"Never let your imagination die." That was the phrase with which Cony's grandfather always ended his stories and fables that he shared with his little granddaughter every afternoon in his old armchair that was located in front of the fireplace, one that has not been lit again since grandfather left for a trip from which he does not seem to return someday.
This little girl of only seven years old is still waiting for her beloved grandfather, and sitting in the armchair she begins to remember all the amazing stories of enchanted valleys, knights in armor and journeys into space that her grandfather knew how to tell with suspense and excitement. Looking among the things that were around the fireplace you can still see grandfather's cane and jacket, an old hourglass and a small chest where he kept the treasures of his stories.
But one afternoon, this little girl's innocence was put to the test when her desire to buy a piece of candy was strong and tenacious in her heart. At her parents' refusal, Cony was somewhat upset and went to her grandfather's old armchair, remembering how he did give her a cookie and a piece of candy just before he began to narrate his stories. "If my grandfather were here, he would surely buy me the candy" -reasoned little Cony rather grumpily.
And it was then that Cony fixed her attention on that little chest of her grandfather's. At first, she felt a little afraid, but after she took it and opened it on the sly, she realized how many coins were in there. Cony knew that taking anything out of there was wrong, but then she gave in to the urge to eat something sweet. "When my grandfather comes back from his trip I will tell him that I borrowed a coin and that I will pay him back when I am an astronaut" thought the girl with a lot of joy and picardy.
On the way to the candy store, Cony felt a little nervous about what she had done, and each time she turned to see if her parents or anyone else was following her, even though the candy store was just around the corner. Suddenly, the girl began to hear a commotion, apparently it was a group of people approaching her. When Cony turned to see what was going on, she couldn't believe what was happening.
They were pirates, with swords, ropes and spears that wanted to catch Cony. They were coming at full speed, and shouting without stopping:
The little girl did not know what to do, and being able to react what she did was to run while those evil pirates were about to catch up with her. But unintentionally she reached a dead end street, and when she turned around she was already totally surrounded, and just before the pirates took her, the ground began to shake as if it were an earthquake, the sun went down and a thunder shook the whole place. IT CANNOT BE! A giant cat has joined to the battle.
Was what everyone shouted before this monster that had also sniffed the treasure, and before the noise and hubbub gave Cony the opportunity to escape and run to an open place and thus be able to get away from them.
-I think I lost them," said the girl almost breathlessly.
But that was only the beginning, and when she looked up, Cony noticed that the skies were moving as if they were the sea itself, where a huge whale with a bell around it was residing. It seemed to also claim the coin Cony carried in her hand, and so our little girl was chased by pirates, a giant cat and a huge whale.
Cony crouched down and simply did not want to look around, and felt guilty for having taken that coin, until between whispers and tears, she remembered what her grandfather always told her: "Never let your imagination die".
And so it was that Cony full of courage and understood the solution in the midst of the chaos. Then, the little girl climbed up a long ladder and brought down the moon to give it to the giant cat, who was now just a big puppy playing with his ball. And with the same ladder she climbed up to collect some rainbows to weave them into a big net to catch the whale, and to remove the bell it was wearing. With the last threat being the pirates, Cony tied the bell to the pirate ship and with this, now it was the villains who were being chased by the giant whale.
In this way Cony was able to return home, and with great haste she returned the coin to her grandfather's chest, and thus brought down the curtain on a wonderful adventure that refreshed the same excitement of those stories her grandfather told her. With this, the sweet little girl realized that the real treasure that was kept in that chest was not the coins, but all the memories of the fascinating stories that every afternoon she lived with her grandfather.
A long time has passed, and Cony is still waiting for her grandfather to tell her about that wonderful adventure she lived because of the audacity of her actions, but it has been time itself who has given her to understand the fate of her beloved grandfather. However, Cony has followed the advice of "not letting her imagination die", sometimes alone remembering her grandfather. Now, she still sits in the same armchair in front of the same fireplace, but this time not to listen but to recite amazing stories to her little children.
THE END
