Bruno was left alone, praying that the God of small things would guide the steps of his unusual messenger. His life now depended on a rodent. The longest night of Bruno’s life was slowly consumed. Every hour was one more step towards dawn, towards the gallows. Bruno did not sleep. He stood glued to the crack in the wall, his eyes bloodshot from the strain of peering into the darkness, waiting for a miracle that seemed impossible.
“Please, Spark,” he whispered, “come back.” But silence was the only answer. Doubt began to devour him. Had he been a fool? Had he entrusted his life to a dirty animal? Maybe the rat had simply taken the medal to its nest and would never return. Maybe he had fallen into a trap.
Upstairs in the mansion, Gaston slept a restless sleep, drunk on wine and power, unaware that a small shadow was silently moving through his room. The rat, attracted by the familiar smell of evil and the shine of metal, had found the hiding place behind the painting. With her nimble legs and sharp teeth, she had accomplished what no guard could: enter unseen. In the universe of the rat there was no crime or justice, only an exchange: a shiny object, the silver medal, for another shiny object that smelled of Gaston’s fear.
The sound of heavy boots in the stone hallway jolted Bruno out of his trance. They were the guards. The time had come. The sun had not yet risen, but the gray dawn was already sneaking through the cracks. Bruno dropped against the wall, defeated. It was over. Spark had not returned. The bolt of the cell creaked and the door opened with a metallic crash. “Get up, thief,” the guard growled. “The executioner is waiting for you.” Bruno stood up with difficulty, his legs trembling with weakness. He took a step toward the door and then felt something, a sudden weight on his bare foot. He looked down. There was Chispa. The animal panted with its fur bristling as if it had run a marathon and in its mouth it held something heavy and shiny.
The guard approached to grab Bruno. “Wait!” shouted Bruno with a strength he didn’t know he had. He quickly bent down and picked up what the rat had brought. Spark shrieked and ran to hide. Bruno opened his hand. On his dirty palm shone with an unmistakable red and gold light: the governor’s ring. The huge ruby seemed to burn in the darkness of the cell. “God exists,” Bruno whispered, clutching the jewel to his chest.
They dragged him to the prison courtyard where an improvised gallows had been erected. The governor was there dressed in black with a stern expression. Beside him, Gastón smiled anxiously to see the end of his problem. A small group of onlookers had gathered to witness the execution. The executioner put the noose around Bruno’s neck.
“Do you have any final say before you pay for your crime?” the governor said in a cold voice. Gastón took a step forward. “Let’s end this, sir. He doesn’t deserve to talk.”
Bruno raised his head. Despite his rags and filth, he had more dignity at that moment than all the men present. “I’m not a thief, Your Excellency,” Bruno said in a clear voice. “And I have the proof right here.” With a quick movement, despite having his hands tied, he managed to open the fist that he was holding tightly closed. The rising sun struck the ruby of the ring, releasing a flash that momentarily blinded those present.
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