Vol. 1
Monica Arroyo Berezowsky
Vol. 1
Story and Illustrations by: Mรณnica Arroyo Berezowsky
It was a day like any other, the sun was shining and the birds were singing. June and Alex found new adventures in the garden.
Suddenly, hidden inside a hollow tree, they found‌
-“A book!” said Alex with excitement. -“What’s in it?” wondered June.
They slowly opened the mystery book only to find…
Nothing! The book was completely empty, a sea of white pages.
They gently closed it again and noticed a special message on the cover:
Suddenly, the book started shaking. It sprang open, sparks and rainbows were flying and created a hole in the middle.
It was something out of the ordinary, like a delicate painting of the universe.
June and Alex leaned to examine the painting and all of a sudden slid into the hole.
They fell and fell in what seemed like a rainbow tunnel.
Suddenly, a hard and dusty floor received them.
-“Where are we?” asked June -“I don’t know…” answered Alex
In the corner of the room sat a young woman.
June and Alex approached her to ask if she knew what had happened.
-“Excuse me, where are we?” they asked The young woman looked at them and smiled. “Well, you’re in Guachochi, Mexico, of course…”
-“Wow, We are in Mexico? The book must have taken us here!” exclaimed Alex
It seemed like the book had special powers and could transport them anywhere in time and space!
Intrigued, June and Alex sat next to the mystery woman, and asked who she was.
-“My name is Lorena Ramírez, and this is my home. I live here with my brother Mario.” she answered.
…We live in a small indigenous community called Rarámuri, in the high mountains of Chihuahua.”
The mountains were high and rocky, the skies were blue.
The light brushed over a dark floor that covered the hills.
Lorena was getting ready to leave, with her long traditional blue dress and brown sandals.
-“Where are you going, Lorena?” asked Alex. -“I’m going running!” she answered happily.
-“Eek, but there are so many other fun things one can do! Running just like that seems very tiring and boring…” commented June.
“Allow me to tell you a little story…” said a voice from behind.
They quickly turned to find Mario, Lorena’s brother sitting in the corner.
There once was a girl who wanted to fly. She had no wings, no fairy dust, nor umbrellas to carry her around. She had only her two feet.
She dreamt of being the fastest in the world, not to win...
...but because by running she felt free, free as a bird can be.
Every day, she would wake up before the sun and run.
She ran through the hills, through every tree, every cave and every cliff; with the wind in her face she conquered every race.
But she wanted more, she wanted to see the world, to go further every time. Everyone told her she was crazy, that she wouldn’t thrive. They insisted she stayed with everyone else, to toast the corn and milk the goats to stay alive.
But she kept going. Every day before the sun, she would run. Now she is the fastest, she wins every race.
Now she can see the world, with no wings, no fairy dust, nor umbrellas to carry her through the wind; just her two feet.
Lorena sure seemed like a real hero, with courage, persistence and hard work she was able to achieve her dream.
-“I can’t wait to get back home and run as fast as I can!” said Alex
-“Yes! Or swim and jump! It seems like everything is possible!” agreed June
As the two friends looked at the beautiful landscape that surrounded the rarรกmuri village, they noticed Lorena coming back from her daily run.
-“Uh-oh! June, look at the time! We have to get back home!” noted Alex -“Yes! But before we leave i have one last question to ask…”
“Lorena, why do you choose to run with a dress and sandals? Isn’t it unconfortable? Aren’t runners supposed to wear special trainers?” Asked June
-“I wear them because they make me feel light and free. I wear this dress with pride. I am happy to represent the rarĂĄmuri community wherever I go....
...Remember, it doesn’t matter what you have, or where you come from, but what you do with what you have.�
With that in mind, Alex and June jumped back into the book and headed home.
-“That was a great adventure.” said June. -“It sure was! I can’t wait until the next one!” exclaimed Alex.
As June and Alex rushed inside, the book stayed under the hollow tree. Slowly, a word started to appear on the fist page of the book.
It seems that more adventures are yet to come, full of important lessons and real heroes to meet.
¿Can you guess which hero June and Alex will meet next?