A decrepit old man who could hardly breathe, arrives at the main hall of the enormous mansion in his characteristic wheelchair, pushed by the family doctor who does not leave him alone 24 hours a day.
In the room, three young people are waiting for his words, trembling with nervousness and anxiety, before what they expect to be the old man's verbal testament, handing over the totality of his immense fortune to the most prominent of his grandchildren, according to what he himself outlined in the letter of invitation that brought them in a hurry to this remote place, on a gloomy rainy morning in the month of June.
A sepulchral silence is the prelude to the trembling disjointed phrases emitted by the decadent body of the old man, while he constantly drinks extremely hot coffee, a habit as old as himself, or at least that is what the boys have always seen since they have known him.
To everyone's surprise, the man in the wheelchair pulls out of a leather lining a dusty manuscript, apparently it is composed of papyrus pages or some material worthy of the antique museum, from there he begins his tale.
Everyone has enjoyed the fortune since they were born, but they have no idea of its source, nor of the high price I have paid to have it, but today they will know it and only he who is willing to continue my legacy and pay the very high cost, will be able to obtain my grace.
Exactly 147 years ago, I found this document in the university library among the objects collected by an archaeological excavation, its origin is uncertain, over the years I discovered traces that pointed to the biblical character Methuselah, other clues led me to think that it was an alchemical diary of ancient formulas, refined by the famous Nicolas Flamel, nobody knows, but that is not important, what stands out is the obsession that takes over your mind just by seeing it once.
I was an enthusiastic young man full of joy, until by fortune or misfortune I came across this writing in a language so rare, that just to understand it is already a feat, I tried with all available means to unravel its pages without success, until by chance, one day I realized that only when I drank hot coffee the letters were understandable, as if it were protected by some incantation.
The alchemical magic of coffee, that is its title so that you do not rack your brains trying to understand me, this text full of complex formulas hides the secret of eternal life, only the one with enough wisdom will be able to obtain it and together with the book, The formula of the philosopher's stone to transform lead into gold from the use of a special infusion of coffee as a decanter acid, that is how I managed to forge this business empire, without anyone knowing where the precious metal that drove the manufacture of the excellent pieces of jewelry sold in my stores around the world came from.
The book gives you eternal life, but not immortality, nor infinite youth, as you will understand, they are very different things. He who is willing to take the great step, tasting the formula of alchemical coffee that I drink daily as hot as hellfire, must understand that if he is not pure of heart he will die on the spot, but if, on the other hand, he manages to pass the test, he will obtain all the secrets of the ancient book. However, he must understand that he will age forever, gradually drying up like decaying paper without being able to die, until he decides on his own to stop drinking the special coffee formula.
After the grandfather's speech, two of the boys ran out of the room and only one of them, the most submissive and intelligent, dared to stand up and say: "I am willing to continue your legacy, dear old man, let's go and prepare that mythical coffee you talk so much about".
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Original creation text in Spanish, translated and corrected into English using www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version) and https://app.grammarly.com/
