Hispaliterario 36: The Restless Staircase ๐| Mental Breakdown ๐ง
ENGLISH VERSION (click here!)
The Restless Staircase ๐| Mental Breakdown ๐ง
In a forgotten corner of an old building, there lived a ladder that dreamed of dancing. While the other steps were content to bear the weight of those going up and down, she longed to twirl, jump and glide through the air. Her long sighs of frustration made the walls uncomfortable, and they lamented having to listen to it all. God forbid! ๐คฆโโ
But very soon that would change!
Olegario, one of the building's inhabitants, was a peculiar man who spent his days conversing with the plants on his balcony, laughing with the โpeople who lived in the sunโ and believing that the traffic lights winked at him ๐ฆ. This is why he was the only one who seemed to understand the ladder's aspirations.
One day, as he was leaving his house to go to the supermarket, he heard a cry similar to that of a 6-year-old girl. Worried as he was, since none of his neighbors in his apartment had small children, he followed the sound and discovered that it was coming from the steps... he watched the tears flow down to the floor.
Her old friend was sobbing inconsolably, choking, runny nose and coughing.
En un rincรณn olvidado de un viejo edificio, vivรญa una escalera que soรฑaba con bailar. Mientras los demรกs escalones se conformaban con soportar el peso de los que subรญan y bajaban, ella anhelaba girar, saltar y deslizarse en el aire. Sus largos suspiros de frustraciรณn incomodaban a las paredes, quienes se lamentaban por tener que oรญr todo aquello. ยกVรกlgame Dios! ๐คฆโโ
Pero, ยกmuy pronto eso cambiarรญa!
Olegario, uno de los habitantes del edificio, era un hombre peculiar que pasaba sus dรญas conversando con las plantas de su balcรณn, riendo con la โgente que vivรญa en el solโ y creyendo que los semรกforos le guiรฑaban un ojo ๐ฆ. Es por esto que รฉl era el รบnico que parecรญa entender las aspiraciones de la escalera.
Un dรญa, mientras salรญa de su casa para ir al supermercado, escuchรณ un llanto parecido al de una niรฑa de 6 aรฑos. Preocupadรญsimo, pues en su piso ninguno de sus vecinos tenรญa hijos pequeรฑos, siguiรณ el sonido y descubriรณ que provenรญa de los escalonesโฆ observรณ cรณmo brotaban las lรกgrimas hasta el suelo.
Su vieja amiga sollozaba desconsolada, se ahogaba, moqueaba y no paraba de toser.
ENGLISH VERSION (click here!)
He immediately ran to embrace her affectionately, went over to give her a little kiss on the railing and two more on one of her steps. He sat down next to her and wiped her tears with a stone and then rubbed it on his shirt. Olegario then decided to lie down on the floor with one hand resting on his head, while he said to her:
-What is wrong with you, my friend? - he asked, leaning towards her.
-I long to dance,โ confessed the ladder, still hiccuping from crying. I feel so confined in this corner, so limited. No one understands me, the stockings make me hot and the walls roll their eyes at me because I annoy them.
Olegario smiled. - Love, don't listen to them, they don't know what a good time is. Of course you can dance! You just need a little music and imagination. As for the stockings, I'll know what to do with them, don't worry.
De inmediato corriรณ a abrazarla cariรฑosamente, se acercรณ a darle un pequeรฑo beso al barandal y dos mรกs a uno de sus escalones. Se sentรณ a su lado y secรณ sus lรกgrimas con una piedra para luego restregรกrsela en su camisa. Acto seguido, Olegario decidiรณ acostarse en el suelo con una mano apoyada en su cabeza, mientras le decรญa:
โ ยฟQuรฉ te ocurre, amiga mรญa? โ preguntรณ, inclinรกndose hacia ella.
โ Anhelo bailarโ confesรณ la escalera, hipando todavรญa del llantoโ Me siento tan encerrada en este rincรณn, tan limitada. Nadie me entiende, las medias me dan calor y las paredes me ponen los ojos en blanco porque les fastidio.
Olegario sonriรณ. โ Amor, no les hagas caso, ellas no saben lo que es pasarla bien. ยกClaro que puedes bailar! Solo necesitas un poco de mรบsica e imaginaciรณn. Respecto a lo de las medias, yo sabrรฉ quรฉ hacer con ellas, no te preocupes.
ENGLISH VERSION (click here!)
Next, she ran inside her apartment and found some foami bugles, which were shaped like mushrooms, and set up a fantastic playback full of magic for her friend to dance to with unabashed contentment. The music filled the hallway and the staircase began to vibrate. With every note, she felt an irresistible urge to move.
-One, two, three! - Olegario exclaimed, stepping forward and stretching out his arms. The ladder, following his example, began to slide smoothly, turning on itself. The steps, as if they were light feet, marked the rhythm of the songs.
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The neighbors, hearing the loud music and strange noises, came out of their apartments in alarm. When they saw Olegario dancing with a ladder, their jaws dropped. Some laughed, others shook their heads in exasperation, but Olegario and the ladder were undeterred. They continued to dance, each time with more energy and grace.
A continuaciรณn, corriรณ hacia el interior de su apartamento y buscรณ unas cornetas de foami, que tenรญan forma de hongos, y colocรณ una reproducciรณn fantรกstica llena de magia para que su amiga bailara contenta sin tapujos. La mรบsica llenรณ el pasillo y la escalera comenzรณ a vibrar. Con cada nota, sentรญa un impulso irresistible de moverse.
โ ยกUno, dos, tres! โ exclamรณ Olegario, dando un paso al frente y extendiendo los brazos. La escalera, siguiendo su ejemplo, comenzรณ a deslizarse suavemente, girando sobre sรญ misma. Los peldaรฑos, como si fueran pies ligeros, marcaban el ritmo de las canciones.
๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐
Los vecinos, al escuchar la mรบsica a todo volumen y los extraรฑos ruidos, salieron alarmados de sus apartamentos. Al ver a Olegario bailando con una escalera, se quedaron boquiabiertos. Algunos se rieron, otros sacudieron con exasperaciรณn la cabeza, pero Olegario y la escalera no se inmutaron. Seguรญan bailando, cada vez con mรกs energรญa y gracia.
ENGLISH VERSION (click here!)
Their movements were bold and very psychedelic. So much so, that they rose a meter off the ground, wrapped in sheets that laughed and clapped around them.
The news spread throughout the building. Soon, people flocked to see the man dancing with a ladder. Some, at first, were skeptical, but the joy and daring of Olegario and the ladder were contagious. Gradually, people began to join the party, dancing in the hallways and on the balconies.
-YES, YES, YES! Come on everybody! - shouted Olegario euphorically.
The staircase, which had previously felt lonely and limited, was now the center of attention. She felt happy and fulfilled. She had discovered that dreams can come true, even if you're just a ladder ๐.
Sus movimientos eran audaces y muy psicodรฉlicos. Tanto, que se elevaron un metro del suelo, envueltos en sรกbanas que se reรญan y aplaudรญan a su alrededor.
La noticia se propagรณ por todo el edificio. Pronto, la gente acudiรณ a ver al hombre que bailaba con una escalera. Algunos, al principio, se mostraron escรฉpticos, pero la alegrรญa y el atrevimiento de Olegario y de la escalera eran contagiosos. Poco a poco, la gente comenzรณ a unirse a la fiesta, bailando en los pasillos y en los balcones.
โ ยกSร, Sร, Sร! ยกVengan todos! โ Gritaba Olegario eufรณrico.
La escalera, que antes se sentรญa sola y limitada, ahora era el centro de atenciรณn. Se sentรญa feliz y realizada. Habรญa descubierto que los sueรฑos pueden hacerse realidad, incluso si eres una simple escalera ๐.
ENGLISH VERSION (click here!)
Hours later, after the impromptu โpartyโ on floor 2, the cleaning lady complained to one of the owners:
-Again I had to clean the stairs again. There's the gentleman from apartment 23 again, dancing by himself and licking the banister... Today it was much worse, he circled around on himself making like a rooster ๐ for quite some time. what are they going to do with him?
-I'm sorry to hear that you had to work double, Mrs. Mycena ๐. Yes, indeed, Mr. Olegario has gotten quite worse, we think he left the medication for another one he considers better. The bad thing is that, as he lives alone, it is more difficult for his children to keep an eye on him, so they are planning to take him out of the country for a much more advanced treatment. Does he keep repeating that the ladder talks to him?
-That's great news! Must be the brain switch thing ๐ง ...he needed that already. And yes, she keeps saying that the ladder talks to her and that she hears her โcrying from despairโ ๐.
-That's right, already his ๐ง doesn't work as it should because he has a fungus tumor ๐ in his frontal lobe. Wow, too bad, when they grab a topic, they don't let it go that easy, do they? They repeat and repeat endlessly.
-Yes, the truth is that seeing him act that way is disturbing. I hope he has a remedy, poor thing... a fungus tumor ๐ must be something tremendous. Could it be that he was born with it and it was never detected?
-I really don't know, we all wonder the same thing. Well, I have to go to rest now, Mrs. Mycena. My ship ๐ธ is waiting for me to fly to my bedroom, I already want to swim in my bed ๐. Did you know that my pillows, when they are not annoyed with me, tell me some masterful jokes that make me laugh endlessly? ๐
The cleaning lady stared at him not knowing what to answer and watched him walk down the hallway in a zigzag โ, take a screwdriver out of his pants pocket and open the door to her apartment with it. She watched him wave her goodbye from that distance and then disappear with a thud in a violet smoke ๐.
Who is crazier?
The ladder, Olegario, the other neighbor or Mycena?
Leave me your opinion in the comments.
This was my entry for the @hispaliterario contest, I hope you liked it. I cordially invite @manclar and @enraizar. I thank @avdesing for the inspiration ๐ค, a sentence of his made me laugh quite a lot a few days ago. Big greetings to all ๐.
A las horas, luego de la โfiestaโ improvisada en el piso 2, la seรฑora de la limpieza se quejรณ con uno de los propietarios:
โ Tuve que volver a limpiar las escaleras. Ahรญ estรก otra vez el seรฑor del apartamento 23, bailando solo y lamiendo el barandalโฆ Hoy fue mucho peor, dio vueltas sobre sรญ mismo haciendo como gallo ๐ durante bastante tiempo. ยฟQuรฉ van a hacer con รฉl?
โ Lamento oรญr que tuviera que trabajar doble, seรฑora Mycena ๐. Sรญ, efectivamente, el seรฑor Olegario ha empeorado bastante, creemos que dejรณ la medicaciรณn por otra que รฉl considera mejor. Lo malo es que, como vive solo, es mรกs difรญcil para sus hijos vigilarlo, por lo que estรกn planeando llevรกrselo del paรญs para practicarle un tratamiento mucho mรกs avanzado. ยฟSigue repitiendo que la escalera le habla?
โ ยกQuรฉ buena noticia! Debe ser lo del cambio de cerebro ๐ง โฆ ya lo necesitaba. Y sรญ, sigue diciendo que la escalera le habla y que la escucha โllorar de la desesperaciรณnโ ๐.
โ Asรญ es, ya el ๐ง de รฉl no funciona como es debido porque tiene un tumor de hongo ๐ en el lรณbulo frontal. Vaya, quรฉ mal, cuando ellos agarran un tema, no lo dejan tan fรกcil, ยฟno es asรญ? Repiten y repiten sin parar.
โ Sรญ, la verdad es que verlo actuar de esa manera es inquietante. Ojalรก y tenga remedio, pobreโฆ un tumor de hongo ๐ debe ser algo tremendo. ยฟSerรก que naciรณ con eso y nunca se lo detectaron?
โ La verdad es que no lo sรฉ, todos nos preguntamos lo mismo. Bueno, ya tengo que irme a descansar, seรฑora Mycena. Mi nave ๐ธ me espera para volar hacia mi dormitorio, ya quiero nadar en mi cama ๐. ยฟSabรญa que mis almohadas, cuando no estรกn molestas conmigo, me cuentan unos chistes magistrales que me hacen reรญr infinitamente? ๐
La seรฑora de la limpieza se le quedรณ mirando sin saber quรฉ contestar y lo observรณ caminar por el pasillo en zigzag โ, sacar un destornillador del bolsillo de su pantalรณn y abrir la puerta de su apartamento con รฉl. Lo vio despedirla con la mano desde esa distancia para luego desaparecer con un golpe sordo en un humo violeta ๐.
ยฟQuiรฉn estรก mรกs loco?
ยฟLa escalera, Olegario, el otro vecino o Mycena?
Dรฉjame tu opiniรณn en los comentarios.
Esta fue mi participaciรณn para el concurso de @hispaliterario, espero que les haya gustado. Invito cordialmente a @manclar y a @enraizar. Agradezco la inspiraciรณn a @avdesing ๐ค, una frase suya me hizo reรญr bastante hace unos dรญas. Un gran saludo a todos ๐.
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@artevezo
Thanks for reading! โญ
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By @ylich
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