Short Stories by Leopoldo Alas “Clarín”
Abroad
This story is about a story one legionnaire nicknamed “The Laughter” tells to another. Mistreated, he steals a medallion and kills a Polish prisoner named Iwa. Later in the story, the man meets a group of legionnaires, including “The Laughter,” on a journey to Poland. There, he encounters Iwa’s mother, who recognizes her son’s medallion and is angered to learn of his death.
The Comendadora
This story follows the Santos family, a wealthy and powerful family. Count Santos was obsessed with having offspring to inherit his wealth. He had a daughter and a son, but lost their father when they were young. The widowed Countess Santos believed it was better to have a single, wealthy heir than two with less power. She decided to send her daughter to a convent. Later, Count Santos’s son died after having a child, and the Countess decided to take her daughter out of the convent. One day, the boy went to talk with his grandmother and aunt and said he had heard the painter and sculptor say that “The Comendadora must be very beautiful naked.” The boy then asked his aunt to undress. After her denial, the child suffered several attacks, and the Comendadora granted his request. After seeing her naked, she alerted his mother, and returned to the convent.
The File’s Wishes
This story tells the story of a boy who, since childhood, was obsessed with life’s obstacles and problems, such as learning to read, write, and solve arithmetic problems. He thought that over time his problems would disappear, but he was wrong. When he entered high school, everything became more difficult. The same thing happened in college and beyond, because he thought that after finishing his studies, he would have no problems and would be free to do what he wanted without having to work.
The Green Bird
This story concerns a princess whose father wanted to find a prince for her to marry. After rejecting all suitors, including the son of a king called Tartar Khan of Tartary, whom she hated, she had an incident with a beautiful green bird, which she fitted with a lanyard, a leash, and a locket. After these incidents, the princess, who was called Fortunata, became ill with desperation to catch the green bird. She tried everything: she called wise men to study and discover the bird’s origin, sent soldiers and servants in search of it, but found nothing. One day, a laundress who was at the river was magically led to a strange, luxurious orange palace. Inside, in addition to many dishes and riches, she found the green bird with two other men who had become birds. She woke up under the orange tree where she had begun her journey and decided to tell the princess. Upon hearing the story, the princess’s illness significantly improved, and she realized that it was the Khan of Tartary who was behind it (as it was he who had enchanted the green bird). She ordered her son to steal a letter containing the way to disenchant the green bird so they could regain their human form. After obtaining the letter, she noted that it was written in a strange language (apparently the language spoken in Babel before the confusion of tongues) and that only a hermit who lived in the mountains could decipher it. After seven days of searching, they found the hermit, who read the letter and told her how to disenchant the prince.
The Plot of the Words
This story has a fantastical and humorous take on how words from the Spanish dictionary come out of it and rebel against writers for their misuse. The story is told by a book called Flos Sanctorum and discusses how nouns, verbs, adjectives, and other parts of speech should be treated as members of a war battalion.
Adiós, Cordera!
This story tells the story of a family: Rosa, Pinín, Anton, and a lamb named Cordera. They lived in Prado Somonte in Asturias, and Cordera was everything to them; she was their livelihood and also made up for the absence of their mother, Chinta. The family’s economic hardship forced Anton, very reluctantly, to sell Cordera to continue paying for their home. The family was heartbroken by Cordera’s departure, and the children began to see the world with suspicion and resentment.
The Conversion of Chiripa
In this story, Chiripa, a poor wanderer, recounts his misery and inability to access public places due to his status as homeless. This continues until one day he enters a church and notices that no one looks at him askance or makes bad gestures, and there are more people like him.
Two Wise Men
This story is about two old, very wise men who were at a spa. They tried to treat people as inferior beings, and if that wasn’t enough, they hated and envied each other. They both wanted the most comfortable room, the best place for coffee, the best newspapers, etc. Everything was arguments and bad gestures until one day, thanks to some pictures, they realized that they were old friends, and both admired each other’s wisdom and theories.
The Xeste
This story is about a gang of workers completing the construction of a building. After finishing, the foreman, Xeste, holds a great feast to which the whole crew is invited. During the meal, Xeste proposes a bet to Matías: to eat three servings of each dish that the cook prepares. Matías gladly accepts and begins to eat and eat. After the meal, a homeless man named Caracha, who frequented the crew but was not invited to the feast, is seen by some colleagues leaving the group shouting “A doctor, doctor!” They enter through the back door and see Matías lying on the ground, dead.
The Captain
This story discusses the history of Chubby, a thief who, strangely enough, hated violence and bad manners. He used to rob people at fairs in villages, especially when they were alone. His targets were mostly priests and church members. There was a priest (very bold) who stated that he did not fear the idea of being surprised by Chubby and set out alone in the mountains on his way home. As feared by his peers, he was assaulted by Chubby. At that moment, the priest quickly took out his small pistol and pointed it at the thief, who backed away. The priest rushed forward with his horse, and the thief ran off after the horse. In that instant, Chubby hugged the priest’s legs and knocked him off. Without a second thought, Chubby struck him with a small knife in the chest, but did not kill him. From that day on, the thief’s spirit was diminished by this event.
The Depths of the Soul
This story tells the story of Cesáreo, the son of the Sanin estate, who was madly in love with the archpriest’s niece, Candelita. At first, his love was not reciprocated by Candelita, but in the end, she accepted him. During a trip they took together, a fine mist arose, which soon became thick. The ship set sail, with the misfortune that it struck some rocks and began to sink. Cesáreo desperately tried to save Candelita but could not. For a moment, he thought he would die with her, but unconsciously, he surfaced and swam to the shore, leaving his beloved at the river bottom.
The Polyphemus
This story is about a very serious man with an imposing presence, a huge white mustache, and fierce eyes. The village children had enormous respect for him. He had a dog named Muley, whom everyone adored. There was one boy, Andresito, an orphan, who felt a special appreciation for the dog. That appreciation became love, and later, infatuation. So strong were his feelings for the little dog that he would take it to sleep with him every night without his master’s consent.
One day, the Polyphemus approached the park where the children played and asked who had taken his dog. Andresito, repentant, admitted his guilt. The Polyphemus scolded him, and he began to cry. Understanding that Muley was everything to Andresito, the Polyphemus let him keep the dog.
Personal Opinion
For me personally, the story that I liked the most was “The Plot of the Words,” because it addresses the issue with a fantastical and humorous vision.