A Message in a Bottle
The cadential peal of the drums faded in the distance, muted by the reverberating compass of the marching soldiers escorting with solemnity the general's funeral procession. White classic cars, loaded with red, white and sky blue flowers filed down the avenue, the middle one was a truck equipped with speakers where a lady, dressed in white, sang in her powerful soprano pitch revolutionary anthems.
At El Malecón, people gathered to watch the spectacle with mixed feelings and somber faces. The elders cheered, carrying cardboards expressing both their sympathy and respect to whom in life was a hero for those who believed in a perpetual revolution propaganda. Others bore a frugal and skeptical expression, hoping for better times to come yet expecting the worst. The self-enthroned dictator managed to subjugate a combative spirit in the people for decades, and his death might mean the ebullient point where this dormiten volcano would erupt.
The general's ashes, as his own request, would be dispersed on the sea right where El Malecón met an end to be kissed by the Caribbean's foaming waters. Kids danced and waved goodbyes to the last truck, a platform where the Orquesta Nacional played a Son Montuno and a Guaguancó. To the rhythm of the tropical music, the National Ballet swirled, women ruffling their white cotton skirts making people clap along the street.
Less that's a mile from there, a mother and her daughter contemplated the ocean. In a partly cloudy day, the placid turquoise acquired patches of gray giving it the look of a silvery tray.
"The time for us to be together again is close my dear. Dad will be back soon with us." The woman stared down at her daughter, eyes gleaming, a reassuring smile curving on her plump lips.
"Yes mamá. This time I know the message will get to him because this time I can write my name on the letter." The little girl pressed the crystal bottle against her chest and took a deep breath. There was a rolled paper inside and a tag tied to its neck that read 'para papá' on it. She kissed the bottle before hurling it to the water and both mother and child watched it float until it disappeared into the vastness of the sea.
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I've been Challenged Once, Given Coffee Twice
Short StoryA collection of random pieces, mainly poetry and short stories, created during participating in different contests in Wattpad.
