Legend has it that, long before in the world, animals had the ability to take on human form. In a remote corner of the Andes, there lived a grandmother who cared for her little grandson, orphaned by his parents. The grandmother no longer had the strength she once had, and the boy, though big-hearted, could do little to help.
As time passed, the child grew up. As the years passed, his hair became as deep as jet black. Every day, he went out to graze his little sheep, and sometimes, instead of working, he lost himself in their games and laughter, especially those in which they hid among the rocks and bushes, oblivious to the curious gaze that watched him in silence.
One day, the little girl who was spying on him decided to approach him. From then on, the two became great friends. They played and laughed all day long, and before the sun went down, the young girl would retreat to hide. Many days passed, and although the young man invited her to his house, she always responded with a silent “no”. Nevertheless, the boy persisted in his friendship.
The time of drought came, and grass was scarce. The young man, worried, went out even earlier to pasture, looking for distant places where his sheep could find some food. One day, the little girl, tired of hiding, told him to go home with her, but first she had to tell him a secret that he would have to keep forever.
When night fell, the little girl was transformed into a partridge with bright feathers, so beautiful that they dazzled in the moonlight. The young man, far from being frightened, was deeply moved, and promised to keep her secret forever. “By day, a pretty little girl, and by night, a beautiful partridge,” murmured the young man, with a mixture of awe and affection.
From then on, the little girl accompanied him every day, hiding in the little woven bag the young man carried with him, and always coming out before the sun appeared on the horizon. The days passed, and the friendship between them grew stronger, until one day, the young man, distracted, fell asleep. He woke up in a hurry, dressed quickly and went out into the fields to pasture. In his haste, he forgot the bag at home.
At the same time, the grandmother, on entering her grandson’s room, found the forgotten bag. Curious, she opened it and saw a partridge inside. She thought that the young man had hunted the bird as a gift for lunch. Without thinking twice, the grandmother lovingly prepared the partridge.
When the young man returned, confident that there was nothing to worry about, since his granny rarely entered his room, he was surprised to find her greeting him with a happy smile. “I have a surprise for you,” she told him, and would not let him into her room. He insisted that he must eat first.
Great was his surprise to see that the meal she served him was partridge meat. While he was eating, the young man, with sadness in his soul, asked his grandmother where she had gotten the meat. She, without any suspicion, answered him: “Don’t be modest, son, the partridge you left behind in the chuspita”.
The young man, heartbroken, could only gather the bones of the partridge. With them, he made flutes, whose sad melodies resounded in the valleys, carrying with them the lament of a secret and lost love. And so, when the wind blew through the hills, the music of his pain could be heard, like a whisper from the Andes that he never forgets.
Moral: The secrets we keep in our hearts can be as delicate as life itself. Sometimes, unintentionally, our good intentions can lead to painful losses. It is essential to be cautious about what we reveal, even to those we love, because the truth can change everything. True love does not demand sacrifices that break us, but flourishes in mutual trust and respect for what is sacred.
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