The Train of Nine Dreams

 

The Train of Nine Dreams

Ritualistic tale in two chapters

Themes: Friendship, dreams, adventure, family, discovery

Chapter 1: The Whistle That Awakens the Adventure

In a quiet corner of the Uruguayan countryside, surrounded by golden fields and trees that whisper ancient stories, lives the Alves family: Mama Clara, Papa Ernesto, and their nine children, each with a unique sparkle in their eyes. The eldest, Tomás, dreams of becoming an inventor; the youngest, Lucía, collects stones she believes can speak.

One spring morning, Clara announces with a voice trembling with emotion:

—We’re going to Montevideo. By train. To see the sea… and meet your cousins.

The children burst into cheers, hugs, and questions. What will the capital be like? Will the buildings touch the sky? Will the cousins know how to play hide-and-seek like they do? Will the sea smell like stories?

Ernesto, once a railway worker, prepares the journey as a ritual. He gives each child a symbolic object:

• To Tomás, a compass without a needle.

• To Lucía, a blue stone he found in his own childhood.

• To the others, drawings, feathers, buttons—each with its own tale.

On the day of departure, the train whistles as if greeting the family. Steam rises in spirals that seem to dance. The villagers send them off with fruit, blessings, and handkerchiefs waving like wings.

Inside the carriage, the children turn seats into fortresses, aisles into racetracks, and windows into magical portals. Each station is a pause to imagine: could the sea appear at the next stop?

At an old station, they find a mural painted by children: a sea of colors, winged fish, laughing boats. Lucía touches it and says:

—The sea is already waiting for us.

📘 Chapter 2: Montevideo and the Sea That Embraces

Arriving in Montevideo feels like stepping into a new story. The cousins await at the station with hand-painted signs: “Welcome, Alves of the Sun.” The hugs are long, and the games begin before the backpacks hit the ground.

The children explore the city like ritualistic adventurers. In Parque Rodó, they invent a train dance. At the Port Market, they taste flavors they never imagined. Along the rambla, they run as if the wind knows their names.

But the most awaited moment comes at sunset: the sea.

The nine children stand before the vast blue. The sea roars, sings, breathes. Each one hears something different:

• Tomás hears a promise.

• Lucía, a song.

• The others, laughter, secrets, memories not yet lived.

They play with their cousins in the sand, building castles that represent their dreams. A street musician gifts them a melody that becomes the anthem of the journey. Mama Clara, moved, proposes a ritual: to bury their symbolic objects in the sand, as an offering to the sea.

Before leaving, one child briefly gets lost in the Tristán Narvaja market. They find him thanks to a drawing left on a wall: a train, nine stars, and an arrow pointing to the sea. The drawing becomes the symbol of the journey.

On the final night, they gather on the beach. They sing, laugh, and promise to return. The train awaits, whistling softly, as if it too had lived the adventure.