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The Mysterious Stranger
The sun was gleaming above the sky, and pebbles crunched on the ground as a stranger walked towards a cluster of brush houses. He stopped to see the big crushing waves and the shining sun. Many villagers stared, frightened, but he didn't seem to care.
"Anybody home?" he stuck his face into a door. Nobody answered. The house was deserted, and only the chicks sang at the doorway. He walked around looking for anyone that could help him.
"May I help you?" he heard a low voice behind him. He turned his head to see who it was. It was a man with half torn pants and dirty sandals and a felt black hat. At first the stranger thought he wouldn't be helpful considering the way he was dressed. But since he couldn't trust anyone else he opened his mouth to speak.
"Yes please," he said. "I am looking for a person called Juan Thomas." I heard a story about a poor fisherman's family who lost their only child for a pearl," the stranger cleared his throat to talk.
"Yes, Juan Thomas is me. I am Kino's brother," Juan Thomas fixed his brown messy hair and he put his felt hat on.
"May I ask you few questions? What happened? I feel really sorry about this whole incident," the man opened his ruck sack and rummaged through to look for a pen and his thick, tattered old book with pages ripped out.
"Yes, I welcome you to my house. Come with me," Juan Thomas limped with his stick and welcomed the stranger to his poor brush house.
"This is Apolonia, my wife," Juan Thomas introduced Apolonia. She wore a blue shawl and in her hands she had corn cakes. She smiled at them sadly.
Juan Thomas sat next to the man outside on the ground and stared at the beautiful sea. There was a sun set, and everything was as red as a tomato.
"Kino was a great, courageous man. Until he went crazy over the pearl. He had a charming wife, Juana, and a sweet innocent baby named Coyotito. They were a happy family together." Juan Thomas sighed as he said this. The man jotted down some notes as he listened.
"One day, there was a scorpion who stung the baby. So the couple went to the doctor, an avaricious doctor who daydreamed about Paris. That's a rumour! But the doctor was unpleasant and he didn't want to cure Coyotito. So they went fishing, in hope of finding a pearl. They found an incandescent pearl. It was the Pearl of the World." Juan Thomas looked sad. He was staring down at his sandy feet.
"Was the baby okay? When I heard about this, I started to plan on writing a book about it." The stranger skimmed through his old scrap book where he took notes. They went on talking, confabulating in a serious tone. The sun sank into the gleaming sea, and shadows of brush houses darkened the little path that led to the shore. Everything was silent, and only the sounds of waves were perceptible.
"A book, interesting. I must get into details then. Many people attacked Kino. Juana wanted to throw away the pearl. But Kino refused to do so. Then they had a plan: to sell the pearl and get the money. But pearl buyers seemed to cheat him, so Kino decided to go to the capital," Juan Thomas sighed. The stranger sighed as well.
"The capital is very far away from here. On their way, trackers appeared, spied, and attacked Kino. They shot CoyotitoÉ" Juan Thomas had tears coming down his red round cheeks. The stranger handed him a handkerchief. Juan Thomas sobbed and held the soft silk handkerchief in his wrinkled hands.
"Did they come back?" the stranger asked in a sympathetic quiet way.
"Oh, yes. With the dead baby in Juana's arms. We do not know what happened but the pearl disappeared. I think they threw it back into the sea." Juan Thomas called Apolonia to get two cups of pulque for him and the stranger. Juan Thomas didn't seem to care about who the stranger was or if the man would try to attack him. The man just kept on writing in his notebook.
"One last question sir. Where are Kino and Juana?" The man looked curious.
"They have moved, but to be honest, I do not know where. I think they were ashamed," Juan Thomas stood up and stretched.
"Thank you very much, for everything. You must be a loyal man, caring about your brother." The man shook Juan Thomas' hand and left with the pulque glass half full.
"Wait, I didn't catch your name. Who are you?" Juan Thomas asked.
"Oh sorry, completely forgot." The man gave Juan Thomas a business card with his personal information on it. As the man started to walk home, Juan Thomas read out the man's name slowly.
"John Steinbeck"
Michi 7G