LITTLE BOYS

Little boys come

in all

shapes and

sizes

LITTLE BOYS

LITTLE BOYS

Little boys come

in all

shapes and

sizes

Cuento Original: Carlos Cortés Laura Galindo

Traducción : Isabella Vargas

Ilustración: Carlos Cortés

Diseño de portada: Isabella Vargas

Edición: Laura Galindo Isabella Vargas

Edición expresamente autorizada para ICANCopyright by Editorial Celestica, S.A.

Bogotá, 2013

Primera edición: 5-18-2013

8:15 AM LITTLE BOY

I would like to tell you a story Quisiera contarte una historia

Una que quise borrar… Pero las heridas aún quedanOne which I wish I could forget.… But the hurt remains

Mi nombre es Kodama Mitsuo y siendo un niño pequeño mi camino se interrumpió My name is Kodoma Mitsuo, and when I was a Little boy my life got interrupted

little boys

Recuerdo la voz y sus intentos de despertarme cada mañana, aún me da rabia cuando halaba mis cobijas, pero así era ella, entre sus manos y mi sueño me levanté.

I remember her voice and her attempts to wake me up every

morning. I still got angry every time I remember the way she pulls my

blankets off, that’s the way she used to be, with her hands she woke me up.

‘Wake up Kodama’

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Desayuné lentamente, Okaasan me miró y yo le sonreí. Era tarde, así que salí corriendo y en medio del afán no me despedí de ella, no importa (pensé), la veré mas tarde.

I ate my breakfast slowly, Okaasan stared at me and I smiled at her.

It was late, so I went out running, and I forgot to say goodbye to her, it does

not matter, I thought, I’ll see her later.

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Era un día soleado. Me gustaba recoger las hojas de cerezo cuando la primavera pasaba.

It was a sunny day. I liked to pick up every sakura flowers

when spring was gone.

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Recuerdo a Natsuki a la entrada del colegio. Siempre ahí, ocho en punto, ni más, ni menos, con su baggu al hombro.

I remember Natsuki at the entrance of school. Always

there, on sharp eight o’clock with his baggu.

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El último que llegue al salón pierde silla (decía Natsuki) y entre pasillos y corre, corre, nos resbalamos hasta caer, las risas no aguantaron y clavados en el piso parecíamos contagiados.

Last one to the classroom doesn’t get a seat (so Natsuki said) and so we

ran and ran through corridors until we all slipped and fell down. We lay

on the floor, laughing uncontrollably and unable to get up.

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I went into the classroom, took a chair and put my stuff down. The teacher had not arrived yet

Entré al salón , me senté y dejé mis cosas, la maestra aún no llegaba.

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I remembered that I had not said goodbye to OkaasanNo me despedí de Okaasan, recordé

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And then the bell rang and class started La campana sonó. La clase empezó.

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Miré a la ventana que daba al patio, luego a la maestra, y finalmente a Natsuki con su mirada fija en la ventana, me trastorno su cambio de rostro y con lápiz en mano...

I glanced at the window overlooking the playground,

then at the teacher and finally at natsuki, who was staring at the

window,pencil in hand. His face suddenly changed.

A thousend of lightnings at the same timeMil relámpagos al mismo tiempo

There was fear

Estaba el miedo

Above our heads

Estaba encima de nuestras cabezas

Under our feets

Bajo nuestros pies

Inside all of us

Dentro de nosotros

I heard a loud noise Escuché un estruendo

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I remember the lights, I could not hear anything.

My skin was cold, white and hard as stone.

Recuerdo ver algunas luces, nada se escuchaba, mi piel blanca, fría; estaba rígida como una piedra.

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My heart was beating really fast and, while I was

panting, I managed to move part of my body.

Mi corazón latía a mil y jadeando logre mover parte de mi....

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And there it was, my friend’s hand tightly

clutching my sweater.

Allí estaba, la mano de mi amigo agarrando mi suéter con fuerza.

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‘Natsuki!’ I shouted, waiting for a reply but… his hands

held tightly my sweater and his fingers fell to the cracked floor.

¡Natsuki!! Grité, esperando respuesta, pero...sus dedos dejaron el saco y cayeron sobre el piso quebrado.

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I could not understand anything… ‘It is a nightmare’,

I thought, but it was as real as the uselessness of my legs at that

moment..the pain was unbearable.

No entendía nada… “una pesadilla” pensaba, pero era tan real como la inutilidad de mis piernas en ese momento…El dolor era insufrible.

little boys

The fear was so intense that I was paralysed by the thought of what i

might find if i moved, but I managed to cross the dead sea that

was seeping out into what was, before, my classroom.

El miedo era tan intenso que me paralizaba pensar en lo que podría encontrar si me movía de allí, pero mis fuerzas lograron atravesar el mar inerte que se desplomaba en lo que antes era, el salón de clase.

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I had not said goodbye to Okaasan... No me despedí de Okaasan…

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Even though I felt like my ears were exploding, I could clearly

hear people crying for help.

A pesar de que mis oídos parecían reventarse, los gritos de auxilio se hacían evidentes.

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I had not said goodbye to Otousan and my brothers either.

Otousan y mis hermanos…de ellos tampoco me despedí...

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Going out was like going back to the nightmare; what I had previously

thought to be a high school attack, had become a disaster. Everything

had collapsed into dust.

Salir fue como volver a la pesadilla, lo que antes pensaba que era un ataque al colegio se convirtió en un desastre. Todo se había desplomado .

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Ya no había norte ni sur, todo se tapaba en llamas gigantes, mis manos temblaban.

There was no longer any north or south, everything was enveloped in

huge flames… my hands were shaking.

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Escuché el llanto de un niño me sentía impotente de no ayudarlo, no podía encontrarlo.

I heard a child crying but felt powerless to help him,

I couldn’t find him.

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El llanto cesóThe crying stopped

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El ruido era muy fuerte no quería estar más allí.

The noise was so loud and i do not wanted to

be there anymore.

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Levantaba mis pies tratando de no pisar lo que no quería tocar, pero...Era imposible...Los pedazos se enredaban en mí como sanguijuelas.

I lifted my feet trying not to step on what I did not

want to touch, but ... It was impossible ... bits clung to

me like leeches.

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Y en mi cabeza se revolvían mil dudas, preguntas, miedos, pero me carcomía la conciencia pensando en mi familia...”Mantenlos con vida...” dije en voz alta.

My head was churning with a thousand different doubts,questions

and fears, but above all, my mind was consumed by thoughts of my family...

‘please let them be alive...’I said aloud to myself.

little boys

Ya no era un juego de “Kendama” o una partida de “Menko”. Ese día era la vida real ante mí.

It was no loger a ‘Kendama’ game or a

‘Menko’match . This time it was real life in front of me.

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Había mucha gente quemada y solo verlos me asustaba, corría buscando mi casa.

There was lot of burned people and I felt so scared

when I looked at them, i ran looking for my house.

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No soportaba el calor y pude observar a unos metros de mí un tanque, me acerqué.

I couldn’t stand the heat. I was able to see a weel a

few feets from me. I went closer.

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Sin fijarme bebí, la sed era insoportable, me di cuenta que el sabor era diferente.

Without thinking about it I drank, The thirst was

unbearable I realized that the taste was different..

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Tuve miedo y Corrí sin rumbo, deseando volver al momento en que Okasaan me halaba las cobijas.

I was afraid and I ran aimlessly, looking forward to that moment when Okaasan

was pulling my sheets.

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Quería llegar a casa, quería sentirme seguro.

I wanted to reach my home, I wanted to feel safe..

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I walked, walked and walked

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Caminé, caminé y caminé

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No lo pude creer, solo veía un muro pero sabía que esa era mi casa.

I couldn’t believe it, I could only see a wall and yet I knew

that that was my house.

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Cerré los ojos y recordéI closed my eyes and remembered

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OtousanOkaasan

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Grité. I shouted

This tale is based on a true story of survival

where time doesn’t cure everything; just look at

the story of Kodama Mitsuo.

We are not trying to break any news nor are we

trying to create a novel, we are looking to focus

everybody’s attention on an event that is as real

as it is meaningful.

Without momentum there is no way forwards,

and without truth there is no future; you are

yourself, I am myself, but all of us are actors.

Este cuento esta basado en una historia real de su-

pervivencia en donde el tiempo no todo lo cura;

solo basta leer la historia de Kodama Mitsuo.

No pretendemos dar una noticia ni crear una no-

vela, buscamos acercar la mirada de todos a un

escenario tan real como trascendente.

Sin impulso no hay camino, sin verdad no hay

destino; eres tu, soy yo, los actores somos todos.

Little boys come in all

shapes and sizes,

Shy and adventurous,

full of surprises,

With misshapen halos

and mischievous grins,

Small dirty faces, and

sweet, sticky chins.

9 7 8 1 3 1 11 3 1 2 2 5

ISBN 958-12-3456-X