to look around, the place was full of cages with all kinds of animals, some of them familiar, each one more dejected than the other, succumbing to the pain of losing freedom, their troop, and their land.

Sigue leyendo «Story: faith» →

While standing in line to sell her recyclables, Jazmín was telling an acquaintance, «I’ve been very diligent throughout the year. I don’t like the lean times to catch me off guard. I’ve been asking my daughter since February what she wants for Christmas. She told me she wants a dollhouse, and in July, the little one insisted on an armo made of tubes. She’s happy with the toys I make. In the backyard where I store the recyclables, I have about two bags full of toilet paper tubes and like four disassembled cardboard boxes. When I put her to sleep so she can go to school the next day, I unfold all my creativity and love for these gifts. It was frustrating for me as a child that my mom couldn’t give me gifts. I understand; she was very poor and couldn’t think about how to make them. But, thank God, life sent me intelligent and talented. I think I have an artist inside me. I’m painting everything beautifully with colorful flowers and stars to make cars, houses, buildings, bridges, robots—whatever she wants. I also use cardboard and sticks to make sure they fit well together and don’t fall apart. I put it all together, and suddenly it falls apart. On the cardboard, I’m going to make the Barbie dollhouse from the one on TV. In every recycling sale, I save a little money to buy the materials I need—paint, glue, liquid silicone. In short, I’ve already spent a lot of money on making these toys. They’re expensive, but it doesn’t matter as long as my girl is happy and plays with them. I mean, poor but proud! And who said that poor people can’t afford these luxuries? Of course, we can. Definitely, not everyone indulges in such things.»

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Globe-trotter traveled the world with his YouTube channel, covering kilometers and kilometers of distance. He had always wanted to explore different cultures and parenting styles around the globe. Many questions filled his mind: What differences exist in each family on every continent? Are all families equally affectionate everywhere? Do all children from every continent play the same, seek the same amusements and games? What opportunities do children have in each country, and in which countries are they not adequately cared for? Will poor children worldwide be unhappy, and will rich children on the planet be very happy? These were questions he pondered on each journey, slowly unraveling the answers.

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Year 2150 AD on planet Earth, or what remained of it, surrounded by spacecraft, cyborgs walking on arid and dusty land, monitored robots standing guard. One might think the weather is very hot, but no, the frost was astonishing. The few humans who still inhabited it had to take refuge in large motherships. Every day, they sought new ways to revive plants, trees, rivers, and seas, contemplating how to produce oxygen again. Going outside without masks was madness—in short, it was impossible. Each day became a marathon race; they did not rest. For them, it was essential to research, review, and think. So far, everything had been trial and error, but they did not falter; they repeated to themselves that they would achieve it someday. They remained optimistic about giving the planet Earth another chance. They had been in this dynamic for over fifty years, repeating every morning, «Even if it takes a thousand years, we will succeed!» Life lessons had been learned; the losses were too great. The adults recounted to the children what it was like before and the mistakes that had been made. They knew it was important to show history so that it would not repeat itself, never again. The children were amazed to see how irrationally and irresponsibly life had been lived. They did not understand the level of selfishness that existed before and the excessive way of causing harm. However, everyone was optimistic that they would have another chance at life on Earth in a more harmonious and respectful way. They knew it was a promise of life for future generations to have a place to stay. Ten years later, «Eureka!» they had managed to revive what they thought was lost, and in the following years, the planet began to reclaim forcefully what rightfully belonged to it.

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At 8:00 in the morning, the doors of Felicidad School were closed, and in classroom 6C, Curramba was still missing. It was a decisive day as they were in the middle of final exams. Joao asked about him, and he still hadn’t arrived. His classmate Melao spoke up, «Now, passing by his house, I saw that they were seizing their belongings. I understand that his mom and dad are unemployed and neck-deep in debt. I heard my parents say that the man made some bad business decisions and didn’t consider his family, leading him to become depressed and consume too much alcohol. So much so that he lost his job due to irresponsibility, and his mom resigned from work a few days ago, claiming to have anxiety attacks. Well, with this situation, I now believe she might get even more anxious. Sometimes I think it was because of not working. What do you guys think about it?» Everyone was silent, listening with wide-open eyes. They were genuinely stunned to hear their classmate Melao speak so candidly. Melao, upon seeing their reactions, said, «But it’s the truth! I believe that…» and was immediately interrupted by Joao. «Hey, stop it! I am surprised to see how shamelessly you talk about our classmate Curramba’s private life. How uncompassionate in the face of such a difficult situation. If you care so much, why don’t you go and help them solve their economic and emotional problems? Who do you think you are to speak so recklessly about a person, let alone our classmate who has shared more than four years with us?» Other classmates also reacted, saying, «Yes, Joao is right. Your gossips and harmful comments lead nowhere. If that’s who you are, what must your parents be like? Ultimately, they are the ones who have raised you.» Joao added, «I’ll tell my mom not to visit your house again! Don’t go and end up sharing personal matters with others, if you haven’t already. And honestly, I wouldn’t doubt it for a second. Do you know that it’s against the law to harm an individual’s integrity?» Joao addressed the group, «Guys! I’m going to Curramba now to support him. Can I count on you?» The classmates said unanimously, «Yes.»

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English Translation:

The prince lay on the floor, crying so deeply that he couldn’t even speak clearly to his father, who stood in front of him like an immovable mountain, awaiting answers from his son. The king, a robust man with a deep voice that could make even the bravest tremble, had an expression of flat affection that intimidated everyone in his reign, including his son. «Do you think I will stand here all day waiting for your answer? I am the busiest man in this entire kingdom. If you do not fulfill your responsibilities immediately, I will order your removal. But you must also understand that you will leave the palace, never have a penny again, live like any other citizen, and never see your mother and me again. Even though you are my son, I have a supreme duty above you, and that is to the people. You know I have no other heir; duties are duties.» Upon hearing this, the prince fell silent, wiped his tears slowly, stood up slowly, leaning on a piece of furniture. The young man, slim and fragile, with swollen and red eyes from crying, sighed and breathed, seeking his balance, and said, «Father, you are absolutely right. Duty is duty, and my only duty is to myself. From now on, I will be responsible for the only existence given to me. I will seek what I desire and long for. Dad, please respect my decision and free me from the yoke I do not desire and feel is not for me!» With a pleading voice, the king said firmly, «No! Alright, Dad, even if you send me to the dungeon or the guillotine, I will not be crowned as king. I have made the decision, and I want to be a painter. You can disinherit me.» That same day, the prince packed his belongings and went to another country, where he became a highly recognized painter. He never saw his father again, and he would secretly visit his mother every year. When the king died, there was no heir to succeed him. The queen also declined, and the people decided through popular vote to choose a new leader. This established a system where a leader was elected every four years, and the queen, along with her son, chose to live freely and responsibly together.

Sigue leyendo «Story: Responsability» →

The girl asked her father on the plane, on the way to her maternal grandmother’s house, «Will we be able to touch God in this plane?» Her father replied, «No, my daughter, He is in a different plane than ours, much higher above us.» «Then who is with Him?» The father looked at her and said, «My mother, your grandma, who takes care of us so much.» «And does she also eat ripe plantains that she liked so much?» A man sitting behind the girl, desperate with so many questions, loudly said, «Yes, she eats plantains, plantainitos, and big plantains.» Upon hearing this, the girl burst into laughter, and she kept asking, «Big plantains?» «Yes,» said the man, «and also plantains and plantainitos.» Again, she laughed heartily, so much that she choked and began to cough. The girl asked her dad, «Dad, do you eat plantains or big plantains?» And the girl laughed again. The people around, unable to contain themselves because of the funny situation, laughed with her. The father replied, «Daughter, just plain plantains.» The girl responded, «Plantainitos are your little friends, and big plantains are very annoying,» and the girl laughed again, as if it were the best joke. Then she said to the man loudly, «Sir, what do you eat?» The man looked at her and said, «I eat big plantains with pork rinds,» and the girl, not knowing what the man looked like, replied, «That’s why you’re so chubby,» and everyone laughed heartily. Amidst laughter on the plane, it landed. The man realized that his impatience and anger had disappeared. When they stood up to leave their seats, they looked at each other, and the man, smiling, said to the girl, «Thanks for your entertainment.» Outside at the airport while waiting for their luggage, the man saw the father and daughter smiling and laughing loudly, realizing that when you have tolerance, it turns into understanding and love.

Sigue leyendo «Story: Tolerance» →