Amigo’s Milagro
A corto cuento de Navidad
Padre Adonais was an old priest when he was sent to Alamo Verde, a mountain village, to serve as a priest for las gente alla. He was also to serve several other villages in las montañas – Tierra Rojo, Loma Naranja, Flores y Oso Negro. Padre Adonais had spent his career serving in large ciudades. He wondered why on earth he was sent to these little mountain villages. “Ay, who is to question the wish of the bishop or Dios,” said the padre to himself.
Padre Adonais did not have the memory he had had as a young man. He wondered how his memory would serve him to know which village he was to be in on que dia or week. Sure enough the padre was always arriving at the wrong village on the wrong day. His memory was just not working like he wanted it to. The poor parishioners didn’t know what to do. If Juan and Maria were ready to be married and the wedding feast was all prepared, there was no way to keep the food from spoiling as everyone awaited, several days, for the padre to perform the wedding ceremony. When someone has expired the body could only lay in waiting on la mesa de la cocina before the house started to not smell so good.
There was a little burro, named Amigo, that was to be Padre Adonais’ transportation from village to village or wherever else he might need to go. Amigo was a gentle sweet soul and the padre grew to love him. Padre Adonais did not know that Amigo knew the way to all of the villages in las montañas.
Una mañana, temprano y frio, before dawn, the padre arose making ready to travel to Tierra Rojo. As he tried to get up on Amigo he couldn’t make it. He led Amigo to a stump. Padre got on the stump and then was able to climb on the burro. They started over the hills on their way to Tierra Rojo. After a short time the padre fell asleep. Amigo turned and headed for Loma Naraja. Padre slept so peacefully that he did not awaken until they had reached the small village. The parishioners of Loma Naranja all rejoiced. Elena Baca and Francisco Gomez and the villagers were awaiting the padre to perform the marriage ceremony for the young couple. It was a beautiful wedding. The reception and food were wonderful y delicioso. The padre slept well that night, in a warm bed, at la casa del alcade.
The following morning he readied to travel to Flores. It seemed as if Amigo had gained some more inches during la noche. Padre borrowed a step ladder from the alcalde, which the alcalde held, while the padre climbed upon it and mounted the donkey. He then urged the donkey to go in the direction of Flores. The trouble of mounting the donkey had tired the old padre and he fell asleep quickly. As Padre Adonais slept Amigo turned and went in the direction of Oso Negro. The padre awoke just as they arrived in Oso Negro. The people rejoiced because he was there to perform the funeral mass for Doña Isabel Aragon who had expired at the age of 110. It was a lovely mass and a fine wake as the people celebrated the ancient woman’s life. The padre slept peacefully in Doña Isabel Aragon’s feather bed.
For dos dias he rested in Oso
Negro until he felt it was time for him to go to Tierra Rojo. It was Christmas morning. He went to the barn to find Amigo, but could find the burro nowhere. As he looked and looked he noticed that the only animal in the corral was a palamino horse. El caballo had Amigo’s warming blanket on it’s back. Puzzled, Padre Adonais looked into the horse’s eyes and saw they were the same as the donkey ‘s eyes. The priest crossed himself in amazement and said,
oh who knows or understands the ways of Dios or His milagros ?” Of course, the padre had to get help from several hombres who helped him get on the beautiful palamino. As the padre rode away the men all scratched their heads wondering what had happened.
The padre turned the horse in the direction of Flores. He was so comfortable that he fell asleep. The horse turned in the direction of home and Alamo Verde. When they arrived, la gente were rejoic
ing as the padre awoke. it was el Domingo and Christmas morning, the day that Padre Adonais would give the mass in Alamo Verde. It was a Christmas miracle.
From that day on the padre and his palamino were always in the right village on the right day. The people rejoiced. The padre was no longer troubled with his bad memory. He and Amigo Jr., el caballo palamino con los ojos del burro Amigo, was muy feliz for he always got extra oats and hay.