What The Eye Does Not See

Bad Luck

"Let's start to see the good from the bad, and the bad from the good."

~ Anonymous

My grandmother once told me an urban legend. That legend remained in my heart until the end of my days. It was said that in an old village, a bird was hovering. But not any bird. No, this bird itself was special. His appearance was sinister before human eyes. He had a dark color, as dark as night. They even said that he had small dots in his little body, making them look like stars. Of this bird it was said, that with it, it brought bad luck, bad vibes. They said, too, that if he landed on one of your belongings, something bad would happen to them.

"How is that granny?" I had asked. That day I was in my bed. I couldn't sleep, so I told my grandmother to tell me a story.

"You will see, honey; a Lady, Doña Maria to be precise. Had seen this bird; Bad luck, they called him. She said that one night in January, he landed in her small garden. It should be noted that her flowers were the most beautiful of all. Doña María, when she noticed, went madly out of her house to scare the bird, because like everyone else, she believed in her bad luck. The next day, Doña Maria's little garden died. All the flowers were withered, she had to take them out and throw them away. She got so mad."

My grandma told me. What an evil bird. I thought at that moment. My grandmother continued:

"What she didn't know, was that those flowers would bring a plague with her. Doña Maria could get sick if she didn't get them out in time. And she didn't need a disease of such magnitude, since she was already quite old."

"Then... if the bird does not...".

"Shhh," Grandma interrupted me. "Let me finish. One night in June, a young man; Julian. He watched as Bad Luck settled on his beautiful sport car. That boy loved running, speed, adrenaline. Like everyone else, he believed in Bad Luck's bad luck, so he went out and scared him. The next day, when trying to start his car, it didn't work. It didn't want to turn on, not even to some sound. He was very upset with the bird, because that day he had an important race. What he didn't know at the time, was that the brakes on his car didn't work. If that car had turned on, the poor man would have had a serious accident."

I was steeped in history. Granny continued:

"One October night, I was on the sidewalk of my house. And I saw a silhouette that came from above. I looked at the sky and there was Bad Luck, I saw how he settled in my house. I didn't believe in bad luck, so I left it where it was, quiet. The next day, I had to leave the house because I couldn't pay for it. They took it from me, I had been late with the debt."

"Oh, no, grandma! You should have driven that evil bird away."

My grandmother laughed, and shook her head.

"What I didn't know was that I expected something better somewhere else, something more comfortable and that fit my pocket."

I frowned, confused.

"I do not understand grandma, in the end, everything that happened to Doña María, Julian and you, was for the better."

She smiled and kissed my cheek.

"Yes dear, because sometimes, bad things must happen, so that other good ones arrive."