SHORT STORY THREE KINGS’S DAY
THREE KINGS’S DAY
Automatic traslation from the original story in Spanish. Not checked manually
Rafael was 85 years old. He squinted, feeling the winter chill on his wrinkled face, whose lines formed the perfect map of his existence.
That January 5th, he had just placed the Three Kings’ Day gifts for his great-grandson near the balcony of his house. All beautifully wrapped and finished with a bright red ribbon.
He had also left an old metal bucket on the balcony, in which, in theory, the Three Wise Men’s camels would have drunk the water inside. He had also left a couple of crumbs of gnawed bread in a plastic bucket, to explain that they had also eaten the bread he had placed before them.
On a small coffee table, he would also leave a tray with the wrapper from a crumpled chocolate bar, some cookie remnants, and, naturally, some glasses with the remains of muscatel. The pages and possibly the Three Wise Men themselves would have made a great deal of it.
It was the perfect setting for a four-year-old boy to feel the same excitement in his heart that he had felt as a child.
He sat in his favourite chair and looked tenderly at the one his wife had occupied for years, whom God had taken eight years ago. And he felt sad. He missed her so much.
To try to lessen this sadness, he closed his eyes and remembered the magic of Three Kings’ Night when he was a child. The emotion was immense: the letter written in the most perfect handwriting, the shiny shoes next to the tree, the promise of incredible gifts.
On the Magical Night: The wait was almost unbearable. The night before, he barely slept, imagining the toys he would find when he woke up.
The Awakening: At dawn, the explosion of joy upon seeing the gifts under the tree was indescribable. Every toy, every candy, was a confirmation that magic existed.
The Discovery: The revelation came one year when he heard his parents speaking. And the truth about the Three Wise Kings was revealed like a bittersweet secret.
The Reflection: Although the magic of his childhood faded, Rafael understood the love and hope his parents had given him. Now he fondly remembered that time, cherishing the joy he felt and the kindness that always accompanied him.
He hoped his great-grandson would also experience this magic. He knew it was a bit outdated, but it was worth it, to continue seeing the excited smile of a child, which also allowed him to feel his own childhood again. Finally, he fell asleep and, of course, dreamed of the Three Wise Kings.
Three Kings’s Day – Short stories series – Copyright ©Montserrat Valls and Juan Genovés