here was once a magician who, after many years of practice and study, had developed three great powers. When he performed, these powers made people from all races and nations feel as if their innermost dreams had come true. He was loved and admired by all.

ne day, starting to feel weak, the magician understood that death was near. He then summoned his three sons and told them: -You will come with me to the cave of the secret, as I have decided to pass my powers on to you.
The cave of the secret was not below ground, or in the rocks, but in the air. It was a place of light, akin to a rainbow.

My dear sons -said the magician- the moment has come for me to leave you, but before I go, I will share my legacy with the three of you. Yours will be the power of invisibility -said the magician to his eldest son. Yours will be the power of flight -he said to his middle son. And yours will be the power of transforming things so you can see them as they really are -said the magician to his youngest.

efore disappearing forever, the magician warned his three sons: -I have bestowed my powers upon you, but my wisdom I cannot. And this same wisdom has taught me that if you are to keep your newly acquired powers, you must observe three rules.

he first rule says that you must practice conscientiously before displaying your powers in public. Otherwise, the illusion will not be perfect, as your powers must become second nature to you.

he second rule urges you to never perform the same feat twice in a session, for if you do, you shall ruin the surprise.

he third rule warns you against ever revealing the secret behind your powers. If your audience knew, the illusion would be gone forever. And the three young men headed home to practice their new powers.

he oldest son practiced for one day, walking up and down the busiest streets without anyone seeing him. -It works! -he said to himself.
And, thus, he left in search of fortune and glory.
One day, he arrived in the kingdom of the Gold Mines. -I have been told that you can become invisible -said the king holding a bag of gold nuggets in his hand. Show me, and you shall not regret it.
The whole kingdom gathered to witness the prodigy. Among the crowd of aristocrats and commoners alike wearing rings, bracelets, pendants and jewelry of all kinds, the young man disappeared in thin air. Everyone searched everywhere, but no one could find him. -Come back wherever you are! -ordered the king, rattling his bag of gold nuggets. Come back and you shall not regret it! -he said.
The young man became visible and held out his hand claiming the bag he thought he had won. -No -said the king. First, you must explain how you do it.

he young man remained silent, his lips tight and covetousness in his look. The king rattled the bag again and members of the audience started offering jewels too. Unable to stand it any longer, the young man revealed his secret.

nstantly, he was turned into a frog.

he middle son practiced for a week. He flew over mountains high until he distinguished a remote kingdom far on the horizon. He headed towards the royal castle and entered the king’s private chamber through an open window.

pon seeing him, the king called the guards in fear.

efore taking the young man to the darkest dungeon, the king asked him how he had eluded the palace’s innumerable security devices. -I have the power of flight -replied the young man. -Prove that what you say is true and I shall let you go -said the king.

ince that was the kingdom of Applause, nobody wanted to miss such a miraculous feat. The young man lifted off and flew over the wildly applauding crowd. Then he came back down, landing on one of the runways of the kingdom’s airport. The king and his subjects ran to the airport to praise the young man. -We all liked it so much that we want to see you fly again -said the king.
With a smile, the young man remarked that a second flight was never advisable. But, carried away by the unceasing applause, he let the wings of vanity lift his body.
And as soon as his feet were a few inches above the ground, he fell heavily to the floor. He had been turned into a frog.

he youngest of the three brothers practiced for three months. He set out to turn sorrow into joy, misfortune into prosperity, hatred into love. One day he heard that the two most powerful kings were to gather in order to discuss some strange events that had recently taken place in their respective kingdoms.

he youngest brother went to the place where the two kings argued over and over, unable to find an explanation. -This frog here was once a man. I cannot understand what happened! -said one of the kings. -This frog was once a man too, and I have not slept a wink since then -replied the other. -That is really not so strange -said the youngest brother- for things are not usually what they seem.

Who are you? -asked the king of the Gold Mines. -I am someone who can make things change -replied the young man. -What kind of things? -asked the king of Applause. -All sorts of things. Anything that comes my way -said the young magician.

he two kings looked at each other and they both had the same idea. They placed their frogs before the young man and asked him in unison: -Prove to us that what you say is true. And, to their astonishment, one of the frogs became a chameleon and the other a hawk.

My goodness! It is true! -cried the king of the Gold Mines. Tell me how you do it and I shall make you rich. But the young man did not utter a word. -Well, in that case, do it at least once more -begged the king of Applause. Do it again and I shall add fame to your wealth.

he lips of the young man were sealed. He turned around and slowly left the place. Everyone remained speechless in admiration and awe. Nobody knew the secret. And the young magician took both the frog and the hawk with him.

ack home, he would watch the chameleon closely until he found out that it could change his own color to that of its surroundings, thus making itself virtually invisible. Outside, he would pay attention to the hawk’s majestic flight, trying to penetrate the secret of flight hidden in the bird’s powerful wings.

ne day, out of impatience, he could not help asking the chameleon how it could change its color. The chameleon opened its mouth and told him its secret. Instantly, it became his eldest brother. Turning then towards the hawk, the young man repeated his question. Not receiving any answer, he asked the hawk to at least fly for him once more. The hawk complied, and upon landing it had turned into his middle brother.
From that day on, to his own power the youngest brother added that of invisibility and that of flight.

hus, the three powers of the magician were once again reunited in one man, his youngest son, his true successor.

he only one to have inherited his wisdom.

Ramón Mayrata