Chapter 1-THE
BEGINNING
Once upon a time,
in a place called Wetroofstood in that the rain happened frequently, there was
a twelve years old child called Peter who lives in a country seat. Peter was a
very intelligent and inquisitive boy.
One day, he went to the fields around his
village to collect som fruits. At a certain point when he was on top of an
apple-tree collecting the apples he saw an old man that was bringing with him a
mule loaded up with one basket in each side. They came from the nearby forest there
was and were going towards the village. When the old man was under the tree he
stooped waling and asked to Peter:
‘Good morning young child, if I was able to
climb at this tree i’ll be happy to do it myself but years maked me weak, so I’m
fear that I can’t. ¿Could yo take one of these juicy apples for me, please?’
Peter remained a moment with nothing to say.
In his village the foreigns weren’t
welcome and the manners of his neighbors teached him to be suspicious of
foreigners. But there was something special in that one old men, he was not a
simple traveling-trader. Maybe was for the tone of his voice, perhaps it was
for his sincere smile or for his exhausted image. Maybe it was all at the same
time, but Peter decided to do that the old men asked to him.
Before Peter’s late response, the old man
said thanks and added that a juicy apple was always welcome after a long day of
walking. For a moment a bright of wisdom shone in the eyes of the old man.
Peter’s curiosity get bigger. He climbed higer the tree and grab three of the
best looking apples there were and he offred them at the elderly man. He was a
very inquisitive boy, so he want to know more about this stranger senior.
‘Hi, I’m Peter, said the child in a friendly
tone, ‘¿Who are you?’
‘It’s an interesting question Peter,- said
the old man, -but I had waste many years
to respond myself this question,
and as you’ll understand I’m not going to say it easly.’ There was a moment of
silence. ‘But if you want, you can call
me Thebe. It is the name thath my parent’s gift to me and the name that use my
friends to address at me.’
They started to walcking towards the
village.
‘So..., you are saying that you have only a
true name and the false one is the one that uses the people for address to you?’ asked
Peter.
‘Er..., yes... and... no.’ said the old men.
‘The both are names but one is more important.’
Thebe
seemed to be trying to find a better explanation, but finnally he surrended and
said: -I’ts complicated Peter, but when you find out your’s you’ll undrstand
me.
‘¡But I have a name yet!, and I like it!’
‘Of course yo do, but do you think that
“Peter” defines exactly who are you?’
‘Er... no, I think no..- You can tell me my
name?’
‘I can try it, and possible with the
adequate time and a great effort i will say it to you more or less, but if I
reveal it to you, I’m sure that you don’t will understand it. But I think I can
say to you were to find it.’
‘You’ll do a great favor to me’
‘Oh, you
merit it Peter, so listen and pay attention at that I have to say: in the other
side of the mountains, throwing the Great river and the kngindom of our king,
beyond the free countries, at the limit of the lukewarm lands, where the eart
turns white and cold, there is a cave in that will be a person taht is the only
one that can tell you exactly your real name.’
‘It’s a very long travel, but I want to know
exactly who I am’ expressed Peter
‘Yes, it’s a long travel, I think It wil be enough.’
Said Thebe
‘¿Enough, what do you want to mean by saying
enough?- said Peter- I don’t understand ...¿How can I understand it?’
‘Simply- reply Thebe, -You don’t need to-.’
They keep walking
towards the village, Thebe was talking about the beauty of the sunset, but
Peter was still thinking about his travel, and break Thebe’s bombastic
description of the sunset with a question that gets him so worried since he
known about his future travel.
‘Er... Thebe, I’m a bit afraid that I’m not ready
to start the travel you had proposed to me, i cannot travel on foot all those
days, I don’t have any horse or similars.’ Said a worried Peter.
‘Don’t worry abut that Peter.’ said Thebe ‘I
had already talked with my mule and she agrees with me in that you’re gonna
need her help more than me. I had past a lot of adventures with her, but I
think that I cant quench her desire of adventures, so we had decided that she will be with you as soon
as I left you’
‘¿So, she can talk, she’s got a name?’ asked
Peter
‘This has to be discovered by you my friend
Peter, but i must say to you taht she is a very instintive animal, heed she’s
signals and yo’ll be alwas safe.’
This was the
encorauging awnser that said the old Thebe before dissapear at the same time
that the sun finished to hidd after the mountains that had been seeing Peter
growing up since he was a newborn, and something in the air announce a great
change in Peter’s life.
END OF THE FIRST
CHAPTER
