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- Hello Carlitos!  - Granddad, what a surprise! I didn’t realise that you’d already arrived.

A pair of bright and impulsive black eyes sparkled before the warm, sweet gaze of the old man. - Can we go to the forest? - Of course, there’s a story I’d like to share with you.

- About your last trip?

Carlitos knew about the old man’s liking for pilgrimages, for those journeys where the journey becomes the traveller and the traveller, the becomes journey.

- Where did you go, Max? Was it far away? Were there any strange animals? And the music? What was the music like, Max? 

- Hey! Slow down my dear boy, I only got back yesterday. I also need some time to digest it all, or a good listener to share it with.

The years had given to ancient Max the wisdom of the spoken

word, of silence and the intense Gift of communication. He knew very well the old art of enriching

his own travel experiences by sharing them with his closes Soul,

his much loved grandson, Carlitos, a sensitive lad with a

peaceful heart and intense black eyes full of questions.

- It was a strange trip, almost archaeological. I was looking for the trail of an ancient wise man, one of those able to talk in silence, listen in peace and visit other cultures expanding their being, sensitivity and wisdom. 

- Who?, Who was that, Max?

- How about if we play a game? I’ll start telling you the story and you have to investigate, perceive and figure out who he is … - Oh Max, you always do the same to me. OK, I love searching with you by my side.

- He was an important and strange master of ancient times, who loved all of humanity and, do you know what? He had an unusual kinship with sculpture, which he may have forged in Ancient Egypt. - The land of pyramids and pharaohs with their mummies?

- I can see that the films you’ve seen have shown you a little.

Some of the pharaohs were very, very wise and they preached virtues to their people. They discovered that if a sculptor represented a virtue in sculpture, and if he did it with his soul, then those individuals having this virtue in their souls would recognize it and would therefore become aware of it.

Thus, the Pharaoh ordered to sculpt a virtue, for being conscious of it and transmit it to his people.

- Max, could they do that with a smile? - Why do you ask that, Carlitos? - Because whenever I see pictures of that culture, they’re always so serious! - It’s a good question, one that I can’t answer today.

- In that case then, this personage that I need to discover, also asked them to make sculptures that could convey things?

- Not exactly, Carlitos. He had a school where he taught lots of things to his students, one of which was that they recognized and formed within them virtue. - I don’t understand, Max.

- Be patient my dear, all comes to he who waits. You see, in his school there were sculptures that only the best students could see. Beautiful works of art that, for a long time, these students could only see covered with delicate veils.

- What? They were covered up? Max, they wouldn’t see a thing. You’re kidding me!

- No Carlitos, what happened is that this man thought that only those with virtue in their soul could recognize virtue when they saw it. But if they weren’t developing this inner virtue, then they wouldn’t see a thing. So as his students progressed, they were able to see the sculpture with fewer veils, until finally, when the master felt that they were ready, he allowed them to see it uncovered. They recognized virtue in the carving and they knew that it was real because their master had allowed them to see it.

- How confusing, Max! That master was a very strange man. I bet he didn’t have many students. The serene, tender look of the old man met the bewildered eyes of the child. A warm smile lit his face as Carlitos sulked.

- Well here we go again, Dad! I have told you, to let us know if you take Carlitos to the forest. We thought that something had happened to you. You’ve been gone for hours. You’re incorrigible, Dad. The appearance of Gisela, Carlitos’s mother, surprised both the old man and the child.

Taking each other’s hand they both sheepishly turned to make their way home. Suddenly, a roar of laughter broke out in the woods. The birds together with the flowers turned to listen.

It was love that vibrated in the throats and the hearts of the old man and the child.  

Nothing more. 

© Teo. San José. 2010

Texts: from the book of tales “Wandering with Max”: THE ENCOUNTER © Teo San JoséSpanish writer and sculptor info@teosanjose.com www.teosanjose.com General images taken from the net Photo of the first and final slides: © Juan Carlos Romo y López Guerrero jcromo@prodigy.net.mxEnglish translation: Rebeca GreenMusic: Pietro Mascagni – Cavalleria RusticanaOriginal concept and graphic design: Carlos Rangel carlitosrangel@hotmail.com Thanks for respecting this production untouchedSantiago de Querétaro, Mexico, December 2010Other productions from the editor: http://www.slideshare.net/carlitosrangel/presentations Original Spanish version: http://www.slideshare.net/carlitosrangel/el-encuentro-por-carlitosrangel French version: http://www.slideshare.net/carlitosrangel/la-rencontre-en-francais-por-carlitosrangel-6311730 Valencian version: http://www.slideshare.net/carlitosrangel/la-trobada-en-valencia-por-carlitos-rangel

Texts: from the book of tales “Wandering with Max”: THE ENCOUNTER © Teo San JoséSpanish writer and sculptor info@teosanjose.com www.teosanjose.com General images taken from the net Photo of the first and final slides: © Juan Carlos Romo y López Guerrero jcromo@prodigy.net.mxEnglish translation: Rebeca GreenMusic: Pietro Mascagni – Cavalleria RusticanaOriginal concept and graphic design: Carlos Rangel carlitosrangel@hotmail.com Thanks for respecting this production untouchedSantiago de Querétaro, Mexico, December 2010Other productions from the editor: http://www.slideshare.net/carlitosrangel/presentations Original Spanish version: http://www.slideshare.net/carlitosrangel/el-encuentro-por-carlitosrangel French version: http://www.slideshare.net/carlitosrangel/la-rencontre-en-francais-por-carlitosrangel-6311730 Valencian version: http://www.slideshare.net/carlitosrangel/la-trobada-en-valencia-por-carlitos-rangel