Today I want to talk about fictitious case of kidnapped children because their parents did not take care of them. The kidnappers are characters with good purposes of a play. And how can it be that child abductors have good purposes? You may ask. Because they planned to return the children safe and sound and that their parents began to take care of them.
They imagined these kidnappers in good faith, creators of illusions, happiness and fantasy, that by taking the fright of their lives the parents of the missing children would make amends and begin to attend them properly.
The kidnappers wanted to give happiness to those children who felt alone because they spent all their time with caregivers and not with their parents, because their parents never "had time" for them, because they preferred to take care of their parties and social affairs throughout the day, to have tea with friends (which has given me reminded of this vignette) ...
In fact, they say the children were never as well cared for as when they were kidnapped. A few days later they were returned to their homes.
But their goal goes wrong, and after returning the children the parents still do not take care of them. Now the children are much worse, because instead of being with their caregivers in the park, the street or anywhere, they spend the day locked in their homes, with them and not with their parents, for fear of being kidnapped again.
Naturally, the pedagogue who had advised these forgers of dreams and happiness is fired and replaced by a circus illusionist.
I leave you with the fragment of the play that tells this unusual event, "The trees die standing," by Alejandro Casona. In these lines, the director of the company that makes illusions explains to a newcomer some of the "jobs" they have done. Some went well; others like this attempt to give happiness to some children, no.
MAURICIO. If he saw our files, he would be amazed at what can be achieved with a little fantasy ... and, naturally, counting on the fantasy of others. ISABEL. It must be a very difficult job. Do they always succeed? MAURICIO. We have also had our failures. For example: one afternoon a child disappeared in a public park while the babysitter spoke with a sergeant ... The next day another child disappeared while the Mademoiselle made her knitting. And soon after, another, and another, and another ... Do you remember the terror that took over the entire city? ISABEL. Were you also the child thief? MAURICIO. Naturally. Of course, they were never better served than in this house. ISABEL. But what was it intended? MAURICIO. Pedagogue things. It was really a shame to see those creatures always abandoned in strange hands. Where were the parents? They in their gatherings, they in their social parties and in their teas. It was logical that when panic occurred they would cling desperately to their children, right? From tomorrow all together to the park! ISABEL. And it didn't work out? MAURICIO. All the opposite of how it was calculated. The panic occurred, but the fathers continued in their gatherings, the mothers in their teas and the poor boys at home, locked up! A total failure. ISABEL. What a pity! It was a beautiful idea. MAURICIO. It will not happen again: we have already expelled the pedagogue and have taken a circus illusionist instead.
As you can see, the event that can be considered more or less tragic, ends with a humorous touch that "decongests" or softens the scene (in the author's style in this type of work). But the previous words make us think, and much, about those abandoned children without being and the priorities of their parents.
In fact, we would have liked that, as in the other cases in which illusionists do meet their goals and give happiness to others, so it would have been with children.
I encourage you to read "Trees die standing" by Alejandro Casona, a play that mixes fantasy and reality, illusions and sadness, giving bitter strokes disguised as humor that make us reflect, as happens in the unusual case of kidnapped children because their parents didn't have time for them.
