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<h1>Sisters of Claro Largo</h1><h2><a href="https://twitter.com/DavTMar" target="_blank">David T. Marchand</a></h2><h3>[[> Start story|one]]</h3><h3>[[> Credits|Credits]]</h3>
<h1>Hermanas de Claro Largo</h1><h2>**<a href="https://twitter.com/DavTMar" target="_blank">David T. Marchand</a>**</h2><h3>[[> Empezar historia|uno]]</h3><h3>[[> Créditos|Créditos]]</h3>
(click: "City")[$t[I was born in the (link-reveal: "City")[$t[. I don’t remember much(click: "remember")[$t[ besides the workshops they kept us in all (link-reveal: "day")[$t[, and the cells where we spent our nights]]]]]]. (click: "cells")[$t[I hated the cells with all my (link-reveal: "heart")[$t[. I often dreamed of turning into a giant (link-reveal: "mass")[$t[, like a (link-reveal: "slug")[$t[ that (link-reveal: "grew")[$t[ and poured through the bars(click: "poured")[$t[ and expanded outside the cells(click: "expanded")[$t[ and |out>[out] of the City(click: ?out)[$t[. I dreamed of running away and having a house, a family]]]]]]]]]]]]]].]]](click: ?cells)[
$t[There were people working against the Government.] (click: "people")[$t[We all knew someone.]] (click: "someone")[$t[They passed slips of (link-reveal: "paper")[$t[, they |met>[met] in secret]].]] (click: ?met)[$t[One day they got tired of their meetings(click:"tired")[$t[ and opened the cells]].]] (click: "opened")[$t[And they took the streets.]] (click: "took")[$t[And they |took>[took] the Central Plaza.]] (click: ?took)[$t[And just like that, we were free.](live: 2s)[(stop:)
$t[We didn’t stay and see if the Takeover was successful.]] (click: "Takeover")[$t[The Government’s response was swift and violent(click: "response")[$t[, but the riots were sudden and organized]].]] (click: "riots")[$t[We gathered some |families>[families] we knew, some we didn’t, and got away at the first opportunity.]]]]
]<center>(click: "trees")[$t[The forest surrounding the City was dark and (link-reveal: "unsettling")[$t[, but we were free]].]] (click: "one day")[$t[We walked among the trees for weeks.]] (link: "we arrived")[$tr[And one day] we arrived $tr[at the Clearing.]] (click: "Clearing")[$t[It was going to be called (link-reveal: "Claro Largo")[$t[, but back then |it>[it] wasn’t called anything]].]] (click: ?it)[$t[I still don’t know if it was an (link-reveal: "existing town")[$t[ we stumbled upon, or a piece of land where a bunch of exiles from the City ran into each other more or less at the same time]].]]</center>
(click: "family")[$t[I met my husband there.]] (click: "there")[$t[The house we got was a mess, like all the rest.]] (click: "mess")[$t[I wasn’t going to let that get me down.]] (click: "down")[$t[The |cells>[cells] were worse.]] (click: ?families)[$t[For months we tried to start a (link-reveal: "family")[$t[, but it wasn’t meant to be just yet]].]] (click: "meant to be")[$t[I don’t know exactly what (link-reveal: "happened")[$t[, maybe my years in the City had subtly ruined me inside]].]]
(click: "years")[|waiting>[$t[I got |tired>[tired] of waiting.]](click: ?tired)[(replace: ?waiting)[$t[When] I got tired of waiting$t[, I stopped by the school they were building and asked if there was any kid who needed a mom.]]]] (click: "kid")[$t[There were probably plenty.] (live: 2s)[(stop:)$t[That day they introduced me to Belona.] (live: 2s)[(stop:)$tr[**[[(2/5)|two]]**]]]]
(set: $t to "")(set: $tr to (transition: "dissolve"))(set: $contracción to 0)
(click: "family")[$t[We raised Belona as if she were (link-reveal: "our own")[$t[, because she *was* our own]].] (click: "was")[$t[I saw her at the school that day and I saw myself.] (live: 2s)[(stop:)$t[We talked.] (live: 2s)[(stop:)$t[She told me that her family had died in the Takeover(click: "died")[$t[, that she had seen]].]]]] (click: "seen")[$t[Sometimes there’s so much cruelty in the world…]]
](click: ?her)[$t[She was very withdrawn.]] (click: "nothing")[$t[I don’t remember |her>[her] having any friends.] (click: "withdrawn")[$t[The neighbors lent her books and she devoured them.]] (click: "books")[$t[She didn’t do particularly well in class.]] (click: "particularly")[$t[Not bad either.]]
](click: "neighbors")[$t[She barely left home.] (live: 1s)[(stop:)$t[She remembered little of the City.]] (click: "little")[$t[I think she never appreciated the freedom we had in Claro Largo(click: "never")[$t[ because she didn’t know what it was for it to be taken away from you]].]]
]<center>prayed(click-replace: "prayed")[$tr[Belona] prayed $tr[often.]] (click: "often")[$t[I believe that’s what she did.]] (click: "believe")[$t[Generally in Claro Largo we liked it when kids nurtured their faith from an early age(click: "faith")[$t[, but the way Belona described her inner revelations disturbed us a bit]].]] (click: "revelations")[$t[I think she understood the concept of talking to God(click: "understood")[$t[, but she sat by herself, in contemplation, without talking to anyone]].]] (click: "contemplation")[$t[That’s what she said at least.]] (click: "she said")[$t[I guess she *had* to be talking with someone, with herself, or her family.]]</center>
(click: "cruelty")[$t[She described it as exploring her own being.]] (click: "described it")[$t[When you asked for a clearer explanation, she talked of burying her hands in her guts looking for something fundamental(click: "something")[$t[, or looking for |herself>[herself]]].]] (click: ?herself)[$t[Once I asked her if she had ever *found* herself.]] (click: "found")[$t[She |told>[told] me she had found there was nothing to *be* found.]] (click: ?told)[$t[Many of these conversations I didn’t share with the rest of the elders.]] (click: "elders")[$t[They suspected enough already.]]
(click: "freedom")[$t[I |tried>[tried] to pray with her.]] (click: ?tried)[$t[Several times over the course of (link-reveal: "a month")[$t[ or nearly a month]].]] (click: "nearly")[$t[Then I stopped.] (live: 1s)[(stop:)$t[I didn’t like it, to be honest.]]] (click: "honest")[$t[The last time, I think I got some of what Belona was |talking>[talking] about.]] (click: ?talking)[$t[(link-reveal: "Looking for yourself…")[ $t[I expected touching my guts to be more metaphorical(click: "expected")[$t[, but I |felt>[felt] it]].]]]] (click: ?felt)[$t[I felt myself burying my hands in my body.] (live: 2s)[(stop:)$t[Well, not literally, but |close>[close].]]]
(click: ?close)[$t[I felt I was sticking my fingers into a kind of internal channel.]] (click: "channel")[$t[Like a |part>[basic part] of what I am.]] (click: ?part)[$t[A river for |life>[my life] to flow through.]] (click: ?life)[$t[And I found |something>[something] blocking the flow.]] (click: ?something)[$t[Something that could only be felt.] (live: 1s)[(stop:)$t[Like a faceless (link-reveal: "snake")[ $t[with the consistency of a slug](live: 2s)[(stop:)$t[. Dead]]].]]] (click: "Dead")[$t[I mean, inert, like an object(live: 2s)[(stop:)$t[, but aware of what was happening]].]] (click: "aware")[$t[It noticed me when I grabbed it.]] (click: "grabbed")[$t[It tried to slip through my fingers, but I |w>[wouldn’t] let it.]] (click: ?w)[$t[I threw it away and the river |ran>[ran] as it should.]]
(click: ?ran)[$t[It was like a dream, and when my husband woke me up Belona was sitting just like when we’d started. I was sprawled on the floor, sobbing.]]
(click: "sobbing")[$t[Like I said, I didn’t pray with her again after that. And I couldn’t have, because a few weeks later I became pregnant with Alma.]] (click: "Alma")[$tr[**[[(3/5)|three]]**]]
(click: ?ever)[$t[There were no complications in the pregnancy or the birth. Belona’s sister grew healthy and strong. Even as a baby, she had a vitality we rarely saw in Claro Largo. We called her Alma.]
](click: "vitality")[$t[She learned to (link-reveal: "walk")[$t[ and she learned to (link-reveal: "run")[$t[ and she learned to leave our sight without warning. Alma ran away often. She inherited my desire to |fly>[fly] in a way Belona never could]]]].]
](click: "into the woods")[$t[Running around Claro Largo had always been relatively safe, except for the woods.] (click: "except")[$t[We never knew |how>[how] the Takeover went down|p>[.]]] (click: ?how)[(replace: ?p)[$t[: the City was quieter but still busy, and the police kept monitoring the woods.]]] (click: "still busy")[$t[Surely they knew of us but didn’t have the resources or the |will>[will] to do something about it.]] (click: ?will)[$t[Our peace, however, depended on us not giving them a reason.]]
]<center>(click: "control")[$t[Alma would make her little trips into the woods whenever she could.] ](click: "the leader")[$t[We could never control her.] ](link: "admired")[$tr[The (link-reveal: "kids")[ $t[in Claro Largo]]] admired $tr[(link-reveal: "Alma")[$t[, and over the years she set up a gang and established herself as the leader]].]]</center>
(click: "a reason")[$t[We taught the youngest about the City and the cells so they could value the freedom they were born into.]] (click: "taught")[$t[With Alma this |worked>[worked] a little too well.]] (click: ?worked)[$t[She believed we *settled* for a certain life. That cherishing our freedom was a kind hypocrisy if we didn’t seek to *expand* it.]] (click: "expand")[$t[She didn’t know the City, so she took |life>[our life] in Claro Largo for granted.]] (click: ?life)[$t[But our life came at a (link-reveal: "cost")[$t[ and a bigger life comes at a |big>[bigger] cost](click: ?big)[$t[, I don’t think she |ever>[ever] got that]]].]]
(click: ?fly)[$t[The elders grew |worried>[worried].]] (click: ?worried)[$t[We wouldn’t stop her from talking, so we hatched a plan to take her off her followers’ minds.]] (click: "a plan")[$t[And we lost any hope of succeeding once Alma started coming back from her trips with news from |villages>[neighboring villages].]] (click: ?villages)[$tr[**[[(4/5)|four]]**]]
The quality of life in Claro Largo improved a lot when we started trading with neighboring villages. (click: "trading")[$t[Alma was the (link-reveal: "pioneer")[$t[, but later some of her (link-reveal: "people")[ $t[and even the elders]] were going |out>[out] to visit]].]] (click: ?out)[$t[We had |something>[something] resembling an economy(click: ?something)[ $t[and we felt like citizens of a larger world]].]]
(click: "larger world")[$t[One of the closest villages was Valle de las Juras.]] (click: "Valle de las Juras")[$t[They made the prettiest clothes there(click: "prettiest")[$t[, captivating for what we were used to]].]] (click: "used to")[$t[Claro Largo was (link: "overwhelmed")[$t[too] overwhelmed $t[to notice the (link-reveal: "dark stuff")[$t[: Mrs. Nuria’s business]]]].]]
(click: "Mrs. Nuria")[$t[She was a rather mysterious lady from Valle de las Juras(click: "mysterious lady")[ $t[who |began>[began] selling homemade beer](click: ?began)[$t[ and then moved on to far more dangerous substances]]].]] (click: "dangerous")[$t[At first I didn’t care about the rumors.]] (click: "I didn’t care")[$t[You can do with your time what you |will>[will].]] (click: ?will)[$t[But then the kids in Claro Largo used them too(click: "the kids")[$t[, and Belona |went>[went] along with it]].]] (click: ?went)[$t[I started losing her that day.]]
(click: "losing her")[$t[For Belona it was (link-reveal: "like praying")[$t[, a tool for peeking inside]].]] (click: "peeking")[$t[It drove Alma |mad>[mad].]] (click: ?mad)[$t[She wanted people to dream (link-reveal: "*bigger*")[$t[, not to |give>[give up] everything the elders had fought for]].]] (click: ?give)[$t[There were kids building cells around themselves(click: "building cells")[ $t[and acting smug about it]].]] (click: "smug")[$t[She liked to believe she could put up with |almost>[almost] everything.]] (click: ?almost)[$t[But not with her people wasting their time(click: "her people")[$t[, or her sister her health]].]] (click: "health")[$t[Not with Claro Largo renouncing its own will.]]
(click: "its own will")[$t[Belona did her best to |ignore>[ignore] her sister’s rage.]] (click: ?ignore)[$t[She would wander Claro Largo |speak>[speaking] to herself(click: ?speak)[$t[, out loud]].]] (click: "out loud")[$t[Then the weirdest thing happened(click: "weirdest thing")[$t[: |people>[people] would gather and listen]].]] (click: ?people)[$t[*A lot* of |lot>[people].]] (click: ?lot)[$t[Alma’s gang would show up, push people around(click: "push")[$t[, but Belona would leave as if |nothing>[nothing] had happened]].]] (click: ?nothing)[$t[Alma’s people were pretty much in charge of Claro Largo’s security by now.]]
(click: "by now")[$t[This went on for (link-reveal: "years")[$t[, until one winter |died>[three kids died] from Mrs. Nuria’s stuff]].]] (click: ?died)[$t[It was bound to happen.]] (click: "bound")[$t[Many of them would spend days in a trance.]] (click: "trance")[$t[They didn’t (link-reveal: "eat")[$t[, they didn’t (link-reveal: "talk")[$t[, they most certainly didn’t |pray>[pray]]]]].]] (click: ?pray)[$t[We were all expecting Alma to snap.]] (click: "snap")[$t[She attended the burials but kept silent through the whole thing.]]
(click: "silent")[$t[After |dark>[dark] she gathered some of her best(click: ?dark)[ $t[and went off to Valle de las Juras]].]] (click: "went off")[$t[I don’t really |know>[know] what happened when they got there.]] (click: ?know)[$t[Mrs. Nuria died, that’s for |sure>[sure].]] (click: ?sure)[$t[Some people say Alma just gave the order.]] (click: "Some people")[$t[Most say she did it herself.]] (click: "she did it")[$t[There are stories about *how* she did it(click: "stories")[$t[, but I don’t |believe>[believe] them]].]] (click: ?believe)[$t[To be honest, I would rather not think about them.] (live: 2s)[(stop:)$tr[**[[(5/5)|five]]**]]]
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}|1>[Mrs. Nuria’s work survived her somehow. Traffic had decreased a lot, but some of it kept flowing down to Claro Largo.] |2>[Alma was getting desperate.] |3>[She became convinced that only her subordinates had the connections to support the business now Mrs. Nuria wasn’t part of the picture.] |5>[She looked into her people|4>[ and made the cuts she deemed necessary].] |6>[She killed many she held dear.
]|7>[Eventually, she was forced to face the truth|8>[: *Belona* was pushing the stuff].] |10>[It wasn’t even a business anymore|9>[, she was practically giving it away].] |12>[Maybe Belona felt she was fighting for something, |11>[and Alma had always been fighting, ]so ]|14>[I don’t think there was a chance|13>[ for any of them at this point].
]|16>[Belona was speaking at the square that day|15>[, like she used to].] |17>[Alma was there too.] |18>[Alma was |there>[*never*] there.] |20>[She pushed through the crowd alone|19>[, but her gang stood by to make it clear no one should intervene].] |21>[They had been instructed not to act unprovoked, that much was obvious.
](if: (either: true, false))[(set: $hermana to "alma")|24>[There was almost no hustle: |22>[a few paces, ]|23>[some awkward struggle, ]a |k>[knife].] |25>[Belona collapsed to the ground.] |26>[Her followers took her to the hospital, but there wasn’t much to do.] |27>[Alma did not miss when she aimed to kill.
]|28>[I wonder if the knife reached whatever Belona looked for inside herself.] |29>[Or at least if it occurred to her.] |30>[I wonder how many people at the square watched her fall like she had watched her old family back in the City.
]|31>[I still miss her.] |32>[I feel I’ve been asleep ever since I lost her.] |33>[I think she’s the only person I knew who was awake.]](else:)[(set: $hermana to "belona")|34>[Alma’s knife lunged forward and Belona dodged by barely moving to the side.] |35>[This happened a couple times.] |36>[There was no sense to it, Alma had never missed like that.] |37>[Belona did little more than look focused and stare at her sister.] |38>[The elders who saw her say she looked exactly like when she prayed as a little girl.
]|39>[Alma couldn’t stop cursing her sister.] |40>[She had betrayed everyone.] |41>[She couldn’t stand being broken inside so she had to break every kid in Claro Largo.] |42>[Her insults turned into ravings.] |43>[She said the Takeover would fall upon us.] |44>[She said there was a river inside her, and it was running slower and slower by the minute.] |45>[She said there was a… |thing>[*thing*] pushing its way against the flow.
]|46>[Belona just kept staring.] |47>[When Alma finally collapsed to the ground, her gang took her to the hospital.] |48>[She died a few hours later and there was no diagnosis.
]|49>[I still |miss>[miss] her.] |50>[Maybe she became so incompetent all of a sudden because she wouldn’t hurt her sister.] |51>[I wonder if Belona didn’t think of this.] |52>[I wonder if she did and she just didn’t care.]]
(set: $contracción to 0)(live: 2s)[(goto: "Credits")]
(set: $contracción to $contracción + 1)(if: $hermana is "alma" and $contracción > 21)[(click: "who was")[(replace: ?33)[<center>$tr[[[awake|end]]]</center>]]](if: $hermana is "belona" and $contracción > 30)[(click: "she wouldn’t")[(replace: ?50)[<center>$tr[[[hurt|end]]]</center>]]]
<p>**Sisters of Claro Largo**
April 2016</p><p>**<a href="https://twitter.com/DavTMar" target="_blank">David T. Marchand</a>**
Words and story</p><p>**<a href="https://twitter.com/klembot" target="_blank">Chris Klimas</a>** & **<a href="https://twitter.com/webbedspace" target="_blank">Leon Arnott</a>**
Twine & Harlowe</p><p>**<a href="https://twitter.com/pfque_" target="_blank" target="_blank">Pablo F. Quarta</a>**
English language assistance</p><p>(if: (either: true, false))[**<a href="http://lenophotos.tumblr.com/" target="_blank">Leno Heyaca Consol</a>** & **<a href="http://journals.aps.org/prd/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevD.86.074028" target="_blank">Meredith von Lasher</a>**](else:)[**<a href="http://journals.aps.org/prd/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevD.86.074028" target="_blank">Meredith von Lasher</a>** & **<a href="http://lenophotos.tumblr.com/" target="_blank">Leno Heyaca Consol</a>**]
General enthusiasm</p><p>**<a href="https://twitter.com/Rumpelcita" target="_blank">Florencia Rumpel Rodríguez</a>**
Tech support and some (much) editing</p>**
[[(Back)|English]]**
(click: "Ciudad")[$t[Yo nací en la (link-reveal: "Ciudad")[$t[. No recuerdo mucho(click: "recuerdo")[$t[ además de los talleres en los que nos tenían todo el (link-reveal: "día")[$t[, y las celdas donde pasábamos la noche]]]]]]. (click: "celdas")[$t[Odiaba las celdas con todo mi (link-reveal: "corazón")[$t[. Soñaba con volverme una (link-reveal: "masa gigante")[$t[, como una (link-reveal: "babosa")[$t[ que (link-reveal: "crecía")[$t[ y se derramaba entre las barras(click: "derramaba")[$t[ y se expandía fuera de las celdas(click: "expandía")[$t[ y |fuera>[fuera] de la Ciudad(click: ?fuera)[$t[. Soñaba con escaparme y tener una casa, una familia]]]]]]]]]]]]]].]]](click: ?celdas)[
$t[Había gente conspirando contra el Gobierno.] (click: "gente")[$t[Todos conocíamos a alguien.]] (click: "alguien")[$t[Se pasaban (link-reveal: "papelitos")[$t[, se |reunían>[reunían] en secreto]].]] (click: ?reunían)[$t[Un día se cansaron de reunirse(click:"cansaron")[$t[ y abrieron las celdas]].]] (click: "abrieron")[$t[Y tomaron las calles.]] (click: "tomaron")[$t[Y |tomaron>[tomaron] la Plaza Central.]] (click: ?tomaron)[$t[Y así como así, fuimos libres.](live: 2s)[(stop:)
$t[No nos quedamos a ver si la Toma tuvo éxito.]] (click: "Toma")[$t[La respuesta del Gobierno fue rápida y violenta(click: "respuesta")[$t[, pero las protestas fueron repentinas y organizadas]].]] (click: "protestas")[$t[Nos juntamos entre las |familias>[familias] que nos conocíamos, y algunas que no, y nos escapamos a la primera oportunidad.]]]]
]<center>(click: "árboles")[$t[El bosque que rodeaba la Ciudad era inquietante y (link-reveal: "tenebroso")[$t[, pero éramos libres]].]] (click: "un día")[$t[Caminamos entre los árboles por semanas.]] (link: "llegamos")[$tr[Y un día] llegamos $tr[ al Claro.]] (click: "Claro")[$t[Se iba a llamar (link-reveal: "Claro Largo")[$t[, pero cuando llegamos no se llamaba de ninguna manera]].]] (click: "no se llamaba")[$t[Todavía no sé si era (link-reveal: "un pueblo")[$t[ con el que dimos, o un terreno cualquiera al que llegamos varios exiliados de la Ciudad más o menos al mismo tiempo]].]]</center>
(click: "familia")[$t[Ahí conocí a mi esposo.]] (click: "Ahí")[$t[La casa que nos tocó era un desastre, como todas las demás.]] (click: "desastre")[$t[No iba a dejar que eso me tirara abajo.]] (click: "abajo")[$t[Las |celdas>[celdas] eran peores.]] (click: ?familias)[$t[Pasamos meses tratando de empezar una (link-reveal: "familia")[$t[, pero no se nos iba a dar todavía]].]] (click: "iba a dar")[$t[No sé exactamente qué (link-reveal: "pasaba")[$t[, quizá mis años en la Ciudad me habían arruinado por dentro sutilmente]].]]
(click: "años")[|waiting>[$t[Me |canse>[cansé] de esperar.]](click: ?canse)[(replace: ?waiting)[$t[Cuando] me cansé de esperar$t[, fui a la escuelita que estaban construyendo y pregunté si había algún chico que necesitara una mamá.]]]] (click: "chico")[$t[Probablemente había muchos.] (live: 2s)[(stop:)$t[Ese día me presentaron a Belona.] (live: 2s)[(stop:)$tr[**[[(2/5)|dos]]**]]]]
<p>**Hermanas de Claro Largo**
Abril de 2016</p><p>**<a href="https://twitter.com/DavTMar" target="_blank">David T. Marchand</a>**
Palabras e historia</p><p>**<a href="https://twitter.com/klembot" target="_blank">Chris Klimas</a>** & **<a href="https://twitter.com/webbedspace" target="_blank">Leon Arnott</a>**
Twine & Harlowe</p><p>**<a href="https://twitter.com/pfque_" target="_blank">Pablo F. Quarta</a>**
Asistencia con el idioma inglés</p><p>(if: (either: true, false))[**<a href="http://lenophotos.tumblr.com/" target="_blank">Leno Heyaca Consol</a>** & **<a href="http://journals.aps.org/prd/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevD.86.074028" target="_blank">Meredith von Lasher</a>**](else:)[**<a href="http://journals.aps.org/prd/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevD.86.074028" target="_blank">Meredith von Lasher</a>** & **<a href="http://lenophotos.tumblr.com/" target="_blank">Leno Heyaca Consol</a>**]
Entusiasmo general</p><p>**<a href="https://twitter.com/Rumpelcita" target="_blank">Florencia Rumpel Rodríguez</a>**
Soporte técnico y algo de (mucha) edición</p>**
[[(Volver)|Castellano]]**
(click: "familia")[$t[Criamos a Belona como si fuera (link-reveal: "nuestra")[$t[, porque |era>[*era*] nuestra]].] (click: ?era)[$t[La vi ese día en la escuelita y me vi a mí misma.] (live: 2s)[(stop:)$t[Hablamos.] (live: 2s)[(stop:)$t[Me dijo que su familia había muerto en la Toma(click: "muerto")[$t[, que ella había visto]].]]]] (click: "visto")[$t[A veces hay tanta crueldad en el mundo…]]
](click: ?tuviera)[$t[Era muy introvertida.]] (click: "nada")[$t[No recuerdo que |tuviera>[tuviera] amigos.] (click: "introvertida")[$t[Los vecinos le prestaban libros y ella los devoraba.]] (click: "libros")[$t[No le iba particularmente bien en clase.]] (click: "particularmente")[$t[Mal tampoco.]]
](click: "vecinos")[$t[Apenas salía de casa.] (live: 1s)[(stop:)$t[Casi no recordaba la Ciudad.]] (click: "Casi")[$t[Creo que nunca apreció la libertad que teníamos en Claro Largo(click: "nunca")[$t[ porque no sabía lo que era que te la arrebataran]].]]
]<center>rezaba(click-replace: "rezaba")[$tr[Belona] rezaba $tr[seguido.]] (click: "seguido")[$t[Creo que eso es lo que hacía.]] (click: "Creo")[$t[Generalmente en Claro Largo nos gustaba que los jóvenes cultivaran su |fe>[fe] de chicos(click: ?fe)[$t[, pero lo que Belona describía de sus revelaciones internas siempre nos inquietó]].]] (click: "revelaciones")[$t[Creo que entendía el concepto de hablar con Dios(click: "entendía")[$t[, pero se sentaba sola, contemplativa, sin hablarle a nadie]].]] (click: "contemplativa")[$t[Supongo que *tenía* que hablar con alguien, consigo misma, o su familia.]]</center>
(click: "crueldad")[$t[Lo describía como explorar su propio ser.]] (click: "Lo describía")[$t[Cuando le pedías una imagen más clara, hablaba de enterrar las manos en sus entrañas buscando algo fundamental(click: "algo")[$t[, o buscándose a sí misma]].]] (click: "sí misma")[$t[Una vez le pregunté si alguna vez se había encontrado.]] (click: "encontrado")[$t[Me |contesto>[contestó] que lo que encontró es que no había nada que encontrar.]] (click: ?contesto)[$t[Muchas de estas conversaciones no las compartí con los demás mayores.]] (click: "mayores")[$t[Ya bastante sospechaban.]]
(click: "libertad")[$t[|trate>[Traté] de rezar con ella.]] (click: ?trate)[$t[Durante (link-reveal: "un mes")[$t[ o casi]].]] (click: "casi")[$t[Después dejé.] (live: 1s)[(stop:)$t[No me gustó, la verdad.]]] (click: "verdad")[$t[La última vez, creo que entendí algo de lo que Belona |decía>[decía].]] (click: ?decía)[$t[(link-reveal: "Lo de buscarse…")[ $t[Esperaba que lo de tocarse las entrañas fuera más metafórico(click: "Esperaba")[$t[, pero lo |senti>[sentí]]].]]]] (click: ?senti)[$t[Me sentí enterrando las manos en el cuerpo.] (live: 2s)[(stop:)$t[Bueno, no literalmente, pero |cerca>[casi].]]]
(click: ?cerca)[$t[Sentí que metía los dedos en una especie de canal interno.]] (click: "canal")[$t[Como una |parte>[parte básica] de lo que soy.]] (click: ?parte)[$t[Un río por el que fluía |vida>[mi vida].]] (click: ?vida)[$t[Y encontré |algo>[algo] obstruyendo el paso del agua.]] (click: ?algo)[$t[Algo que sólo se podía sentir.] (live: 1s)[(stop:)$t[Como una víbora sin cara(click: "víbora")[ $t[con la consistencia de una babosa](live: 2s)[(stop:)$t[. Muerta]]].]]] (click: "Muerta")[$t[Es decir, inerte, como un objeto(live: 2s)[(stop:)$t[, pero se daba cuenta de lo que pasaba]].]] (click: "cuenta")[$t[Trató de escurrirse entre mis dedos, pero |no>[no] la dejé.]] (click: ?no)[$t[La arranqué de donde estaba y el río empezó a |correr>[correr] como debía.]]
(click: ?correr)[$t[Fue como un sueño, y cuando mi esposo me despertó Belona estaba sentada como cuando habíamos empezado. Yo estaba desparramada en el suelo, llorando a los gritos.]]
(click: "llorando")[$t[Como dije, no volví a rezar con ella. Y no hubiera podido, porque unas semanas más tarde quedé embarazada de Alma.]] (click: "Alma")[$tr[**[[(3/5)|tres]]**]]
(click: ?entendiera)[$t[Ni el embarazo ni el parto tuvieron complicaciones. La hermana de Belona creció sana y fuerte. De muy beba demostró una vitalidad que en Claro Largo casi no se veía. La llamamos Alma.]
](click: "vitalidad")[$t[Aprendió a (link-reveal: "caminar")[$t[ y aprendió a (link-reveal: "correr")[$t[ y aprendió a irse de nuestra vista sin avisar. Alma se escapaba seguido. Heredó mis ganas de |volar>[volar] de una manera que Belona nunca pudo]]]].]
](click: "al bosque")[$t[Dar vueltas por Claro Largo siempre fue relativamente seguro, salvo por los bosques.] (click: "salvo")[$t[Nunca supimos |que>[qué] fue de la Toma|p>[.]]] (click: ?que)[(replace: ?p)[$t[: la Ciudad estaba más callada pero todavía operaba, y la policía seguía monitoreando los bosques.]]] (click: "todavía operaba")[$t[Seguro sabían de nosotros pero no tenían los recursos ni las |ganas>[ganas] de hacer algo al respecto.]] (click: ?ganas)[$t[Nuestra paz, sin embargo, dependía de que no les diéramos una razón.]]
]<center>(click: "controlarla")[$t[Alma hacía sus excursiones al bosque siempre que podía.] ](click: "líder")[$t[Nunca pudimos controlarla.] ](link: "admiraban")[$tr[Los (link-reveal: "chicos")[ $t[en Claro Largo]]] admiraban $tr[a (link-reveal: "Alma")[$t[, y con los años fue armando una banda y se estableció como una especie de líder]].]]</center>
(click: "una razón")[$t[A los más jóvenes les enseñábamos sobre sobre la Ciudad y las celdas para que pudieran valorar la libertad en la que habían nacido.]] (click: "enseñábamos")[$t[Con Alma |funciono>[funcionó] demasiado bien.]] (click: ?funciono)[$t[Ella creía que nos habíamos *conformado* con una cierta vida. Que atesorar nuestra libertad era una especie de hipocresía si no intentábamos *expandirla*.]] (click: "expandirla")[$t[No conocía la Ciudad, así que daba |vida>[nuestra vida] en Claro Largo por sentado.]] (click: ?vida)[$t[Pero nuestra vida había llegado a un (link-reveal: "precio")[$t[ y una vida más grande tiene un precio |mayor>[*mayor*]](click: ?mayor)[$t[, no creo que ella lo |entendiera>[entendiera]]]].]]
(click: ?volar)[$t[Los mayores estábamos |preocupados>[preocupados].]] (click: ?preocupados)[$t[No le íbamos a impedir que hablara, así que urdimos un plan para arrebatarle la admiración de sus seguidores.]] (click: "un plan")[$t[Y perdimos cualquier esperanza de tener éxito cuando Alma empezó a volver de sus excursiones con noticias de |pueblos>[pueblos vecinos].]] (click: ?pueblos)[$tr[**[[(4/5)|cuatro]]**]]
La calidad de vida en Claro Largo mejoró bastante cuando empezamos a comerciar con los pueblos vecinos. (click: "comerciar")[$t[Alma fue la (link-reveal: "pionera")[$t[, pero más tarde sus (link-reveal: "subalternos")[ $t[y hasta los mayores]] empezaron a |ir>[ir] a visitar]].]] (click: ?ir)[$t[Teníamos |algo>[algo] que se parecía a una economía(click: ?algo)[ $t[y nos sentíamos ciudadanos de un mundo más grande]].]]
(click: "mundo más grande")[$t[Uno de los pueblos más cercanos era Valle de las Juras.]] (click: "Valle de las Juras")[$t[Hacían ropa de la más bonita ahí(click: "más bonita")[$t[, cautivante para lo que se acostumbraba acá]].]] (click: "acostumbraba")[$t[Claro Largo estaba (link: "impresionado")[$t[demasiado] impresionado $t[para notar lo más (link-reveal: "turbio")[$t[: el negocio de Doña Nuria]]]].]]
(click: "Doña Nuria")[$t[Era una señora más bien misteriosa de Valle de las Juras(click: "señora")[ $t[que había |empezado>[empezado] vendiendo cerveza casera](click: ?empezado)[$t[ y luego se había expandido a sustancias mucho más peligrosas]]].]] (click: "peligrosas")[$t[Al principio no me importaron los rumores.]] (click: "no me importaron")[$t[Cada cual hace con su tiempo lo que le |parece>[parece].]] (click: ?parece)[$t[Pero después los chicos en Claro Largo empezaron a usar(click: "los chicos")[$t[, y Belona |también>[también]]].]] (click: ?también)[$t[Empecé a perderla ese día.]]
(click: "perderla")[$t[Para Belona era (link-reveal: "como rezar")[$t[, otra herramienta para indagar en su interior]].]] (click: "indagar")[$t[Alma no lo |toleraba>[toleraba].]] (click: ?toleraba)[$t[Quería que la gente soñara (link-reveal: "más grande")[$t[, no que |abandonara>[abandonara] todo por lo que los mayores habíamos peleado]].]] (click: ?abandonara)[$t[Había chicos levantando celdas alrededor de sí mismos(click: "levantando celdas")[ $t[y haciéndose los superados al respecto]].]] (click: "superados")[$t[A ella le gustaba creer que podía bancarse |casi>[casi] lo que fuera.]] (click: ?casi)[$t[Pero no a su gente perdiendo el tiempo(click: "su gente")[$t[, o su hermana la salud]].]] (click: "salud")[$t[No a Claro Largo renunciando a su propia fuerza de voluntad.]]
(click: "su propia fuerza de voluntad")[$t[Belona hizo lo que pudo para |ignorar>[ignorar] la ira de su hermana.]] (click: ?ignorar)[$t[Deambulaba por Claro Largo |hablándose>[hablándose] a sí misma(click: ?hablándose)[$t[, en voz alta]].]] (click: "voz alta")[$t[Ahí pasó algo rarísimo(click: "algo rarísimo")[$t[: |algunas>[algunas] personas se empezaron a juntar a escucharla]].]] (click: ?algunas)[$t[*Muchas* |personas>[personas].]] (click: ?personas)[$t[La banda de Alma aparecía, zarandeaba alguna gente(click: "zarandeaba")[$t[, pero Belona después se iba como si no hubiera pasado |nada>[nada]]].]] (click: ?nada)[$t[La gente de Alma estaba prácticamente a cargo de la seguridad de Claro Largo a esta altura.]]
(click: "a esta altura")[$t[Esto continuó por (link-reveal: "años")[$t[, hasta que un invierno |murieron>[tres chicos murieron] por la basura de Doña Nuria]].]] (click: ?murieron)[$t[Iba a pasar tarde o temprano.]] (click: "tarde o temprano")[$t[Muchos se pasaban días en estado de trance.]] (click: "trance")[$t[No (link-reveal: "comían")[$t[, no (link-reveal: "hablaban")[$t[, menos que menos iban a |rezar>[rezar]]]]].]] (click: ?rezar)[$t[Todos estábamos esperando que Alma explotara.]] (click: "explotara")[$t[Ella fue a los entierros pero guardó silencio durante todo el asunto.]]
(click: "silencio")[$t[Al |anochecer>[anochecer] juntó a su mejor gente(click: ?anochecer)[ $t[y salió para Valle de las Juras]].]] (click: "salió")[$t[No |se>[sé] exactamente qué pasó cuando llegaron.]] (click: ?se)[$t[Doña Nuria murió, eso |seguro>[seguro].]] (click: ?seguro)[$t[Algunos dicen que Alma sólo dio la orden.]] (click: "Algunos")[$t[La mayoría dice que lo hizo ella misma.]] (click: "lo hizo ella")[$t[Hay historias sobre *cómo* lo hizo(click: "historias")[$t[, pero yo no las |creo>[creo]]].]] (click: ?creo)[$t[Para ser honesta, prefiero ni pensar al respecto.] (live: 2s)[(stop:)$tr[**[[(5/5)|cinco]]**]]]
{
(click: "reducido")[(replace: ?1)[(display: "z")]]
(click: "desesperada")[(replace: ?2)[(display: "z")]]
(click: "convenció")[(replace: ?3)[(display: "z")]]
(click: "cortes")[(replace: ?4)[(click: "Investigó")[(replace: ?5)[(replace: ?4)[(display: "z")]]]]]
(click: "Mató")[(replace: ?6)[(display: "z")]]
(click: "moviendo")[(replace: ?8)[(click: "verdad")[(replace: ?7)[(display: "z")]]]]
(click: "regalando")[(replace: ?9)[(click: "negocio")[(replace: ?10)[(display: "z")]]]]
(click: "toda su vida")[(replace: ?11)[(click: "peleando por algo")[(replace: ?12)[(display: "z")]]]]
(click: "altura")[(replace: ?13)[(click: "una chance")[(replace: ?14)[(display: "z")]]]]
(click: "costumbre")[(replace: ?15)[(click: "en la plaza")[(replace: ?16)[(display: "z")]]]]
(click: "ahí también")[(replace: ?17)[(display: "z")]]
(click: ?nunca)[(replace: ?18)[(display: "z")]]
(click: "nadie")[(replace: ?19)[(click: "sola")[(replace: ?20)[(display: "z")]]]]
(click: "no actuar")[(replace: ?21)[(display: "z")]]
(click: "pasos")[(replace: ?22)[(click: "tironeo")[(replace: ?23)[(click: ?k)[(replace: ?24)[(display: "z")]]]]]]
(click: "desplomó")[(replace: ?25)[(display: "z")]]
(click: "mucho que hacer")[(replace: ?26)[(display: "z")]]
(click: "a matar")[(replace: ?27)[(display: "z")]]
(click: "dentro de sí")[(replace: ?28)[(display: "z")]]
(click: "se le ocurrió")[(replace: ?29)[(display: "z")]]
(click: "su otra familia")[(replace: ?30)[(display: "z")]]
(click: ?extraño2)[(replace: ?31)[(display: "z")]]
(click: "la perdí")[(replace: ?32)[(display: "z")]]
(click: "moviéndose un poquito")[(replace: ?34)[(display: "z")]]
(click: "un par de veces")[(replace: ?35)[(display: "z")]]
(click: "No tenía sentido")[(replace: ?36)[(display: "z")]]
(click: "fijar los ojos")[(replace: ?37)[(display: "z")]]
(click: "cuando rezaba")[(replace: ?38)[(display: "z")]]
(click: "maldecir")[(replace: ?39)[(display: "z")]]
(click: "traicionado")[(replace: ?40)[(display: "z")]]
(click: "No toleraba")[(replace: ?41)[(display: "z")]]
(click: "desvaríos")[(replace: ?42)[(display: "z")]]
(click: "iba a caer")[(replace: ?43)[(display: "z")]]
(click: "más y más lento")[(replace: ?44)[(display: "z")]]
(click: ?cosa)[(replace: ?45)[(display: "z")]]
(click: "siguió mirando")[(replace: ?46)[(display: "z")]]
(click: "desplomó")[(replace: ?47)[(display: "z")]]
(click: "Murió")[(replace: ?48)[(display: "z")]]
(click: ?extraño)[(replace: ?49)[(display: "z")]]
(click: "no se habrá dado cuenta")[(replace: ?51)[(display: "z")]]
(click: "no le importó")[(replace: ?52)[(display: "z")]]
}|1>[La obra de Doña Nuria sobrevivió los eventos de esa noche. El tráfico se había reducido mucho, pero algo de eso seguía llegando a Claro Largo.] |2>[Alma estaba desesperada.] |3>[Se convenció de que sólo sus subordinados tenían las conexiones para bancar el negocio ahora que Doña Nuria no existía.] |5>[Investigó a su gente|4>[ e hizo los cortes que le parecían necesarios].] |6>[Mató a mucha gente que quería.
]|7>[Eventualmente, se vio forzada a enfrentar la verdad|8>[: *Belona* estaba moviendo la mercadería].] |10>[Ya ni siquiera era un negocio|9>[, prácticamente la estaba regalando].] |12>[Quizá sentía que estaba peleando por algo, |11>[y Alma había estado peleando toda su vida, ]así que ]|14>[ no creo que ninguna de las dos tuviera una chance|13>[ a esta altura].
]|16>[Ese día Belona estaba hablando en la plaza|15>[, como ya era costumbre].] |17>[Alma estaba ahí también.] |18>[Alma |nunca>[*nunca*] estaba ahí.] |20>[Se abrió paso entre la multitud sola|19>[, pero su banda estaba cerca para asegurarse de que nadie interviniera].] |21>[Tenían instrucciones de no actuar sin provocación, eso era obvio.
](if: (either: true, false))[(set: $hermana to "alma")|24>[Casi no hubo ajetreo: |22>[unos pasos, ]|23>[algún tironeo torpe, ]un |k>[cuchillo].] |25>[Belona se desplomó.] |26>[Sus seguidores la llevaron a la salita, pero no había mucho que hacer.] |27>[Alma no le pifiaba cuando apuntaba a matar.
]|28>[Me pregunto si el cuchillo alcanzó lo que sea que Belona buscaba dentro de sí.] |29>[O al menos si se le ocurrió que podía.] |30>[Me pregunto cuánta gente en la plaza la habrá visto caer como ella había visto a su otra familia allá en la Ciudad.
]|31>[Todavía la |extraño2>[extraño].] |32>[Siento que estoy soñando desde que la perdí.] |33>[Creo que ella era la única persona que conocí que estaba despierta.]](else:)[(set: $hermana to "belona")|34>[El cuchillo de Alma arremetió y Belona lo esquivó moviéndose un poquito al costado.] |35>[Esto ocurrió un par de veces.] |36>[No tenía sentido alguno, Alma nunca le había pifiado así.] |37>[Belona no hacía mucho más que verse concentrada y fijar los ojos sobre su hermana.] |38>[Los mayores que la vieron dicen que se veía exactamente como cuando rezaba de chiquita.
]|39>[Alma no podía parar de maldecir a su hermana.] |40>[Los había traicionado a todos.] |41>[No toleraba estar rota por dentro así que tenía que romper a cada chico en Claro Largo.] |42>[Sus insultos se volvieron desvaríos.] |43>[Dijo que la Toma iba a caer sobre todos nosotros.] |44>[ Dijo que había un río en su interior, y que estaba corriendo más y más lento a cada minuto.] |45>[Dijo que había una… |cosa>[*cosa*] empujando contra la corriente.
]|46>[Belona sólo siguió mirando fijo.] |47>[Cuando Alma finalmente se desplomó en el suelo, su banda la llevó a la salita.] |48>[Murió unas horas más tarde y no hubo diagnóstico.
]|49>[Todavía la |extraño>[extraño].] |50>[Quizá su incompetencia repentina fue porque no quería lastimar a su hermana.] |51>[Me pregunto si Belona no se habrá dado cuenta de esto.] |52>[Me pregunto si se dio cuenta e igual no le importó.]]
(set: $contracción to $contracción + 1)(if: $hermana is "alma" and $contracción > 21)[(click: "que estaba")[(replace: ?33)[<center>$tr[[[despierta|fin]]]</center>]]](if: $hermana is "belona" and $contracción > 30)[(click: "no quería")[(replace: ?50)[<center>$tr[[[lastimar|fin]]]</center>]]]
(set: $contracción to 0)(live: 2s)[(goto: "Créditos")]