No one knows where that piece of wood that Alberto picked up from the shore of the beach came from, floating in the Caribbean Sea. The sun had dried its exterior as if it wanted, in conspiracy with magic, to make the board go unnoticed to the eyes of anyone who did not deserve to know the fabulous secrets it held.
At first glance Alberto did not distinguish between the dry sticks that the tide always brings in. He was looking for logs to feed a bonfire that his family, and those of his good friends, lit in the courtyard overlooking the sea, whenever the luminescent seaweed coincided with the full moon.
Invariably, when there was such a coincidence, the two families would cross their courtyards to the beach. Two girls of the same age, two boys, both two years younger than their sisters, two mothers and two fathers. It was the moment when young and old would make the drops of light appear, throwing the seawater at each other, full of the beautiful microscopic seaweed, which shone in the moonlight.
The light of the campfires, the indigo sky, the drops of light, the love between the families and the children's astonished laughter, created a festive atmosphere of astonishing naturalness.
The campfire, hungry, quickly devoured the light logs, so the parents of the two families had to scramble to get the wood to dry in the glow of the fire.
Saul took from the bundle that Alberto had deposited some of the thicker sticks. He picked up a piece of wood that looked like the rest of an oar. He was arranging it around the circle of the campfire when he felt the restraint of Alberto's arm.
"Let me have that wood, with it I'll make a doll's table for Mia!" Alberto said, as if that had been an old idea. He had never made a wooden toy before and was surprised to hear himself say.
"It's quite deteriorated this wood, it has some weird holes and strange lines on the handle." Saul said.
The two friends looked at the strange timber as if they had come to an agreement. Simultaneously they discovered that the timber was made up of parts that fit together like a jigsaw puzzle.
First they separated the handle from the wide part. Four segments of equal size appeared in their hands. It was all too easy, as if the wood had a will of its own. Alberto looked at the wide part and deduced - it was all too obvious - that the four segments fitted into holes. They could not believe it! As if by magic, a doll's table appeared in their hands.
The reader will imagine that adults are scared of everything, especially objects that come from magic. The opposite is true for children. It is up to them to re-educate their parents in this respect.
"A doll's table!" cried Mia, and without knowing it was for her, she took it from her father's hands and placed it on the white sand.
"It only lacks a tablecloth," said Lis, beside her.
Et voilá!, a brocade tablecloth appeared on the table and instantly the doll's table became a table that comfortably held plates full of the two friends' favourite food.
The french fries and breaded chicken nuggets filled the beach night with their rich smell. When the two boys arrived at the table, the table grew again and two new dishes appeared. German and Polish sausages with a rich grape mayonnaise glistened on the elegant plates. The table was filled with clutches of apple juice, cranberry juice and orange juice. Pretty low cups served as glasses for the children to drink from.
Meanwhile, the parents were getting used to the wonder. As each of them approached the table got a little bigger.When at last they were all there, they were in the presence of a beautifully decorated table, where the two families could be served.
In front of each lady appeared a vase and delicious plates of fruit and vegetables.
For the parents, the table offered a grilled lamb.
The smells of roasting meat, the sweet sautéed vegetables, the crunch of golden potatoes, the happy faces of the children made the adults forget that they were in for a strange time. Gradually they joined in the laughter. A general laughter made the wine appear out of nowhere. The bottles rose on the pourers and the wine decanted by itself. From the full decanters, the wine was poured without anyone pouring it into the glasses, which the adults raised with a big smile on their faces.
The laughter attracted the attention of the other neighbours. Little by little they approached the magic table that welcomed them, growing for everyone and filling its surface with plates, glasses, cups, cutlery and embroidered napkins, not to mention the immense variety of delicacies, seafood, red and white meats, poultry, mushrooms, truffles, countless cakes and sweets, compotes of the most varied fruits..... The magic table satisfied everyone's gastronomic desires.
It was the greatest feast ever seen! Even the kings of old did not enjoy such a feast, which lasted until the first sunbeam of the new day began to rise.
As the people withdrew, the table became smaller and smaller. When no one was around it, the table folded in on itself, taking the shape of an irregular piece of wood, like so many others that feed the bonfires and that travel from one beach to another, taking advantage of the effect of the moon on the tides.
I, who was at that party, can tell you that the wonder was never repeated on the shores of that Caribbean beach.
Thanks for reading!
