As far as I can see, there are brick walls and windows covered with broken curtains, where clothes hang on improvised clotheslines with ropes that go from one end to the other fastened to a nail that seems to want to come off. A few pots with plastic flowers, their colors faded by the sun and the constant water, are the only decoration.
I sit on the edge of my bed, tired of this life, although I am 17 years old, my soul is that of an old man of 60. She, on the other hand, is all light and energy. When she comes home from working on the government farms, she lights up our home no matter how tired she is.
"David, come to dinner!"
It makes me tender and at the same time sad, my mother's stubborn attitude of gathering us around a table under the light of a candle, because at this hour there is no electricity, to eat pumpking soup, which is one of the few foods that are available in the market, with a sprinkling of cheese.
"Soup and water of dubious origin", I say as I sit next to my sister Mary.
"Don't complain, David, at least you can eat something; a lot of people don't". I look at her young face with big black eyes that look like they have sparkles in them and her black hair with some gray in it, even though she is barely 25.
"And you think I should be thankful for this?"
"Well, you should! My mom stood in a long line to buy this food".
"We haven't had a hearty, tasty meal for as long as I can remember, and it's getting less and less. Yesterday, they cut our butter and coffee ration in half. And my mom is getting thinner and thinner from giving up eating and giving to us. She thinks we don't notice".
I look at her sitting next to me with her hair very short, because it saves soap, and a very calm expression. She is still a young woman.
"Don't worry about me, because I do remember those meals before we were locked up in this place".
"Tell us, mother, I like to hear you talk about that past that will come back and even better".
My sister always with that optimism.
In our house, near the river, we ate what was produced on the farm. My mother made arepas with the corn that my grandfather and your father grew. And we had four cows, which gave us milk. My mother and I had a garden where we grew vegetables and fruits. And in the river, that crystal-clear river, we used to catch big trout, which jumped over the water. We didn't need anything else. You were very little, Mary, and you were not born, David.
At this point in the story, my mother clenched her fists and her gaze remained focused on a memory that gave her terror and anguish.
Until the invaders, who came with the east wind, swept us off our land. With their black masks and weapons, they dominated us. Some like his father and your grandfather fought. But they could not, and they are no longer with us
Despite the time that had passed, my mother's eyes were moist with tears.
"Calm, Mommy. That part of the story you won't remember. We have to hold on to the hope that they are going to run away and not come back. We will get our land back".
"And how are we supposed to drive them out? That is very difficult because they are very powerful. They have an army. And we only know about the land, the crops and the animals. Well, you knew the elders, because we young people have only learned to obey them. Here we will continue to live, we will never go back to our land".
My mother took my hand. "Son, don't say never. You have to imagine a beautiful future for everyone".
"I am sorry mother, it is very difficult for me".
After eating, we went to bed. I was still hungry, but I didn't want to say anything. Tomorrow, another day of work awaited me at the food factory. How ironic to have to give them what was ours! I fell asleep.
My sister came to my bed while I was sleeping.
"David, wake up!, I have to tell you something".
"What is it, Mary?, and why are you dressed like that?" She was wearing a brown jacket with a hood that covered most of her face.
"I have to go, it's important that you listen to me. Take care of our mother"
I sat down on the bed with one jerk. "Are you going to leave us alone?" I felt my light, my support, leaving me. "I want to go with you!".
"Lower your voice! My mother can hear us. You have to stay, you can't leave my mom alone. Remember that they have weaknesses, and we have strengths that they can't imagine. And we are going to win"
That was our farewell, and we didn't hear from her again for a year. But from that time on, extraordinary events began to happen.
It all started in the fields. A tiny insect, an aphid, flew to the leaves and grains of the corn, rice and wheat crops and fed by sucking them while inoculating an organism invisible to the eye, a virus, but with a great power, that of taking over the cells of its host. The disease spread with the wind. There was no way to control it. Fields and fields of diseased plants that did not produce enough. And they, the invaders, did not know what to do.
In the warehouses where the flour was stored, a small organism, but very capable of hiding and staying alive, a fungus, began to spread and produce a toxin, which was contaminating all the food that went exclusively to the kitchens of the invaders.
They got sick, many died and did not know the reason, others were weakened by the lack of food and winter came. And this time it was the coldest in 17 years.
The fields were devastated, the trees did not produce fruit and the cattle had no way to feed themselves.
And we who lived outside were prepared. We had stored food, we were adapted to the cold, and we knew what to do to protect ourselves, and we did not depend on flour and other foods to survive. It was a struggle of resistance and we made it.
The few invaders that remained in our lands were expelled by an army of brave people, with the strength that comes from having the same dream of returning, of recovering what belonged to us, life itself.
"They came!, David, they came!"
My mother was running from the living room to the kitchen, looking out the windows in awe. I was running too.
"I told you, son, never say never. There they are, we've been waiting for them. Come on! Let's run to meet them"
We went out, like many others, joyful, shouting freedom, confident that no one would dare to hold us back, with tears in our eyes, to embrace them, no matter the snow falling on our heads.
My sister was among them, her energy so luminous that she was visible to our eyes in the crowd, her hair flowing.
We ran to embrace her.
"We made it, mother". Her eyes looked at us with more sparkles than usual
"Little brother, I'm so happy", and she pulled my head to rest on her chest. "Together we made it happen".
Once we were more relaxed in that place that was our home for many years and that we would soon leave, we talked about the strategies that were used to get the invaders out.
"I was thinking to Mary that everything was very well planned, but the winter?, that, we could not control!".
"You are right, David, that was a help product of our faith and that is why together we defeated evil. And now we will recover our land so that it will be as productive as it was before"
Hasta donde alcanza mi vista hay paredes de ladrillos y ventanas tapadas con cortinas rotas donde la ropa cuelga de tendederos improvisados con mecates que van de un extremo a otro sujetados de un clavo que pareciera quererse desprender. Unas macetas con flores de plástico con los colores desteñidos por el sol y el agua constante, son el único adorno.
Me siento en el borde de mi cama, cansado de esta vida, aunque tengo 17 años, mi alma es de un viejo de 60. Así me dice mi hermana. Ella en cambio es toda luz y energía, cuando llega a la casa despues de trabajar en las granjas del gobierno, ilumina nuestro hogar por mas cansada que este.
—¡David!, ven a cenar
Me da ternura y al mismo tiempo tristeza, la empecinada actitud de mi madre de reunirnos alrededor de una mesa bajo la luz de una vela, porque a esta hora no hay electricidad, a comer una sopa de auyama, que es uno de los pocos alimentos que se consiguen en el mercado, con un queso espolvoreado.
—Sopa y agua de dudosa procedencia, —digo al sentarme al lado de mi hermana Mary.
—¡No te quejes David!, por lo menos puedes comer algo, muchas personas no lo hacen. — Miro su rostro joven de grandes ojos negros que pareciera que tuvieran chispitas y su cabello negro con algunas canas aunque apenas tiene 25 años.
—¿Y tu crees que debo dar las gracias por esto?.
—Pues deberías, mi mamá hizo una cola muy larga para comprar estos alimentos.
—Desde que recuerdo no hemos comido una comida abundante y sabrosa y cada vez es menos. Ayer nos redujeron a la mitad la ración de mantequilla y de café. Y mi mamá cada vez está mas delgada por dejar de comer y darnos a nosotros. Ella cree que no nos damos cuenta.
La miro sentada a mi lado con su cabello muy corto, porque así ahorra jabón y una expresión muy tranquila. Aún es una mujer joven.
—No se preocupen por mi porque yo si recuerdo esas comidas antes de que nos encerraran en este lugar.
—¡Cuentanos madre!, me gusta escucharte hablar de ese pasado que volvera y aún mejor.
Mi hermana siempre con ese optimismo.
En nuestra casa cerca del río, comiamos lo que se producia en la granja. Yo iba a buscar los huevos en el gallinero para el desayuno. Mi madre hacia las arepas con el maíz que mi abuelo y vuestro padre cultivaban. Y teníamos cuatro vacas, que nos daban leche. Yo y mi madre teníamos un huerto donde cultivabamos vegetales y frutas. Y en el río, ese río tan cristalino pescabamos unas truchas grandes, que saltaban sobre el agua. No necesitabamos nada más. Tu estabas muy pequeña Mary y tu no habias nacido David.
En este punto del relato mi madre apretó los puños y su mirada se mantuvo enfocada en un recuerdo que le produjo terror y angustia.
Hasta que los invasores que llegaron con el viento del este, nos arrastraron fuera de nuestra tierra. Con sus mascaras negras y sus armas nos dominaron. Algunos como, Joaquín, su padre y vuestro abuelo pelearon por defender nuestra vida. Pero no pudieron y ya no están con nosotros.
A pesar del tiempo pasado, los ojos de mi madre se humedecieron con las lágrimas.
—¡Tranquila mami! Esa parte de la historia no vas a recordarla. Tenemos que aferrarnos a la esperanza de que ellos van a salir huyendo y no van a volver. Recuperaremos nuestras tierras.
—¿Y cómo se supone que los vamos a echar?. Eso está muy dificil porque ellos son muy poderosos. Tienen un ejercito. Y nosotros solo sabemos de la tierra, de los cultivos y de los animales. Bueno sabían ustedes los mayores, porque los jóvenes solo hemos aprendido a obedecerlos. Aqui seguiremos viviendo, nunca vamos a volver a nuestra tierra.
Mi madre me tomó la mano.—Hijo no digas nunca. Tienes que imaginar un futuro hermoso para todos.
—Lo siento madre, se me hace muy difícil.
Despues de comer nos fuimos a la cama. Yo todavia con hambre, pero no quise decir nada. Mañana me esperaba otro dia de trabajo en la fábrica de alimentos. Qué ironía tener que darles lo que era nuestro. Me quede dormido profundamente
Mi hermana se acerco a mi cama mientras dormia.
—¡David despierta!, tengo que decirte algo.
—¿Que pasa Mary?, y ¿por qué estas vestida asi? —Llevaba un chaqueta marrón con una capucha que le tapaba casi todo el rostro.
—Tengo que irme, es importante que me escuches. Cuida a nuestra madre.
Me senté de un solo tirón en la cama. —¿Nos vas a dejar solos?—Yo sentí que se iba mi luz, mi apoyo.—Quiero ir contigo.
—Baja la voz, mi mamá nos puede escuchar. Tienes que quedarte, no puedes dejar a mi mamá sola. Recuerda que ellos tienen debilidades y nosotros fortalezas que ellos no se imaginan. Y vamos a vencer
Esa fue nuestra despedida, y no volvimos a saber de ella por un año. Pero a partir de ese tiempo empezaron a ocurrir sucesos extraordinarios.
Todo comenzó en los campos, un minúsculo insecto, un áfido, voló hasta las hojas y granos de los cultivos de maíz, arroz y trigo y se alimentó chupandolas e inoculo un organismo invisible a los ojos, un virus, con un gran poder, el de apropiarse de las células de su huesped. La enfermedad se propagó con el viento. No había manera de controlarla. Campos y campos de plantas enfermas que no produjeron lo suficiente. Y ellos, los invasores no supieron qué hacer.
En los almacenes donde se guardaba la harina, un organismo pequeño pero muy capaz de ocultarse y mantenerse vivo, un hongo, comenzó a propagarse y a producir una toxina, que fue contaminando todo el alimento que iba dirgido exclusivamente a las cocinas de los invasores.
Se enfermaron, muchos murieron y otros se debilitaron por la falta de alimento y llegó el invierno. Y esta vez fue el mas frío en 17 años.
Los campos quedaron arrasados, los árboles no produjeron frutos y el ganado no tenía como alimentarse.
Nosotros los que vivíamos excluidos estábamos preparados. Habíamos guardado alimento, estábamos adaptados al frío y sabiamos que hacer para protegernos y además no dependiamos de las harinas y otros alimentos para sobrevivir. Fue una lucha de resistencia y lo logramos.
Los pocos invasores que quedaron en nuestras tierras fueron expulsados por un ejercito de personas valientes, con la fortaleza que da el tener el mismo sueño de volver, de recuperar lo que nos pertenecia, la vida misma.
—¡Llegaron David! ¡llegaron!
Mi madre corría de la sala a la cocina asomandose a las ventanas.
Yo también corria.
—Te lo dije hijo, nunca digas nunca. Allí estan, los estabamos esperando. ¡Vamos! corramos a recibirlos.
Salimos como muchos otros, alegres, gritando libertad, confiados en que nadie se atrevería a reprimirnos, con lágrimas en los ojos los abrazamos, sin importar la nieve que caía sobre nuestras cabezas.
Mi hermana estaba entre ellos, su energia era tan luminosa que la hacia visible a nuestros ojos. Corrimos a abrazarla.
—¡Lo logramos madre!. —Sus ojos nos miraba con mas chispitas que de costumbre.
—¡Hermanito, estoy tan feliz! — y me atrajo la cabeza que apoyo en su pecho. —Juntos lo hicimos posible.
Ya mas tranquilos en ese lugar que fue nuestro hogar por muchos años y que dejariamos pronto, hablamos de las estrategias que se usaron para sacar a los invasores.
—Estaba pensando Mary que todo estuvo muy bién planificado, ¿pero el invierno? eso no podiamos controlarlo.
—Tienes razon David, eso fue una ayuda producto de nuestra fé y por eso juntos derrotamos al mal. Y ahora recuperaremos nuestra tierra para que sea tan productiva como lo era antes.
La traducción al inglés la realicé en www.deepl.com