It was a much-anticipated evening in the town square. The local cinema was bursting at the seams, full of people excited about the premiere of a new adventure movie. The lights on the billboard glowed brightly and a long line of moviegoers waited patiently for their turn to go through the entrance check.
Salpicón, a very clever Magikito, was among them. With his pointed cap full of bells, he watched the crowd curiously. He loved to see so many people together, especially when they were happy.
Suddenly Ronaldo appeared, a lonely and impatient rich man, accustomed to always being above everyone else. He slipped in front of everyone, leaving behind children and old people who were waiting eagerly. Splash frowned; he didn’t like it when people acted selfishly. So he thought it best to give this person a lesson in manners.
He slipped stealthily through the audience and reached Mr. Selfish, where with agility and talent he prepared a sauce of ripe tomatoes. He added a magic thickener and, amidst mischievous laughter, completely soaked the ticket with which Ronaldo wanted to enter the cinema.
The paper, now wet and covered with red stains, became almost illegible. But he, oblivious to what had happened, strode confidently toward the entrance control. And when he handed over his ticket, the attendant raised one eyebrow, then the other.
-I’m sorry, sir,” he said firmly, “but I can’t accept your ticket in this condition. It’s completely stained with… ketchup?
Ronaldo looked at his ticket with surprise, his eyes widened like saucers. He tried to wipe it off with his hands, but thanks to the magic thickener he only managed to smudge his fingers even more, to the point where nothing was visible.
-But I bought it a moment ago! -he protested, trying to explain. I don’t know how it got dirty… maybe because of the pizza I ate before coming.
-It doesn’t matter how it happened, sir. Without a valid ticket, you cannot enter,” replied the manager.
-Well, give me another one and let me in, I have money to spare.
He pulled a wallet full of bills out of his pocket and showed it to the controller.
-I am sorry to tell you that all tickets are already sold out. Please move out of the line and let the others through, thank you.
Ronaldo stood there, dumbfounded and stunned, while the rest of the line moved forward with a satisfied smile. Splash, hidden behind a decorative plant, let out a small laugh and snapped his fingers again. A light magical breeze passed through the cinema, and everyone present could smell a delicious aroma of tomato with fresh basil. The magic was done.
While the selfish rich man left in a huff, the rest of the audience continued to enter the theater with joy. They were overjoyed and eager to finally see the long-awaited movie.
Splash watched from his hiding place, smiling with satisfaction. He knew that sometimes, a little mischief could teach big lessons. With one more chuckle, he prepared for his next adventure, glad to have brought a little justice that night and, of course, a tasty dash of tomato sauce.
