ENG/ESP Una Extraña Invitación/A Strange Invitation

Hello friends, I hope you are well, today I want to share with you my participation in The Ink Well Fiction Prompt #134 contest.

"What is this," Andrea wondered, seeing an envelope on the living room floor.

The envelope had her name printed on it, in red ink, and she immediately proceeded to read it.

It had only the following written on it: "We invite you to a reunion meeting of alumni of the XXI Promotion of Liceo Gil Fortoul" at the bottom of the page was the time and address of the meeting.

"A reunion with classmates from Prepa!" he exclaimed, "Of course, I'll attend."

Ring, Ring, his phone rang.

"Hello, could you please connect me with Andrea."

"Who is this?"

"Is that you Andrea, it's Amelia."

"Hello, long time no hear from you."

"Yes, it's been a long time since we last spoke, I'm calling because I received a strange invitation."

"I received it too, but I don't think it's strange."

"Don't you think it's strange that it has no return address?"

"Actually, no."

The girls continued talking for a long time, they decided to attend the meeting, they agreed to go together in Amelia's car, they tried to contact other classmates, but had no luck.

The day of the expected meeting arrived, Amelia went to pick up Andrea and quickly, they went to the place where the meeting would take place, it was on the outskirts of the city.

"What a place they chose," said Amelia.

"That's horrible, and by the way, we're the first ones to arrive," Andrea replied, with a frown.

It was a very large place, everything was dirty, there was a half ramshackle cabin, which seemed to be abandoned.

"I think they played a joke on us, let's go back to the city".

"Yes, let's get out of here," said Andrea.

When the girls were about to leave, a big, shiny van parked, a few meters from Amelia's car; A tall, bald man got out of it.

"Juancho, is that you?"

"Hello Andrea, and you must be Amelia."

"Hi, it's good to see you," Amelia said.

Andrea, was dumbfounded, she couldn't take her eyes off Juancho, who was wearing very elegant clothes, from his neck hung a thick gold chain and on his left hand adorned it a shiny watch.

"Was it you, who organized this meeting?"

"No, I am here because I received this invitation," said the boy, taking the invitation out of his coat pocket.

"We, we received one just like it," replied Andrea.

The boys sat on an old bench, chatted for a while, waiting for the host of the meeting and the other guests to arrive, but no one came.

"I'm out of here," said Amelia, getting up abruptly.

Juancho and Andrea, also got up with the intention of leaving.

"Hey, hey...where are you going, the meeting, it's just starting," said Carlos, approaching them.

"Did you send the invitations?"

"Yes, it was me, Amelia."

"You chose a very remote place, I don't think anyone else will attend."

"We are already all invited"

"A meeting of four?

"That's right"

"Let's get out of here," Amelia said.

Carlos moved a little away from them, he jumped, his body was spinning in the air, suddenly he fell to the ground, turned into a big hairy dog, with big red eyes, pointed ears and sharp fangs.

The kids were stunned by what they had just seen, they didn't know what to do, that dog was just watching them.

Andrea fainted and Amelia ran to help her, but Carlos, now in human form, prevented her, pulling her by the hand.

"Don't be afraid, I won't hurt you, I have summoned you here to propose you to be part of my pack."

"Of, you what?

"Yes Amelia, my pack, here you will not be rejected, did you forget how they rejected you, for being the weak girl in the classroom, you Andrea for being the ugly one, me for being the fool and you Juancho for being the poor boy".

"You mean, there are others like you?"

"We are one big family, they took me in, as one of their own and never called me a fool, nor make me feel less than them."

"We never looked down on you"

"You don't, but the others do, that's why I thought of you and summoned you, today of the new moon, to be part of the pack."

"We would never do that, Carlos"

"So, you are happy, in spite of what we went through in high school."

"Those were boys' things, our lives have changed, it doesn't make sense anymore, to remember that."

Amelia didn't manage to say more, she only heard a terrifying howl and in the blink of an eye, a wolf appeared in front of them.

"You won't hurt them," said Carlos, crossing himself between the wolf and the boys.

Carlos jumped up and took wolf form, they approached and for a while they were growling, then the other wolf left the place.

Still in wolf form, Carlos looked tenderly at the boys, looked up at the sky, let out a howl, which came from his guts, and ran out of the place.

"Well guys, the meeting is over, let's go to our homes," said Andrea, as she walked to the car.
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“¿Qué es esto?, se preguntó Andrea, al ver un sobre, en el piso de la sala.

El sobre tenía su nombre impreso, con tinta roja, inmediatamente procedió a leerlo.

Solo tenía escrito: «Te invitamos a una reunión de reencuentro, de ex alumnos de la Promoción XXI del Liceo Gil Fortul » al pie de la página, estaba la hora y la dirección de la reunión.

“¡Una reunión con compañeros de la Prepa!” exclamo, “Por supuesto, que asistiré”.

Ring, Ring, sonó su teléfono.

“Hola, por favor me podría comunicar, con Andrea”

“¿Quién es?”

“¿Eres tu Andrea?, Soy Amelia”

“Hola, tanto tiempo sin saber de ti”

“Si, ha pasado mucho tiempo, desde la última vez, que hablamos, te llamo porque recibí una extraña invitación”

“Yo también la recibí, pero no le veo nada extraño”

“No te parece extraño, que no tenga remitente”

“En realidad, no”

Las chicas continuaron hablando por un largo rato, decidieron asistir a la reunión, acordaron ir juntas en el carro de Amelia, trataron de contactar a otros compañeros, pero no tuvieron suerte.

Llego el día de la esperada reunión, Amelia paso a recoger a Andrea y rápidamente, se dirigieron al lugar, donde se llevaría a cabo la reunión, el mismo quedaba a las afueras de la ciudad.

“Vaya sitio escogieron”, dijo Amelia.

“Eso está horrible, y de paso como que somos las primeras en llegar”, le respondió Andrea, con el ceño fruncido.

Era un lugar muy amplio, todo estaba sucio, había una cabaña medio destartalada, que parecía estar abandonada.

“Yo creo, que nos jugaron una broma, regresemos a la ciudad”

“Si, vayámonos de aquí”, dijo Andrea.

Cuando las chicas, estaban a punto de irse, una camioneta grande y reluciente se estaciono, a pocos metros del carro de Amelia; Un hombre alto, calvo, bajo de ella.
“Juancho, ¿Eres tú?”

“Hola Andrea, y tú debes ser Amelia”

“¡Hola!, me da gusto verte”, dijo Amelia

Andrea, estaba boquiabierta, no dejaba de ver a Juancho, quien llevaba ropa muy elegante, de su cuello guindaba una gruesa cadena de oro y a su mano izquierda la adornaba un brillante reloj.

“¿Has sido tú, quien organizó esta reunión?”

“No, yo estoy aquí porque recibí esta invitación”, dijo el chico, sacando la invitación del bolsillo de su saco.

“Nosotras, recibimos una igual”, respondió Andrea

Los chicos se sentaron en una vieja banca, conversaron un rato, esperando que llegara el anfitrión de la reunión y los demás invitados, pero nadie llegó.

“Yo me voy de aquí”, dijo Amelia levantándose bruscamente.

Juancho y Andrea, también se levantaron con la intención de irse.

“Hey, hey…¿A dónde van?, la reunión, apenas comienza”, dijo Carlos, acercándose a ellos.

“¿Tú enviaste las invitaciones?”

“Si, he sido yo Amelia”

“Escogiste un lugar muy alejado, no creo que asista nadie más”

“Ya estamos todos los invitados”

“¿Una reunión de 4?

“Así es”

“Vámonos de aquí”, dijo Amelia.

Carlos se alejó un poco de ellos, pego un salto, su cuerpo daba vueltas en el aire, de pronto cayó al suelo, convertido en un gran perro peludo, de grandes ojos rojos, orejas puntiagudas y afilados colmillos.

Los chicos quedaron atónicos, por lo que acababan de ver, no sabían que hacer, aquel perro solo los observaba.

Andrea se desmayó y Amelia corrió a socorrerla, pero Carlos, ya en forma humana, se lo impidió, halándola por la mano.

“No tengan miedo, no les hare daño, yo los he citado aquí para proponerles, que sean parte de mi manada”

“¿De, tu qué?

“Si Amelia, mi manada, aquí no serán rechazados, acaso olvidaste como te rechazaban, por ser la niña débil del salón, a ti Andrea por ser la fea, a mí por ser el tonto y a ti Juancho por ser el niño pobre”

“¿Quieres decir, que hay otros como tú?”

“Somos una gran familia, ellos me acogieron, como uno más de ellos y nunca me llamaron tonto, ni me hacen sentir menos que ellos”

“Nosotros nunca te despreciamos”

“Ustedes no, pero los otros si, por eso pensé en ustedes y los cite, hoy día de luna nueva, para que formen parte de la manada”

“Nunca haríamos eso, Carlos”

“Entonces, son felices, a pesar de lo que vivimos en la prepa”

“Esas fueron cosas de muchachos, nuestras vidas cambiaron, ya no tiene sentido, recordar eso”

Amelia, no alcanzó a decir más, sólo escucho un aullido aterrador y en un parpadear de ojos, apareció frente a ellos, un lobo.

“No les harás daño”, dijo Carlos atravesándose entre el lobo y los chicos.

Carlos saltó y tomo la forma de lobo, se acercaron y por un rato estuvieron gruñendo, luego el otro lobo se marchó del lugar.

Aún en forma de lobo, Carlos miro tiernamente a los chicos, puso la mirada al cielo, lanzó un aullido, que le salió desde las entrañas, y salió corriendo de aquel lugar.

“Bueno chicos, la reunión finalizo, vayamos a nuestras casas”, dijo Andrea, mientras caminaba hacia el auto.
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The cover image was made by modifying an image from
David Mark and Angela on pixabay

The translation of the text was done with DeepL Traductor