THE COLLECTOR
MICRO STORIES
Nicolás J. Marinelli
"Where do I get ideas for my stories?" Cáceres asked Eloy.
"Yes. They’re really amazing. Since we were kids, you always had the best ideas. Look at you now, a great writer, and me, well... just a bricklayer." Eloy looked at him with a touch of pity and smiled warmly.
"Don't be so hard on yourself. You're an excellent professional. I've seen your work; it’s very precise."
"Precise? It's not like I'm an architect. I spend all day building walls. Nothing easier."
"Don’t say that," Cáceres replied, whose thick hair was now streaked with gray.
"But you, God! You're famous. I don't even know why you're here, after all these years."
"I want to know what it feels like to build a house. To do it with your own hands. You built this house, didn’t you?"
"Yes, I did. But only because I had no other choice. But you... with all those awards... you must be a millionaire! You could hire thousands of ordinary bricklayers like me."
"That's enough, Eloy!" Cáceres interrupted kindly, while stroking his long, thin mustache. Suddenly, his gaze turned serious. "Fine, in honor of our long friendship, I'll tell you where I get my ideas."
From inside his finely woven jacket, Cáceres took out a long, silver straw and placed it on the small table where they were having coffee. Eloy looked at it, puzzled, and asked:
"And that?"
"With this, I extract people's ideas. Let’s say... I literally get inside their heads." Eloy took the metallic straw and, laughing, looked at Cáceres through it as he continued. "I've been collecting ideas for a long time. I seek out the brightest minds, and thanks to this straw, I absorb their best ideas."
Eloy felt a shiver run down his spine and, with a hint of fear, set the disturbing instrument back on the table.
"Good thing I'm not a brilliant mind," he said, leaning back on the sofa.
"I truly believe you are an excellent builder, Eloy," Cáceres said, carefully picking up the straw and stepping closer to him. "And when I told you I wanted to know what it feels like to build a house with my own hands, I wasn’t joking."
