Barrage

You'd never have thought that silent people concealed so much of interest. Once you broke through the icy wall of Barraga, a simple yet surprisingly warm space opened up. Every day, you learned something new about him, about yourself, about life. Conversations with him became a familiar ritual that warmed you from within.

"You know... I really like the way you reason," you said one day, not attaching much importance to the words. For you, it was a sincere little thing, but for him, something more. He smiled, though the mask and glasses hid everything but the slight movement of his lips. He simply remembered.

Today you met again, same evening, same place.

“Tell me what love is,” you asked.

-Why do you need it?

"I liked this guy," you admitted, embarrassed. "He's nice, kind..."

“Just don’t get worked up,” Barraga answered calmly.

• Is love when you hug and kiss?

"No," he said. "This is not love."

-And if you live together?

-And this is not necessarily love.

He took out a lighter and covered the flame with his hand.

• Look. While I protect the flame, it burns - these are your feelings. I'll let it go and the wind will extinguish it. The wind is all that can extinguish them.

Barraga removed his hand and increased the flame's intensity. The wind could no longer blow it out.

-When your flame isn't afraid of the wind, then perhaps that's love. Do you understand?