"INVISIBLE CHILDREN" "This is a story from my childhood from which I still haven't recovered." "Everything happened in Ambalema many years ago." "That morning we were saying good-bye to our town Queen, Omaira Primera who would represent us in the national Beauty Contest." "No matter the people's fervor for their Queen the only and the true Queen for me was her," "Marta Cecilia." "The attraction that girl had over me would take me into the most reckless adventure of that vacation." "I could have been less unsettled by her if I wouldn't have been forced to see her everyday." "For my misfortune she was my neighbor." "Rafaelito, is your mom home?" " Yes, ma'am." "Tell her that Marta Cecilia is going over to try on the dress." " Yes, ma'am." "That proximity required me to keep the way clean for her." "I didn't want her to know what we ate at home." "Because to me she was a pure and non-physical being." "That stinks!" "Mom?" "Marta Cecilia is coming to try on the dress. – O.K." "Good morning, everyone." "Good Morning, Mrs. Inés." "Good morning, Marta Cecilia." "Are you going to try it on?" " Yes, ma'am." "I finished it in a rush because I am going crazy with these boys all day long in the house studying." "I'm glad they're going on vacation." "Come, darling." "Do you like it?" " It's beautiful!" "Did you see the Queen?" " Yes, she waved like this like this." "With such elegance you should be the Queen." "Go on, try it on." " Yes, ma'am." "Be careful with the pins of the border." "Look here in the mirror." "There you are." " It's beautiful!" "You like it?" " Yes." "But it's big in the waist." "You can't wear it today." "You must leave it." "I'll fix it and tomorrow I'll send it to you." "Yes, ma'am." " Change clothes." "Don't make that face, you will wear it." "I'll finish here and then fix it." "Leave it there." "You should say good-bye, darling, good-bye." "Good-bye, Mrs. Inés." "It's my turn, I was second!" "No, it was me!" "It's his turn again." "I won!" "I couldn't wear the dress." "Marta Cecilia, don't be a trouble, you'll have it tomorrow." "Mom, I'm afraid." "Afraid of what?" "They will only make a radiography." "Are you playing or staring at that airy girl?" "Close your mouth." " Stop it!" "Your granddad will be happy when you give him this pork." "Mom, what is a radiography?" " It's a picture of your insides." "What?" " Yes, they take a picture of your kidneys, lungs, liver, everything." "Do girls have all that?" "Of course." "Or are we blessed bodies?" "What makes us different from an animal like this one is our soul." "Mom?" " What?" "Could you ask Marta Cecilia's mom for her radiography so I can see it?" "In that case I can show you your dad's, it's the same." "talking about me?" "As if you were so important." "Talking about important, do you know where did I put the tax forms I filled last night?" "Where did you always leave them, under your pillow." " True." "The same?" "But I want to see a girls one to see the differences." "That will be difficult." "How can I go to house and say please lend me your daughter's radiography so my son can see how do her kidneys look?" "I can't do that." "I couldn't stand that Marta Cecilia had all those organs so noisy and dirty." "That couldn't be true." "But how could I find out if I couldn't see her radiography?" "Rafael if the teacher sees you, he'll reprehend you." "Why are you here?" "The science test is over." "I was looking at this." "Looking at what+ If the teacher sees us he'll reprehend us." "Is there anybody here?" "I'll think I'll get a bad grade in the history test." "What should we do?" "If we could be invisible and copy all the questions." "Invisible?" "You're crazy." "I'm not crazy." "In the harbor I saw the witchman who was selling a booklet to become invisible." "I was going to buy it but he said it wasn't for kids." "What a shame!" "It would be nice to be invisible hit the big ones without them knowing who it is." "Go inside the bakeries and eat the deserts." "Listen to conversations." " Open drawers." "And see girls naked." "Doesn't it scrap you over here, mom?" "It's weird it seems like there's someone else here." "And there's someone breathing." "And the witchman is always there?" "Yes, everyday." "Don't tell me you believe in that stuff." "I'm not stupid, what's wrong with you?" "Come on, boys, ladies and, gentlemen, get closer don't stand there like posts with no light and blinking like toads in a tomato plant." "Don't be afraid lady." "Stop it, little snake." "Stand still, don't get dishevelled because you could loose your poison which is the cure for all these people's illnesses." "The only snake you should fear is this one called varix." "To the kids I'll give the cream to grow moustache." "And listen, secretary, I'll give them for free the booklet of medicinal plants and the secrets of Mother Earth from Amazon." " Who's buying?" "A book for the lady." " There you go." "To become invisible you have to read the book at midnight." "Never give this booklet to kids, because you can't imagine the dangers that it demands, and with this booklet." "Who else is buying?" "The boy over there..." "Take yours, the booklet about plants." "Give me one." "For this boy." "Booklet of plants." "Can you give me one of those?" "These?" "No my friend, you're crazy, it's for adults." "Get ready because I only have 5 minutes to pick up money and 10 to get out of this town." "What are you doing here?" "Go home, this is over." "I want to change this one for the one to be invisible." "The black magic texts are very serious you can't play with them." "Do you think it's for me to play?" "Even worst if you want to take it seriously, you can't imagine what you have to do to be invisible, the forces you set free with these experiments..." "I won't give it to you." "But don't make that face, kid." "You already had your First Communion?" "No, why?" "When you do it I'll give you one of these but my boss can't know about it." "And what does it have to do with this?" "Because if you do what it says here then you can confess, otherwise something could happen to you." "God forbid it and I don't want to have such responsibility." "Hi, Jaimito!" " Hi, Rubiela!" "Hello, how are you?" " You look so nice." "Thanks, how's it going?" " Fine and..." "As the witchman said to become invisible you had to be in many dangers and to do several mortal sins at the same time." "But I didn't take the risk." "it would be impossible to get near Marta Cecilia to smell, like an animal." "Something that obsessed me - her smell." "Rafaelito will be a doctor when he grows up." "Why?" "Today he asked me about the body, and the X rays." "Are you stupid?" "X rays?" "That's because he reads a lot of Superman comics." "Mom?" "What's wrong?" "I want to do my First Communion." "But your father is taking you on vacation." "I rather stay and do my First Communion." "Go to sleep, we'll talk tomorrow." "We lost a doctor, but we won a priest." "Go ahead, make fun of him." "Mom?" "Where's my picture?" "You're going to kill me with that you'll find it when you're not looking for it." "I had it inside my bag!" "Why are you eating these things?" "What did the doctor tell you?" "If you keep eating that your face will be full of pimples." "Pimples?" "Open the door, open it." "Wait." " I'm burning." "I'm burning." " Wait, I want to put this on top!" "After school was over" "I was free from my brother's guard." "Then I got prepared for my project." "Let's see." "What are the 5 things you need to make a good confession?" "Conscience test, heart repentance, wish to mend, word confession and labor satisfaction." "Again." "Conscience test..." "My First Communion day was close and Marta Cecilia would be at my party." "I would see her eating cake made out of eggs flour and sugar, elements that needed a stomach, a digestive system and a bladder." "Corpus Christi." "Corpus Christi." "Corpus Christi." "Corpus Christi." "Corpus Christi." "That was the happiest day of my life not only because I received God's body but also because it was the first time that I could see if Marta Cecilia's body accepted food." "You like her isn't it?" "Go and talk to her." "Don't fuck with me!" "You're a sinner it's your First Communion's day and you said a bad word." "The cake." "Did you have cake?" " No, ma'am." "Eat my cake, I can't eat because I'll get pimples." "Fine." "Don't let Mrs. Inés notice." "More than a disrespect to my party" "I thought that she disdained material things." "The fact that she saw food as a rudeness made her a sublime being." "What you couldn't say about the woman next to her." "Rafaelito, your cake." "No thanks." "Be careful because he can hit you with the stick." "When it breaks we'll try to get as much things as we can." "No, I can't, I have another party and my dress will get dirty." "You're so weird!" "Go!" "Go!" "Come on!" "Of course, Marta Cecilia didn't care about the material things that the other beings fought about." "After my First Communion I felt good knowing that every first Friday my sins would be forgiven." "That way I could sin to a settled time and I would be in peace with my soul monthly." "Even though the next day I tried something else so I wouldn't be forced to do the sinful experiment to be invisible." "At dawn, I hid the disgusting wastes of my house with the happy wastes from my party." "And after that" "I went to see into Marta Cecilia's garbage to be sure if they ate the same food the rest of human beings ate or if on the contrary they were blessed bodies." "What are you doing here?" "This lid is so hot." "I came to bring you this picture that fell yesterday at my party." "No, it fell the day I went to try on the dress at your mom's house." "Do you want it?" "O.K." "Good-bye." " Thanks." "Did that present mean that she wanted to be my girl?" "My bashfulness didn't let me find out." "That reason and also another woman that I wanted to see closer to break a silent agreement that only allowed that enjoy from the distance made imminent the need to become invisible." "I decided to tell my two friends because I couldn't do the experiment myself." "I wish I could have seen her closer!" "I know how we can see her closer and she'll not see us." "Yes..." "I know that we can see her very close, but she knows how to go and complain about it." "Not if I'm invisible." "You mean you got the booklet I told you about?" "Yes, and if you're nice I'll let you read it." "Didn't he say that it wasn't for kids?" "You said it, kids, but I'm 3 months older than you so I have the right, didn't I?" "You think you're old and mature because you're 3 months older?" "Well, then when we get 3 months older we'll come and do the experiment, we have no hurry." "Yes." "Do you want to read the booklet yes or no?" "Let's see." "This can only be read at night." "And I warn you it's for machos, no peace of cake." "Listen to me, whoever swears on this and then chickens out, will be invisible for ever." "The only thing I can tell you is you need a hen a cat and a scapulary." "Do you think that's for machos?" "I'll bring the cat, the hen and the scapulary if you want no problem." "Or I could bring the cat, as if it were difficult." "Do you promise?" "Yes." " Me too." "Let's swear on it, see if you're real machos." "I swear I'll bring the hen." "I swear I'll bring the cat." "I'll bring the scapulary." "We swear!" "In towns life is full of innovation." "That night's was the inauguration of the first TV set that came to Ambalema." "I amazed the people with Man and science's conquest of long distance images." "Today's event was the typical costume show and the parade of the national Beauty Contest." "The contestants did it nicely and gave themselves to the audience that gave an ovation." "They haven't invented that thing yet." " That's boring." "Let's go." "You know something, comrade?" "I'm pretty worried." "Why?" " That invention has me troubled, what if, in a couple of months everyone has one of those things at home?" "Nobody's coming back to the movies, no one went today, that's why I'm here." "Your problem is not technology, it's added value." "And what's that?" " Added value!" "Instead of opening your eyes you should open your brain." "Look, added value is all this that your boss makes and this is what he pays you you produce all this." "You encourage me with what you're saying." "Comrade, I think we won't see clear images on that thing until year 2000." "In the year 2000 that technology will be advanced there are many things to be seen." "Very big things to be seen." "Look in the year 2000 the idea of God will disappear from the masses, the Soviet union will be on the moon, and the decadent bourgeoisie poetry will disappear and it will be strictly proletarian." "Be sure of that, Albeiro." "Hey comrade, why don't we go to my house because my mother is sick." "If we had a socialist government, it would see for her, let's go." "With lots of enthusiasm in Cartagena and all over the country..." "You like that airy girl, don't you?" "Yes, you've got a problem with that?" "Are we reading a booklet, or not?" "Calm down, I've got it." " Let's see." "Let's go read it." "Where are you going?" "We'll be in the yard, mom, don't worry." "Behave." " Yes, mom." "All right, listen to this, the hen must be black and stolen." "If you get it honestly, it won't work." "What?" "That's not to become invisible, it's to become a thief." "I won't do that." "You swore." "If you don't do it you'll be a little girl." "To be a girl isn't bad, what's bad is that you swore, so you'll stay invisible for ever." "You know something?" "I'm not saying this near all these people." "I'll go somewhere else." "Okay, yes or no?" "All right, I'll bring the hen." "A black hen, stolen hen..." "All right, anything else?" "You've got to kill her and take out the gizzard." "All right." "And what will he have to do with the cat?" "You can get the cat honestly, but you have to kill it and take out it's heart." "What?" "Kill a cat!" " No what's wrong with you?" "If I kill my pet, Matachin," "I'll be the one who gets killed." "What about bad luck?" "Tough luck, you'll stay invisible for ever." "Yes, you swore, it seems that the girl is someone else but don't worry Rafa, I can bring the cat that's no trouble." "All right, but I won't bring my pet." "Don't worry, it doesn't say it has to be your pet." "It can to be any cat." "And what about you, you get the easiest?" "A stupid scapulary." "Not so stupid..." "I have to take the Virgin's image and throw it on the floor." "That's a mortal sin." "And are you going to do it?" "Yes, the good thing is that I had my First Communion." "I'll confess and my sins will be forgiven." "And when will we do it?" "I suggest we do it the night of the Beauty Contest, everyone's going to be watching it on that TV, we can escape the night." "Can't we do it during the day?" "Listen to you!" "Any respectable black magic act must be done at midnight." "Don't tell me we have to do it on the cemetery too!" "We have to do it in the cemetery, so what?" "God damn it, tell us everything once at for all every time you speak you say something new!" "That's all and if you're gonna raise your voice then don't do it and you and Fernando will stay invisible forever." "It's not my problem." "I shouldn't beg you two." "Stay invisible." "I'll go and do it by myself." "Why don't you just let us see the booklet?" "That's all!" "He's always saying something different." "Mom?" " Yes?" "What happens if the image from the scapulary falls?" "Nothing, it falls." "And if you throw it?" "You can't throw it." "Even if it's very old, you can't throw it?" "If it's too old you can change it for a new one." "I want to leave this one because it's old and get a new one." "You can do that, that's no sin." "And if I throw the new one?" "If it's blessed, you can't throw it, you can't go around throwing the Virgin like a pair of old shoes." "And if it's not blessed, is it a sin to throw it?" "Blessed or not, you can't throw it, because the earth will open to eat you or God will send you thunder and lightning from heaven." "The 4 times champion of the Columbian tour" "Ramon Hoyos Vallejo said yesterday that never before..." "You neither read nor listen to the radio." "...like Jorge Luque who endured the odds..." "A group of bandits wearing army uniforms attacked the small town of Aures..." "Mom?" " Yes?" "Why don't we have black hens?" "They're bad luck." "Bad luck?" "Yes." "Why?" "They're creatures of the devil and they're very bad luck." "My guardian angel, sweet company, don't forsake me in night or day." "Don't believe your boss." "How can he tell you that he wont raise your salary because the costumers have decreased?" "Yes, he says that everyone goes to the major's office to watch TV, and no one comes to the theatre or the movies, and that's true." "Yes, but before the TV came he blamed insecurity, he said nobody went out because the streets were frightening." "We'll have to do something." "What if you make a labor union?" "How many employees are there?" "Three." "The cashier, the projector guy, and me." "You can't even make a cell out of that, not a labor union." "What a shame!" "Hi, do you sell scapularies without the blessing?" "Nor blessed or unblessed we don't sell alienating objects." "Maybe on Ilbagué." "That's an industrial city." "This is only a small town and a monarchy, because we already have a Queen." "Thanks." "You messed up the kid, comrade." "I didn't mess him up, I told the truth." "Education should start during childhood because the older ones won't be affected by historical materialism they turn to be square like you, that let your boss use you and you say nothing." "There's a very close connection between dialectics and self esteem young man." "Ready." "How much is it?" " 2 pesos." "One of these days you'll end up really scared." "I'm not scared of ghosts, friend." "That guy spoke really hard to me." "Who's he?" "God knows." "God knows nothing." "What could God know?" "Comrade, you always speak too much, you never know who might be listening, you should be careful." "Hello, do you have unblessed scapularies?" "Sir, do you have unblessed scapularies?" "Get out, cat!" "I hate those things!" "Hi, sir." "Do you have scapularies?" "Yes." "Which one do you want?" "Look, there are big ones and small ones of the Carmen Virgin and the Sacred heart choose whatever you need." "So we'll see the Beauty Queen on TV tonight, right?" "Who would have thought that Omaira would be the first person from Ambalema to be on TV." "Will you watch the Beauty contest on TV?" "No, you can't sit down among all those people and the TV is too far up." "The other night it gave me a stiff neck." "I'd rather listen to it on the radio, it's better." "But you can't see anything." "For all you can see on that TV only spots and shadows." "What did you pick?" "Are these scapularies blessed or unblessed?" "They are all blessed by Father Buenaventura." "He blesses him in bulk, he sprinkles Holy Water on them, that's it." "All right, thanks." " What happened?" "No, it was just to put it on my cat so the Virgin would protect it, but I guess it's a sin to put a blessed scapulary on a irrational animal." "I understand, but I tell you one thing the Virgin is The Virgin even if it's not blessed." "The Saints for animals are others." "Here's Saint Francis of Assisi." "Look, do you see any beast, any cat, any big animal?" "You know what could happen to you for playing around with those things?" "This, look." "The lost soul." "It's a sin to play with Saints, worse with the Virgin." "I think that the priest won't forgive such sin even after ten confessions and more difficult now with all that talk about witchcraft and stuff like that." "Better not to play with that, boy." "That's sacred and dangerous." "Those words scared me to death." "I decided to quit the experiment." "At that moment all I needed was that my two accomplices hadn't met their respective obligations so I wouldn't be the only forsaker." "I'm coming!" "I'm coming!" "Hello, Rafaelito, and Fernando?" " Isn't he here?" "But he told me he was going to your place." "Your Mom was taking him to watch the Beauty Contest and bring him back at midnight." "He must be at my place, and I haven't been there." "Thanks, good-bye." "Good-bye." "Look at you, if someone sees you they'll say that you don't have no mom, dad, God or law..." "Look at those bruises." "Where have you been?" "I fell." " Did you fall?" "But it must have been in a tiger's cage." "Could you tell me, where you fell?" "Around, and it's not my fault." "Sure, around." "I leave you one minute and you go." "God knows where, and then you get lost all day long!" "This little boy!" "Come here!" "Good evening." "Good evening, Rafaelito." "Come over here a minute." "Come, come!" "Aren't you embarrassed?" "This is a clean and decent boy." "I suppose you don't know where this boy was." "Take a bath, but your pajamas on and go to bed." "Tonight this boy won't go out, Rafaelito... so, if you want to talk, visit him in bed." "Don't worry." "I'll tell your mom, she'll meet us to watch the Beauty Contest and if you don't want to stay, you can come with us." "No, I'll stay here." " All right." "Then go with him." " Go on, woman, watch the Contest with, Mrs. Inés and take the girl with you." "She likes those things." "I'll stay here and take care of the boys." "The cats did this?" "No, not the cats, the wire, the ground." "What do you mean you're not doing the experiment?" " No." "And what if we stay invisible forever?" "I'll talk to that witchman and I'll tell him the truth to see if he can help, and I'll also have my confession." "Could the three of us go to the witchman?" "Because, remember it was you who made us want to do this." "I swear I'll take you to him." "And I tell him it was my fault for wanting to see Marta Cecilia." "That was why you did it?" "Yes, I wanted to sneak into her house and see her closer." "Now I remember!" "Fernando must be stealing that hen and going to the cemetery who'll put up with him now." "Of course!" "I went to his house and he wasn't there." "He must be stealing the hen right now." "I'll go look for him." "I'm coming with you." "What should I do?" "I must wait until my dad goes to sleep." "Well, I'm leaving now, before he steals the hen." "Don Elias, I want to go home now." "So, what bothered you?" "I'm just sleepy and I want to go to bed." "Do you have a key, do you know how to get in?" "Because nobody will be there." " I know how to get inside." "Be careful, don't monkey around and do something stupid." "Go along, then." "Yes, sir." "Sleep well." " See you tomorrow." "Why are you sitting there?" "Go to bed at once and for all!" "On tonight's gala show Miss north Santander" "Carolina Morales Ojeda, 22 years old is wearing a beautiful strapless green bottle dress ornamented with spangles." "All the contestants received the applauses of their respective departmental committees, lead by the governors and majors of their respective capitals." "They all look nervous." "Among this group of beauties is our next national Beauty Queen." "Judging by the audience's applauses we could say the favorite is Miss Valle del Cauca who's wearing a beautiful gala costume." "Who's there?" "Pay attention Columbia the host just got..." "Who's there?" "...the sealed envelope from the jury with the names of the five finalists." "There's restlessness among the crowd." "Emilio!" "Emilio!" "Hurry up they're saying the names!" "I'm coming." "Ofelio Borrero, from Huila." "Hurry up!" "Amalia Navarrete from Bogota," "Lucia Muñoz from Antioquia," "Constanza Molina from Valle del Cauca and Omaira Trujillo from Tolima, a beautiful girl from Ambalema." "Grab him, don't let him escape!" "You scared me!" "You scared me, too!" "Don't you see they've got Fernando?" "Tell me how many hens you've stolen we're taking you straight to jail you kittle rascal." "Thank goodness that wasn't Fernando." " Yes." "At this moment the jury is taking a decision." "God damn it!" "They stole the black hen and I was listening to that Contest like a fairy." "in that loneliness Fernando discovered that midnight was a wonderful time and he had missed it in his 8 years of life because he was sleeping in bed." "He also discovered that the dead were quiet and harmless and he went into the cemetery." "Gonzalo and me also went and behaved like men as it suits people that keep their word." "What are you waiting for?" " Call him to see if he's there!" "No, we're at the cemetery, he's a chicken and probably he's not here." "Let's go." "And if he didn't come?" "Wait for me!" "Due to our absence Fernando's courage increased and he did his job." "Forgive me, little hen." "The contestants are nervous." "Here we are, Colombia." "Our new Queen is Amalia Navarrete!" "Death to centralism!" " Death!" "No, that's not fair!" "I knew it, that little girl has no grace." "I always said it but no one listened to me." "It's always the same." "Contest are always arranged." "Death to centralism!" " Death!" "Fernando." "Fernandito." "Yes, Mom?" "Who's the new Queen?" "We fell asleep." "They stole the crown from Omaira." " Who?" "Centralism." "And she didn't even get to be a finalist?" "Yes, she did, at least that." "Rafico?" "I'm coming." "I'm in the bathroom." "Are you having breakfast?" "Yes, mom," "We have to get a little present for Marta Cecilia" "Tomorrow's her birthday." "Is it?" "Next day I just wanted to find out that Fernando hadn't fulfilled his promise so we all would be in peace." "But I was wrong." "Don't take that you, we believe you." "Where's the scapulary?" "Where's the cat's heart?" "You think that because you killed a stupid hen you can humiliate us." "I didn't just kill it!" "I opened it and quartered it." "I was all by myself, if it wasn't for that Contest" "I would be dead, a man with a knife followed me." "Do you need more proofs?" "Or, were you afraid?" "Of I have to, I'll kill my pet Matachin but I won't ever let you call me a chicken again." "Tonight I'll be here with my own scapulary." "You're not the only macho here." "And how am I supposed to kill the cat?" "Well, drown it first." "I knew that girl Omaira didn't have enough grace for the Contest." "I always said it." "I think she's a very nice and beautiful girl." "Yes, but that's not enough for a Contest." "She lacks majesty." "And the major's office bought that TV for nothing." "Did you think the TV was only for watching Contest?" "You'll see how it becomes a trend." "Gonzalo, leave that cat." "I've told you a million times I don't like it around when we're eating." "Move!" "And pull up that chair." "You're not in the countryside." "Watch out!" "Good-bye." " Good-bye, take care." "Are you ready, Lucia?" " Yes." "Yes, what?" " Yes, mom." "Come on then, let's buy something for that little girl, Marta Cecilia, for her birthday." "Will you behave today?" "Of course." "Matachin!" "Matachin!" "Come here, Matachin!" "Come, come..." "I want to alert the people about the strange facts that have occurred in the town of Ambalema." "There's witchcraft!" "Satan's messengers are doing malignant experiments." "Damned people tempted by witches who defy holy beliefs." "Today we found at the cemetery the remaining of a black headless hen." "That animal was stolen from Don Emilio Naranjo the night in which all the town, hear me well, was listening and watching on that devil's machine that obscene fair of women who some dare to call "Queens"." "There's only one Queen - the Mother of Christ!" "Poor those who submit to the wicked curiosity of flesh and black magic, and disturb the peace of Holy Ground - disrespect corpses and defy the souls of the dead." "In agreement with the major's office there will be military surveillance in the cemetery to stop the grave violators to get in there to fulfil their dark satanic purposes." "All together, now." "Don't forget, I'm expecting you tomorrow but remember to bring a present." "Don't tell us you'll charge us for a piece of cake." "What does the girl like?" "Anything means love." "With what the preacher said in the sermon we can't do the experiment." "I don't know, but I didn't kill the hen for nothing." "Or, is it that you didn't kill the cat?" "I did kill it, God damn it!" "Yes." "Gonzalo killed the cat." "He'll show us where he buried it." "Aren't you afraid of the cemetery?" "Remember it'll be packed with soldiers." "I'm not afraid of the dead, so why I would be afraid of a bunch of soldiers, that will stand there." "I know how we can get in through the back." "As if it were that easy." "Fernandito, we're leaving." "Just a minute, mom." "I'll be there at midnight." "It's up to you if you go or not." "You're so brave!" "I don't care." "Now who's going to put up with him." "On that important night, our luck had been decided and sneaking out of home was a children's game." "Mom, why hasn't Matachin come?" "Because it became a meat thief and sinners are cowards." "But opportunity makes the thief." "If you leave the fridge open he didn't only take the meat he also took the guts." "With all that work, how was I supposed to notice?" "Didn't you see how it scratched your brother?" "I hope it didn't get stolen by one of those witches the priest spoke about in the sermon." "You came." "I thought you'd be scared." "Stop showing off, Fernando the brave." "Rafa, there's your lot of soldiers." "Stop it!" "Are we going in?" "Let's go." "Where is it?" "Here, you go up first." "What a weird job." "I've had to look after guerrillas and bandits but never corpses." "It's not corpses, we've got to watch out for witches." "Even worse." " Don't be scared." "I'll tell you the story about the dead to cheer you up." "Stop that, don't you see where we are?" "There were two dead people very bored in their graves and one said to the other:" ""Let's go for a walk"." "Shut up." "They went out and when they were walking they realized they had no ID, so they went back to pick up their tombstones." "What a stupid joke." "It's not funny for me." "You'd better be quiet." "I thought I'd be more scared." "Here's the gizzard." " Give me the cat's heart." "Here." "The scapulary?" "It's here." "A stone." "Take out the scapulary." "Here it is." "But throw the Virgin's picture." "Now." "Could it be the punishment from heaven?" "It's not that!" "It's just gonna rain." "Hurry up, take off the scapulary and we'll put this inside." "It's ready." "Who's first?" "Well, you, it was your idea." "You see me?" "Honestly, I see you." "Me too." "Something went wrong." "Did you really kill that cat?" "I killed it, God damn it!" "Or, did you want me to bring the head and tail too!" "What's wrong with you?" "It's the spirit!" " You see!" "For telling those tales in this place!" "No one shuts me up!" "Stop bothering me!" "Souls in purgatory who will help you?" "***" "God will take you out so you might rest..." "Did you see how they ran when they saw me?" "They thought I was a ghost." "Can I say something?" " Go ahead." "It's not funny." "We were close to end up in jail!" "Can I say something?" " Say it." "Since we did the experiment with Rafael, we can see him." "What does the booklet say about that?" "Nothing." "I suggest something." "Leave the scapulary on all night, and tomorrow we'll see if you're invisible or not." "If I have to." "Let's go, it's gonna rain." " Let's go." "Breakfast for the invisible man." "Coming!" "Where are you?" "I'm here." "Do invisible men have eggs and hot chocolate?" "And bread." "Here?" " No." "Here?" "Mom, don't you really see me?" "Honey, if I saw you I wouldn't have to touch you." "Imagine a invisible man that can be seen." "Why doesn't Rafael come?" "Maybe he's invisible and we can't see him." "Do you think so?" "Rafael!" " Rafael!" "Rafael!" " Rafa!" "Rafa!" "Here comes the invisible man." "When mom gave me breakfast, she had to look for me." "She couldn't see me, at least for her I'm invisible." "With your mom it's no good, it has to be with strangers." "Look, there comes a man, stand in front of him." "Good morning." "If a blind man saw me I guess I'm not invisible." "It didn't work." "But blind people are the only who see invisible persons." " Why?" "Because they smell and hear them." "But I didn't speak." "You sound even if you don't speak." "Listen to this." "Do you hear anything?" " Noises and guts." "There you go." " That's right, you sound." "No, you have to test with someone else." "Look, there he is, stand in front of him check if he doesn't see you." "Go on!" "Why did you step back?" "I need to be invisible, not to be flattened." "Go in there to see of the old men see you." "You don't have to be invisible for those men not to see you." "Let's go somewhere else." "I shouldn't see myself there, do you remember Dracula didn't reflect?" "Have you seen any invisible men films where they don't reflect in mirrors?" "No." " Me neither." "There you are." " There you are what?" "You are so stupid!" "The only ones who don't reflect in mirrors are vampires." "Maybe invisible men do." "We better try somewhere else!" " Let's go!" "O.K. Rafa..." "Go and wait until she comes out." "When she comes out you must be very close to see if he doesn't see you." "Gonzalo and me will be on the tree." "Look, where he is." "He should be in front of her." "You ask for too much." "Father, I'm guilty because I like men to see me in my bath." "What kind of men?" "Men." "Are you a woman of the bad life, Madeleine?" " No, Father." "I sew." "The thing is that during my bath, my genitals heat and I want a man to be watching at me." " I see." "But they can't touch you." "No, don't even dare." "You have to keep yourself from that." "Chase away temptation." "Whenever it happens to you, pray." "And you should also use cold water." "Mostly in your genitals." "Thanks, Father." "As punishment, pray a Creed and a Christ my Lord." "How can we know if you're invisible if you didn't even get near her." "You think that with such woman I care if he sees me?" "What I wanted was to see her." "Let's go to the theatre because the film will start soon, there we can test if you're invisible." "Two tickets, please." " Yes, sir." "Thanks." " It's nothing." "It's the time for the truth." "If the man sees you it means the experiment failed." "If he doesn't, it means you're invisible." "Let's go inside." "Go on." " Don't push me." "Hurry." "Put it in there." "That man has a bad face." "Nonsense, hurry up." "I suggest we go to Marts Cecilia's party." "We'll come and test later." "No Marta Cecilia's party, better hurry up." "Hurry." "It worked!" "it worked!" "I had become invisible." "I just needed one more proof to go to Marta Cecilia's house." "I'm right here, sir!" "I'm really sorry, kid, I didn't see you." "Let's go or are we waiting for Rafael and the film?" "We better go to the party!" "Wait, remember that tonight is my turn to wear the scapulary." "Be careful, God damn it!" "Sorry, I didn't see you." "being imperceptible when something that made me nonexistent, happened." "Since I was nobody I thought objects could pass through my body." "Hello." " I'm sorry." "Thanks for your solidarity, I knew this would happen because I did what my comrade said." "To do the "Turtle operation", no brooming, no taking tickets at the entrance, no selling candies." "And my boss just told me to go to hell." "I didn't say sorry for that." "Why, then?" " Because they killed the comrade." "What?" " They killed the comrade!" "What are you saying?" "Are you crazy?" "They are taking his corpse." " It can't be!" "I reached Marta Cecilia hoping that the experiment had failed but it didn't." "It had been a success." "At that moment I stopped wanting to see her and started wanting her to see me." "I decided to wait until dark to take off the scapulary and recover my body." "For whom I felt nostalgia." "Come, Marta Cecilia." "I have to tell you something very important." "What?" " You are so airy." "Rafael is in love with you and h wants to kiss you without you noticing, that's why he became invisible." "That's good." "You don't believe me?" " Yes, but I don' care." "I want you to know that we were the ones who stole the cat and the hen and we did the black magic experiment in the cemetery at midnight." "The ones who the priest mentioned last night." "Rafael is wearing a scapulary, there's the cat's heart and the hen's gizzard, that's what makes him invisible." "How scary!" " How scary, how brave." "Hello, mom." "Hello darling, where have you been?" "Today is your birthday and all the kids are alone." "Go and see them." " Yes, mom." "Hi, how are you?" "Do you want to play?" "Happy birthday." "Thanks, can we go?" " Let's go." "Rafael has been missing all day also." "I think she was looking for him." "She loves her fat boy." "If she could she would take him to heaven with his shoes on." "And he loves her." "She gave a picture to him and he has it under his pillow like Santa's gift." "He stole it." "Marta Cecilia is driving me crazy with the story of the picture." "Maybe we'll end up being family, right?" " I guess so." "Rafael!" "Rafael!" "Rafael, where are you?" " I'm here." "Where?" " I'm here." "Talk to me so I can know where you are." " Get closer." "Where?" " Here." "Where?" " I'm here." "Where?" "Take that witchcraft stuff off." "That's it." "Now I can see you." "Let's go to my party." "How could you see Rafael?" " I took the scapulary off." "And where's it?" " Out there, on the grass." "She threw it on the grass." " But where?" "Over there!" " Let me through" "Do you want some juice?" " O.K:" "Remember, whoever finds it, it's my turn, you understand?" "That's right, it's your turn." "Leave it for tonight." "All those dangers were not in vain." "At the end I satiated in excess the curiosity for which I exposed to them." "I also discovered that being invisible made you feel lonely and insignificant among people." "And that sad feeling sometimes comes to me again as if the effects of the experiment hadn't left me throughout the years." "Maybe it's because that day I didn't wait for the night to take off the scapulary."