The saleswoman told me that there were other better ones, that this one was out of season, that she was no longer wearing that color and I do not know how many other things. Of course it showed very well that she did not want to sell it to me, but I was determined, and I finally got it, and also with a discount that I did not expect. So it was from another season and I do not know what this will have to do with fashion, if it is not an object to use and throw away, it lasts what it has to. And if you take good care of it as I have done, the truth is that I dont even remember the trips we have done together.
My beloved backpack, the one with hours of pillow that it has made for me, when I was tired and I could no longer go on, the backpack and I have put ourselves on the floor, and there we were calm. I used the backpack as a pillow in which I put my head and I have slept wonderfully.
It had everything, well it was to be expected, because I put it in last night, thing by thing, looking at it in the list that I always keep, so as I go in I dont forget anything, which I may need later.
But without knowing why, I went to the drawer of the table and took out a small magnifying glass, and I thought Im going to take it with me, maybe it will help me for something and opening one of the side pockets I put it in there where I had those two pens, the sharpener and two erasers.
Suddenly I realized that something very important had been overlooked and I ran to the kitchen. The matches, how could I have forgotten them? I had them on the table last night. Luckily, when introducing the magnifying glass in that pocket, I had missed that, since I always carried them there and with how useful they are, they have taken me out of compromised situations several times.
Because where or how you are going to start a fire, when you have been away from any civilized place for several days, of course, with tinder and rubbing the stick, but come on, if you have matches, it is much better, more effective and faster.
<<<<<>>>>>
Where can you start? I remember that when I looked up I was a bit astonished, but not much to be honest. The sky had suddenly covered itself with a mist, and I thought This is something strange but Ill keep walking. It had not been long. When a cloud was approaching, that was the blackest thing I have ever seen, and it also seemed to me in a moment, that came out like little rays. It couldnt be possible. I must have been dreaming, but I was wide awake and I was also standing, walking through that lonely place. If I had been lying down I could still think that tiredness had overcome me and that would be a dream, but no, I was pretty sure I was awake and wide awake.
And what did you see? I asked him, it had already intrigued me.
You see, it was one second, because time has not passed, it was like the blink of an eye, when there over my head I wouldnt know how to say. A few meters away, its not that I could give it with my hand, no that was not, but it was very close, it was a huge round thing and it had some small holes that could be said to be little windows in a round shape. It had many, yes sir, I was still, I didnt even want to breathe so that they did not notice my presence. The truth is that I was terrified, that, whatever it was, was a quiet moment.
How long? I asked curiously.
Well, I dont know, because, as I say, the fear I had, the truth is that it certainly wouldnt let me think, but now it seems a bit to me, although I remember that at those moments I only wanted him to leave without seeing me.
And? I went to ask him again, but he kept talking.
Do you know what I feared most? Well, that he would finish going down and crush me. Surely he would leave me sunk in the ground and no one would ever know about me anymore.
And you were not afraid of being taken away? I asked again.
Well, it is that in particular I dont know very well what I thought. Although I think that I didnt even have time to think, only in a moment did it flash, and I saw it rise quickly and disappear, the truth is that I do not know where it went, the sky was totally clear and as much as I looked everywhere, I did not see anything again, and immediately I sat on the ground, my legs were not holding me. I felt the weight of my body, and I was afraid of falling. Once sitting there, I looked everywhere again, and I never saw anything again, and I asked myself, was all that true? Was it there? or I just imagined it.
<<<<<>>>>>
A thunder woke me up, how it was raining! I had planned to leave, but that would be almost impossible for me. The motorcycle is safe, but the water does not make the roadway safe, even if I was in bed lying down I decided to postpone that ride. Tomorrow if it stopped raining I would, then something else occurred to me.
I have always liked to keep everything I have found, related to the topic, because I thought Well, today I will spend time reviewing what I have out there and decided I got up, I did not know the surprises that I had that rainy day.
As there was a lot of material that I was taking out from the various places where I had it stored without order, I decided to put it all spread out on the bed, so I would distribute it more or less, I dont know, by dates, or something like that, but after a while there I didnt even have a little hole, so I decided to look for another place and after thinking about it I said to myself What better than the floor! Everything is clean, and nothing is going to spoil them.
I left homework for a bit, and I said to myself Well, its about time for breakfast. I dont want to get messed up because my time flies by.
I looked out the window, how it was raining! Of course, although I would have liked the trip I could not have done it I ate breakfast quickly because it was urgent to continue with all that. I had looked over some of the articles I was working on and realized that despite being mine I had no idea about them, perhaps at the time when I cut them, Id take a look at them, but now I didnt know how much I had collected.
With the cup of coffee in my hand, I remembered how it all started, that teacher with the first class he gave us, never in all my student days, have I been as interested in a subject as this one.
I remember how he told us part of the life of that man, Charlemagne, who was the son of Pipino el Breve.
What a little name! we said, of course, with laughter.
We eat the cucumbers in the salad said one of the students jokingly.
Yes sir! I do that too, but lets be formal, each one has the name given by their parents. Perhaps that is why this man had that little name, because his father, or perhaps his mother, were fond of eating salads and added that ingredient to him the professor said, smiling.
Everyone in the class laughs at that comment.
Well, formality, gentlemen! Lets go on, the professor said. Charlemagne, in his time, was the person who accumulated the most power, but there is something in the narratives of his life which is still very interesting, because he came to the Iberian Peninsula to fight against the Muslims and thus prevent them from continuing to rise towards Europe, and their troops were defeated in the Battle of Roncesvalles, in the Pyrenees of Navarra. You do know that surely. Well, it is also narrated in his life that on one occasion while riding a horse, something got in his way, a luminous object that scared the animal and made the knight hit his bones on the ground.
Oooh, poor guy! was heard throughout the classroom.
Yes, do not look at me with that face, in that antiquity there must have been visitors, because it is narrated. Well, then I think he sent an edict in which, if he saw another object like that, it would be destroyed or something like that, but thats already his job.
Do you want us to look for UFOs? a dared one of the students seated in the last rows asked, the rest of us had remained very quiet.
Of course gentlemen! Although what I want is more concrete, are there, or are there not ? You have to look for evidence of the two positions, and in the end we will see the conclusions.
<<<<<>>>>>
As if I had returned from a dream, I saw myself sitting here in my kitchen with the cup of coffee still in my hand, and I took it quickly, to continue with the task that awaited me in the bedroom. Search among all the documentation that had been accumulated through the years, the evidence of the existence of these flying objects.
Because that course is over, but the bug that entered my body that first day of class has never left me anymore and has made me look for the answer everywhere, in personal experiences, traveling to various places to interview to someone who claimed to have seen them.
The notes were a lot. The two teams that had been formed with the colleagues had chosen me as secretary and said to me:
You are the one who has the best handwritting.
So in that way, without almost wanting to, I had to get deeply involved because there was not a day when any of the group didnt give me something else, so I could file it. I had to go putting it in chronological order, making a small record of how we had obtained it, and well, some other thing, that I could think of to give that a format.
At first I did not take it very seriously, really, thinking that there would be four things that I would have to write down, but I already had five notebooks, and I said to myself This is going to be endless, I have to cut it out. The day we have to present it, there will be no one to follow it.
With patience I spent my time selecting the information. I would make it more summarized, since at the beginning I had extended what was written down. Well, you know, to make it look tidier, but now I regretted it. I saw that my colleagues were trying to give me more and more and I decided to do things differently.
I wanted to take advantage of those Holy Weeks holidays to put everything a little better, because, if not, we would not finish the course and nothing was finished and you know, in the end with the exams, time flies by, and there are not enough days to prepare everything.
Theyre calling you on the phone I heard in the door of my room that my mother told me one morning.
Ill go flying! I said, but I would never imagine the surprise that awaited me.
Mr. Gomez! Good morning! was the first thing I heard when I picked up the device.
Don Carlos! I said surprised . I had never heard his voice on the phone, but that peculiar way of speaking was unmistakable.
You have a good ear he said by way of reply.
What do you want? Your call is very strange said a little curt, without leaving my amazement.
Look, since I suppose that these days you will be a little freer, I would like that, if possible, only if its okay, I dont want you to take it as an obligation.
Yes, tell me, what do you want? What do you need? I answered.
Well, if you like, we could meet a little while in the afternoon that you like and have a coffee.
I was listening to what the teacher was saying to me on the other side of the phone and I couldnt believe it. I stood there standing with the device in my hand. I didnt even know what to answer, what would he have called me? And if I had listened to him well, he was saying that he wanted to see me outside of college. What would he want from me? Well, still doubtful, I replied:
Of course! Whenever you want, you know, we are on holidays.
Is that okay with you tomorrow afternoon, around five? He told me . And calm down! he added.
Okay! Where? I asked him more relaxed.
When I heard his voice, it seemed to me that he had outlined a smile, because it sounded differently, so I dared to ask him:
Is something wrong?
No! I heard him say . Dont worry. I want to have a few words about the work you are doing, and I have noticed that you are the secretary, and as some of your colleagues have told me, you are the one who knows the most about how things are going, as they contribute what has been found and a little bit more. Well, see you tomorrow at five, bye!
Goodbye! And when I was going to hang up, I realized that we hadnt met anywhere and I said almost screeching . Don Carlos ! Wait a minute! Listen!
Yes? I heard on the other side of the thread .What is it? Why are you shouting at me? I am not deaf.
Excuse me! I didnt want to, you just didnt tell me where the meeting place is I said a little scared, for bothering him with my shriek.
Oh, how fool I am! Yes, at the cafeteria, right?
Yes, but which one? I asked again.
There, at college he said.
It cant be possible, it will be closed, remember we are on holidays.
Well, there at the door and then we walk somewhere else, I say that we will find a place where we can sit down for a while, dont you think?
Okay, at the college gate. Ill be at five oclock, dont worry!
Very good, see you tomorrow!
I heard that he hung up the phone. I still stayed a moment with the device in my hand, I couldnt believe it, that call seemed strange to me, well, the next day I would find out why it had occurred to him to make it.
The rest of the day, I spent looking at the notes I had about the work, in case he asked me something I could answer. I dont think I should tell him everything, but anyway I would see what he said, because the truth is that all this seemed strange.
At a quarter to five, I was walking through the door of the school. It had snowed and it was freezing, so instead of being still, I moved from one place to another, entertained to see how my feet crushed the snow as I stepped on it. I was concentrated on that when I heard a voice behind me.
Well, Mr. Gómez ! Punctuality always has to come first. I would not have been very amused to have to wait for you with the day we have, look how it is snowing today, with the good weather we have yesterday.
Hello Don Carlos! Good afternoon! I said to him at the same time that I would come back, and I saw him that he was wearing his openwork cap, that almost his glasses could not be seen and his scarf was covering the rest of his face, and he was extending his gloved hand to greet me.
Lets go somewhere right away and instead of coffee, what do you think if we have a chocolate and some cookies? That is more appropriate for the unpleasant afternoon we have.
Okay, as you wish I said a little curt.
What was I doing with a teacher having a chocolate? I remembered my mother at that moment, who when I hung up the phone, asked me who was the one who had called. When I told her she was surprised and said:
What will that gentleman want from you, outside of class, son? Have you been in any trouble?
I dont know mom, but stay calm. There are no problems, he wants me to meet to have a coffee.