Esa es la llave de San Cipriano, le dijo el sepulturero, a quien se la encuentre su magia le concede el primer día cualquier deseo. Después tiene que colocarla en el mismo lugar para que otra persona sea beneficiada. Hortensia se le quedó mirando, con desprecio, porque pensó que una vez más se burlaba de ella.

Esa mañana, el administrador del cementerio la había llamado para que limpiara el antiguo depósito que estaba en la parte posterior del camposanto y allí, por casualidad, encontró la misteriosa llave. No creyó, de ninguna manera, en el extraordinario poder de aquel objeto, pero a la mañana siguiente cuando observó al sepulturero muerto sobre una tumba, exclamó: ¡Es cierto! pondré la llave donde estaba y buscaré a mi hija Victoria para que se la encuentre.

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Reflexión

Una vez que delineé las cualidades físicas y psicológicas de Hortensia, así como la época y las circunstancias en que se desenvuelve su vida, estaba claro en que la historia que debía contar tenía que ceñirse a lo fantástico, algo parecido a la leyenda de donde surgió el personaje, pero ahora actuando como protagonista y paradójicamente, que se diferenciara por completo de aquel relato inicial.

No me costó mucho encontrar el argumento del microcuento. Lo que sí tuve que escribir varias veces fue el final, ya que no encontraba la forma de dejar bien claro en la narración los oscuros instintos de Hortensia, que surgen cuando se siente despreciada, asociados a su proverbial practicidad.

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English version

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Task 1: The curious stories of Hortensia

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General outline of the character

Hortensia is a 55-year-old Caracas woman, whose life took place from the middle of the XVIII century until the beginning of the XIX century. She lived in the area known as El Silencio, with a daughter she had at a very young age with a man she never saw again.

The lack of economic resources, forces her to wander constantly through the streets of the city, in search of work and, when adversity corners her, she dedicates herself to begging; for that reason, she is always in contact with the normal or curious events that occur in those places and with the mysterious stories that proliferated at that time. She has only her cunning and determination to face reality.

Psychological characteristics

She is an apparently calm, loving and very observant lady. She loves to talk to people to be aware of everything that happens around her and, above all, to elucidate whether there is an opportunity to take advantage of any situation. She has no qualms about taking risks in certain adventures if it brings her some benefit. His manner conveys confidence in others, but he abhors those who show him pity or contempt for his appearance.

Her darkest instincts arise when she assumes that she has been offended. In these cases she carries out small or significant acts of revenge from an underhanded attitude, without showing her intentions.

Physical characteristics

The appearance is that of a wiry woman of average height, but she possesses great strength and endurance. Her constant activity on the streets has darkened her skin and caused her hair to gray prematurely; however, her constant concern for her appearance lends her a certain air of poise, despite her humble attire.

Purposes and motivations

Hortensia's greatest aspiration is economic stabilization; she urgently needs to find a way out of poverty and move, together with her daughter, to live somewhere else, in order to start a new life. She places herself within the philosophical maxim that the end justifies the means.

Associated characters

• Family: Her daughter Victoria is Hortensia's only known relative.
• Friends: Mr. Romulo, who is the owner of an apothecary shop, and Virginia, the waitress of one of the restaurants in the area, are her best friends. All the time, on the other hand, she meets people on the streets with whom she can spend a long time talking. Although he knows almost everyone around him, he does not have many friends.
• Pets: He does not like pets. The animals he wishes to have are those that can bring them some utility or benefit, such as chickens, pigs or horses.
• Enemies: Her antagonists are circumstantial; generally those human beings who treat her badly or despise her are her adversaries.

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Task 2: The most comfortable genre

The micro-story that you will read below falls into the fantasy subgenre. The time and the environment where the character develops is ideal for creating situations that do not have logical explanations. Several times, on the other hand, I have ventured into narratives of this nature and I have done very well.

The magic key of San Cipriano

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That is the key of San Cipriano, the gravedigger told him, whoever finds it, his magic will grant him any wish on the first day. Then he has to place it in the same place for another person to benefit from it. Hortensia stared at him, with contempt, because she thought that once again he was making fun of her.

That morning, the cemetery administrator had called her to clean the old cemetery in the back of the cemetery, and there, by chance, she found the mysterious key. She did not believe in any way in the extraordinary power of that object, but the next morning when she saw the dead gravedigger on a grave, she exclaimed: “It is true! I will put the key where it was and I will look for my daughter Victoria so that she can find it for her.

Reflection

Once I outlined the physical and psychological qualities of Hortensia, as well as the time and circumstances in which her life unfolds, I was clear that the story I had to tell had to stick to the fantastic, something similar to the legend from which the character emerged, but now acting as the protagonist and paradoxically, completely different from that initial story.

I didn't have much trouble finding the plot of the micro-story. What I did have to write several times was the ending, since I could not find a way to make clear in the narrative the dark instincts of Hortensia, which arise when she feels despised, associated with her proverbial practicality.

Translated with DeepL.com (free version)

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Teachers:

@joslud y @solperez

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Invito a los amigos:
@lirvic,
@norat23 y
@yahnel

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_{Nota: La imagen de la portada fue extraída de la galería libre de Freepik}