BURDEN

The noise was hollow. No crackle was heard. The surface seemed to have been smoothed by something soft. A dog barked very far away like a wolf´s howl. Darkness, Satan´s ally, was the sovereign of the night. The stars and the moon connivantly disappeared. Even the wind interrupted its course to blow over another landscape. The trees seemed to blow a bit under the burden of silence.

Dawn came up, pace by pace, sluggishly, resurrecting life, throwing light and spreading rays everywhere, reaching all and each single splint. Soon the sun made the rest. Everything was light. Sounds of all sort were heard, and people coming and going were too much absorbed by their problems to be aware of any particular significance of a meow that came from a half-blinded black cat, near a half-opened well. It kept meowing all day long, and nobody came to see what was happening to that poor, undesirable animal. A crippled and scabby dog joined the cat, barking sadly while scratching itself in an attempt to expel the fleas away. That was the proper picture of sorrow. Anyone with the faintest sensibility would feel the deep sadness those skinny animals were moaning at.

Time was, though, inexorable and night reappeared, painted everything black, giving no chance to a single sparkle to penetrate anywhere. Lightning flashed the sky, and as quickly as a ray, the rain came. It was a heavy downpour. Like a bride´s veil it spread all over the village, melting the snow on the roofs and roads. And it kept thundering the whole night.

Then the sun came! Near the well, soaked to the bones, shaking like a leaf, watched two brave animals, waiting faithfully. Before their eyes there were a piece of sausage, a pair of filthy shoes, some skins of banana, a torn bag with some smashed biscuits in it and half a wooden cross. All those lay about, near the abandoned well almost covered by weeds.

When the men of the fire-brigade came to the place sounding their sirens loudly, people woke up their inertia, and one by one got interested in what the fireman were dragging out of the well. The curiosity arose much more vividly when two tied-bare-feet appeared at the mouth of the well.

The corpse was soon placed on the ground and the two animals surrounded it. The cat first, with its twinkling eyes, nimble movements and shrill voice. Its meow was now joyful and had a sound of loyalty. The dog, due to its defect, came slowly, but even so, it managed to caper on one leg with joy. They could not understand why the men of the fire brigade soon took their companion away. People soon started moving and things returned to their normal course.

Two days later, a strong-haired-man with thick beard, badly dressed and awkward expression, walked towards the well, sat on pieces of brick and looking vaguely at the sky, started rubbing and moving half a wooden cross round his finger.