La Gran Aventura De Alejandro In English
Chapter 1: We Meet Alejandro
Alejandro Toledo is thirteen years old. He lives with his family in Ticomán, a small town near Mexico City. He has a brother, Miguel, who is fifteen years old. Isabel, his sister, is sixteen. Miguel and Isabel seem perfect to Alejandro. They both get good grades in high school and have well cleaned bedrooms as well as all their stuff in order. Miguel plays soccer, and is the best player on his team. Isabel is very pretty and plays the piano perfectly. But Alejandro is different. He lacks a special talent. Alejandro is not organized like his siblings. His bedroom is the only one in the house where there are clothes, books, and papers all over the place. (Once Alexander's mother found a very old, green sandwich under the bed.) Alejandro's teachers say, "You ought to study more to get good grades like your older siblings." And his parents say, "You ought to be more organized like your older siblings." Alejandro believes that his parents prefer Miguel and Isabel, but this isn't the truth. Alejandro does have a special talent: he has an extraordinary imagination and is an unparalleled dreamer. He also has the capacity to love and enjoy every day of his life. In other words, Alejandro has an adventurous spirit. We are now going to accompany him in the incredible adventures of his life.
Chapter 6: The Princess Margarita
Alejandro, Miguel, Isabel, and their parents leave la Plaza de España. While walking to la Hotel Arosa, Alejandro tells them about his adventure with Don Quijote. Alejandro is correct - they don't believe it. Another time Alejandro's siblings laugh at him. Back at the hotel, they eat lunch and pass the hour of la siesta. At four thirty, Mr. Toledo gets up. Mr. Toledo: "I want to pass the afternoon in el Prado." Alejandro: "What is el Prado, dad?" Mr. Toledo: "El Prado is a magnificent museum. The best in the world." The Toledo family leaves the hotel and walks down la Gran Vía. They all go down to the subway, the underground train of Madrid. They leave the train station, which is near the museum. Soon they arrive at el Prado. In front there is an enormous statue of a man seated in a chair. It is Dieno Velázquez, the great spanish artist. Already inside the museum, they enter a room that contains only one large painting. Alejandro thinks of the box of his favorite cereal. In the box you see a boy who eats cereal from a box. And in the box is a boy who eats cereal from the box. And in box there is another box, ect... To the right of the artist there is a group of children. In the middle there is a girl who wears a very elegant white dress. Alejandro thinks that she's the prettiest girl in the world. While Alejandro is looking at the girl, his ring begins to shine again. The room seems to tremble. Suddenly Alejandro finds himself inside the painting, with the girl! The girl, whose name is Margarita, looks at Alejandro with great surprise. Margarita: "What an extraordinary boy! Who are you and what are you doing here?" Alejandro: "Soy Alejandro. Where am I?" Margarita: "What an idiot! You are in el Alcázar, where the royalty lives. That man is Don Diego Velázquez. Don Diego is a great artist. He paints a painting of my parents." Alejandro: "Your parents?" Margarita: "Yes, my parents - they King Felipe IV and the queen Mariana. Don't you know anything?" Alejandro: "Well, then...you are..." Margarita: "The princess Margarita. You must lower your head." Alejandro: "Why?" Margarita: "Because you are taller than I am." Alejandro: "So what?" Margarita: "No one can have a head higher than the king or a princess. It shows a lack of respect. Don't you see that all my servants are dwarfs?" Alejandro: "You live in a very formal country. It's very different than my country. We don't have to lower our heads to anyone." Margarita: "You are fascinating. I like to talk with you. You can call me tú instead of Usted." Alejandro: "Uste...You are very nice." Margarita: "You as well. Where are you from?" Alejandro: "I'm from Mexico." Margarita: "Mexico! My father is the kind of Mexico as well. Mexico is a colony of Spain." Alejandro: "No way! Mexico has been an independent country since 1821! Margarita: "But we are now in the year 1656." Alejandro: "I live in the 20th century." Margarita: "How strange!" While they talk, the dwarf gives the dog a kick. The dog gets up and runs around the room. Margarita and Alejandro run after the dog. In this moment, in el Prado, in the 20th century, the princess Margarita and her dog are absent from the famous painting, "Las Meninas". At the same time, Alejandro's parents note that he is not in the room with them. Mr. Toledo: "Where is Alejandro?" Miguel: "I don't know, dad." Isabel: "That's typical of Alejandro! He always vanishes."
Chapter 3: The Gypsy
At half past four, the Toledo family goes down to walk La Gran Vía. Miguel and Isabel like to look at the window displays of the elegant shops. But Alejandro is interested with different things. He hears some cries, and while his family is near a store, Alejandro rounds the corner and goes in the direction of the cries. On the next street, he sees a gypsy girl who is five years old. This poor girl is crying because two boys are say terrible things and push her. One boy: "Get outta here, Gypsy! Other boy: "Thief! All Gypsies are thieves!" Alejandro gets between the girl and the boys. Alejandro: "Get out or I'll call the police!" The boys go away. The girl, who is still afraid, looks at Alejandro and says, "Thank you." Alejandro: "What's your name, girl?" Graciela: "Graciela." Alejandro: "Were is your mom?" Graciela: "She's selling table cloths at the corner of La calle del Río and La calle de Bailén. Finally, Alejandro sees a police officer. Alejandro: "Excuse me, officer. Can you tell me where the corner of La calle del Río and La calle de Bailén is? Officer: "If you go down this street, turn right, walk one block, and turn left, it's the next corner." Alejandro: "Thank you, sir." Officer: "You're welcome, boy." Alejandro and Graciela find the corner. Graciela's mother is there. Her name is Manuela. Manuela: "Oh, my child! Did you get lost? I was so scared! Are you alright, my love?" Graciela: "Yes, mom. Some bad boys pushed me, but this boy helped me." Manuela: "Much thanks, boy. You brought me my daughter, safe and healthy. I am going to give a gift of great value." The gypsy Manuela takes from her bag a very rare ring. The ring is made of glass, and has an extraordinary shine. Manuela takes Alejandro's hand and puts the ring on his finger. Alejandro: "Thank you, ma'am, but I can't accept it." Manuela: "But I want to give it to you. If you accept it, it will make me happy." Alejandro: "Then I accept it with pleasure. A million thanks, ma'am." Manuela: "There is no other ring like this in the entire world. It is a magic ring. It is going to open fantastic worlds to you." Alejandro: "Why is it magic? What does this ring do?" Manuela: "You are going to see, you are going to see. I know that you are the ideal person to use this ring." Suddenly, Manuela and Graciela disappear from the street. Alejandro is alone, with the magic ring on his finger. At five thirty, after many hours of walking in the streets of Madrid, Alejandro finds el Hotel Arosa. His family waits for him, very worried. Mr. Toledo: "Alejandro! Where were you? We were so worried!" Alejandro tells them everything that happened. His siblings laugh at him again. Miguel: "A magic ring! How stupid are you! Do you believe this lie of the gypsy?
Chapter 2: The Trip
During the Easter holidays, Alejandro's parents decided to take a trip with their children to Madrid, the capital of Spain. They want to visit the museums, monuments, cathedrals, and other famous places of the city. They arrive in Madrid on the 7th of April in the morning to Barajas airport, which is large, modern, and has a lot of activity. After passing through customs, where they check their bags, they go to an exchange booth to change a pesos in pesetas. They finally leave the airport and call a taxi. The driver, a friendly Andalusian, that takes them to the Hotel Arosa, in the center of Madrid, near la Gran Vía. La Gran Vía is the central street, where all the fast service restaurants are found. There are also theaters, where European and North American movies are seen. In the hotel, they all unpack the clothes from their suitcases. Alejandro's siblings have everything that they need, because they always pack their suitcases with care. But Alejandro, as normal, forgot his underwear and his toothbrush. For this reason, he goes with his parents to a store to buy the things he forgot. His dad gets a little rough, and his siblings laugh at him. As they are tired from traveling, they buy the things they need and leave immediately. It is one o' clock. They eat lunch in a restaurant near the hotel, and they return to their rooms to pass the siesta. La siesta, between one thirty and four thirty in the afternoon in Spain, is time to rest. During these hours all of the shops close, and everybody eats a big lunch and rests after.
Chapter 5: The Prisoners
On the way, Don Quijote, Sancho, and Alejandro see twelve prisoners. They are large and strong men, but they can't escape because they are wearing chains on their feet. With them there are four guards. Don Quijote approaches the guards. Don Quijote: "Where are these men going?" The Guard: "They are going to the jail." Don Quijote: "No man should go where he doesn't want to go. I'm here to help the unfortunate ones." The Guard: "They are going to the jail as a result of their crimes." Don Quijote (to a prisoner): "Which is your crime?" First Prisoner: "My crime is that I'm in love." Don Quijote: "To be in love! If being in love is a crime, then I ought to go to the jail as well! I'm in love with my Dulcinea." First Prisoner: "Well, I'm in love with a basket full of laundry that isn't mine. For that reason, I stole the laundry basket and I ran away with her." Don Quijote approaches another prisoner. Don Quijote: "Which is your crime?" Second prisoner: "I'm going to the jail because I sing a lot." Don Quijote: "To sing is a crime?" The Guard: "To sing means to confess. This man confessed his crime under torture." Don Quijote: "These men aren't criminals. One is in love, and the other likes to sing. I am going to give them their freedom." Don Quijote attacks the guard with his lance. The guard can't defend himself because of the surprise and falls to the ground. The other three guards approach Don Quijote with their swords and begin to attack him. Sancho and Alejandro try to help their friend. They use sticks against the guards' swords. In this moment, the prisoners can escape due to the confusion. The prisoners are afraid of the guards and run. Now, Don Quijote looks at the prisoners. Don Quijote: "I give them liberty in honor of my lady, Dulcinea del Toboso. Now you have to go and visit my beloved Dulcinea. You must show her the chains and tell her what I did to honor her." First Prisoner: "You are a good man and our liberator. But it is impossible to do what you want. If we travel to Toboso with the chains, the guards will capture us." Don Quijote: "What ingratitude! You are low and poorly educated people!" The prisoners are not very patient people. They are furious because of Don Quijote's insults. They begin to throw rocks at Don Quijote and the poor Rocinante. Sancho and Alejandro try to help their friend, but they are only three people and there are twelve prisoners. At last the prisoners are going. Don Quijote, Sancho, and Alejandro are sad. Don Quijote: "Those men didn't thank me. What poorly educated people! Don Quijote mounts Rocinante, and Sancho and Alejandro mount the donkey, and the three begin to travel on the road. They come to a little house. In front of the little house, Alejandro sees an ugly, poorly dressed peasant girl. Don Quijote: "Oh! My beloved Dulcinea!" Sancho looks at Alejandro. He moves his head back and forth. Alejandro looks at the peasant worker. The ring begins to shine. Suddenly Alejandro doesn't see a peasant worker. He sees Dulcinea, the most beautiful woman in the world. Now, Alejandro believes that Don Quijote is correct. Don Quijote wants to present Alejandro to Dulcinea. But when he looks at him, Alejandro is no longer there.
Chapter 7: In The Garden
The dog runs out of the room. Alejandro and Margarita run as well. They find themselves in a beautiful garden. But Alejandro is not focused on the garden. He is only focused on the girl, the beautiful Margarita. She has blue eyes and blonde hair. She's wearing a very elegant dress. Of course! Margarita is a princess. The two children sit on a bench and begin to talk. Margarita: "How weird! I'm alone with you! I'm never without my ladies in waiting and servants." Alejandro: "In my house we don't have servants." Margarita: "Imagine that! What do kids in the 20th century do?" Alejandro: "We play video games or watch the television." Margarita: "Videogames? Television? What are these things?" Alejandro: "Oh, my god! You guys don't have televisions? You guys don't have video games?" Margarita: "No, boy. That's why I asked what they are." Alejandro: "The television is a box. There's a window in the box. In the window you see people that sing or move around." Margarita: "I don't believe it! It's magic!" Alejandro: "What do kids in the 16th century do?" Margarita: "We play with dolls or puppets." Alejandro: "How different our lives are! Is it fun to be a princess? Do you like being one?" Margarita: "Well, it's a very boring life. I'm never alone with my parents. We are always with many servants and people of the court. I can never play with other kids. I always have to wear elegant dresses. And when I turn 15 I have to marry my cousin, Leopoldo de Austria." Alejandro: "You already know who you're going to marry?" Margarita: "Why not? My parents promised me to Leopoldo when I was born. You don't know who you're going to marry?" Alejandro: "No way! Someday I'm going to marry a woman that I will be in love with. I'm going to marry for love!" Margarita: "For love! What a strange idea! I like that idea." In this moment Alejandro's ring begins to shine. Alejandro: "I have to go." Margarita: "No! You are my only friend! I want to give you a remembrance of me." Margarita is wearing flowers in her hair. She takes them out of her hair and gives them to Alejandro. Margarita: "These flowers are a remembrance of our friendship." Alejandro: "I will keep them forever, as a remembrance of you. I won't forget you." The ring shines. Alejandro finds himself in again with his parents. Margarita finds herself in again in the room with don Diego Velázquez. In el Prado, Margarita and the dog are again in the painting, "Las Meninas". But there is something strange. Margarita is missing something. Princess Margarita that is in the painting no longer has flowers in her hair. Art experts can't explain what happened to the flowers. This will be a mystery for forever - a mystery to all except a young mexican named Alejandro.
Chapter 4: Don Quijote
The next morning, the family gets up early. They want to explore the city. They leave the hotel and walk north on la Gran Vía. Within a few minutes, they reach la Plaza de España. There are many people in the square who rest and enjoy the trees and the flowers. In the middle of the square they see an enormous statue of Miguel de Cervantes. This statue made of bronze is of the figures of Don Quijote and Sancho Panza. Cervantes is a Spanish author who was born in 1547 and died in 1616. He wrote Don Quijote. Many people say that Don Quijote is the best novel in the world. The heroes in the novel are Don Quijote and Sancho Panza. Don Quijote is a very idealistic man. This good man thinks he is a gentleman, and tries to help everyone who needs his help. His squire, Sancho, helps him in his adventures. Many say that Don Quijote is a madman, but Alejandro does not think he is crazy. To Alejandro Don Quijote seems to be a hero with a great imagination and a generous heart. Alejandro looks at the statues of the Cervantes, Don Quixote, and Sancho. Notice that Sancho had a big belly. Panza, Sancho's nickname, means belly. While Alejandro looks at the statue, something strange happens. His ring is starting to shine. Suddenly Alejandro is in a room full of books. In the center of room Alejandro sees a person. It's the same man in the statue! "I'm Don Quijote de La Mancha. At your command," says the man to Alejandro. "And who are you?" Alejandro is so surprised that he can hardly speak. At last he says to him, "I am... I am A-Alejandro. Where am I?" Don Quijote: "You are in my library. How did you get here?" Alejandro: "I don't know, but I imagine it has something to do with this magic ring." Don Quijote: "A magic ring? Did my old enemy, the wise Fresón, give it to you?" Alejandro: "I don't know any wise men named Fresón, sir. This ring was given to me by a gypsy." Don Quijote: "A gypsy? No, I imagine that that woman isn't a gypsy. She is the woman that I love, the Dulcinea del Toboso." Alejandro: "But I saw her. She is a gypsy, the mother of the girl Graciela." Don Quijote: "No, boy. I imagine that she is my Dulcinea, disguised as a gypsy." Alejandro: "Yes. If you think so." Don Quijote: "Let's go find Dulcinea. So you can meet her." Alejandro and Don Quijote leave the library. They go to the courtyard, where they find Sancho, who is feeding Rocinante, Don Quixote's horse. Sancho: "Who is this boy?" Don Quijote: "Meet my new friend, Alejandro." Sancho: "Nice to meet you." Alejandro: "Pleased to meet you." Don Quijote: "I want to bring Alejandro to meet my beloved, Dulcinea." Don Quijote mounts Rocinante and Alejandro gets on Sancho's burro behind Sancho, and they go.
