Carlos Páez Vilaró wrote eleven short stories, several fables and legends, between his r periods of rest  from painting.

Casapueblo Edition, 1997.

  In order to add hours to the day, I usually to get up, like animals do, when the sun rises.

When my head leaves the pillow I open my eyes towards the window through which I receive the first stream of sun light which  is also leaving the horizon and rises as a fire balloon that starts its daily job of illuminating life time.

Spontaneously driven by an unusual desire, I was tempted to put my hands on the keys of the typewriter to let them freely run  on the paper …

As this interrupted my daily painting work, I pretended that unsigned messages  were left  in the incoming tray, so I decided to translate them.

Therefore I pressed down the red key and I heard an unknown voice asking for the fax signal”.

 
THE EMBRACE OF TWO ISLANDS

The construction of a bridge between two islands is one of the most impossible things to be carried out successfully.

Dandalunda and Janaina, were two lonely islands separated by  a distance of 10 miles, situated  in the  a huge immensity. 

Each one was inhabited by only one person.

An endless space surrounded them.

According to  a legend told by  old fishermen , Jemanja – Queen of the Waters – called them  Janaina and Dandalunda.

Anahí , a beautiful Eurasian featured young girl was the only inhabitant in Dandalunda.

Askar, a blond Nordic featured young  fellow was the only person who lived in Janaina.  He had his name tattooed on his right arm.

It was never known how Anahí and Askar  were born, or grew up and gained their living on the islands.

No one was able to find out how they faced all kind of difficulties  without help, only supported by their own imagination  and physical strength.

Notwithstanding the enormous distance that separated the two islands, Anahí and Askar felt such a strong feeling that let them know about  the existence of each other.

There existed a sort of extra sensory perceiving  through which they could feel that the day would come when they would throw their arms in a close loving embrace.

The fact was that both youngsters have the perfect description of each other fixed in their minds.

They magically got in touch by the illusion of interchanging letters somehow written in the air.

One day, an enormous hurricane descended furiously over both islands. A hurricane that had never been seen  lengthwise or   widthwise in  the Marasic Ocean.

The phenomenon descended violently into the sea  with a swelling tide.

When one of the waves which  rose violently from the south came across another one that swept strongly along  from the north they drew an imaginary line that connected Dandalunda and Janaina.  The tremendous crash sounded like the downfall of a cathedral made of foam and salt.

A few days later calm reigned everywhere.

Anahí and  Askar from the edge of their islands  stood  amazed and surprised .

They  noticed  that the violent crash of both waves had given place to a pathway drawn like a spine made of coral reeves, sand and stones  like an endless bridge that went across the horizon.

The narrow passage that connected the islands could only be seen by the birds that flew over the long reef.

Exited on  by the illusion of making their so long wish of meeting each other come true, Anahí and Askar started to walk along the uneven and dangerous pathway with the warm desire of their encounter.

They felt quite sure that everything would come out well and  they soon would be together.

Their anxiety helped them  go through difficulties more easily but after three   days they became dead of hunger and thirst.

They had forgotten to take shells for drinking and food.  When they felt sleepy at night they sat on the side of the pathway to avoid falling down into the sea.

The so long awaited meeting occurred on the fourth day.

The islands had become a distant  spot   behind them.

 Anahí noticed in the distance a blue dot coming  towards her.

On the other side Askar had no doubt that Anahí was the grey dot that became bigger and bigger as she got closer, so he lengthened his steps.

The deep emotion made their hearts beat  madly with joy.

At a hundred meters distant they realized that their dreams had come true.  They  walked forward sure and certain.  It was useless to delay the encounter.

The sun shined on their sweating bodies but their faces  only showed happiness that  hid all signs of fatigue.
“Stupa ray meske tupé” said Anahí with a nervous voice while she discovered that she  had a way to express herself.

Askar couldn´t do anything but scream while he embraced her closely  and tenderly.

Due to  their bloody hurt feet after such a hard adventure they weren´t able to go back to the islands .  They gave up the idea and just  embraced so closely that they seemed to be only one person swinging on the imaginary line that the hurricane had left between both islands.

At  present, Janaina and Dandalunda are two desert  islands situated in the middle pf the Marasic Ocean, as if they were The Eyes of God.

The secret of the legend written by Jenanja, the Queen of the Waters is being closely kept. Only those people who fly over by plane, can observe  that deep into the sea,  both islands are connected by a thin line, as an everlasting witness of the union of Anahí and Askar  when they met and died in a close and loving embrace.