His name is Candado Ernést Catriel Barret, a twelve-year-old boy who attends a public school in a town called Isla del Cerrito. At first glance, he might seem like a peculiar person, but let me assure you that Candado Barret is not at all out of the ordinary. As a young boy, his curiosity about how things work led him to a transformation from an ordinary child into a responsible young man. Although the reason behind this metamorphosis is rather enigmatic, it is not ultimately relevant.
His name finds its origin on November 12, 1915. Jack Barret, the progenitor of the family, received a very special gift from Rosa Velázquez, a representative from Paraguay: a padlock molded with precious stones, forming a necklace. Although she lacked the resources for a more elaborate gift, that padlock was received with affection by him and that night they sealed their love with a kiss, sharing their days until the end of their lives. From this event would come their striking name, and furthermore, the word "Padlock" is related to the office of "president" in Kanghar.
Although this relationship may be confusing, his name has its roots in this story, which Europe, his mother, cherished deeply in his childhood.
In 2000, 85 years after the above-mentioned events, a son was born to Europe Barret and Arthur Barret. Together, they decided to name their son Candado Ernést Catriel Barret. Jack, who was still alive and together with his wife were among the last survivors of "The Age of Heroes", had the privilege of witnessing the birth of their second great-grandson. They smiled knowing that his name reflected the historical juncture. The child was born healthy and showed impressive determination, often leading his parents to question which of the two had inherited his behavior. Beyond that, he had taken from his father's brown eyes, his ability to communicate and a medium skin tone. From his mother's side, he inherited dark brown hair, elegance, facial features, the structure of his face (he could have easily been mistaken for a woman if he disguised himself) and his seriousness. As for his curiosity, logic and interest in the indecipherable, as well as his passion for sociological, philosophical and political understanding, he had developed these qualities on his own, with the support of his family environment. Candado was the second son, at the age of thirteen, of his sister Gabriela Esperanza, whom he admired and loved deeply. He was the only one among his sisters to have a guardian, whom the family called "Bari" and whose name was Tínbari. Although his appearance was frightening, both Candado and Gabriela considered him an integral part of the family, and Tínbari loved them as his own children, even committing to give his life for them. On his fourth birthday, Candado received a very special gift from his grandfather, Alfred Barret: a robot made with his own hands, which he named Clementine Version 02. This machine became his first friend and a loyal servant of the Barret family.
A year later, Mr. Jack passed away in the fall of 2005 at the age of 105. Candado felt grief and sadness; that same grief was shared by his son Alfred, granddaughter Europe and great-granddaughter Gabriela. However, after two days, he recovered from his great-grandfather's death and moved on, as he did not fully understand the concept of death. For him, dying was like going on a round trip; he thought his great-grandfather would return someday.
Six months after Jack Barret's death, Candado continued his life in kindergarten. There he met Hector, a boy with white hair, even on his eyebrows, as if he had gray hair. After Candado had a fit of anger towards a classmate who had stolen and hidden his beret, Hector intervened and stopped him, getting punched in the face by Candado, who ended up dragging him across the floor. It was the first time that Candado showed anger and aggression towards another human being.
After that experience, Candado felt very sad and did not want to return to the garden, fearing that his anger would hurt someone else. He stayed that way for two days until, on the third day, while sitting under a tree in the plaza, playing alone with some pebbles, he received an unexpected visit from Hector, who had a bandage on his cheek. Hector begged Candado to go back to school, not to worry about what had happened and to look to the future. He took Candado's hand and pulled him to his feet. Then he looked at him and asked him to accompany him to the garden. That same day, in the afternoon, Candado invited Hector to his home and gave him a white silk tie, since they shared a taste for formal dress. That day marked the beginning of a great friendship between Hector and Candado.
The years passed, and Candado became a mature and responsible boy. At that time, he was nine years old. Gabriela had already turned seventeen and had a new sister who was only a few weeks old. Candado felt a great empathy and responsibility to care for his sister from then on. However, while he remained strong, healthy and cheerful, his sister began to weaken and deteriorate. At first, it didn't seem serious, until one day she fainted at school and had to be taken to the hospital. There she was diagnosed with a disease that affected the circulatory system and the vital organs of the human body: the heart, lungs and brain. According to the doctors, there was no cure and it would have a disastrous outcome. Moreover, there was no treatment to control future symptoms. The Barret family still had hope of finding a cure someday.
Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
Until that time, Gabriela, Clementina, Hector and some of their friends, including Tínbari himself, did their best to keep Candado distracted, playing and amusing him, and encouraged him to have hope that his sister would recover. All this they did to keep the child cheerful and hopeful.
A year after the terrible news about his sister, Candado's tenth birthday arrived, and everyone gathered to wish him a happy birthday and give him presents. As he received the gifts from the guests one by one, his sister decided to give him a very special present. Gabriela, who was already in a wheelchair due to the progression of her illness, gave her a silver necklace with a gold sun whose face was identical to that of the flag of Argentina. Gabriela placed the necklace around his neck and kissed him on the forehead while saying "happy birthday". Candado hugged her with a smile on his face and promised her that he would protect her from any evil and that he himself would find the cure for her illness. At that moment, as she held Candado in her arms, Gabriela uttered words that would remain etched in her memory from that day on.
"You are a sun that shines day by day over my head. You are a very cheerful and kind person. Your kindness got Clementina to have fur and go to school. Your kindness led Hector to meet his uncles who lived in Entre Rios. And not only that, your kindness caused you to have more friends than you had before. I am proud that you are my brother, that you have put into practice everything you have been taught, that you have more friends and that you share the kindness of your heart with everyone around you. I am proud that you have managed the Rooboleo guild intelligently, helping everyone around you. And most of all, I am proud that my brother has matured."
Candado overflowed with joy and held the embrace with his sister a little longer. He was filled with happiness, and his face reflected the joy he was experiencing at that moment.
However, that joy did not last long, since on November 15, 2010, at approximately 4:07 a.m., Gabriela Esperanza Barret died at the Perrando Hospital in Resistencia. It was raining heavily that day. Everyone mourned the loss of Gabriela, including Candado, who was crying and cursing the name of Almighty God. He wanted her to be brought back, but nothing happened. In the Roobóleo guild, Candado fell into a deep crisis of grief and rage. He destroyed everything within his reach while tears welled up in his eyes. Again and again he cursed the name of God and blamed himself for not having been able to do more to protect her. His cries and pleas for her to come back to life proved in vain. That day, both his family and friends witnessed that joyful and happy child slowly fade away, leaving a deep hole of pain in his sensitive heart.
Three years after the events, Candado experienced a radical change in his personality and in his family. Candado's parents, once very close, distanced themselves from their son. They worked more than usual, not for money or a better future, but because they wanted to spend less time in a place that constantly reminded them of their beloved daughter Gabriela. Candado, not having the latter option, had to face the pain of losing his sister alone. He went from being a cheerful and playful person to becoming someone cold, with an empty heart full of pain. But the story did not end there.
In March 2013, in the city of Villa Angela, her grandfather, Alfred Barret, was murdered. Unlike when he lost his sister, Candado shed no tears. He just watched his grandfather's coffin sink into the ground as an old man in a black robe recited passages from the Bible. Holding his umbrella, Candado announced that he would catch his grandfather's killers. When his friends Hector and Pucheta asked him why he had made that decision, he replied curtly.
"Because I'm bored."
In that instant, Candado lost his sensitivity to the death of a loved one. His eyes became vacant and his manner of speaking became harsh, losing all gentleness.
Candado thought he had suffered enough. He was tired of having fleeting moments of joy. His personality closed definitively to any other human contact. He became a serious, cold, reckless, irritable and annoying person. Little by little, he lost many of his friends, although he was never completely alone. People like Tínbari, Clementina, Héctor, German, Anzor, Lucas, Matlotsky, Declan, Ícaro, Viki, Ana María Pucheta, Logan, Mauricio, Joaquín, Diana, Pio, Lucía, Erika, Walsh, Antonela, Krauser and Frederick remained by his side. They fought every day to see the smile return to their friend's face and they would not rest until they could make him smile again.