The smell of smoke and alcohol, the loud sound of the trumpets, the taste of lust, and the pressure of a debt that seems exponentially increasing were common elements in the life of Ernest Brown. His dream of becoming a famous and successful guitarist just as his idols Jimmy Hendrix, Carlos Santana and John Frusciante, had vanished between sorrows.
Ernest Brown grew up in a poor family, in a poor neighborhood, with poor values. His father disappeared when he turned 5, and reappeared 10 years later, asking for money. His mom didn't have a real interest in raising and educating Ernest Brown, she was more focused on gossip and the latest collection of Michael Kors. Each chance she had, she left Ernest Brown with his sister in the church, where Ernest Brown learned the most.
Aunt Josephine was what one can describe as a tough woman, she went all saturdays to the church to pray with her rusty rosary in front of the giant statue of the cross. She works as a judge in the neighborhood hall, where she was feared by prosecutors and attorneys for equality. As a judge she stands for the values she believed in, being the most notorious for her devotion to the lord.
One day Ernest Brown as usual left school, to go straight to the Crimson park, where aunt josephine rested. As a child Ernest Brown admired aunt Josephine, he imagined her as a super hero who fought against criminals and corrupts, and brought justice to a more uncivilized world; this was something that Ernest Brown would want to believe in nowadays.
Ernest Brown greeted her with respect, and after buying an ice cream Aunt Josephine let him at the chairs of the observers. I know that you will behave as a gentleman as always, but just in case, please remain in silence and dont play with you ball during the trial, said Aunt Josephine in an unusually serious tone that for the young Ernest Brown would never imagine.
Despite that he played with a soccer ball in the court before the trial, while all the observers and lawyers arrived. Aunt Josephin always arrived at the exact time, today it wasn't the exception, each day of the 20 years she has practiced as a judge, she did the exact same route, but today would be the day where she breaks her strike.
In a miss kick the ball hit aunt Josephine, making her trip and falling at the stairs. It was exactly 13 stairs from where she felt. A giant crowd start surrounding the newly fallen, some people took pictures of her, at that moment at Ernest Brown´s young mind came out with 2 possible outcomes about the occupation of these people, either they were journalists who were there only to make a fronter page for their respective journal, or they were funerals who found their today's bread.
Luckily Aunt Josephine wasn't dead, but no one would know that until an emergency doctor arrived at the scene. The doctor quickly checked Aun Josephine and said in a small sob of relief that she had the devil's luck.
In the 5 minutes that the doctor lasted to arrive at the scene, no soul checked her pulse or even if she bled, maybe she was truly dead for that 5 minutes. The emergency doctor asked me if I was a relative of her; yes, she is my aunt, Ernest Brown answered biting his leap. The doctor also asked if he could go with them to the hospital to answer some questions.
At the hospital, Ernest Brown answered all the doctor's questions holding his aunt Josephine´s hand, for then leaving the room so the only 2 ones there were Ernest Brown and Josephine. One hour later, a tall mysterious sir entered the room and sat at the right side of Ernest Brown.
At that moment, Ernest Brown felt something unnatural with the presence of this sir, he started to sweat everywhere and felt in his throat the weight of all his sins. Young fella, your soul was sold when you were born so one person could have a second chance, now I will claim something that is mine for right.
That sir captured Ernest Brown and he delivered him into an obscure, lugubrious, and hot place where residents had every imaginable grotesque form, accompanied always by a pair of horns. His only labor was to play guitar for the customers at the bar, having very little periods of rest in which he thought about the smell of smoke and alcohol, the loud sound of the trumpets, the taste of lust, and the pressure of a debt.
By Juan Camilo Ramírez, Step 10
