Sammy hasn't seen his family or hometown in over five years. He's returning for a month during spring vacation because his work has given him more than a week off. His aunt warned him that "Big city life never stops."
On the flight back to the minuscule airport of Cacique, Sammy wonders if life back home has changed. Did everyone get older? What did he miss out on? Did his Spanish get rusty? The dry plains of the south coast of Spain are visible from above, and as the plane begins to descend, the little villages perched on the summits of small hills come into view. The plane hits the runway, and Sammy takes a deep breath, closes his eyes, and says to himself, "I'm back."
When he opens his eyes, he's lying on his childhood bed. It's too early for a Sunday morning, but a couple of small pigeons are in a fierce cooing debate right outside his bedroom window. Sammy gets up and heads to the kitchen, realizing that the best thing about living in his parents' house is that the fridge is always full of goodies. Although Sammy is out of the big city, technology and modern life haven't stayed behind. These small "pueblitos" may look traditional and old from the outside with their stone walls and orange tile rooftops, but in fact, since the automation of agriculture a decade ago, these farmer towns have turned into bourgeois escape heavens. Wealthy families from the capital have bought houses at rock-bottom prices and remodeled them into modern hidden palaces. Only the market areas near the city town hall have survived, getting densely crowded by all the expat farmers trying to find a cheaper place to live in their hometown. The ruin-like buildings are sometimes almost four floors tall, and traditional farmer families crowd up almost family of four per room. Nevertheless, despite the harsh conditions, these people are used to living the hard way and continue, no matter what, with their "joie de vivre" and their eternal "ferias." Every single week, there's a different celebration on the street, from ripe lemon battles to spiritual trance dancing. Old and young get together, always crowding the four streets that surround the decrepit yellow town hall building.
Two weeks have passed since Sammy's arrival, and he's had time to spend with everyone he cares for. There have been endless lunch feasts at his aunts', midnight stumbling strolls with old school pals, and of course, his most favorite silent sunset views with Sunny, his white Labrador with blue patches all over his thin fur. The vet told him it was due to a rare modification in his DNA, but it's not that rare at all. For Sammy, Sunny is more than just a simple dog. He's a guardian spirit sent to share hope with anyone he meets, including other animals. It's not explainable, just like the presence of a spirit or the love of a mother.
Friday morning is the first day of the weekend celebration "Los Espiritus en Camino," celebrating the transition from spirits of our world to the world of the dead. The passage from living with a physical body to being expelled into the infinite world of the invisible, the untouchable, and the perpetual darkness. Everyone gathers around the empty plaza at midday, waiting for the elder Escudero couple to make their yearly appearance. The Escuderos are an old farming couple, the last surviving founding fathers of the Cacique villages. After the robotic revolution, they took refuge in the deep mountains of the Anades range. No one knows how they live or survive. They only appear once a year in silence for the spiritual enactment.
Sammy sat there, trying to process everything that had just happened. Was it all just a dream? Or was it something more? He looked at Sunny the dog, who seemed to be staring right back at him. The dog's eyes seemed to hold a depth of knowledge and understanding that was beyond Sammy's comprehension.
As he sat there, lost in thought, Sammy realized that he had learned something from this experience. He had learned that the universe was a vast and mysterious place, filled with wonder and danger. He had also learned that there were forces at work in the universe that were beyond his control, and that he needed to be vigilant and aware of them at all times.
But most of all, he had learned that there was hope. Even in the darkest of times, there was always a glimmer of hope that could be found if one looked hard enough. And that hope could be powerful enough to overcome even the most malevolent of forces.
With this newfound knowledge, Sammy felt a sense of peace wash over him. He knew that he would never forget the lessons he had learned, and that he would always be grateful for the strange and wondrous experience he had just had.
As he sat there, contemplating all that had happened, Sammy couldn't help but smile. He knew that he had been forever changed by this experience, and that he was now ready to face whatever the universe had in store for him next.