(ENG/ESP) October 2023 Monthly Contest from The Ink Well: THE SECRET OF THE CEMENTERY LIGHTS

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ENGLISH

The darkness of the night stalks the town. Flashing lights, of different colors, suddenly appear in the cemetery. No one understands what is happening. Some think they are the ghosts of the forgotten dead. Others, the most reckless, say it is a joke. No one dares to investigate. Only the brave and fearless gravedigger goes little by little, moving stealthily, towards the tombs that emanate phosphorescence. But he stops at one that has no light. It catches his attention because its tombstone is always moving, as if he had just buried the deceased:

-Here lies the soul of Don Saturnino XXX.

-How strange! They only put the first name, could it be that they did not know the last name? But this deceased is constantly visited by a young man dressed in black, ungainly, with his face always hidden. And he constantly comes at night. I have never seen him during the day. Strange, strange.

The gravedigger had been working in the cemetery for years. He had no family, so he stayed at night, walking among the graves until he fell asleep...
One day a stranger arrived in town, Lucas. He stayed at the only inn there was.
Lucas had planned very well what he wanted to do there. He is the only son of the President of the Miramar hotel chain, Fulgencio Torres. He had been ruined by the envy of his insatiable partners.
Lucas always likes to talk. Although he is a student of computers, his talks are about any topic.
He still remembers the day he spoke to his father and told him:

-Dad I will ruin each and every one of those who conspired for your financial bankruptcy. I will give you back all the money they stole from you.
-But son, stay calm. We'll see what we can do.

-Yes, but it got you in trouble with mom, who got sad and cried a lot. She couldn't bear to see you depressed and left. Anyway, I'll keep in touch with you. Don't look for me, and don't think of me as a thief.

-Don't judge your mother. With regard to my partners, you have to leave hatred and revenge aside. Fulgencio answers.

The strong embrace with his father and the ride in his sports car still echoes in his skin and in his memory.
After that last meeting, Lucas successfully took computer courses. He started first with video games. There he would give life to his plan, he called it "The secret of the cemetery lights", where the lights coming out of the tombs would serve to mislead its inhabitants. Then he would try to perform hacks on a small scale and he would increase his practice until he became an expert. He became a specialist on an international level. He never thought that this detail would give him so much pleasure...

With cunning and courage he decides to meet the detective in charge of computer crimes, Placido. Lucas gradually investigates his modus operandi, later disappearing without a trace. He decides to go to the Caribbean islands and spend some time there. There he would start his center of operations. He travels constantly and changes countries quickly every time he hacks. His skills were increasing. He had already swindled all of his father's associates. The money was stashed away in tax havens. The police get wind of it but they don't suspect anyone in particular. Time goes by and after two years of gathering clues, they tie up... The person who is doing the hacks is marketing a famous game ..... An international arrest warrant is issued.

Ring, ring, ring. Lucas communicates with his father.

-Where are you? asks Fulgencio.

-Far away. I'll keep in touch with you.

The following week Lucas arrives surprisingly at his father's house. They embrace and talk.

-Dad, we have to pretend you're dead. I'll bury you in the cemetery with just a simple headstone. I will deposit you, little by little, the money in Don Saturnino's grave. I will have to buy the silence of the gravedigger. Then take out the money. Then we will leave for another country. After this conversation he went again to the cemetery to talk to the gravedigger. There he explained his plan:

-I wish to place colored lights on different graves to mislead the neighbors. My main objective is to deposit money in an inconspicuous grave..... I will reward you and with the money I give you you can leave this job.

-Why is that? You are a thief...

Luke explains what happened to his father. The gravedigger agreed to help him after Lucas was completely honest with him. The plan worked perfectly. But one day, after Lucas was leaving the cemetery, he ran into detective Placido who kindly asked him to accompany him.

-Let me say goodbye to my father.

-That's fine.

Placido trusted Lucas but the skillful Lucas managed to outwit his arrest. He leaves the country in disguise. Later he manages to travel to France under a false identity. But this time Placido follows his trail closely... After a year in France, he locates him. He calls him and tells him:

-This time you will not escape. Turn yourself in. The French police are strict. If you try to escape they'll kill you. I propose you to come with me. We'll talk and I'll agree to give you a lesser sentence. This in exchange for your help in the Cyber Fraud Department.

That time Lucas had no escape....

ESPAÑOL

La oscuridad de la noche acecha al pueblo. Luces intermitentes, de diferentes colores, se asoman repentinamente en el cementerio. Nadie entiende que pasa. Unos piensan que son los fantasmas de los difuntos olvidados. Otros, los más imprudentes, dicen que es una broma. Nadie se atreve a indagar. Solo el increpado y valiente sepulturero va poco a poco, moviéndose sigilosamente, hacia las tumbas que emanan fosforescencia. Pero se detiene en una que no tiene luz. Le llama la atención porque su lápida siempre está movida, como si acabase de enterrar al difunto:

-Aquí yace el alma de Don Saturnino XXX

-Qué extraño! Solo colocaron el nombre. ¿Será que no sabían el apellido? Pero, a este difunto, constantemente lo visita un joven vestido de negro, desgarbado, con la cara siempre oculta. Y constantemente viene por la noche. Nunca lo he visto de día. Raro, raro.

El sepulturero tenía años trabajando en el cementerio. No tenía familia por lo que se quedaba, por las noches, caminando entre las tumbas hasta que lo arropara el sueño...

Un día llegó un forastero al pueblo, Lucas. Se alojó en la única posada que había.
Lucas había planificado muy bien lo que quería hacer allí. Es el único hijo del Presidente de la cadena hotelera Miramar, Fulgencio Torres. Este había sido arruinado por la envidia de sus insaciables socios.

A Lucas siempre le gusta conversar. Aunque, es un estudioso de la informática, sus pláticas versan sobre cualquier tópico.
Todavía recuerda el día que habló con su padre y le dijo:

-Papá arruinaré a todos y cada uno de los que conspiraron para tu quiebra económica. Te devolveré todo el dinero que te robaron.

-Pero hijo, quédate tranquilo. Veremos qué podemos hacer.

-Sí, pero te trajo problemas con mamá que se entristeció y lloró muchísimo. No soportó verte deprimido y se marchó. En fin, me mantendré en contacto contigo. No me busques, ni me consideres ladrón.

-No juzgues a tu madre. Con respecto a mis socios hay que dejar el odio y la venganza a un lado. Contesta Fulgencio.

Todavía resuena, en su piel y en su memoria, el fuerte abrazo a su padre y la marcha en su carro deportivo.
Después de ese último encuentro, Lucas, realiza con éxito cursos de Informática. Comenzó primero con video juegos. Allí daría vida a su plan, lo llamó “El secreto de las luces del cementerio”, donde las luces que salían de las tumbas le servirían para despistar a sus habitantes. Luego intentaría realizar hackeos a pequeña escala e, iría incrementando su práctica, hasta hacerse un experto. Se perfila como todo un especialista a nivel internacional. Nunca pensó que ese detalle le produjese tanto placer…

Con astucia y valentía decide conocer al detective encargado de delitos informáticos, Plácido. Investiga poco a poco su modus operandi, desapareciendo posteriormente sin dejar rastro. Decide irse a las islas del Caribe y pasar un tiempo allá. Allí comenzaría su centro de operaciones. Viaja constantemente y cambia de país rápidamente cada vez que hace un hackeo. Sus habilidades iban en aumento. Ya había estafado a todos los socios de su padre. El dinero lo tenía resguardado en paraísos fiscales. La policía se entera pero no sospechan de nadie en particular. Transcurre el tiempo y luego de dos años, de recabar pistas, atan cabos… La persona que está realizando los hackeos comercializa un famoso juego….Dan orden de captura internacional.

Lucas se comunica con su padre.

-Dónde estás? Pregunta Fulgencio

-Lejos. Me mantendré en contacto contigo.

A la semana siguiente Lucas llega sorpresivamente donde está su padre. Se abrazan y conversan.

-Papá hay que fingir que estás muerto. Te enterraré en el cementerio solo con una simple lápida. Te depositaré, poco a poco, el dinero en la tumba de Don Saturnino. Tendré que comprar el silencio del sepulturero. Después saca el dinero. Luego nos marcharemos a otro país. Luego de esta conversación fue nuevamente al cementerio para hablar con el sepulturero. Allí le explicó su plan:

-Deseo colocar luces de colores en diferentes tumbas para despistar a los vecinos. Mi objetivo principal es depositar dinero en una tumba poco llamativa…. Te recompensaré y con el dinero que te dé podrás dejar este trabajo.

-A qué se debe eso? Usted es ladrón…

Lucas le explica lo sucedido a su padre. El sepulturero aceptó ayudarlo luego que Lucas se sinceró completamente con él. El plan funcionó a la perfección pero un día, luego que Lucas salía del cementerio, se topó con el detective Plácido que amablemente le dijo que lo acompañara.

-Déjame despedirme de mi padre.

-Está bien.

Plácido confió en Lucas pero el habilidoso Lucas logró burlar su detención. Sale camuflado del país. Posteriormente logra viajar a Francia con falsa identidad. Pero esta vez Plácido le sigue la pista muy de cerca…Al año de estar en Francia lo localiza. Lo llama y le dice:

-Esta vez no te escaparás. Entrégate. La policía francesa es estricta. Si tratas de escapar te matan. Te propongo que vengas conmigo. Conversaremos y avocaré para darte una menor condena. Esto a cambio de que nos ayudes en el Departamento de Estafas Cibernéticas.

Esa vez Lucas no tuvo escapatoria….

THE SECRET OF THE CEMENTERY LIGHTS by María del Carmen Sánchez Copyright © 2023

October 27, 2023

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)