Nara: Capítol 1 (English)

1. Nara

Nara is sixteen years old and sitting in philosophy class, in her usual spot, about five meters from where the professor is. She tries to listen to what he is explaining, a specific aspect of Aristotle's thought, the difference between being in potentiality and being in actuality. She thinks she has understood it, but she is not entirely sure. She would like to be able to raise her hand and ask some questions to ensure her understanding, but she doesn't, as is usual for her. She feels ashamed. What will her classmates think? She's sure she'll stammer and they'll all burst out laughing at her expense. On the other hand, she can't hear Guerau, her professor, well because the classmates in the back won't stop making jokes and stupid comments that distract her. She feels it becomes very heavy, because the jokes continue the following hour, and the next day, and the following week.

Next to her sits Aura. They have been friends since they met in kindergarten. They have a very good relationship, better than if they were sisters, because since there is no real biological link, they avoid the typical problems that occur between family members. (Nara is sure that, if Aura were her real sister, they could not be friends). Between the two there is a great complicity, and therefore many messages arrive without the need for words. A look, a touch with the hand, a deep inspiration... any gesture is interpretable, if you know the code. For Nara and Aura there is nothing that cannot be coded, that cannot be transmitted in secret. The circle, very small, is completed by Jofre, a boy they met in the first year of high school, and Berta, Jofre's twin sister.

The bell rings, warning that the class is over. Nara leaves the classroom before anyone else in the direction of the bathroom. Once there, she looks at her oval and symmetrical face in the mirror. Her big, green eyes project a sweet and compassionate image, although she is not aware of it. Now, her attention is focused on a small pimple on the left side of her nose, which contrasts with the pale whiteness of her skin. It is a degraded color between reddish and pinkish. Maybe in a few days it will be yellow, if it gets pus. But that will not happen, because she will burst it with a needle and a little wine spirit. Nara would like all problems to be solved in the same way, with a needle and a little wine spirit.

She enters the stall and closes it by sliding the latch. She finds that her period has come. At the same time, she observes her body, thin and lanky. She looks at her breasts, and notices that they have grown a little. She feels a bit of inflammation in the inner part of each nipple. She doesn't quite understand the reason for these physiological changes, but she accepts them. They fit with the ideology of ecologism that she likes so much.

Despite her age, her appearance is almost childish. She looks at her hands and thinks about what they will do, these fine and expressive hands, throughout her life. Then she looks at her feet. They are small, but agile. She notices that with them she could go to the other end of the world. They have never failed her, especially when she has had to run to escape from the urban tribes that occasionally harass her (especially neo-Nazi groups), her and her few friends. She also realizes that, when she dies, her feet and her hands will also die, dragged by the organic dysfunction that has caused her disappearance. In principle it seems unfair to her. Why do they have to disappear, if most likely they will continue in good condition? But then she remembers her ecologist convictions, and strives to understand that what nature dictates should not be contradicted.

Quickly she changes and leaves the bathroom. Outside, Aura and Jofre are waiting for her.

—Any problem, Nara?

—No, no problem, Aura. Come on, let's get out of here.

The three of them leave the institute in the direction of their usual meeting place, the bar El Casal, located about nine hundred meters from the Institute. Once there, they order three non-alcoholic beers and remain silent for a few moments. Aura, without thinking, breaks the mutism and begins what she likes most: asking questions to everyone who is within a radius of two meters from a central geometric point that she occupies.

 —Jofre, where is Berta? Why didn't she come to the Institute today?

—She had a headache, or that's what she told her parents in the morning. And that her period had come.

—I've also had mine, and I haven't missed class because of that! —Says Nara.

—Well, you know what Berta is like —responds Jofre. —She makes everything a problem.

—Well, I think it's the most natural thing in the world —adds Nara. —And therefore, it is not a reason to alter the daily routine. I don't know what she would do if she encountered what happened to me.

Aura and Jofre look at each other strangely, without knowing what Nara is talking about. In the end, Aura asks: —And what happened to you, that I don't know? I thought there were no secrets between us.

—It was so strong, that I still can't believe it myself. If I tell you, you'll think I'm crazy. 

—Girl, you're really intriguing me —adds Jofre. Don't make us wait and explain it once and for all!

Both fix their eyes on Nara, who remains silent for a few moments, expressing her doubts with an eloquent gesture. They are characteristic features that she cannot avoid: movement of the eyes, of the eyebrows, contact of the hands with the hair and the face, the lips closed or pressed inwards...

—Well, I'll tell you. Sometimes, and without me provoking it, butterfly wings grow on my back.

 Aura and Jofre burst out laughing. Neither of them can believe what they have just heard. They think that Nara wants to pull their leg, although this has never been her style. 

—Let's see, did I hear it right? —Asks Jofre. —Butterfly wings?

—Yes Jofre, you heard it right. Butterfly wings. They are not wings of a dove, nor of an eagle, nor of a swallow. They are butterfly wings. I suppose you must have seen some sometime. —Responds Nara.

—But Nara, what you say has no logic! —Affirms Aura, who begins to fear for the mental health of her friend. —You can't grow wings, neither of a butterfly nor of any other species. It is impossible from a biological point of view. Weren't you paying attention in class when Mrs. Roure was explaining genetics to us?

—I already know what genetics is Aura, and yes I was paying attention in class! —Responds Nara, adopting a defensive tone. —And I also know that for science this is impossible. But the facts are the facts, whether we like them or not. And it is science that has to adapt to these facts, and not the other way around.

—But then you will have some proof to defend what you say. For example, a photograph, although these can also be modified. —Affirms Jofre.

—Well yes, I have a photograph. Look at it! —Orders Nara.

Nara passes them an image that she has saved on her mobile, where the butterfly wings emerging from her shoulder blades can be seen clearly and reliably.

—Girl, I see that you were telling us the truth. But wait, it could also be a manipulated photo, as Jofre says —Affirms Aura.

—No, it's not a manipulated photo. Look at the precision and the details. It would take a lot of expertise to do this artificially, which Nara doesn't have. —Points out Jofre. 

—Well, despite the photo, until I see it I won't believe it. Maybe you only dreamed it! —Affirms Aura, putting emphasis on the word "dream". But Nara is not willing to give up.

—Look, you are my best friends. In fact, you are the only friends I have, adding Berta. If you can't believe me, I'll understand. It's hard for me too, don't think. But I know what I saw, and what I lived, and it hasn't only happened to me once. When the wings come out I enter a state of happiness and joy that cannot be explained. I see reality from a new perspective, in which everything fits and nothing is missing. I understand things that before were impossible for me to understand. It's as if a window opened that lets me look at the past, and another that allows me to observe the future, and between the two there is a continuity that puts everything in order.

—And, have you been able to find out if there is any pattern in the appearances? Any triggering factor? —Asks Jofre.

—Now that you say it, it usually happens when I have to face some problem, or in stressful situations, like when you find yourself in a dead end street. Do you get it, right?

—Yes, of course. Have you already told your parents? —Asks Aura.

—Not yet. You know that parents always want to control everything. Sometimes they don't even let me breathe.

—You can say that again! —Adds Jofre. But I think you should do it. It is very possible that if you have this "gift", someone from your ancestors has also had it. That would help you to better understand what is happening to you.

—I think you're right, Jofre. But I have to find the best time to do it. These last weeks they are very busy and they don't have a second to listen to me.

—I don't know if I would do it —says Aura. Maybe they'll send you away with some of the typical answers from adults, like "What are you telling me, have you lost your mind?"

—Anyway, according to what you have explained, it is not something bad, right? —Asks Jofre.

—No, not at all! On the contrary, I experience it as a very positive experience. Whenever the wings have come out, the problems have subsided or disappeared. And it doesn't only affect me, but also those around me.

—Could you give us an example? —Asks Aura.

—Well... let me think... Yes, it was about a month ago. My mother lectured me because, from her point of view, I don't read enough and my grades have dropped. She has the mania that we have to be cultured, and that this is only achieved with study and reading. And it's ironic, because I really like to read! Anyway, I went to my room a little sad and frustrated, thinking that at home they did not recognize my efforts, and suddenly, it happened.

—What happened? —Ask Aura and Jofre, both at the same time and with an expression of unsatisfied curiosity.

—Well, what I was telling you! I remember that the room was dark, with the light off. Suddenly, I felt a tingling on my shoulders, while the space filled with a dim lilac light. Little by little, I felt the feelings of sadness and frustration disappearing, giving way to a sensation of comfort and an inner peace that strengthened me a lot. At the same time, I noticed that my feet stopped touching the ground. I was rising! I floated in the middle of the room like a balloon inflated with hot air. The sensation of peace and serenity increased. Now I could feel my mother's sincere concern, and at the same time, the great trust and illusion that she had placed in me. I regretted the unfair reaction I had had towards her, and the slamming of the door I had given.

—And what else happened? —Asks Jofre.

—Well, nothing, once I recovered from my emotional wounds the wings began to disappear, and I returned very gently to put my feet on the floor of my room, which was impregnated with a delicious smell of lavender and withered roses. The aroma spread throughout the house, acting as a balm made of tranquility and tenderness. My parents didn't know where it came from, but they didn't ask either. I suppose they had enough with the fact of being able to enjoy its beneficial effects. And nothing more. This is the story, whether you want to believe it or not.

Jofre and Aura remain silent, as if they wanted to review in their minds everything that Nara has told them. Then, and before anyone can add anything more to the story, Berta appears.

—People! What are you doing here so quiet and immobile? You look like the chameleons I have at home!

—Berta! Come in and sit with us! You've missed an incredible story from Nara! —Says Aura.

Berta is Jofre's twin sister, but despite their extraordinary resemblance, they are very different in terms of personality and tastes, except in one thing: their eagerness to compete and show everyone who of the two is the best.  Once she learns about Nara's story, she has a reaction that none of the others expect.

—I don't see what's so extraordinary about this story. This usually happens to many people. Of course they don't want to explain it, for fear that they will be locked up in the psychiatric hospital.

—Berta, but what are you saying? You've never told me a story like this! —Affirms Jofre.

—Well, because you had never asked me —Replies Berta.

—Let's see guys, let's not get into the typical sibling squabbles now. —Intervenes Aura. —The most normal thing is that it didn't cross your mind to ask this type of questions, right Jofre? No one is walking with someone else and suddenly stops to ask them if they have ever seen people with butterfly wings, or anything similar.

—Of course not! —Responds Nara. But stop arguing, please, because I want Berta to explain to us the reason for her statement. Berta, have you seen anyone else who has something similar happen to what happens to me?

—Well... More or less. It's not as strange a phenomenon as you think. Without going any further, I know a boy who, when he gets nervous, starts to lose color until you see him in black and white. It's amazing! And if the excitement increases, it reaches a point where it becomes transparent! Then you can't perceive him at all.

—That's called being totally invisible! —Affirms Jofre, with a loud laugh. It happens to me very often, especially when my sister approaches.

—Come on Jofre, don't make fun of him, he's a very good guy —complains Berta— And you know that what you say is not true.

—Well, I didn't know anything about this boy. What's his name? Does he come to our institute? Can we go see him? —Asks Aura, in her usual accelerated style.

—Aura, don't get so excited! —Responds Berta. —Let's see... His name is Carles, Carles Llopis, and I don't know if we can go see him. As you will understand, he is very reserved. And no, he doesn't come to our insti, luckily for him.

—And, if he doesn't come, how do you know him? —Asks Nara.