The writer is a doctor. He tries to find out what happened to Rafael.when he saw Rafeal for the first time, he was twelve years old. His family lived in a big town. But his uncle Miguel and his family lived in a little village on the coast. His uncle had a cafe and a small farm there, and sometimes the writer's family visited him. There in that village the writer met poor, mad Rafael. He didn't know then he was. He didn't know why he was mad. He knew nothing of his strange and terrible story. The people in the village told him what they knew. At the end of the beach were high black rocks. Near them was an old wooden boat-house. It had no doors. The roof was broken at one end, and open to the sky. He and his brother saw a dirty young man with long hair and a beard. His eyes were open but empty. He put one hand to his neck. The writer saw something shining under the dark beard. Rafael pulled it out to show them. It was a small gold ring in the shape of a fish. After that, they went back to their uncle's house. They asked their uncle about that crazy man on the beach. Their uncle said to them 'he is only a poor, mad young man he isn't dangerous. He went mad about a year ago' then the writer's family went back to the town. After he left school, he went to university in the capital. He studied to be a doctor. He found work in a big, new city hospital there. But then one of his uncle's son got married and all his family went there for a few days. He went down to the beach in the village. He couldn't believe it. The old boat-house and the boat were still there. He saw Rafael. He was twelve years older. His hair and beard were beginning to go grey. He coughed a deep, dry cough. He had an idea in his head. He was a doctor now. He wanted to give him the best help that modern medicine. He told his uncle what he wanted to do. There are special hospitals now in the capital for people like Rafael. He will have a bed, good food, nurses all the time. Then his uncle told the writer Rafael's story. Rafael's father was a fisherman. Rafael was a fine boy, never ill, good-looking, healthy and strong. When he was about eight years old, his father was killed. He was there and saw his father die. A sharks attacked him and bit off one of Rafael's father legs. After that Rafael and his mother lived alone in their house. In a few years Rafael was older and started to work. He became a fisherman too. He always hated sharks, because of what happened to his father. He fell in love with Anita, the shopkeeper's daughter. Anita was a beautiful child and very good at reading and telling story. Her father, Rodrigo, the shopkeeper, loved her most. He had big plans for Anita. He wanted her to marry someone rich and important. He didn't want Anita to marry anyone from the village. Rafael loved her much, and Anita loved him too. Rafael suddenly left the village and went ton the port. He met an old goldsmith in the town. Rafael helped the goldsmith when he could.soon he became a good friend. One day Rafael told him ' I want a gold ring for a girl in my village' it must be in the shape of a fish, a long fish with its tail on its mouth. The goldsmith made the ring for him. After Rafael come back to the village, he gave the gold ring to Rodrigo as present for Anita. Of course Rodrigo didn't agree and he gave the ring back to Rafael. Then the soldier came to the village. He was a strange man. He told us about his life, He had a thousand stories. He was very handsome, he was a soldier, a sailor, a fisherman. He had a small boat with an engine. He came to my cafe and there he saw Anita, sitting by the corner. The children were all round her and she was telling them story. After that he came twice a week. He often brought little presents for people. The soldier was becoming very friends with Rodrigo. Then early one Monday morning, we heard a terrible noise from Rodrigo's house. He was shouting, his wife was screaming. It seems Anita wasn't in the house. And we never saw the soldier again. Most people in the village believe that she ran away with the soldier. Rafael was very surprised. He sailed round the rocks. Some of the fishermen found Rafael. He was wet and dirty. He was looking up at the sky and laughing. And he was completely mad. Then Anita's younger sister called Marta wanted to talk to the writer about Anita and Rafael. Marta said: Anita was beautiful and clever. But sorry to say she wasn't a very good child. Our parents gave her everything she wanted. She became proud and lazy. One night I saw Anita going quietly out of the room. She was wearing a dress and shoes. About half an hour later, she came quietly back into the room. I asked her where she went. She laughed and said 'I go to meet my prince' after a few days she came back from one of these meetings with a ring on her finger. She showed it to me. It was the gold ring in the shape of a fish. Then the writer went back to his hospital to do his work. One day, a fisherman brought a note to the hospital. It said: Rafael is very ill. Pleas come immediately. He took a small ambulance and went to the village. Rafael was very thin and yellow. He coughed weakly. Blood ran from his mouth. He took Rafael back to the hospital in the city. They washed him and cut his hair and beard. They put him in a clean bed and gave him medicines. His body temperature was very high. He could speak very little. He told me everything . He planed to kill the soldier by the sharks. and Anita was with the soldier that night and she dead too.He lived for six days in the hospital. Then on the sixth day his heart stopped and he was dead. He did a terrible thing, a terrible crime.
