Fiction story: A fair punishment ⚖️
ENGLISH VERSION (click here!)
Bruno looked at himself in the mirror, adjusting his tie with a self-satisfied smile. It wasn't a smile of joy, but rather that of a predator who had just secured his next meal. He admired his shiny black hair and the symmetry of his features as he gave himself one last once-over.
His wife Judith was his easiest prey and, at the same time, his most valuable. At his side, she smiled at him almost fervently, her face full of love. The poor woman was far from imagining who she had really married.
To Judith, he was her hero, her Prince Charming straight out of a fairy tale... the man who had rescued her from a withered life full of abuse, filling it with “colors he himself had painted,” even though they were nothing more than lies.
“Are you ready, my love?”- She asked in her soft voice.
“Almost, honey”, Bruno replied, turning to kiss her tenderly. The kiss was another of his many masks; there was nothing he disliked more than touching his wife's lips with his own, which is why he avoided prolonged displays of affection at all costs and quickly pulled away.
His true heart felt nothing for Judith; on the contrary, he despised her greatly and could not even bear to speak to her. He considered her only a means to an end: the son he so longed for, a son that his lover, a handsome and successful man named Samuel, could not give him.
Although she loved Samuel with all her heart, the need to transcend her ego in the form of an heir was stronger than anything else. He had always dreamed of being a father, and no one would stand in the way of his master plan.
That afternoon, he would meet with his “friend” Ricardo to close an investment deal. Of course, it wasn't a real investment; it was another one of his many schemes to swindle Ricardo out of his fortune. He was about to succeed; all he needed was one signature.
Bruno had an exceptional gift for detecting kindness in people and using it as leverage for his own greed. Judith admired him for his “business acumen.” She used to tell everyone that her husband was ‘brilliant’ and was filled with pride. What she didn't know was that her husband's “skill” was based on manipulation and betrayal.
A couple of weeks later, while Ricardo was living on the streets and Judith was undergoing yet another failed fertility treatment, Bruno felt invincible.
He was in the living room of his luxurious home (which he had also obtained through a series of frauds), drinking champagne and celebrating in silence, reveling in his “empire.”
At that moment, he cared little about the pain of others; all that mattered to him was the buzz of triumph in his head.
⚖️ However, things would soon begin to change... because those who do wrong will pay dearly sooner or later. No one can escape divine justice, and soon they would come for him ⚖️.
Suddenly, the bottle of champagne he had been drinking levitated and then fell hard, shattering on the carpet. The air became heavy and charged with an energy that was not of this world.
Five figures emerged from the shadows in the corners. They were neither men nor women, but beings of light and darkness that seemed to come from a more advanced world. Three of them were humanoid in shape, and the other two resembled wolves. The only thing they had in common were their eyes, all of which were a terrifying fiery color.
“Bruno”, said the one in the center, in a voice that was both a whisper and a thunderclap, “we have carefully observed your actions. Your debts are not monetary, but moral. For you have stolen more than money: you have stolen the faith, love, and hope of those around you.”
The man laughed harshly. “What is this? A bad joke? What do you want? Money? I'll give you anything, but go away. I don't have time for nonsense.”
There was a pause of about a minute, as if these beings were deliberating, only without uttering a sound. One of them separated from the group and approached him slowly, leaving only a small space between them. Bruno instinctively backed away.
“We are not looking for money, we are looking for justice. Your life has been a complete torment for the souls of this world, you have hurt many people. You took advantage of Judith's purity, Samuel's loyalty, and the trust of everyone who ever surrounded you.”
One of the two animal-like figures disappeared with a loud snap and reappeared in less than a second behind Bruno. With an aura of creeping shadows enveloping him, it showed him a vision:
He saw Judith crying inconsolably in the bathroom, Samuel with his heart broken by her betrayal, and Ricardo sitting on a street bench, staring into space, not knowing what to do...
For the first time in his life, he felt an icy fear that he couldn't control and didn't understand where it came from.
“The price for your actions is to be erased, but not from life... BUT FROM EVERYONE'S MEMORY.” They declared in unison with loud voices that echoed in every corner of the house.
The five figures gathered around him, forming a vortex of light and darkness that enveloped him. Bruno began to scream for mercy, tried to flee, but his body would not respond. A few seconds later, he no longer felt anything... because his body, his voice, and his very existence had vanished without a trace.
The beings had also left, and a deathly silence fell. The house was empty, with the lights on, the broken bottle on the carpet, and a glass poured on the table that “someone” had left there.
The next morning, Judith woke up with a strange feeling of peace. Something heavy had disappeared from her life, an oppression she didn't know she was carrying. The deep pain she had experienced the night before was now incomprehensible to her. Why was she crying so much? She couldn't remember.
She looked to her right; the bed was empty. She was surprised and didn't know why, since no one was there. On the other side of the city, Samuel and Ricardo felt a similar relief; the former no longer felt anguish, and the latter never lost his fortune.
Life went on without Bruno getting in the way 🙌
Bruno se miró al espejo, ajustándose la corbata con una sonrisa de autosatisfacción. No era una sonrisa de alegría, era la de un depredador que acababa de asegurar su próxima comida. Admiró su pelo negro brillante y la simetría de sus rasgos, mientras se daba un último visto bueno.
Su esposa Judith fue su presa más fácil y, al mismo tiempo, la más valiosa. A su lado ella le sonreía casi con fervor, su rostro estaba lleno de amor. La pobre estaba muy lejos de imaginar con quién se había casado realmente.
Para Judith él era su héroe, su príncipe azul sacado de un cuento de hadas... el hombre que la había rescatado de una vida marchita y llena de abusos, para llenarla de "colores que él mismo había pintado", aunque en realidad no eran más que mentiras.
-¿Estás listo, mi amor?- Preguntó ella con su voz suave.
"Casi, cariño", respondió Bruno girándose para besarla con ternura. El beso era otra de sus tantas máscaras, no había nada que le desagradara más que tocar los labios de su esposa con los suyos, por eso evitaba a toda costa prolongar las demostraciones de afecto y se alejaba rápido.
Su verdadero corazón no sentía nada por Judith, en cambio, la despreciaba sobremanera, ni siquiera soportaba hablar con ella. Solo la consideraba un medio para un fin: el hijo que tanto anhelaba, un hijo que su amante, un apuesto y exitoso hombre llamado Samuel, no podía darle.
A pesar de que amaba con todo su ser a Samuel, la necesidad de trascender su ego en la forma de un heredero era más fuerte que cualquier otra cosa. Él siempre había soñado con ser padre y nadie se interpondría en su plan maestro.
Esa tarde se reuniría con su "amigo" Ricardo para cerrar un trato de inversión. Por supuesto, no era una inversión real, era otro de sus muchos esquemas para estafar, diseñados para quitarle la fortuna a Ricardo. Estaba a punto de conseguirlo, solo le faltaba una firma 🙌.
Bruno tenía un don excepcional para detectar la bondad en las personas y usarla como palanca para su propia avaricia. Judith lo admiraba por su "visión para los negocios", solía decirle a todos que su esposo era "brillante" y se llenaba de orgullo. Lo que no sabía era que la "habilidad" de su esposo se basaba en la manipulación y la traición.
Un par de semanas después, mientras Ricardo se quedaba en la calle y Judith se sometía por enésima vez a otro tratamiento de fertilidad fallido, Bruno se sentía ✨ i n v e n c i b l e ✨.
Estaba en la sala de su lujosa casa, (la cual había conseguido también a base de una serie de fraudes), bebiendo champán y celebrando en silencio, regodeándose en su "imperio".
En ese instante poco le importaba el dolor de los demás, lo único que le interesaba era el zumbido del triunfo en su cabeza.
⚖️ Sin embargo, muy pronto las cosas comenzarían a cambiar... porque el que actúa mal, lo paga caro tarde o temprano. De la justicia divina no se salva nadie y pronto irían por él ⚖️.
De repente, la botella de champán, con la que había estado emborrachándose, levitó y luego cayó con fuerza haciéndose pedazos en la alfombra. El aire se hizo pesado y se cargó de una energía que no era de este mundo.
De las sombras de las esquinas emergieron cinco figuras. No eran ni hombres ni mujeres, eran seres de luz y oscuridad que parecían de otro mundo más avanzado. Tres de ellos tenían forma humanoide y los otros dos se asemejaban a unos lobos. Lo único en común eran los ojos, todos los tenían de un color fuego aterrador.
"Bruno", dijo el que se encontraba en el centro, con una voz que era a la vez un susurro y un trueno, "hemos observado minuciosamente tus acciones, tus deudas no son monetarias, sino morales. Porque has robado más que dinero: has robado la fe, el amor y la esperanza de quienes te rodeaban".
El aludido se carcajeó con brusquedad. "Pero, ¿qué es esto?, ¿Una broma de mal gusto?, ¿Qué quieren?, ¿Dinero? Les doy lo que sea, pero váyanse. No tengo tiempo para ridiculeces".
Hubo una pausa como de un minuto, como si estos seres estuviesen deliberando, solo que sin articular sonido. Uno de ellos se separó del grupo y se le acercó lentamente, dejando a penas un pequeño espacio de distancia. Bruno retrocedió instintivamente.
"No buscamos dinero, buscamos justicia. Tu vida ha sido un completo suplicio para las almas de este mundo, has lastimado a mucha gente. Te aprovechaste de la pureza de Judith, de la lealtad de Samuel y de la confianza de todos los que te rodearon alguna vez."
Una de las dos figuras que parecían animal, desapareció con un ruidoso chasquido para aparecer en menos de un segundo detrás de Bruno. Con un aura de sombras que se arrastraban lo envolvió, mostrándole una visión:
Vio a Judith llorando desconsoladamente en el baño, a Samuel con el corazón destrozado por su traición y a Ricardo sentado en un banco de la calle, mirando al vacío sin saber qué hacer...
Por primera vez en su vida, sintió un miedo gélido que no podía controlar y que no entendía de dónde venía.
"El pago por tus acciones es ser borrado, pero no de la vida... SINO DE LA MEMORIA DE TODOS". Declararon al unísono con voces fuertes que retumbaban en cada rincón de la casa.
Las cinco figuras se unieron a su alrededor, formando un vórtice de luz y oscuridad que lo envolvió. Bruno comenzó a gritar pidiendo clemencia, trató de huir y su cuerpo no respondía, unos segundos más tarde no lo sintió más... porque su cuerpo, su voz y su misma existencia se habían desvanecido sin dejar rastro alguno.
Los seres también se habían ido y se hizo un silencio de muerte. La casa quedó vacía, con las luces prendidas, la botella rota en la alfombra y una copa servida en la mesa que "alguien" había dejado allí.
A la mañana siguiente, Judith se despertó con un sentimiento de extraña paz. Algo pesado había desaparecido de su vida, una opresión que no sabía que llevaba. El profundo dolor que había experimentado la noche anterior, ahora no lo comprendía. ¿Por qué estaba llorando tanto? No lograba recordarlo.
Miró a la derecha, la cama estaba vacía. Se extrañó y no sabía la razón, pues nadie ocupaba ese lugar. Del otro lado de la ciudad, Samuel y Ricardo sintieron un alivio similar, el primero dejó de sentir angustia y el segundo jamás perdió su fortuna.
La vida continuó sin el estorbo de Bruno 🙌.
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By @ylich
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0
