The Inconclusive Dream

Barcelona was a living city. All the old streets told stories and opportunities for pedestrians. The stems and herbs on the ground seemed to grow between stones to give a natural tone to the dusty streets and on "green pastures" cows passed slowly, sniffing on the ground, and horses trotting while showing off their mane. People joined the euforic state at their sides, enjoying the sun that illuminated their happy faces. Throughout the crowd, a boy hurried, his brown hair tied in a low pony-tail bouncing in time with his strides. Mauricio, was already late, and his nerves were not helping because he was carrying a very heavy note that he longed to avoid for most in his time. The debt.

He rushed to a small place in the middle of the best-known stores in the city. It was a tiny brick construction that had a wooden sign saying “Imprenta San Agustín”. Mauricio took out his keys and opened his business. The place was conformed by an old wooden machine, his desk, and a small empty bookcase. Since it was still early for his clientele to arrive, the boy sits in his chair to gaze at the envelope. He didn't dare open it.

Mauricio's father had died when he had just turned 17. It was within the hands of the young man to get ahead with what little they had. The printing press had been built by his grandfather, then passed on to his father, and then to him. Since childhood he had been taught the machinery and procedure of how to maintain the premises, being that there were almost no problems. There were always customers, some days there were barely two, other days they had lines that seemed to have no end, but the profits were the same year after year. Enough to meet the needs of him and his mother. The only problem was Mauricio's ambition and greed.

A few years ago he had been walking his little route to the printing press. He was elated because for the first time he was able to buy something nice for his mother and he had a few coins dangling merrrily in his pocket. He had already been saving, putting his earnings together little by little. You could see him smiling and dreaming about what he would do with his money. Perhaps he would spend his coins on another machine, or move the store to a bigger one, or even buy some fashionable gold earrings. At this thought he laughed. What Mauricio wanted exactly is to do more. And just as if he was rubbing the lamp to make a wish, a boy approached him asking if he was thinking of getting rich. Mauricio, thinking that it was destiny that was calling him, followed the boy to show him the place he was promoting. It was a fairly ordinary place, one that could easily be passed from the common eye. They were in front of the ports of Barcelona, ​​where goods came and went, all full of different riches. In Spain this was a sign of prosperity, because it was good news that they had discovered a new continent full of gold and precious stones. You could see the loading and unloading of sailors with heavy boxes, captains shouting orders, families saying goodbye, people counting the inventory, ports were very busy places, where you can feel lost if theres nothing to do.

Mauricio entered the beige building, the wooden beams were a bit worn from being so close to the salts and sea breeze. The place was dark despite the sunny day, and few candles were lit around the room. A man approaches them, asking him to please sit down bringing a cup of tea. He was wearing a special fine suit, showing off his good fortune. He introduced himself as the name of Julian, a gentleman who relied on making investments after continental, to multiply the money of his clientele. The man mentioned that he already had quadrupled the large sums of 10 people . One of the boats outside was his property, so if Mauricio bought a piece of land from the Americas, he could make large plantations of rare fruits and sell them here in Spain for large amounts of money. Julian confirmed that he was in charge of processing everything, transportation and the treaty with merchants to be able to do business with fruits, only on the condition that he paid his clients for the land in the newly conquered country called “New Barcelona”. And asking Mauricio if he was interested in being part of his business. The young man, excited and confident of his good luck, accepts, ignoring the difficult conditions proposed. And one of them was to pay off all your savings and much more together.

During the next morning Mauricio asks for money to complete the buy. Some refused and others discarded their money with promises to have it returned. But the one who lent him the most money was a distant friend of his father's, Luis. He had to thank him, but the only condition was to return the large sum in the limit of 3 years. In less than a week, Mauricio already had proof that he owned his land in the Americas and it was only a matter of time for him to get the money back and his promise of more.

We returned with Mauricio sitting at his desk, two years later. Holding the envelope in his hands brings an enormous weight on him, suffocating him. But the worst case was that he couldn't do anything about it. Her mother has not received gifts in a long time, he no longer has coins in his pocket and it is hard for him to dream of his money when it is gone. His print shop feels empty, and the rent for the store comes in tomorrow. Mauricio has been unable to pay rent for 4 months and has tried to get jobs elsewhere, but nothing is available. His only consolation is to visit Julian once a month to find out about his lands. According to his latest confirmation, the following week they will bring news about the plantation and the next ship will bring all the merchandise. And with that he would have enough to pay the established debt. But that didn't take away from the fact that he still had to pay the rent for the printing press.

During the days, Mauricio managed to sell the machine, and pay the local debt. He sold his only desk and bookcase to have enough money for a ticket to America and gave the rest to his mother to keep until he can get her more. His plan was based on living on his rich plantations in “Nueva Barcelona” and managing all his money there. Then he would bring his mother. They could live happily in the middle of the jungle, living, doing nothing, in a house away from the sounds of the city, bathing in gold.

The business disappeared in the blink of an eye, all of his father and grandfather work layed are forgotten, being replaced with the receipt that Mauricio brings from his land, in his left pocket. He says goodbye to his mother, confident that everything would go well on his trip. Promising her that the future would be just fine and better when the two of them are calm and rich in the mansion he had in mind in the Americas. He gets on the ship full of people and says one last goodbye to the Spaniards watching them set sail on the “Judas”.

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The seas lash the ship making them rock. Francisco continues to play with his pipe, awed by the events that have occurred these last nights. He was on board the "Judas", a name that scandalized Francisco, he did not know if because of the origin of the name or its meaning. The moon shined, giving a faint light to his chores. He had been trying to avoid them for a long time, but dawn will come in no time and his captain would not allow him to continue in the same situation. With a sigh Francisco gets up, puts down his pipe, and puts on a scarf to cover the stench of putrefaction.

Scattered on the starboard side were 13 lying bodies of the less fortunate. They all had red spots, very visible on their feet, and if you dared to open their mouth, you would see a terrible swelling on the gums. It was scurvy and it took the less fortunate. Francisco became more or less immune to the disease, because of his many voyages, but the experience meant that he would have to eliminate the passed victims. He had already discussed it with his boss but it would be no good if he asked for another promotion for doing such an unpleasant job. The first thing he always did was check if the infected had nothing of value. Sometimes he took out rings, bracelets, and coins. This time he could only find a copper cross on a girl barely looking as 10 year old and a sealed paper of a man with a low pony-tail. Then Francisco got ready to do the saddest part. Taking the bodies and tossing them into the sea. It seemed like a ruthless activity, but it was for the sake of others. Before dawn the starboard was abandoned, and the only proof of Francisco work was the stench still lingering on the salty breeze.

Francisco was cleaning his sins, forgetting them inside his pipe. He sat smoking to get rid of his thoughts for a moment in his own way. Today he only had a bronze necklace and a piece of paper that he couldn't even read. Maybe he should learn. He smiled at the thought because he had the good captain reading for him. Francisco was probably already a millionaire and didn't even know it, or he only has a piece of biblical scripture. One never knows if the letters are a mystery.

That same afternoon Francisco had finished his shift on the ropes. Now it was his turn to rest and play cards with his teammates to pass the time. But instead of going downstairs to see his comrades, he knocks on his boss's front door. A slight "pass" is heard. Francisco enters with all the confidence in the world, since he already knew his captain since he was little and the two respected each other. Its captain was of British origin, having blue eyes that can be seen as cold and distant, he had a golden beard that showed gray and his crooked nose held glasses to help his poor eyesight. The captain was a very cultured man, graduated from the university and knew how to speak English, Spanish, French and German perfectly. Francisco hands him the piece of paper and tells him how he got that paper in his hands. At first you can see the disturbed captain rereading the letter, then extremely serious looking at a single point of the signature and at the last he begins to laugh. Stronger and stronger, until tears fall from her eyes. Francisco after his surprise becomes offended. During the captain's first expression, he was already certain that he would never see this ship again, but now he feels humiliated by presenting the paper to him as if it were a joke.

The captain realizing he has an audience quickly composes himself. After recovering his voice and taking a sip of his fresh served whiskey, he explains to his sailor what he has just read. The first time he read the letter, he realized that Francisco could be the accidental heir to the said lands, delighted that his colleague could have another life outside the waves of the sea. But everything fell apart when he saw the place, "Nueva Barcelona", the most ungrateful name for a place in the new lands. He tried to delve from his memory for a place that had been discovered, that has large amounts of space and that is near a port and he could not remove any that is called "New Barcelona". The captain also mentioned that he could see flaws in the royal seal and the signature does not resemble an official one. He practically said that Mauricio and himself had been victims of fraud.

Francisco went to contemplate the sea at sunset. It already felt like all his dreams were taken away, he even blamed himself for letting his mind fly at different times when he had been comfortable with his situation before. Now he just lights his pipe to calm himself down again. At least he is alive to realize that he fell into the trap of someone else and Mauricio went to the new life thinking that he had money. The waves were coming with increasing force, as if they were blaming him for polluting their waters with floating bodies. Now Francisco laughs loudly.