Some, those who sang the best, prepared a kind of musical comedy of second category, that Carme rehearsed at home while she washed the dishes, to the great desperation of don Antón, who didn't do anything more than grumble "the donkey brays, a sign of bad weather!".
The others prepared "Old people should not fall in love", a play by Castelao, chosen by Henrique. A group of girls was rehearsing a ballet that they called surrealistic.
The ones who were having the worst time were the little boys of Lelo's age who had to rehearse poetry. Lelo got angry, because he had to recite one by Noriega Varela, about the Virgin, that went this way:
At the peak of that mountain range
there is a well of cold water
where the angels wash themselves
and also the Virgin Mary.
Little Saint Vincent
goes in the mountain with the cattle,
the Virgin of Pastoriza
goes pasturing.
The Virgin of Pastoriza
has a ship in the sea;
who gave it to her? who would give it to her?
who gave it to her, could give it to her.
The Virgin of Pastoriza
I saw her well through the window,
she is a little tanned
because of the sun that burns her.
He had protested a lot, since he thought that was for girls, because boys were not made to do those stupid things.
On the day of the shows, everyone was nervous in the village. A marionette theater arrived, contracted by the priest. They gave stories of the "Green Stomach" and some people even thought that the television was going to come. They didn't show up, thank God, but, except for "Green Stomach" and the other marionettes, the others didn't look very good.
Carme's voice cracked a lot. Henrique and those in the theater had such a bad set that the play was no good and Lelo made a lot of mistakes.
