Rolando Blas | Blog

Luis Villatoro: Mano con pez Paciencia, paciencia. Sólo necesito ser paciente antes de que tome la decisión de marcharme. El trato fue que nos encontraríamos en este lugar. Tengo mucho tiempo sentado alrededor de esta pecera transparente pasada de moda. Hubiese preferido el estanque al otro lado del acuario con sus cristales gruesos   y las algas delgaditas que adornan bien el fondo con toques surrealistas, pero por la privacidad del asunto optamos por encontrarnos aquí. Los peces de mi ojo marcan las diez de la noche. Yo creo que mejor me voy de aquí. No creo que los cachalotes lleguen. El agua está muy fría como para permanecer más tiempo cerca del abismo. Del otro lado me espera un ambiente luminoso sin frío y sin preocupaciones pero antes debo dar el mensaje a los cachalotes. No, no hay rastros de ellos y el lugar está a punto de cerrar. --Calamar, el alga por favor. --Aquí tiene señor. --No puede ser, cuarenta y tres escamas por una mano humana. Por D...

Día 0 Hoy es el inicio de todo. Se cuenta la historia de un hombre incógnito y de su vida entrelazada con otras vidas. Este hombre puede ser cualquiera. Él se hace referir como tú. En su cabeza giran momentos memorables de su vida y de vidas de otros con las que se encuentra en diferentes espacios. Se encontrará con un personaje llamado Zoe, quien le recordará que es persona mayor y que se ocupó de ella. Zoe estará jugando con él, correrá y aprenderá de este hombre. El inicio de esta serie de episodios son sólo treinta días de esta persona que engloban y entrelazan vidas en pasados distantes y cercanos. Cuando la serie termine la cuenta de los días regresa a cero y de allí, la continuación de esta serie será la imaginación de quienes lo lean. Esta historia es la del hombre tú pero puede ser también la historia de cualquiera que que tenga ganas de imaginar su vida y las vidas de los que están a su alrededor.

Day 29 You have always been making decisions throughout your life. Some of your decisions were very wise and led you to experience great moments; but some other were the worst decisions ever made. You know I have always admired you no matter if you have triumphed or failed. I think that is why I am this person. I just wanted to write all that I thought was worth. There are more stories, more moments, and more pictures in my head but that will be something I might use in a future. Look at you: white hair, a few teeth, many wrinkles in your head and you are still very strong. Probably Mrs. Necha was right: you have iron-like bones. You have lived many years, seen many people die, played with and taught some generations. You have created an empire of many practical things. You inspired me and you know that because you hear me anytime I have something new to tell. I remember those kites you taught me to build, the Sunday mornings, the big ice-creams and the stories before going to bed. ...

Day 28 Mrs. Necha, the maid, said that you had been born with strong bones. She learned about it the day you fell off the mango tree. You were climbing as you usually did when you were with your friends. That day, however, you were climbing trees alone. Mrs. Necha was doing the laundry and ironing some clothes. It was strange for her no to listen to your yelling. She got out of the house and saw you lying on the ground. You could not answer any of her questions. There were some tears in your eyes but  no sound came out of your mouth. She took you inside the house, set you in a bed and began to give you a massage with a special ointment she always carried with her. She thought at the beginning that you would never walk because you had fallen off from a very high tree. When your parents arrived, she told them what had happened to you. They had an argument with her that you heard them from inside your bedroom. She was was about to be fired but in that ...

Day 27 Many years ago you got an informal job. It was the first time you began to make money on your own and you felt proud of it. Things, however, were not as easy as they seemed to be at the beginning. The big guys started to bully you. Then Beto appeared and he became your defender. He was always dealing with the thugs and you felt protected. Your work and money were safe. You grew some inches after some years and you needed Beto nomore. Then you left your job and moved to continue with your studies. Whenever you had the opportunity, you visited town and talked to Beto. You two always remembered those days when Tioto and his gang bullied you and you also told Beto that it had been thanks to him that you had survived. In one of your visits to town, you received bad news: Beto had died. You could not believe it. He had been you greatest friend, your defender and also your mentor. Nobody had told you because they knew you would leave everything you were doing to come b...

Day 26 After quiting your job as an engineer, you moved back to town and worked as a farmer. In that little town you began to change as a person and then you began to influence people's lives by the actions you did. Nonetheless, some people did not like you to empower people because that decreased their power to make decisions about the future of the community. But your intention was never to face the thugs, all you wanted was to have a better life for those around you and you made it possible but your work began to spread and more and more people copied your model and later they were able to speak for themselves. You never said a word that caused a riot in town. It was just a plan of work to improve your space what made possible a mind revolution. You were never out to give strikes or close streets. Everybody remembers the type of man you were: no conflicts, no confrontation with the bad guys. It was your spirit and you peaceful philosophy what made a difference i...

Day 25 Armando is the last of the homless in town. He knew Miguel and Peye as comtemporary homeless. There must be something about him that maintains him alive. He has gone through different hardships and you have seen most of them because your family adopted him just like they had done with Miguel. But Armando was not as humble as Miguel or Peye. Armando had some evil inside of him and their relationship ended. There have been stories around him that many people know but are afraid of telling them because of the possible consequences. Your family knows him and are as afraid any other family but no one can do anything. When Jaime died, everybody thought that he would leave the town because Jaime was the only man who trusted and supported him but nothing changed, Armando continued his life working to survive. He looks older now and is sick; there are some lines of expression in his scarred face and he looks tired but he hasn't given up. The questions that revolve around everybody...

Day 24 You used to mention that you hated Sundays. Sundays were boring and sad at the same time. Sundays were the days when you ate alone and the food was plain. It was not like Saturdays when even the worst dish tasted good. Why was that? I used to ask. But you were always quiet whenever somebody asked you the same question. You were never open to answer that question. But when you began to socialize with Zoe everything changed. You loved Sundays because that was the most amusing day of the week for you and for her. You would take her to go for a ride in a bike or have a big ice-cream. Food began to taste good and by the end of the day your perception of it was worth. Your life changed for ever and you were able to show her all the pictures you had painted while you were away. You could read her all the stories you wrote thinking about her while you were in your trips. But that was not all. You taught her to make different hand-made crafts and she became the best young artisan. She...

Day 23 You were never good at art classes.When your art teacher asked you to paint something you used to draw only lines, circles, triangles and squares. You knew that your work was crap but you kept painting despite being discouraged by everyone around you. Years went by and you graduated as an engineer. You were in important companies and you made good money but you felt hollow at times. One day you were in a platform in the middle of the sea and began to sketch some lines in your canvas. You were alone in the store room while the other guys were in the casino or with some hookers. It was one of those days when you were depressed. Painting was all you had and took it as a way to forget about your problems. You spent the whole day in that room and it seemed like you were not important for anyone because no one called you while you were locked in the room. By the end of the day, you were tired and hungry. You went to the dining room and had a big meal. The following day you finished...

Day 22 It was almost the end of the day when you received a message. You were astonished by why had that girl decided to give you a chance for a date? You were skeptical about this message but you texted back and no answer was given. It was three o' clock, the very same day that you received that message. At this time, you were eating a delicious meal: Mexican cheese empanadas. The cook's daughter served you and blinked an eye. You were surprised. Why would she do that? She was younger than you and you had known her mother for more than twenty years. Then she approached again and you found out that she had a bliking eye. You laughed when you left the place.  You opened your eyes at 6:34 am. There was no electricity because of the storm. You reached a candle by your bed and went to the kitchen to get a lighter. That day there was no milkshake for you. You took your hat and walked like you did everyday. Someone called you and you typed something in your SixthSense devi...

Day 21 Danced, child. No one church visit. Phone i me call  help. There. Computer file download ACTA. Future censorship. Help mouse. You uncovered. Disc run ran me hide escaped. Night child danced. Code open source YOUTUBE. Watch China. Truth kidnapped. Go, see future all. Mouth, voice silenced. Head, imagination creativity killed. Old, very old no understood. Me help, me transform but you open eyes. Baby revolution but they no want. Please help. Tear your eyes. Moved, opened window. Open source code help all in globe. Change, transform only one and, only one button. Girl danced you helped. Everyone got their voice again and you helped to transform the world where Zoe is dancing now. She listens to your old vinyl discs and remembers you, she plays the tapes and she sighs, she plays the CDs and she laughs, she reads your SD cards and USB sticks and she amazes. She visits you but she cries. You helped to transform this world.

Day 20 Pérez was a very hard-working man. He used to wake up early every day, take the only bus in town and travel two hours to go to work. Unfortunately, because of some strange circumstances, he became a homeless in town. Pérez lost his prestige as a hard-working man and gained reputation for being a thief. Everybody in town began to judge him and anytime something disappeared, he was to blame. His clothes were worn out and he never wore shoes again. He always carried a white sack on his back and mothers used to scare their kids by telling them that if they misbehaved the man with the sack would take them away. That's what your mother used to tell you and you were always scared as a kid. When you grew older and were in high school you named that man differently. He was not Pérez anymore but Peye. He was always in trouble: sometimes with no food to eat and sometimes in jail but he was always freed because nobody presented charges. One day, however, he stole things from a judge an...

Day 19 That was a curious day. Everybody was sitting around a fire. They had already set the rules before you arrived. All the participants had to tell something: stories, jokes, anecdotes, puzzles, whatever you thought was worth telling. You were frightened because it was the first time you were camping to open air, alone, far away from home, and with no mobile. The first participation was a silly anecdote; then, the second was a tongue twister that you could not tell. Everybody had told their story but you. You were frozen. Nobody knew what was going on with you until someone pushed you softly. It was your turn. You began to tell that old story your grandpa told you about the man who got lost in the corn fields. As you told the story, everybody was holding somebody else's hand. The man was alone walking under the moonlight but he started to hear distant screaming as the air was whistling. The man walked faster and faster and as he moved the screaming was closer and closer. The...

Day 18 Miguel was one of the homeless in town. He had dark skin and had a shaved head. Everybody used to say that he was crazy. But you and your family believed the opposite because he used to help you with some home chores. He used to take you to school and in the afternoon he helped your father in his shop. When he was not in your house or with your father, he would go to the countryside just to have a walk. He always carried a machete with him but he used it only when he was in the fields. When it was evening, he disappeared and returned the following day. You witnessed this routine for many years until you were an adolescent. One day you left town and moved to another city. In one of your visits, your mother was talking to you and you asked for Miguel. Your mom said he had died but nobody knew about it. Somebody announced that the police had found him in the countryside under a tree. He had no injuries or any other sign of being killed by someone else. Your mom said with a break...

Day 17 One afternoon you saw Zoe crying because she had fallen off her bike. Then you sat by her side and started to tell her your old story about learning how to ride a bike. She was sobbing but she changed humor after telling her about how Spots had bitten you and how you had lost a piece of your favorite jeans. She got up, took her bike and asked you to support her so that she would not fall off again. You said yes but you warned her that you could not run very fast because of your walking stick. She said it was okay but once she balanced her weight in the bike she kept pedaling until you could no longer support her and set her free. You were tired and had breathing difficulties but Zoe was so thrilled that she forgot you were behind her. When she realized that nobody answered while she was talking she turned around and saw you many meters behind. She became worried because she knew about your breathing problems so she took her courage in both hands and pedaled to go back and...

Day 16 The first time you had a bike, you wanted to ride it right away but it took you more than four years to learn how to ride it. You were only one year old but your father wanted you to have this brand new bike. Once you learned, you began to ride around the neighborhood, especially at night. Remember that night when you took your bike and visited Anna's house? That night you had imposed a new record to the time it took you to move from your house to Anna's. You decided to tell Anna about it but you did not know that 'Spots' --Anna's dog-- was free that night and was taking care of the house like a ferocious beast. You left your bike against the fence, opened the gate and walked filled up with emotion; suddenly, Spots began to bark and then to move towards you and then run towards you and you tried to be calmed because your great fiends had told you that staying calmed was the best in case of a dog attack but they did not know Spots. When it was closer to yo...

Day 15 A flood is an overflow of water that submerges land as Wikipedia defines it, but according to some local experts who have been in floods, they define it as a disaster that causes great losses. When Sarah told you about her story, you were astonished. In September last year, the news focused in a small village that attracted the attention of many people and organizations all around the country. You were the last to know about it. The day you checked the news in the net, it was too late. Your hometown was completely flooded. The pictures showed a devastated place. People were fighting for food and clothes. You did not know anything about your family. You tried to make a call but there were no telephone or cell phone lines available in the area. You began to become panicked. The net was the only way of being connected because a blog was opened and someone from a nearby town visited the devastated zone and provided information about the situation and about some people he...

Day 14 Patulht's father died one Monday afternoon. You and Quique decided to collect money to help him pay some of the funeral expenses. At the end of the day, you saw Patulht down and somehow out of this world. You and Quique accompanied him and another of your friends joined you. You were suffering the same loss. Patulht suggested having a beer and all of you went to the closest bar. It was one beer for each one, then one more and one more and then, you all were a bit drunk and penniless but you wanted to continue drinking. Suddenly someone had the brilliant idea of taking some of the money you had collected for the funeral expenses and keep drinking. It would have been an irresponsible act if it hadn't been for one of you who decided to keep a record of all the money you were spending at the bar.  Fortunately, Patulht decided that it was too late and that he had to be at the funeral. The following day, you added the missing money and ga...

Day 13 One day you met Mago's sister, a tiny thin smiley child who only had two of her front teeth. She was very shy at the beginning. She barely spoke to you whenever you used to eat at her mom's restaurant. In one of your visits to the restaurant, you saw her with lots of red pimples over her face and limbs. Her mother explained to you that she had an allergy to insects but even so, she had a couple of grasshoppers in a small cup. You stopped going to the restaurant, but one day, after some years, you were back at the same place. Things had changed drastically, the small restaurant was now the best restaurant in town and Nancy ran it. Her mother had inherited it to her. She accomplished her dream of becoming a professional cook. Everybody talked about the restaurant and its chef but you had not been there yet. You and went dining and finally met Nancy. She was now a young woman in her twenties and not only did she run her mom's old restaurant but she had created now a...

Day 12 Remember that day: You and your new three friends were trapped because of the rain. It was the first time you met and it was also the first time you felt scared because you had never seen so much water. The streets were wide rivers and you thought the place would flood and you would be in danger because you cannot swim. There were people around you but they were calmed. They knew pretty well that this would be one more rain in the history of their town. But you did not know that. They saw your scared faces but after two hours, you saw that everything was as normal as it was before. There was still plenty of water flowing but the level decreased little by little. It was getting darker and darker till night showed up. You all took the way home and had to walk three kilometers of water, stone and earth. By the time you reached home, you had to cope with the experience of having no electricity at all. That day you became aware of the place you were at, the comfortable life you ha...