It is said that in the Andes, in distant times when animals could take human form, a young man with brown hair like the sun at dusk used to prowl near a lagoon in the foothills of the mountains, not far from the village. His presence was so majestic that everyone knew him, but few dared to approach him.
One evening, as he rested by the water, a young girl with long hair as dark as night approached. Every time the girl passed near the pond, their eyes met. The young man and the young girl felt attracted to each other, as if fate had woven an invisible bond.
One day, without much thought, they decided to run away together. The young man, with a smile full of mystery, took the girl to a cave on top of one of the highest mountains, surrounded by a blanket of clouds that almost touched the earth. At first, the young girl was excited about the adventure, but soon reality caught up with her. Days passed and her only food was raw meat, a delicacy that, although at first seemed exotic, soon filled her with misery.
Tired of loneliness and sacrifice, the young woman asked the young man to go down to the village. But he, without explanation, always replied no. As time passed, the young woman decided to escape on her own. She used her long hair as a rope to descend from the cave and bravely walked down the road to the town.
When she arrived in town, the people received her with surprise and joy, as many believed she had died. After some time, the young woman discovered that she was expecting a child, a boy who grew in her womb with unusual strength. When she gave birth, the child was as big and strong as a mountain bear.
However, the young woman, ashamed of what had happened, never told anyone about the young man she had run away with, and kept her secret deep in her heart. She had only unconditional love for her son. The years passed, and the boy grew up with enormous strength. No one dared to approach him, for his arms were so powerful that a simple embrace could break bones. No one understood his gentle soul, but everyone feared him.
Despite his beauty, the boy was never able to make friends. The other children avoided him, and the school principal refused to accept him, fearful of his strength. The townspeople, frightened, decided to send him to the mountains, thinking that he would find his destiny there. But, to everyone’s surprise, he returned unharmed, having hunted many animals, and with the skins of those animals he made his own clothes, strong and durable, just like him.
The villagers, uneasy about his presence, decided to give him a gift. They offered him large, heavy shoes, made of metal, that only he could wear. “With these shoes, you will be able to go wherever you wish, and perhaps you will find friends,” they told him with a smile that seemed kind to him, but in their hearts there was nothing but relief to see him go.
The young man, his soul full of illusion, believed that he had finally found the acceptance he so longed for. Full of hope, he set out on his journey, unaware that, in reality, the villagers only wished him to go away forever. He loaded his backpack with food that was prepared for him, and with a firm and strong step, he began his journey.
One night, as he was walking along the trail, he heard the villagers of a neighboring village in distress. The river that gave them life had been blocked by a huge rockslide. The water was no longer flowing, and the people were dying of thirst. The young man, feeling a strange connection with his people, returned to the village.
When he arrived, the villagers greeted him with jubilation, for they knew that only he had the strength to move the gigantic rock that was blocking the course of the river. The young man, without hesitation, approached the river and with a single effort, lifted the stone, clearing the passage of water.
From that day on, he was no longer the feared child or the stranger. He was Pedro, the strong and brave young man, the hero of his village. The villagers gratefully accepted him as one of their own, and at last, Pedro was able to make friends, for he learned that sometimes the greatest gift we can give is our generous heart.
Moral: True strength lies not in the body, but in the ability to transform fear into love and isolation into solidarity. Only when we learn to give without expecting anything in return, we find the true place where we belong.
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