An unexpected arrival
The son arrived home when it was already very late. He brought with him a smell of alcohol, red eyes and a discomposed expression. We both knew that his late arrival had a greater meaning, that our trust had been broken. Crossing the threshold of the door, before he could utter any words, he knelt down and began to tell an incredible story. He claimed to have been on the cliff, doing what?, walking, and swore he saw a bright light.
unlikely stories
As I tried to understand the situation, my son, visibly upset, began to relate that he decided to walk on the dirt path because of the good weather. According to him, he had lain down among the bushes to rest and drink some water, when suddenly a wonderful light filled the space, distorting reality and creating a supernatural presence. He claimed that it had been the appearance of the Virgin.
The story that saved him from punishment
I couldn’t help but laugh when I heard his version full of fantastic details, and I soon understood that his dramatization had managed to avoid punishment. “I understand, that’s how you say you’re sorry. Very good, today you are saved. Now go rest,” I told him.
A mission revealed
The next day, my son returned to the cliff. According to him, the Virgin had promised to appear three more times and entrusted him with a mission: to transform our town into a sanctuary for the needy. Two consecutive nights he returned at the same time, dirty, smelling of alcohol and in an almost trance-like state, with marks on his hands and a lost look in his eyes.
A difficult invitation to accept
His insistence that I accompany him made me hesitate. It wasn’t so much the belief in the light or the Virgin, but the acceptance that my son might be losing his mind. Finally, on the third day I agreed to go with him. We spent hours on the cliff, with the cold penetrating our skin, while we waited for a signal. The night lasted until dawn, but we did not see any light nor did the Virgin appear.
The impact on the town
Despite our failed vigil, the mayor ordered an altar to be built first, and then a sanctuary. My son moved near the cliff, t-shirts and mugs were printed, and we started charging admission to tourists. Soon, pilgrimage routes included our town.
Conflict and acceptance
I tried to convince my son to leave it, not to divulge it, but he insisted that he had to comply with what the Virgin had asked of him. The news spread quickly and, within a few days, the place was filled with curious onlookers. Some women even claimed that a light had healed them. Thus, the town was enveloped in a wave of fervor.
The benefit of a lie
The mayor ordered the construction of an inn, and the townspeople were more than satisfied with the attention and economic benefits that this brought. Despite the improbable nature of the story, we built our happiness and our lives on a lie, becoming an ordinary family in this country.