THE HAPPY TIMES OF MARCO

These are the stories which were read to me as a child, therefore I was very young. It was well before I could grasp a pencil with confidence and be able to draw. The stories were told by my mother, and I would listen remaining very still and attentive.

There was no particular time when the stories were told, sometimes right before going to sleep or on Sunday mornings, other times I was told the stories right after getting a bump on the head or well into a winter's night, next to the window while a furious wind pounded the glass.

There was only one certainty to the aspect of the stories: once they were told, you could not change a single word. Sometimes my mother would skip a word, therefore I would tell her the word she missed and from correcting her so many times, I knew each word by heart.

Each child has his own way of growing, I grew stretching tall, with enormous hands and feet, and my huge head grew so much I was able to wear my dad's hat. After a very long time, I learned to draw and create figures out of wood and I emerged as a grown man and as a sculptor.

Later I married and I had children, Cecilia and Bizu. They also like to listen to stories, therefore I passed along the ones I heard from my mother. My daughters now know the history of "the seal who found his shadow". The vignettes, subsequently when they grow up, can be passed along to their children.

CHAPTER ONE

The Seal who found its Shadow

(Preface)
Jacinta was a beautiful young seal with polished skin and truly exquisite whiskers. Her mother spent the whole time praising her daughter's skin, practically bragging to her friends, but Jacinta only talked about her whiskers.

Mr. Walrus, Jacinta's uncle, had a set of very rough whiskers, which moved very rapidly as he ate algae or when he licked his tusks after a satisfying meal of an unsuspecting fish.

Jacinta had great admiration for her uncle, for that reason she thought he was very important for owning such quality whiskers.

Uncle Walrus, when he watched Jacinto told her: "My little one, keep them clean, always clean".

The old Mrs. Manatee, who was listening close by, said simply: "Hmphh…!" and she withdrew chewing moist algae while flapping her tailfin.

The whiskers, after all, do not have much to do with this story. I only mention it because Jacinta would appreciate, without doubt, that you all know this about her.

Jacinta was exactly one year old when she first discovered her shadow. Her mother and her aunts were sleeping by a fresh spring, her dad and her uncles were asleep in the shade of the cliff and her friends were playfully diving in the ocean. Jacinta, looking for someone to play with, cross the hot sands, the sun gave the sand a brilliant golden color and she said: "I don't think the sun is so bad", she turned her head to look behind her, unexpectedly saw the most strange dark gray seal draped over the sand next to her. "Hello!" said Jacinta. "Where did you come from?" The flat seal did not answer, but turned its head the same as Jacinta. Jacinta was enchanted and played with the little gray seal the rest of the afternoon. When she found her mother, she told her the whole story. Her mother was startled, "Jacinta", she said, "I should tell you the truth, the flat gray seal is your shadow, all of us seals have shadows but they do not know it, the eyes of a seal are designed to look forward on the land and side to side in the water, but almost never to look down". There is an old legend of a young seal and its shadow. This young seal, the day it found its shadow, did not know that it would soon abandon its family and live with men. "Who are the men?" Jacinta wanted to know. "Hush!" replied her mother. "Never speak of them, some are bad, others are good, now don't think of the men," her mother said.

The summer quickly passed by for Jacinta and all the sunny afternoons she played with her shadow. The last day in August, she heard some terrible news…"The men, the men!" screamed the seals while they scattered in the water. Only a young one remained. "Poor little guy!" said one of the men, Jacinta looked at him and closed her eyes, frightened, while three other men surrounded her. They trapped her and put her in a wooden cage, and she traveled a long time. Her destination was a small but pretty circus with clowns, animals and all that a (circus) had to offer. A man ended up being very nice to her; fed her with fish and gently stroked her head. Soon Jacinta was as tame as a dog therefore the man began to teach her tricks, they were together in circus ring, where she learned to balance the ball on the tip of the nose, to catch a fish and to play the tambourine. She also knew that the man's name was Facundo and is very well known as the best performer of the "diabolo" (devil sticks), a balancing trick made of two double cones that glide on a cord which he controls with mastery.

When Jacinta heard Facundo's voice, she gleefully barked. Jacinta also learned to balance ball on top of a chair and she could stand on her head. One day Jacinta the seal and Facundo had to perform their tricks in front of a large crowd. That night the band was playing for hundreds of people seated and all over the arena. Jacinta was very nervous but decided to do her very best…There were so many people and it was so loud!

They climbed the platform in the center ring and everyone remained absolutely silent. "Ladies and gentleman!" announced the ringmaster, "I have the pleasure of introducing Facundo and his incredible "diabolo" act and the most incredible seal in the world…Jacinta, the only seal that can balance two objects on her nose at the same time, the only seal that can stand on her head, for you all, Jacinta and Facundo". The band then proceeded to play accordingly and the whole world applauded. Poor Jacinta! Turning her frightened eyes toward Facundo, she started her first trick, a brilliant white light enveloped her, when Jacinta wanted to take the ball, her shadow started to do the same under the light from the lamp. Jacinta the seal, recognizing her old friend, the shadow, began to play with her and she performed all the tricks perfectly.

"Is it not true that this little seal is magnificent?" exclaimed with surprise the women in the arena. "Look how she bows her head after each trick, like she is shy with Facundo!" They did not know that Jacinta was speaking to her shadow. The applauses were growing louder and Facundo screamed with delight. Afterwards, Facundo said to the ringmaster "I was concerned that she would be afraid of the spotlight and just the opposite, she appeared to like it". "It is best that she remains in the spotlight" replied the ringmaster. And it was by this means Jacinta rediscovered her shadow and when she had to do her tricks in front of a large crowd, her shadow would perform at her side. No one knew how happy she was when the spotlight pointed toward her.

Marco Abarca