ATTENDING TO OUTSTANDINGS

“Old Richard, you haven't told me; you're twisting the branches.”

“Yes, maybe I got carried away with the story, or maybe it's the drink; I remember the time when...”

“Wait, old man, attend to the outstanding; tell me how it benefits me to know the history of these people when my problem is here in this reality.”

“How do you know it's real? Can't that story be real any more than us? Maybe we are all imaginary creations; maybe our existence is insignificant in this vast universe and in the great eternity; it's as if we were nothing.”

“If you see, old man, you're already drunk; you're philosophizing, you'd better continue telling me that story, as my neighbor is in front; it's getting more interesting, I hope she has dragons; I love dragons.”

“I think so; although I hate dragons, they are always angry, but who doesn't? They must live with gastritis and burnt lips.”

“Old man, you'd better go on with your story.”

“Well, it turns out that Luis started to learn spells.”

“Wait, old Richard, that's not what you said, it was about the hero and the old man.”

“Ah yes, that's true. But it's just that normal things happen after that. They can't be told; you are harassing me for not getting to your point, so I'm going to speed it up, although I recommend you order more drinks at home.”

“All right, I've already ordered; I need to be drunk enough to go to that mafioso to rescue my girl.”

“Excellent, I'll get to that point. Then old Michel met Luis on the way, congratulating him:

“You are tremendous. Very few face up to that and survive. Boy, treasure those scars, not as wounds but as medals. Although you must prepare yourself, it has already tasted your flesh, so it won't stop coming for the rest. Besides, you have a duty to protect Linda. That's right, I already met her; that's why I came to you, following her red string. Rejoice; you will be her noble knight who will defend her from her many misfortunes, bending wild beasts, dodging arrows, spears, mud, and even the mighty fire of some dragon.

Luis thought the old man was crazy; the only thing that made sense to him was that he knew Luisa. However, he respected the elders, so he wanted to play along, not in mockery but to not cause stupor, so he asked him the most obvious question: How do I get ready?”

The old man jumped back, clenching his right fist and pointing skyward. He declaims:

“You must learn to unlearn. You must know that nothing is certain and that everything is a process. We first crawl to walk, just as we cannot know everything because we might succumb to confusion. Now, perhaps you will find incredible all that you can witness, but it is nothing compared to what you have already seen. There is no greater power than to give life. The first miracle that we are given is to be conceived and also given birth. Besides being aware of things like being”

Luis was eager to go see Luisa, so in order not to be rude to this crazy old man, he wanted to say goodbye with the greatest consideration:

“Sir, I would love to continue this conversation, but I have to leave....”

The old man opened his hand, saying:

“wait. I know that you are not aware of your talents, although you carry them in your blood. Perhaps some ancestor of yours hid them to protect his descendants, or perhaps he could not teach them to his successors, but you have no choice, boy; your destiny is glory, and your flag will be the love for Luisa.”

Luis, between being frightened, bored, worried, and confused, began to leave. But the old man lowered his hand suddenly as if he were dropping a hammer, opening a hole in the ground the size of a house in front of the boy. Who, if he did not stop out of reflex and fear, would fall into the hole. Surprised, with a pale face and his mouth open like a cave, he turned to see the old man, who smiled and showed him how he was still releasing some sizzles from the palm of his hand. Telling him

“As I was telling you, Not everything is what it seems; not everything is alike, except as the great principle says, “what is above is equal to what is below.” This tap will soon be nothing compared to what you will learn to do. You will be very powerful. But you have to learn to do what I tell you without questioning me; do you agree?”

Luis still could not digest it, and suddenly he felt the ground trembling and spinning. He could not stand it and fell backwards into the crater; everything went dark. He grabbed as if he could hold on to something to avoid falling to the bottom of the hole. When his vision cleared, he noticed that the old man was carrying him. Although he must be hallucinating because he could see that they were above the houses and that they were advancing without Michel moving his feet toward a door of light that was open in the middle of the sky. How could he know that this old man was called Michel? So before crossing the door, he fainted completely.

He had a dream in which he was living with Louise in a castle surrounded by many children, whom he believes are her children. Joyful music was playing in the background, as one hears in December, and there was also the smell of mistletoe in the air. Believing it to be the end of the year, he looked out on a balcony to watch the fireworks, but as he walked, the bricks fell one by one. As a good father, he tried to protect his children, but when he turned around, he only saw shadows and hair flying. The ground beneath him dissolves, making him fall in a whirlwind of green, black, and red; the music changes to macabre laughter; and the smell changes to rottenness. He falls suddenly to a large brown mountain and can visualize at the top a white star collapsing on top of him. Only those two beautiful eyes saved him by lifting him by the arms; they left him on a pedestal and then continued to the horizon, where they remained fixed. Where little by little a face appears, which they complement. This face is that of Luisa, who approaches him, remaining a few meters away, where he runs to look for her. But a mirror comes out of the ground, covering the entire horizon and blocking him from his beloved; in the mirror, there is only his reflection. “Perhaps first it is my turn to defeat myself.” Luis reflected, “After all, they say that the greatest enemy is within oneself.””