THE STRANGE CASE OF THE SPECIES 393, NEW COFFEE FRUIT

Beginning in 1950 we found a way to move forward. For our small village, learning to cultivate different species of coffee provided us with the resources to support our families. Undoubtedly, we had decades of prosperity where we were able to adapt to the changes and thus become the main suppliers of coffee in Antioquia.

So in our village, as a product of our organization we were producing adaptations of coffee plant samples, always seeking to improve the fruit, in terms of quality and yield, for which we established an area dedicated to evaluate our species and without a doubt knowing the characteristics of the plants allowed us to obtain better results.

In this sense, for more than 8 years of evolution and studies we have focused on species 392: being the last one to be discovered and the one that until now gave us the best results. However, things would change at Armando's hand, since he was leaving an expedition and found himself in front of a small greenhouse, where a strange old man attended him and although very friendly, he never generated confidence in Armando because of his slovenly and mysterious appearance.

In the same way, Armando accepted his company and was the one who guided him through the small greenhouse and when he arrived at the coffee species, a particulate species of this plant stood out, whose grains were unknown, when he asked about it, there was no answer, and it was only mentioned that it was a very dangerous plant.

Armando, in his ignorance, decided to take the unknown species to his village, which he identified as species 393, since it would be cultivated and evaluated in the lot with the same number. Upon arrival at the village, the plant was transplanted immediately and it adapted very quickly to the environment and whose growth dramatically surpassed the known species, in less than two months the first fruits were already beginning to be observed, although with a peculiarity, since when it came into contact with water it released an odorless gas that caused drowsiness and a kind of addiction.

So the effects were well perceived by the villagers, although they were carried away only by their feelings and by thoughts of momentary well-being, without evaluating the collateral damage.

They immediately understood that they had in their hands a great product that they had to take advantage of, but with the only condition of cultivating the species avoiding the contact of the fruit with the water, while it was still in the plant and for this they had to do it in greenhouses, so the ambition invaded them and they decided to continue cultivating on a large scale this new species.

And for more than three years, they obtained a fascinating profitability, keeping the secret of their great product, to such an extent that the village had become a reference for the entry of economic resources and the control they had over the coffee.

However, things were about to take a 360 degree turn, since on harvest day, dedicated to thanking the gods for the blessings during the year, the villagers decided to celebrate in a big way and got drunk to the point of being almost unconscious.

In this sense, they did not have the capacity to foresee the catastrophic damage being generated by the torrential rains that began to fall very early in the morning hours of the following day and at this point, the strong blizzards, swept away the greenhouses that protected the species 393, so that the coffee plants, were exposed and the fruits of the plants ended up wet.

So that gradually began to release the odorless gas that increased the drowsiness that had already produced the alcohol consumed by the villagers, so that the concentration of gas from the coffee plants was growing and was spreading around the town, the dramatic aspect of the situation is that this new gas whose concentration was alarming, displaced the existing oxygen and consequently the villagers, in the midst of their drunkenness, as well as the animals ended up suffocated in its entirety and without perceiving any pain.

So that fruit that generated so many benefits in principle, was to blame for the eradication of an entire village, as well as the great variety of animal species in the area.

1. Creative writing of a fictional nature.