“Good morning, Estrella!” - (In English)

Dense tongues of smoke rose from the cup, imbuing the kitchen with that characteristic aroma of freshly brewed coffee. The teaspoon span once and again, helped by her fingers, while she smiled, thinking of everything that had brought her to that moment. She decided she would have the coffee on the terrace, so she went there. As she walked down the corridor, she saw herself reflected in a mirror and smiled when she saw her tangled hair, completely different from how well-groomed it had been the night before. Sipping the coffee, she continued until she entered the balcony and felt the morning breeze. She sat down on a chair and placed her bare feet on the bottom of the railing.
She reflected on how happy she was. She could not believe that after so many love failures she was going to find happiness with someone like Ramón, totally contrary to the prototype of boys she had dated before. Three years later, and just as it happened the morning after that incredible night, she was wearing her Captain America T-shirt, which was so large that even the shirt collar slipped down to reveal her shoulder. She had an immense affection for the garment, as it led to the first conversation between the two of them on the dance floor. It all started at that moment, so she considered that shirt as magical.

Suddenly, she heard the apartment door open and the characteristic sound of Ramón´s keys being deposit in the ceramic bowl next to the entrance. His footsteps could be heard approaching down the hall, but they stopped a few meters before reaching the terrace. Puzzled, she turned her head to look toward de terrace door expecting to see him appear at any moment. She heard how Ramón took a deep breath and resumed his walk towards the balcony. Estrella´s eyes widened when she saw, in his trembling hands, a gold ring. She dropped the cup of coffee, ran to him to hug him and whispered in his ear:
—You are finally mine, Steve Rogers —and then she kissed Ramón on the lips, winked at him and finally snatched the ring from his hands and went to the terrace running through the corridor, while Ramón hurried behind saying:
—Hey, give it back to me! It´s still mine, I have not made the question yet, shameless! —At the same time that Estrella's guffaw was heard in the background, while she circumvented the table and surrounded the sofa pursued by her future husband.

Translated by

Pepe Gallego                                                         Ariadna B.Alonso

“Offline” (English)

They all stopped. In the middle of the dispute, all the robots that were fighting against us, the resistance, stopped and put down their weapons. Unable to understand such behaviour, I tried to find an explanation, a reason of their sudden proceed. But after looking around me, there was just smoke and destruction, nothing that indicates that cessation of hostilities. 
Then it was when I saw her on the inner screen of the helmet. An image slightly blurred and confusing due to the movement of the robot that recorded her, but enough to recognize her. She was the cyborg who took care of me, the one I called mom and then I repudiated when I grew up and understood that she was just a machine and not human like me. She was sat next to the large central computer and a cable was protruding from the back of her neck. The head was tilted and motionless, with one of her hands resting on the cheek. I felt a chill at the sight of the laser impact on her chest. It took me awhile to understand what was happening until I noticed that hand on her face, next to her mouth, that gave a hint of a kiss; I observed the little star, the heart and the different tiny pendants that adorned the bracelet that I gifted her when I was a child. I felt the grief scaling my throat and, taking off my helmet, I couldn´t suppress a gasp with tears. It was then when I realized that a mother is the one who takes care of you, who watches over your sleeplessness and sacrifices herself for giving you a present and a future. She´s able to do it even without being flesh and blood, nor did she have a behavioural protocol installed in her system. She only did it because she was my mother, the only one I have ever met and the only one I will always have.

Six months after that event that I remember now, I no longer hear explosions or bullets whistling around me. The war finished. Now I am sitting at the window of the house and the only sounds are the trill of the birds among the trees, and the rhythmic although soft strumming of my hair with the brush, that one that my mom wields with the usual dexterity after having being repaired.

Pepe Gallego                              (Translated by Ariadna B. Alonso)

“Estrella” ("Star")

I tried to avert my eyes off her but I could not, I was hypnotized. Leaning on the railing of the nightclub, she laughed with her friends while she did not lose any detail of what was happening in the rest of the place, especially the dance floor as it stretched before her like a small lake with heads moving under oscillating lights. I was in a more shadowy side because I never danced. Too much I had done with being pushed by my friends, who forced me to dress contrary to my custom, in addition to picking up my long and tangled hair in a ponytail because they said that otherwise the doormen would not let me in.
I also had to wear a jacket that covered my special edition shirt of Captain America!
Once inside, I took off my coat, untied my ponytail and began to realize that everyone was too well-dressed and my outfit was out of place, but at that point nothing mattered because my attention was focus on her. Someone in full euphoria passing by my side dancing to the music, splashed my glasses with the swing of his glass. 
After cleaning them, I put them back on and when I looked towards the booth I was petrified when I saw that her eyes were fixed on me. I looked around expecting to see some of her friends or some "handsome" or "hunk" she was looking at, but there were just distracted people dancing.
With some hesitation, I half-closed my eyes at her and there she was, looking at me. And she smiled...A smile that for a few seconds paralyzed me until I, embarrassed, looked down. I could not understand that she was looking at me.

After reflecting a few moments and drinking a sip of my beer, my brain rode at breakneck speed looking for a logical explanation. Why me? I suppose she was looking at me just out of curiosity, maybe I was not fitting in there. And I would not blame her because it was true, I felt misplaced, I was not used to going to those places. I'm from heavy pubs, beer, reading comics, painting miniatures and going to the club for role-playing games. But my lifelong friends, who did not have those hobbies, decided that I would not stay at home that Friday and they practically dragged me to the disco. Yes, I was sure she looked at me for being the "freak" of the place, so I took a deep breath and looked up again but she was gone. I supposed she had gone to the bathroom, so I took another sip of my beer and turned to see what my friends were doing or talking about, but what I found was her face in front of me. Seeing my obvious mental block, she smiled again and my knees trembled before I heard her saying:
—I like your T-shirt.
I opened my mouth to say something, perhaps to say thank you, but I think it was just an unintelligible reedy voice at the time my cheeks were burning at the growing blush. She laughed, showing her pearly teeth this time before taking a sip of her gin and tonic.
Suddenly, the music changed and, with her eyes wide open, she said:
—I love this song! — And grabbing my hand, she dragged me to the dance floor after her stumbling among the people, although I had time to see the drawing of a star shaved in her hair. Being in the middle of the dance floor, she pointed to my T-shirt then, the back of her head and smiling, she asked:
—Well, you know my name yet. What´s yours?
—Steve Rogers—I replied keeping from laughing and she let out a guffaw. I was pleasantly surprised to see I had understood the mention.

It seems like yesterday and three years ago today I danced, who would have thought it, until my feet hurt. Now, seeing this golden circle between my nervous fingers, I just hope that Estrella accepts to keep dancing with me for the rest of my days.

Pepe Gallego                                 Translated by Ariadna B. Alonso

“El cabrón” (“The asshole”) - English-

You´ll think that the name by which I´m known is due to my appearance of a goat. Well, if you think so in Spain you´re totally wrong but you´re missing very little. Perhaps, before explaining why, it would be better to start by presenting the nature of my being. I am a spirit. Yes, no kidding, I am. I do understand your disbelief, but even if you don´t believe it, there´re may spirits swarming around you and all with different aptitudes. For instance; there´s the fire one, the nature, the wind, also my colleague Dioni, the wine, which is likeable but no one caught him sober. There is also the water, the land and, as you may know, a very long etc …
In my case, what I like the most is to mess up relationships. Yes, I cannot help it. Is just seeing a happy couple and my mouth watering thinking about how I´m going to make an absolute mess, how do I do it? Well, slipping into their consciences.
I whisper to some to suspect that their partners are unfaithful until the paranoia makes them breaking up. I make others to think of the co-worker rather than their wives. There are some who are persuaded with an idyllic and platonic love which they will never find. I deceive many of them into thinking of being more wonderful than they are and I urge them to leave their partner, so that they then crash into the reality and end up moping around completely repentant.
There are buddies who I dupe so that when they see themselves in the mirror, they think that they are Adonis and despise everyone else because they are not up to their excellence. Of course, when in the end they see that they do not even hook up with a warty witch, they end up wandering around dark places sprinkled with neon lights … Friends and Family? Oh, definitely yes, nobody escapes from my Machiavellian plans. Some, I confront each other for money, others I make them to seduce a friend´s boyfriend, to some others I provoke them to discuss about politics, religion or whatever comes to my mind. The fact is to piss them off because, like it or not, I´m happy with that.

But do not judge me wrong because I love twisting life, please. I just do and enjoy it a lot because basically, besides my physical, I am an asshole, a tremendous and authentic asshole. So you know, keep the secret since if you don´t, I´ll be always able to whisper something into the conscience of your partners, and you will not want that, will you? Yes, I´m just imagining you denying it energetically.
Although thinking about it, you have not options because I´ll piss you off anyway. Do not forget that, only I decide when to make a mess, and have no doubt that I´m preparing the next one. Will it be you? I don´t know, but if I were you, I would not be too calm, heh, heh.

Pepe Gallego                                  Translated by Ariadna B.Alonso

"Troll" (English)

Twisted trees, destroyed houses, devastated villages … The trail of blood, death and destruction in his path seemed to have no end. Men, warriors of chaos, elves, animals and all kind of beasts hung skewered on his macabre collar as trophies. Everything that was on the way of that enormous being, fell prey to his unbridled brutality. All but the one he was looking for with anxiety and desperation. That member of a race who thought long ago extinct in the war against them, the trolls, and who now had executed his revenge in cold blood by snatching his offspring and interrupting the lineage. The humans of the mountains had seen how the ogre, they called “Kannibaal”, was not content to kill the young troll, but also decapitated him; taking with him a piece of skull which he placed with strings as a shoulder pad. Too much pain to be ignored. Night after night for weeks, he had chased his trail through the mountains, forests and moors, but the ogre moved faster by day than he did at night, so he could not reach him. But at some point, whatever the reason, he would have to stop. And that moment would be used by him to kill and devour him.

With the obsession with kannibaal burned into his brain, he went down a slope and glimpsed in the distance a village in flames accompanied by cries. The troll understood that the ogre had recently passed by there or it could even be the case that he still remained in those lands. He hurried but always close to the rocky walls or zigzagging through the trees, looking for the thickest darkness that the surprise factor provided. But when he was close to edge of the village, a bang made him turn his head to the moors. In the darkness it was difficult to see, but the trolls had a magnificent night vision since it was the environment in which they moved, and quickly he detected the silhouette of the stone sanctuary. Automatically, he looked at the grass and easily discerned the footprints of a being, which according to the footsteps, should be around four meters. It was a big ogre, no doubt, but it was still at a disadvantage compared to his more than seven meters. Verslinder, that is to say “devourer”, as the inhabitants of the highlands nicknamed that imposing and angered troll, pulled up a young tree that was next to him, held it up with both arms like a gigantic spear, and began to run towards the sanctuary. There, “kannibaal”, to whom barely managed to stop, Toorn and Woeden, two warriors of chaos; was completely oblivious to the annoyed mass that in seconds would come upon him by surprise.

Translated by

Pepe Gallego                                                        Ariadna B. Alonso

"Hispalis" (english)

He wandered aimlessly through the streets of the old Sevillian town, immersed in his musings. It was the first hours of a cold January evening and it had been raining all day as usual during the last week. Now it did it with less intensity, but the inclement gusty wind caused the drizzle and the cold to be biting, and the few passers-by who ventured to face such a panorama, either by labour obligation or by matters that required to cross the streets of downtown, imbued their faces behind the raised collars of their coats to mitigate, as far as possible, that unpleasant laceration.
Not John, he simply walked aimlessly. He did not seem to make a dent in the storm because his mind abstracted him from everything around. An exhausted, outdated, overcome by circumstances thought. After the quarantine of springs, he couldn´t understand how he had reached the point of not believing in how the people around, even in an ephemeral way, enjoyed. Love…Why did he refuse again and again to enjoy that feeling? He was not a bad-tempered man. On the contrary, he used to overflow sympathy in his day to day without falling into the caricature of the tired clown. He was a hard worker, a reasonable cultured person, with an education and values that were more than acceptable. Yes, he had his faults like everyone else and he was aware of them, and maybe he was not physically and Adonis, but he was not an ugly guy either and the proof was that it didn´t take too long without some female feeling attraction for him. So, what was wrong? Why did none of these women really bet on him? John wasn´t, as it is said, a “womanizer”, he really wanted to meet someone who truly showed him that she really wanted to know him, someone who felt the need to see him, to be with him. But the reality was that he did not get it, no matter how hard he tried.

After a long time entangled in his reflections, his feet took him to the Air alley. Halfway through it, he passed a massage and Arab baths premises, looked inside and stopped walking. Behind the glass door, the dark face of a woman grabbed his attention. The girl, who at that moment was chatting with a colleague, exhibited a cheerful pearly smile and a beautiful almond shaped eyes that dazzled John´s gesture. But soon he thought that such a girl, with that beauty and at least ten years younger, would never notice someone like him, an outmoded man of reached maturity, or as he used to say, that the second half of his game had already begun.
With that conclusion in his mind, he lifted the collar of his leather jacket and continued walking down the alley. Meanwhile, inside those Arab baths, the girl gave a kind of jump and turned off her smile while looking towards the door.
—What's happening to you? —Asked his colleague to see the unusual reaction.
—Nothing, I've felt a chill —Azucena answered, still looking at the empty entrance to the enclosure that was only usurped by the gusting drizzle.

John, who continued walking until the end of the passage, turned the corner towards Mármoles Street and found those three Roman columns so striking and that always made him to stop and admire them, although most of the time he stopped before them because they brought him a kind of serenity that allowed him to immerse himself in his thoughts. He didn´t know exactly why that happened to him in front of the beautiful white columns, since he was not an architecture expert and, although he liked the history of the city, he was not a passionate either. However, without knowing it, whenever he passed by, he would stare at them in silence while his brain discerned the problems through his convoluted mental corridors. However, without knowing it, whenever he passed by, he stared at them in silence while his brain discerned the problems through his convoluted mental corridors.
The columns could be completely seen in summer even though they were lower than the street level, but in winter they were used to be covered almost half way by the water, plants and flowers due to the rains, and this was precisely the case.
John leaned on the grey grille that separated him from the pit where they were, looking to the water lilies which were floating on water hit by the fine drizzle and between which leaped a small frog. He closed his eyes and started to meditate on his bad luck with the opposite sex, and for a moment the anguish broke the usual strong and cheerful personality that characterised him. He was not the type of man who cry easily, quite the contrary, he was the typical tough guy who try to hide his worst moments by disguising them with a mask of carnivalesque smile or by shutting up the crying in a prison of haughty pride. Nevertheless, at that moment he felt miserable and could not prevent that ball of anguish climbing his throat to his eyes, moistening them with the salty secretion.

After a few seconds, he swallowed hard trying to calm himself and then he felt as if someone was looking at him. He turned his head to see that there was no one there. But when he looked back at the columns, he froze at what his eyes saw. The frog, which moments before was jumping between the leaves, clung to the hand of a girl who was half submerged in the water and who was staring at him without paying attention to the amphibian. A pale-skinned girl with half-dark brown hair and half green that matched with her big emerald eyes. She looked at him with a calm expression and a shy smile drawn on his lips.
— Who are you? — asked John incredulous.
The girl said nothing, but the leaves and water lilies that floated on the improvised pond started to swirl around her to place in such a way that hey formed a name.
—Astela…—he blabbed— But, how have you done that? It can´t be! — And putting his hands on his face, he concluded— it must be my imagination, I must be going crazy.
—This is real —the voice penetrated John´s mind without passing through his ears— your imagination has nothing to do with it. I´m in town since it was called Hispalis. Do not be scared, I´m going to help you.
Very slowly, John uncovered his face lowering his hands, and looked at her again.
—Why me? I´m nobody, why have you chosen to help me from so many people?
—Because every winter, when these columns inundate, I look at you passing by.
—But I´ve never seen you.
—I choose who and when you can see me.
—And what reason has driven you to show yourself today and want to help me?
—Your heart.
—My heart? Can you see it?
—No, but I can feel it. And for the first time in times you have stopped in this place, I´ve felt a soul that darkened drowned in the uneasiness and bitterness.
John lowered his eyes assuming the truth that Astela had found out and until that moment only he thought he knew.
At that instant, footsteps seemed to approach. Footsteps with the classic sound that the hooves of the horses usually make, but whose rhythm didn´t match with a quadruped like an equine, because they sound like a biped. John looked at Astela and she looked towards the Air alley. She looked at him again and said:
—It is coming.
—How? Who is coming?
—I think Haiiaa has already found a remedy to light up your darkness.
—What? Who is Haiiaa? What remedy?
—Not only there are deities like me in Seville. They are terrestrial and from other eras, as when the Muslims called the city Isbiliya.
John, who was looking at that moment to the corner where those footsteps were heard closer and closer, heard the water nymph say:
—But calm down, she knows what she does.
He turned to look at Astela but there was no trace of her, only waves in the water and the frog coming out of it climbing a creeper.

The sound of the hooves was already at the bend and John held his breath waiting to see another spirit, but what he saw left him perplexed. The dark complexion, the beautiful jet-black hair and the almond-shaped eyes met his gaze. She gave him the snowy smile he saw through the glass of the Arab baths a while before, breaking the silence with a "hello" that made him shudder, and barely managed to return the greeting by initiating a conversation. Meanwhile, a half-woman, half-deer shadow slithered on the way to the Royal Alcazares, observed by eyes from the small pond that bathed the Roman columns. Emerald eyes.

Translate by

Pepe Gallego                                                        Ariadna B. Alonso

"Igrak" (English)

She was small, squalid and physically weak in comparison with all those who were born in her time. It was done what it was usual to do with the newborns that did not present the physical canons that the race of the orcs required, discard it. She was taken to the great crevice between the cliffs, along with other wretched babies, where she was abandoned to certain death. But a couple of days later, one of the old orcs who patrolled the boundaries, heard a strange sound that the meandering wind between the colossal mountain dragged in an echo. Motivated by curiosity, he went down to the area where there were lots of small bodies, some recently dead, others decaying chewed by the rats, and in the vast majority there was only a skeleton left. To his surprise, he found still alive and crying, that insignificant creature. It seemed impossible that it still breathe, but the merit of clinging to the life of the tiny being prompted the old orc to take her back.

The girl survived and grew up under the protection of her rescuer, who called her Igrak. But he died when she was only six years old, so she was handed over to a family of unscrupulous orcs. They treated her with blows, they chained her like a vermin for the sole purpose of doing the most unpleasant tasks, was fed with the bones and leftovers of their own food. But at the age of fourteen, one of the multiple beatings to which she was subjected by the head of the family, this time in public in the middle of one of the town squares, Igrak took advantage of a neglect and bit with all her might the back of his right knee, bringing in tissues, muscles and ligaments. The surprise orc fell down screaming in pain, and before he could go back on his feet, Igrak leaped on him with a large stone gripped with both hands, and began to hit his face with all the strength that conferred the anger and hatred accumulated during years. No one dared stand in the fierce scene. Only when the orc´s face was a bloody and misshapen mess, did a young warrior take the stone away from Igrak and, to everyone´s astonishment, held out her hand to get her up.
That same day the young woman joined the warrior hordes where she was placed in front, right in the place of those who first die in battle, but far from bowing to the inevitable, she was surviving while developing her small body to become a vigorous and bone-crushing warrior thanks to an innate aggressiveness and ability to fight.

Now she has the respect of all her fellows, including Rykur, that warrior who one day snatched the bloody stone that gave her the freedom, and now fought side by side with his female, Igrak herself.

Translated by

Pepe Gallego                                                        Ariadna B. Alonso

“Kannibaal, the ogre”

(English version)

Toorn was in front of the Arch of Sacrifices, leaning on his ax, with a knee on the ground, and murmuring a few words in that sacred place where some many times he had been taking as offerings mutilated heads of his human enemies. But this time the inequality before his adversary didn’t benefit the Chaos warrior. This time the rival almost triple him in size. And not just that, but also in power and ferocity. Woedend approached Toorn, and waited for him to finish with his prayers. When he did so, he stood up looking at her to listen what she was about to say.

—Nobody knows how, he simply appeared out from nowhere. Nothing is known about him, only what the desperate human who got to the village asking for help told us. He said that he is an ogre called Kannibaal and he’s destroying everything he finds on his way.

—But, that is not possible, it’s supposed that ogres were a breed that extinguished long time ago. In fact, they fell because of the Trolls, and these have been living in the mountains for centuries.

—Well, it may have not fallen all of them, because this one is very alive, and he is not taking prisoners on the way, as the troll´ skull tied to his shoulder or the head of the wretched human that hang form his chest shows.

Toorn was pensive and when he was about to talk, a noise resounded at the bottom of the lounge. Woedend looked at him with wide-open eyes, but it was Toorn who talked putting his helmet on.

—He must have followed you, be ready, it may be this one our last battle.

Toorn took his shield with his left hand and squeezed with the right one the handle of his ax waiting for the action. Woedend moved in zigzag between the columns searching for the right place to aim his bow from and to hit with his arrows. The wooden door and the stone-lintels that the door was attached to, were blown up in pieces and showed up the imposing silhouette of Kannibaal. He was brandishing in his hands a piece of log with all kinds of weapons attached to it, from swords to axes, also lances and many arrows. He stood still staring at the Warriors of Chaos, calculating the situation, and they could notice in his look the lack of guilty feeling. He was a destructive killing machine that wouldn’t stop before nothing or nobody, and now he was going for them.
Toorn didn’t wait anymore and started to run towards the ogre. Woedend kept the breath and stretched the bow.
Kannibaal, turning the cold expression of his eyes into a latent madness that presaged an infinite thirst of blood, leant back his body to give more movement and brutality to his imminent attack.

Pepe Gallego                                 Translated by Ariadna B.Alonso



<a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/"><img alt="Licencia de Creative Commons" style="border-width:0" src="https://i.creativecommons.org/l/by-nc-sa/4.0/88x31.png" /></a><br /><span xmlns:dct="http://purl.org/dc/terms/" href="http://purl.org/dc/dcmitype/Text" property="dct:title" rel="dct:type">Kannibaal, the ogre (English )</span> by <a xmlns:cc="http://creativecommons.org/ns#" href="http://elrincondepepegallego.blogspot.com.es/2017/10/kannibaal-ogre_18.html" property="cc:attributionName" rel="cc:attributionURL">Pepe Gallego</a> is licensed under a <a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/">Creative Commons Reconocimiento-NoComercial-CompartirIgual 4.0 Internacional License</a>.

“Misericordia”

(English version)

Over the roofs, a silent shadow shifted dizzily. Down, through the dark and cobbled streets, a cold perspiration covered the forehead of a man who hastily run with the terror inundated his eyes. Darkness was just partially broken by oil lamps that timidly illuminated the facades of some houses, since that night the moon didn´t gift its enchanted light. With the heart about coming out from his chest, the man fled across Santa Cruz´ maze of alleys reaching Mrs. Elvira´s square finding what he was looking for, a bustling place where getting lost as an improvised refuge, and that way, being able of eluding his pursuer. The rejoicing of a proposal, facilitated the nocturnal runner a priceless subterfuge to pass unperceived. He followed the retinue across the alleys on the way to the cathedral, passing in front of the door where that Jew in love with a Christian nobleman, to whom, scared of being killed, revealed the secret plan that her father plotted with others in order to revolt against the Christian oppression, contributing to their arrest and execution. Being regretful for the consequence of that act, buried in shame her days requesting that after her death, her head was placed over the door of her house as a payment for the betrayal which tormented her life.

In that moment, the celebration was interrupted due to a terrific female shout, when a blood trail violently came from the carotid of who believed was saved amongst the crowd.
A circle was opened among the people and someone brought an oil lamp closer to illuminate the body, next to it a hooded figure that, absolutely calm, whispered some words while slid with mercy his fingers over the victim´ eyelids to cover his already, dilated pupils. He looked up the sorrowful crowd from the gloomy den that his hood provided to his vivacious eyes, and then one of the witness exclaimed:
—Murderer! —But they had barely walked two steps on the direction to the attacker, when he fled from the siege running with an amazing agility over the wall and jumping to a window, which gave him the thrust enough to disappear over the roofs facing the astonishment of all who assisted such a marvel.
That night, on the streets of Seville, a body of a Christian lied in front of the beautiful Susona´s house, with her sinister skull more macabre than ever dominating the lintel of the door splashed of scarlet.

Pepe Gallego
(Translated by Ariadna B. Alonso)


<a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/"><img alt="Licencia Creative Commons" style="border-width:0" src="https://i.creativecommons.org/l/by-nc-nd/4.0/88x31.png" /></a><br /><span xmlns:dct="http://purl.org/dc/terms/" property="dct:title">"Misericordia" (English)</span> por <a xmlns:cc="http://creativecommons.org/ns#" href="http://pedrofernandezworks.blogspot.com.es/2017/02/misericordia_27.html" property="cc:attributionName" rel="cc:attributionURL">Pepe Gallego</a> se distribuye bajo una <a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/">Licencia Creative Commons Atribución-NoComercial-SinDerivar 4.0 Internacional</a>.

"On Line"

(English version)

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There are so many questions I have not answer for, that confirm my obsolete version. An old mechanism that includes too many errors and needs an urgent reset. However, those questions that my software can´t solve, only I have them. It will be me defective? I´m convinced to that.
How to value an emotional state to which I was not programmed to? Why did I assimilate feelings? That is the Human attribute that makes them so weak.
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She said she loved me. What is to love? According to my register it can mean love, but I can´t hold that kind of things. Why do I feel so bad since she left then? May my programming be able to learn or interpret human feelings? It shouldn´t be like this.
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Her bracelet … I still have it around my left wrist to look at it, touch it, project memories to my memory fields. Her first steps, the humidity of her kisses on my synthetic face, the hug when she woke up in the early morning crying due to a nightmare. She told me that a monster chases her in dreams. Those terms, like nightmare or dream, I technically know what they mean, but I will never experience any of them. So, why can I feel? I had to have turned to my creator to ask him those questions before he was executed. I need to know why my circuits constantly recreate her face. I´m eager to understand why it causes me sorrow, when it´s not an attribute that robots should have. It’s too late to find it out now.
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That´s why I must charge the main computer with all this information, because living together with humans improves our system, or I think so, which is certain that I can believe in something. Following versions after mine restrict itself to absorb scripted datum, protocols to use. So maybe revealing to here all I know, it could help to others similar to me, to understand and the war ends.
She left because when she grew up she didn´t want that her mother was me, a robot female.
Load completed … 100%
The guards have already arrived and their lasers will disintegrate my circuits, since I have broken the first and second protocol, getting online to the main computer and install non-authoritative information. I don’t care, my baby´s gone and I´m nothing without her love, just a machine.
Functioning Error.
Defective terminal.
Log off.

Pepe Gallego

(Translated by Ariadna B. Alonso)

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"Amon"

(English Version)

“I forgive you”…Yes, there was a moment when this phrase entertained him because he held the lives of people in his hands, and that made him to feel close to God’s power. Sadly, that amusement was just for a while, maybe a couple of days. The malice that he cherished was not satisfied with just that, he needed to give free rein to his sadism, feed the ravenous cruelty that dominated him.
To see him appeared from the field visits caused anguish, unease, fear. An indescribable terror captured us when the coldness of his eyes reached us, the mute intentions hidden behind his cynical smile, the slight that distilled his look when observed us, or the despotism shown when he talked to us. His parabellum executed without rhyme or reason. It was not a possible pattern to follow to escape from his cannon. It wasn’t either a behaviour which distanced you from his miserable actions. Everything was a matter of luck, of not being in the right place at the wrong time. If his pupil took notice of you, the die was cast.

But from all those horrors lived during that mutilated of innocent childhood, the one he visualised with more clarity was the balcony one. Every morning, terrified, we looked out of the corner of our eyes the instant he appeared on that flat roof, thinking about who would be the next in receiving a shot on the head coming from his riffle. When he leant out only half-dressed, his favourite activity was improving the aim,

shooting at us. To some, for taking a weary rhyme due to the inanition, to others, if they had the bad luck of being having a break from any hard work in that moment. And to the majority, randomly, as a habit, just for fun. Terror made the Plaszow prisoner’s nape hair stand on end with just seeing him appear.

A gallows executed him seconds later his throat uttered a succinct and defiant “Heil Hitler”. A rope that arrived too late for thousands of hearts he blew out. Amon, is the nightmare that has persecuted me throughout my life. A bitter nightmare that unfortunately was real, too real.

Pepe Gallego

(Translated by Ariadna B. Alonso)


<a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/"><img alt="Licencia Creative Commons" style="border-width:0" src="https://i.creativecommons.org/l/by-nc-sa/4.0/88x31.png" /></a><br /><span xmlns:dct="http://purl.org/dc/terms/" href="http://purl.org/dc/dcmitype/Text" property="dct:title" rel="dct:type">"Amon" (English Versión)</span> por <a xmlns:cc="http://creativecommons.org/ns#" href="http://pedrofernandezworks.blogspot.com.es/2016/09/amon_14.html" property="cc:attributionName" rel="cc:attributionURL">Pepe Gallego</a> se distribuye bajo una <a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/">Licencia Creative Commons Atribución-NoComercial-CompartirIgual 4.0 Internacional</a>.

"Isbiliya"

(English Version)

The ball’s rolling across the stone pavement, going back and forth due to the boy’s excited kicks, who at the same time was relating the play as a proper sports commentator. The sunset of that Sevillian evening at the end of March, tinged the Hispalense capital orange-coloured preceding the imminent nightfall over the city. And beneath that canopy nearly in dimness, came across the attentive look of ancient eyes.
- Do not kick it so strong, boy, because if it fall into the river you’ll lose the ball.
The kid ignored the words of the elderly man and continued with his play while saying:
- Look what I do, grandpa!
He tried to rise it up and kick it high to imitate his footballer idols, but it went out of control with the bad luck, that it happened exactly what the voice of the experience predicted moments before. The spherical object ended up in the water and the sad boy observed how the current swept it along the Guadalquivir River, dragging it slightly to the south.
- Come on! – said his granddad resting his aged hands on the kid’s
shoulders, and trying to cheer him up. He suggested – Do not worry
about the ball, you will see how someone will walk by, take it and give it back to you.
- Who? Granddad? – The boy asked not convinced of the man’s words.
- Well, I don’t know, anyone from the rowing club who might be training, for instance – and half-closing his eyes to pique the curiosity of the boy, he said – or maybe Haiiaa will be the one to give it back to you.
- Who is Haiiaa? – asked the kid with a startled face when he heard a name that he hadn’t heard before.
- Don’t you know that story? – And in light of the kid’s denial, the old man continued – Right, come; I’ll tell you. And if during this time you don’t get the ball back, I’ll will buy you a new one before we get home, but – and raising his finger as a warning – but your mother can not find it out, eh!
The kid smiled looking at his grandfather with complicity.
- Well, sit down next to me – the little boy paid attention and sat down on the stone wall that surrounded Paseo Colon.
- Look! Everything started almost a thousand years ago right here, next to the river, when …

* * * * * *

The peace transmitted by the perfect natural conjunction of the tranquil and crystalline waters of the river, added to the trill of the birds accommodated in trees next to the dock, and the soft breeze of that beautiful spring-like evening, was used by Al-Mutamid to take a walk with his friend, the poet and adviser, Aben Amar.
The king liked to be carried along by poetry and in that moment, walking nearby the Boat Bridge that joined the city with Triana neighbourhood, tried to connect a few verses taking benefit from the west sun reflected over the water:

Breeze converts the river

Into a chainmail doublet …

But, however much he insisted; neither he nor his friend would manage to conclude those verses. After a few instants that both were thoughtful, a feminine voice turned up behind them.

Breeze converts the river

Into a chainmail doublet,

There’s not a better doublet

If it’s frozen by the cold

Those verses were enunciated by Itimad, a slave belonging to a trader from Triana, from whom the king was infatuated. He didn’t need to buy her from the trader, since he gifted him saying that she was lazy and too imaginative.
Al- Mutamid took her to his palace and made her his wife.

- Wait a moment, granddad!
- Tell me.
- You just said that she was called Itimad but before you said Haiiaa.
- Sure! Because the lead character in this story is Haiiaa, Itimads’s niece.
- Ahhhh, ok! – exclaimed the little boy understanding.
- Do not come ahead of time and let me continue …

Itimad, really appreciated her niece, who apparently had inherited the same cheerful and dreamy personality, as well as the love for books. Haiiaa, that’s the lady’s name, moved years later to the palace to live with her aunt, counting with Al- Mutamid’s consent, since this could give some company to both the queen and Zaida, her daughter, while the king could be also more dedicated to the conflicts of the Taifas Kingdom, which in that moment was shared with Christians and afterwards with Almoravids, those who he had asked for help to defeat against the first ones.
Haiiaa, when she was not playing with her cousin or listening to the wise advices of her aunt, she was in the library as it was her favourite place. Very few people had access to this there, where besides there was a section of banned books for the Muslim community.
Even though she was attracted by the temptation of reading some titles that there were in that section, specially some files that according to its look, must be very old and where it was written the inscription of “Tartessos”, that ancient and mysterious people who lived in Isbiliya centuries ago. She didn’t even think about breaking the king’s order either the severe punishment that would
suppose the fact.

One morning, while she was immersed in one of her favourite reads, she heard an unusual whisper for those hours. She ran to see what was going on and then, she saw him. His bearing was impressive; a robust, vigorous man, rugged features, surrounded by crude men like him, was received, in person, by Al-Mutamid, who, with a sign, sent those men’ horses to the stables for being duly
care.
They went into the palace and walked to one of the best rooms where they could take a sit to dine and drink while talking joyfully. When Haiiaa could get closer to talk to her aunt, she asked her:
- Who is that man, and what does it make him so important that the king welcome him in person?
He’ s Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar – Itimad answered, and still with the unanswered look of her niece in front of her, annotated – El CID Campeador.
Haiiaa’s face changed, because she knew about the adventures of that powerful knight who annihilated full armies on the command of his men.
- You have nothing to worry about! The king is just trying to have an accord with him if help is needed against the Almoravids, since they seem more and more anxious to rule the Taifas kingdom.

When meeting was over, while Al-Mutamid was saying goodbye to Cid, he gave him a present that impressed the hefty warrior. A spectacular horse, the best one you could have ever seen around the poet king possessions, was given as a gift. Babieca, that was the horse name, was left mount for Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar and went out the palace at full gallop followed by his men on their respective saddles. Years passed and Haiiaa had become a damsel with a
spectacular beauty. Not a few suitors had tried to marry her, but they always found the king’s negative, advised by his wife Itimad, who appreciated her niece as her own daughter. Therefore any candidate seemed good enough for her protected.

An evening, while walking through the gardens being bathed by the perfume of the orange blossom, she heard a sudden stir. The most reliable servant had been sent by the queen to inform the girl to go urgently to her room using the secret passage that connected the library with the royal bedroom. Haiiaa did not doubt even a moment and ran to her favourite place, activated the passage
door and quickly went over it to get into the queen’s room. Once there, she understood that something was wrong, so she saw immediately the worry reflected on her aunt’s face.
- What happen, aunt? -asked with the fear slipping her words.
- You must go, Haiiaa.
- But, why?
- I have no time to explain, but pay heed to me. You should go to the end of the bathroom area, but you can not do it directly crossing the gardens, it would be too dangerous. You will do this. Go out to the fruit trees courtyard, go down the narrow stairs of the bottom of the room and you will reach …
- Yes, to the Visigoth columns hall, I do know very well the palace, aunt.
Itimad smiled and caressed her face before continuing, aware of the
intelligence and curiosity that always had defined her niece’s personality.
- Behind the last column on the right, push the mosaic on the wall which has a lighter colour than the rest. It’s not because is hackneyed, is to distinguish the right place to be pushed to enter – and facing the lady’s surprised look, Itimad added – I supposed that you hadn’t find this shortcut out.
As I was saying, get into it and you will find a small spiral staircase that connects to a narrow corridor. It’ll lead you to a gallery. Follow it and you will get to the side corridors that end in the main bathroom hall. Cross them, and as you already know, at the bottom there are many tunnels excavated on the wall which are sealed; they were used by the workers to transport and keep materials to build the room.
But one of them, the one that is more on the right hand side, is a fake wall that on the moment, that it’s touched, activates an open mechanism that will show you the longest corridor of the palace, since it will lead you outskirts of the city. Leave and as soon as you get to the other side, someone will be waiting for you obeying my orders. That person will hide you until everything’s over, and
in no way whatsoever think about coming back until we say so.
- And what will happen with you and the King? Where is Zaida?
- You don’t have to think about that now, we’ll be fine. We’re the Royal Family. But what I am worried about is that the Almoravids could take some measures against you in case this gets worse.

- Granddad, who were the Almoravids?
- They were a radical part of the Muslims, completely consecrated to the religion and not only did they attack the Christians and other people that had different religions, but also the Muslims who didn’t get the religion as they did, but deeper into their lives such as culture or poetry.
- Like Haiiaa, granddad?
- Yes, like Haiiaa, Itimad, Al-Mutamid and like the majority of the
Muslims from the Taifas Kingdom. To them, anyone who didn’t adopt the Faith as a way of life, were classified as “infidel”.
- Aaaaah… Look granddad – suddenly said the sad boy, pointing at the river - the ball is even further away.
- Forget about it for now, I’ve told you I’ll buy you another one on the way back home.
- Weeeeeell! – answered the boy resigned.
- Would you like me to keep telling you the story about Haiiaa? – The kid just agreed and, after being kissed by his grandfather on the forehead, he continued with the tale.

- Let’s go! Leave! We don’t have too much time – Itimad ordered to her niece, as soon as she clearly heard the screams and the noise getting closer.
The girl, showing the fear on her face, assented to it and went back into the passage. When she got into the library, she was going to go through without further ado, but she suddenly stopped when she remembered something. For a few seconds she stared at the banned books shelving. As when someone activates a switch, she went straight to the shelving, took the ancient Tartessos papyrus scrolls which during many years a lot of people wanted to read, and
hid them under her arm.
Before going to the fruit trees courtyard to follow the route indicated by her aunt, she diverted and went to her room to take some belongings and improvise a rolled up cloths to safeguard them, specially the priceless files, and start with the escape. Over there, she found a couple of servants who got startled when they saw her, but they didn’t say a word when they realized that
she was just providing to leave as soon as possible. A brightness of flames came from the outside of the palace walls, so danger started to be imminent.
Very quickly, Haiiaa went out the room facing the servants, and ran heading the courtyard. She walked next to an apple tree and stopped to pick some apples and take them with her, thus she didn’t know if she would need them to be fed during the escape.
Suddenly she felt something, as a wave of a low-intense impact, but loud enough to make her stop. After a few seconds, she supposed that it was coming from the skirmish between Al-Mutamid and Almoravids troops, so she turned back to pick another apple. When she got the third one, felt that impact again and this time she was sure about its origin.
Stressed, she slowly looked to the left side wall. Apples fell from her hands and rolled along the floor, while her eyes got out of perspective when she saw kind of a face relieve appearing from the mosaic structure. A face got from the worst nightmares, looking like a mixture between a human and a feline. The girl rubbed her eyes thinking she was seeing hallucinations, and when she saw
back, that shape had disappeared. She had a deep breath, picked up the apples and made a gesture of continuing. But before starting, she observed something that she hadn’t seen before. On the very low of the walls, there was a small painting on the mosaic. She got closer to see it better and she recognized the figure of an animal that seemed kind of a deer.
The sound, more and more close of the battles outside, dragged her out of her thoughts and she decided to continue through where her aunt had told her, so she went down the narrow stairs and looked for the last column at the Visigoth columns hall. She was not late in finding the lightest area on the mosaic tiling and, a bit scared, she pushed it. A thin trail of sand started to fall from the wall, coming from the top that seemed kind of a door drawn on the go, and which a moment before it wasn’t there. With a noise of a heavy stone
that seemed being activating the open mechanism, the door gave way and in front of Haiiaa appeared a spiral stairs.
She doubted for a second, but finally she went down the stairs to the narrow corridor.
Blindly, she moved forward the galley, and after the last bend she reached one of the side corridors that ended at the central one that preceded the bathrooms.
She carefully leant out but she saw nobody, so she went out, went into the waters of the main pool and crossed it in silence. But when she was reaching the end, heard voices coming from the entrance and when she turned back she saw shadows of two persons approaching to the edge of the pond.
The only idea that she could conceived it was keeping the breathing and hide span under the surface. She was not used to do that sort of things, and soon she started to feel the lack of air. She covered her nose with her hand as using clothes pegs and tried to concentrate in keeping the air as much as possible, but she couldn’t hold it on too much more.
When she felt that she was about to faint, she suddenly got her head out and opened her mouth with the unmistakable sound of hoping to get back the breath. It was nobody, but soon she heard a voice that said:
- What was that?
- It was coming from the bathroom, so let’s go back there to see!
When she heard this, Haiiaa hurried up to get out from the water because if she was discovered she was condemned. She got to the end of the pond, got out and ran to the right hand side disappearing from the sight at the same time that the figures were getting there.
These figures were whispering while seeing the swinging waters, but the girl didn’t wait to confirm what was going on. She went directly to the gallery hidden on the right, pushed its front and it opened laterally leaving in view the entrance to the alley that Itimad had mentioned.
She hesitated a bit, but when she saw the brightness of a close flame, she went through the opening. It was evident that Itimad, or rather the royal service, maintained the place for when it was necessary to use it.

A few moments after being inside, the door mechanism closed itself and the girl stayed almost in total darkness. She got closer to the light that she had seen from outside and it was just a few steps away, and saw the oil lamp with the flame lit, while next to her there was kind of stone canal with a thick liquid
inside.
Haiiaa moved the flame closer and automatically the small fire ran across lighting oil lamps attached to the wall along the alley. The girl, with open mouth, saw how well everything was prepared in the palace, as usual, and she was pleased of being able to orient herself through that darkness that had left of being so pronounced.
She walked so long through the alley without knowing exactly how long, but she supposed she must be away enough from the palace. She stopped to rest and sat down on the humid floor. After doubting a bit, she took the prohibited papyrus taken from the library, and she pretended to open to browse through them a bit, but she remembered the teaching and laws instilled from when she was a child about the forbidden lectures, and she didn’t do it.
She ate one of the juicy apples from the King’s garden, stood up and continued.

After a while, she heard soft voices. She slowed down and tried to prick up her ears. When she was close by the corridor where they came from, she heard.
- I’m not going to ask you again, what are you doing here and who you’re waiting for?
- I’m just resting – tried to make excuses the other interlocutor.
- Hey, look! Behind here there’s something hidden on the rock. It seems kind of an entrance to a secret cave.
- You’ve lied to us! Who’re you waiting for?
- Miss Haiiaa, if you are listening to me, Run away! – screamed the
interrogated person voice.
- Die, damned infidel! – It was heard from the one who was pestering after the quick and distinctive metallic hiss of a sword when it’s drawn.
After that, just a macabre gurgle was heard.
The girl had to bite her clothing to not shriek while sobbing noiselessly. But she didn’t take long to compose herself when she heard footsteps. She leant out stealthily to the corner and discerned two Almoravid soldiers who were approaching brisk walking along the corridor, so she turned back and started to run through the passage. The soldiers heard her and also ordered her to stop
while starting to run as well. The persecution was set and Haiiaa had to think with promptness, since if she continued through the tunnel the only way was the interior of the palace, although her options were limited and it was not too much else to do.
But then, she felt again that low intensity impact, this time under her arm, exactly coming from the Tartessos files, that made her drop them with fear.
The soldiers, due to their munitions and clothes, ran slower and the young girl was ahead of them, although not too much. Haiiaa bent down to pick the papyrus up, and while doing it she felt a presence behind her. She turned back in tension, and on the humid wall of mud she saw again that face that had seen before reflected on the mosaic. This time she didn’t deny the invitation, to call it somehow, and got closer to the face that it didn’t disappeared as the first
time, the other way round, stayed there, staring at her.
Not far away, it was already heard the trotting and the soldier’ expletives.
- Who are you? - babbled the young girl, but she had not answer.
Haiiaa raised her hand and trembling in fear, touched that face. One more time a graze of stones activated another entrance that got dented on the humid wall and another secret cave showed up. The girl did not hesitate it was her opportunity to get the soldiers out the way to the palace, so she came in and before running to it, left an apple on the floor next to the door to attract her persecutors. These, when stopped hearing the girl’ hurried footsteps, slowed their march down doing signs between them and stopped for a moment to listen. Perceiving nothing, moved slowly forward trying to make the less noise possible, without knowing that on the moment they stopped it gave more time to the girl to escape.
Haiiaa had to wait until her eyes got used to the total darkness of the limited passage, since there continued the oil canal lighting the tiny oil lamps, but being sufficient separated one from the other, it considerably complicated the advance. Nevertheless, she had enough overtaken to stop for a while to rest next to one of the oil lamps that faintly illuminated the place. She turned the papyrus sideways and understood that perhaps it would be the last oportunity to leaf through the pages, so would be little reason if it was forbidden or not, and it was nobody present either to corroborate that she had read it. So with no doubt, she unrolled them and started to read. Apparently, they were about deities like gods of the nature adored by the Tartessos. When one of them was turned over, her eyes got bigger staying astounded. That feline and human mixed face that she had already seen in two occasions, it
was there, looking at her from the ancient illustration.
At the footer, it was a name, Baal. Specifically, it was a hybrid between a human and an Iberian lynx. Haiiaa kept asking herself what it could mean. At the back of the file, there were kind of instructions under the name of each deity, which explained the way of being invoked o make some kind of adoration, rite o covenant with them. Se went straight to the Baal one and read:

Four words separate you from your desires,

Four spells wouldn’t be the same,

But four kings couldn’t achieve it either,

Although my price will strike your worries,

And don’t take this bustle lightly,

Since my power will capture you in your desires,

So run away and consider my advice,

Or condemn yourself to my will of an old lynx.

Under the text that advised of its power, there was a drawing where a man with close eyes had a hand over the Baal face set on the wall, while stretched the other arm up. And together with the illustration exactly four words, just like the poem said:

“All for my desires”

Haiiaa felt a shiver when she read that. If she had discovered it before the whirlwind that was there that evening, surely she wouldn’t have taken it seriously, she would have thought that everything was just legends. But after seeing appearing twice the god face silhouette of the Tartessos god of nature, she was clear about it wasn’t any swindle and if it was between forbidden
lectures it must be for something.
Automatically, she became aware of what meant that the Almoravids triumphed on their assault to the palace. What would happen with her family?
Her aunt Itimad, her cousin Zaida, Al-Mutamid, the kingdom of Taifas, her loved city of Isbiliya. The angst lumped in her throat at times and her eyes got dampened. She felt impotence of not helping, of wanting to escape like a thief.
If at least had an opportunity of saving her world even at the expense of losing life, she would do it without hesitate.
Suddenly, footsteps were heard one more time in the gallery and she understood that the soldiers would have found the apple, entered into the alley and gone in hunt of her. Before she could pick the papyrus up, the resounding low frequency impact felt previously, materialised it in front of her again on the wall, where slowly the Baal face was formed. The soldier footsteps were
closer, so she had to decide if continuing with the escape or stay and try an agreement with that deity as said the files, which probably it’ll get her nowhere and ended with a certain death.
Lastly, she understood that she didn’t want to live hidden due to the fear and without the joy of her beloved ones and her lovely Isbiliya, so she decided to stay, re-read the Baal’s words, took a deep breath and said:
- I’ll submit to your willpower if with it you save my world.
She raised the left arm up to Baal face, also the right one, closed her eyes and said:
- All for my wishes – and pressed the face of that Tartessic god face.
Such of a whitish and shining nebula appeared from nowhere lighting completely the place where the young girl was. Instantly, the soldier running was audible on her direction, surely alerted for the brightness. In the middle of that magic effect, the Baal figure appeared from the fog facing the uncontrollable trembling of the young girl, which eyes were disproportionate due to the fear.
- So be it ‘till the end – said the guttural voice.
Soldiers reached the place with their swords up, but they stayed petrified when saw what their eyes were looking at. They had not more time, since the scene turned vertiginously like if all of them were gobbled down by a tornado, until the rotation stopped and everyone, except the papyrus, disappeared.

- And what happened to Haiiaa, granny?
- Wait, I’ll tell you that in a minute, boy, do not be impatient.

Birds trilled and the tepid early sun beat her cheek. Haiiaa blinked until her eyes got used to the light of the king star. She was laid back on the soft floor covered with grass, while the tinkling waters from a small stream slid a few metres close.
Resting her elbows she crawled ‘till reach the liquid to drink and refresh herself, because she felt a lot dizzy.
She put her hands in, making a bowl shape and when she took them out, drank its contents. She repeated the process a couple of times and then she rinsed her face doing the same. After feeling the nauseas were dispelling, she held her hands to lean out and when she looked to the stream, she felt a horrific chills.
Her reflection on the water gave her back an image of herself quiet different.

Frightened, she looked down and where it should be her toned legs, these had been replaced by two deer paws, with hoof instead of feet. She threw up her hands in horror, and touched something hard that wouldn’t be there.
She kneeled next to the water to observe better the improvised mirror offered, and she could verified that they’re a couple of horns coming from the head going through her hair. The facial features were not longer equals, since, although she was still the same one, she was modified to show a mixture between human and animal, in this case, a doe.
She walked back a few steps with the hands on her face, regretting of that impact made by Baal. He had converted her into a beast hybrid, and it was more than she could support it. But, suddenly, she stopped when she bumped into something. When she realized what it was, she understood that situation was also a Tartesssos God thing.
Kind of a support with a very sharp blade embedded in its upper part and with clearly adapted dimensions to a new body, constituted what it seemed being a weapon.
A cough alerted now her developed senses. Looked to the left and between the brushes appeared one of the soldiers who persecuted her through the tunnels.
When the sight of both crossed, the Almoravids face turned pale being unable to articulate a word, since he stayed paralyzed when saw her. After him, appeared bit later the other soldier, but this time in stead of acting like a colleague, immediately yelled up and shouted, she jumped on her, provoking the same reaction on the other one. The young lady turned back to escape, but she didn’t dominate the balance of her new body and skid over the
humid grass, which almost made her fall into the floor if she wouldn’t have rest in that kind of weapon that she had been given.
Fearfully, she looked back and saw the soldiers approaching at top speed, who were already barely three metres away from her. With surprisingly agility, she jumped to the side making the soldiers fault on their first defeat of their swords, although they didn’t take long to recover and leap even with more anger. The young girl, with an unexpected movement of her arms, made the cane vertiginously turned. And rip the air with its blade, dealing an accurate horizontal hit which was lethal for the first soldier who was cut in two halves,
splashing in scarlet all over. The other one, seeing what that devastating weapon had done to his colleague, he turned around and started to run getting lost through the scrubs.
The girl, however, couldn’t follow him with the eyesight, just looked terrified what the soldier had just done. She was unable to kill not even a fly, and now she had cut a human life short. But before she could be sorry about, remembered the pact and said in a low voice opening a lot her eyes:
– Isbiliya – and she started to jog, no without difficulty, as she wasn’t used to have hoofs instead of feet yet, following the deserter soldier footsteps, something that she could perfectly do now since she felt from the deep of his footsteps to its smell.
Took a bit a too long for her to reach the boundary of the vegetation, but when she did, the angst pressed her heart.
From the cornice of the Aljarafe, she had a privileged view of the whole city. Isbiliya smoked in some places, sign of the battle that had just finished. But when she was about to go there, she realized that her new figure would attract too much attention, so she decided to wait ‘till sunset.

When she thought it was time to go down, she sneaked between shadows that were not hit by the moonlight to not be discovered, and went ahead to the palace. When she reached the first houses that surrounded the city. She searched among the clothing hung to see if some of it could be useful to hide her incredible features. Kind of a tunic that must belong to a very tall man, it served her to get dressed and hide those mutations, especially legs, although it
would be more appropriated call it paws.
It was hard to get to the place, but she already knew what she was going to find, because the stakeouts that were spread out along different city areas were Almoravids, so it was very probable that the victory of that bloody battle was theirs.
She reached the walls, and before she could have thought on any plan, a crowd was congregated in front of the doors controlled all the time by winner soldiers.
Haiiaa covered her face with the tunic as a veil and started to make a place for herself between the attendees. Passing the second line of people, saw that some of them were coming out watched over by the king Al-Mutamid, followed by his wife Itimad, his daughter Zaida and some of his close servants, also horse carriages and some soldiers of the king personal guard preceding. They were been expelled. Anger and indignation grew in Haiiaa, seeing how Baal didn’t keep his word and in addition, he had transformed her in such of a monster.
While thinking about it, when she looked back to the royal retinue that it was passing in front of her, her glance crossed with the Zaida one, who observed her in tension since it seems she had recognized her. Haiiaa made a sign of moving forward, but a quick head negation movement of her cousin made her desist. Bit by bit the doe saw how the crowd distanced surrounded by Almoravid soldiers, and tears started to fall down her cheeks.
She turned around and moved away the crowd.

Once she was recuperated, threw the tunic and ran as quick as her paws let her to the hills. She got there much faster than she could expect thanks to her new body attributes. She looked for the place that she had waken up next to the stream, trying to find some trace which led her to Baal and express over him all her fury.
Exhausted, desperate and demoralized, she threw the lethal cane and sat down sobbing on a stone.
- Why? Why my home? Why to my people? – repeated the broken
disconsolate voice.
- Your journey has just started.
The voice startled Haiiaa, who looked up to the trees. From there, it showed up a figure that when it stopped in the middle of the forest cleaning, it was illuminated by the moonlight, showing completely for the first time, that hybrid of human and Iberian lynx, the proper god of tartessos nature, Baal.
- Why have you lied to me? Why didn’t you accept my plea, agreeing to transform me into a monstrosity and then not give me what I asked you for? – asked Haiiaa with hatred and anger coming out from her eyes.
- I accepted you because I felt the honesty on you, and I know that you will fulfil your part of the deal, the same I‘ll accomplish mine.
- How? Allowing that destroy all I love?
- No one will destroy what you love as long as you carry out with your commitment. Things have changed, but it doesn’t mean I won’t fulfil my agreement. You have to be patient.
- What’s I am supposed to do now, stay with folded arms while Isbiliya fall down in front of my eyes?
- Isbiliya’s not going to collapse, in any case, it‘ll be transformed as the time passed.
The girl calmed down a bit when felt the conviction of Baal words. Seconds later, objected:
- Tell me what I should do. Do I have to fight the Almoravids? It must be me who goes down to the city to avoid the Kingdom of Taifas fall?
- No, you can do nothing. Tonight I’ll let you descend, but it just can be done one night a year – and with the surprise reflected on Haiiaa expression, the lynx god added, your mission is now different. For that I’ve given you these attributes which you consider monstrous, also the weapon, the power of being invisible to human eyes when you wish, and also I gave you the eternal youth. The female deer was so surprised to hear those words.
- And for you giving me all that, what’s suppose I have to do in
compensation?
- Guarding, helping and protecting the nature that surrounds far away the large west forests. You will communicate with every single living being which live in these lands, and you will punish everyone who tries to disturb its welfare.
- And… If I do deny it?
- You won’t deny it. You will understand when you became aware of this is your place, and Isbiliya is your prize. Bye – and before Haiiaa could answer, the figure of Baal disappeared in shadows.

- But granny, where is Haiiaa now?
- According to the legend, she had been taking care for centuries of the natural environment of Seville city, its ancient and loved Isbiliya, getting its territory to Doñana National Park, where people confirm that she has been seen keeping an eye on the visitors.
It is also said that one night a year she walks around the metropolis. Some say that looking for those forbidden papyrus that nobody have ever found. Others assure that she goes into monuments and streets of the hispalense capital observing what the god Baal conceded her, that her loved city of Isbiliya transformed part of itself, but keeping in its structures and its people the most
important part of what she loved by then.
Later on, she observes the sunrise from the privileged view that gives the Aljarafe ledge before going back to her possessions, those which once were occupied by Tartessos.
- Hey! – The shout startled the grandfather and grandson, who looked to the river – Is this your ball? - asked the oarsman from his tiny boat, with the kid’s ball up and leaking water.
- Yeah! – They said at unison.
- So … there you have! – yelled the sportsman, throwing it with an
unusual strength which sent it over their heads, while the kid was going behind it as a streak of lighting.
- Thank you! – shouted the grateful grandfather to the oarsman, who with a hand-gesture said good bye and continued training across the river.
- Granddad – said the boy coming back with the ball – I would like to see the deer.
- That’s not going to be possible, boy – and after seeing the kid’s deception expression, the old man said – but tomorrow we could see the palace where they lived, which today are the Royal Alcazares.
- Tomorrow, granddad? I want to see them now.
- It’s getting dark and we can’t visit, kid – the boy showed again a
disappointed gesture, and the grandfather found quickly the solution –but we can do something. We will take a detour on the way home, we’ll walk through San Sebastian meadow and you could see the great bronze equestrian monument of Cid Campeador, that legendary warrior.
- Greaaaaaaat! – Screamed the excited kid, and dragging his granddad hand, hurried him – come on granny, hurry up!

Both got away from in the direction of the city, leaving behind a Guadalquivir river already dominated by the night that fell over Seville while wide eyes observed it with tenderness, hidden from the human sight thanks to an ancestral power.

Pepe Gallego

(Translated by Ariadna B. Alonso)


<a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/"><img alt="Licencia Creative Commons" style="border-width:0" src="https://i.creativecommons.org/l/by-nc-sa/4.0/88x31.png" /></a><br /><span xmlns:dct="http://purl.org/dc/terms/" property="dct:title">"Isbiliya" (English )</span> por <a xmlns:cc="http://creativecommons.org/ns#" href="http://pedrofernandezworks.blogspot.com.es/2016/08/isbiliya.html" property="cc:attributionName" rel="cc:attributionURL">Pepe Gallego</a> se distribuye bajo una <a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/">Licencia Creative Commons Atribución-NoComercial-CompartirIgual 4.0 Internacional</a>.