Lucifer
by
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Manuel saluted the judges and started off at a trot and into a rough gallop to pass the electric eyes. Lucifer saw the first jump, threw his head up in the air and flew in at a flat-out gallop, scarcely clearing the highest bar with a long, flat jump, landing with several bucks and again jumping the next jump too fast. He cleared it by inches and landed hard, madly running toward the third, jumping too fast and completely out of stride. Juanita began to cry and covered her eyes, fearful of what was going to happen next.
–Está dando la vuelta demasiado rápido para entrar a la triple combinación –gritó Rafael, mientras que Lucifer salía de la vuelta en un paso de carrera y se dirigió al primer elemento de la combinación con una velocidad de rompehuesos. Manuel estaba sentando para atrás, trabajando las riendas para tratar de controlarlo. Volvió a saltar en un arco plano y se apuntó al segundo elemento sin ni siquiera tratar de recogerse.
–¡Más despacio, van a chocar! –gritó Rafael mientras Lucifer, desbocado, se lanzó al salto de un tranco completo antes de que debiera despegar. Un suspiro colectivo salió del público mientras despegó en un salto imposible. Pegó sus manos al pecho y sus patas al estómago y libró las dos barras del oxer por centímetros.
De repente, como si ese gran esfuerzo hubiera reventado su miedo, Lucifer se volvió el campeón olímpico que tanto había esperado la familia. Cayendo corto después de lanzarse tan detrás, estiró su tranco y entró al tercer elemento de la combinación con un arco precioso, cayendo fluido y sin esfuerzo con un tranco de galope recogido y rápido, volviendo a sacar un suspiro colectivo del público. Entró en la curva al siguiente salto sin salir de su tranco y lo saltó con la misma precisión que había mostrado en el anterior. Manuel sintió el cambio en su corcel y lo pudo recoger, mostrándole cuidadosamente cada salto.
–Mira, Juanita –dijo Rafael, quitándole las manos de la cara– ¡es hermoso!
“He’s making the turn too fast toward the triple combination!” shouted Rafael, while Lucifer came out of the sharp turn at a flat racing gallop and headed toward the first element of the combination with bone-breaking speed. Manuel was sitting back, working both reins to try to control the runaway horse. Again he jumped long and flat and started toward the second element without even trying to gather himself.
“Slow up, you’re going to crash!” screamed Rafael while Lucifer, out of control, threw himself at the jump an entire stride before he should have taken off. A collective gasp came from the stands as he took off in an impossible jump. He pasted his forelegs to his chest and his hind legs to his stomach and skimmed over the double bars of the oxer by inches.
Suddenly, as though that great effort had broken through the bubble of his fear, Lucifer became again the Olympic champion that the family had hoped for. Landing short after taking off so far behind the jump, he lengthened his stride and entered the third element of the combination with a beautiful arch, landing with a fluid and effortless movement in a gathered and rapid gallop, again bringing a collective sigh from the spectators. He entered the curve into the next jump without breaking his stride and jumped it with the same precision that he had showed in the former jump. Manuel felt the change in his mount and was able to collect him and carefully show him the next jumps.
“Look, Juanita!” said Rafael, pulling her hands from her face, “He’s wonderful!”
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About the Book
The books in the Palo Alto adventure series are written in two languages, (not translated but written by the author, B. Palma in both languages) to help the children of two adjacent cultures understand their differences and so that students can read them in the desired language. On the odd pages the story is written in Spanish and on the even ones in English.
Lucifer, the second book in the bilingual Palo Alto Adventure series describes how the young Palo Alto friends, Juanita, Pedro, Rafael, and Luisito find the secrets for taming a badly treated Olympic-level jumping horse, Lucifer. Juanita makes a new friend, Leora, daughter of an American engineer who is helping with the construction of a new factory near the Mexican town. Rafael and his horse have an accident and Pedro has the first operation on his ankle. The boys are interviewed on television showing the treasure they found in Rafael's family's Hacienda. Juanita's famous equestrian cousins, Manuel and Rogelio come to help with the training of Lucifer. The four friends are invited to ride in the parade for the inauguration of the factory. Juanita and Leora, representing their respective countries, take flowers to the President of Mexico. An unexpected event almost ruins the day.
Los libros de la serie de aventuras Palo Alto están escritos en dos idiomas (no traducidos pero escritos por la autora, B. Palma en los dos idiomas) para ayudar a los niños de dos culturas a entender sus diferencias y para que los estudiantes puedan leerlo en el idioma deseado. En todas las páginas nones el cuento están escrito en Español y en las páginas pares está escrito en Inglés.
Éste segundo libro de las aventuras de los compañeros de Palo Alto, describe como los amigos Juanita, Pedro, Rafael, y Luisito descubren los secretos para dominar a Lucifer, un caballo de salto olímpico muy maltratado. Juanita hace una amiga nueva, Leora, hija de un ingeniero norteamericano que esta ayudando a construir una fábrica cerca del pueblo.
Rafael y su caballo tienen un accidente y Pedro tiene la primer operación en su tobillo. Los muchachos se entrevistan en televisión mostrando el tesoro que encontraron en la Hacienda Palo Alto de la familia de Rafael. Los primos de Juanita, Manuel y Rogelio, famosos jinetes, vienen a ayudar con el entrenamiento de Lucifer. Los cuatro amigos son invitados a montar en el desfile para la inauguración de la fábrica. Juanita y Leora, representando sus países, llevan flores al Presidente de la República. Un evento inesperado casi hecha a perder el día.
"En el transcurso de mi vida no he tenido en mis manos otros libros diseñados para niños que les hablen de las tradiciones Mexicanas y que al mismo tiempo tengan misterio combinado con aventuras como es la colección de cuatro libros hasta el momento de La Pandilla de Palo Alto. Mis hijos de diferentes edades; desde 9 hasta 16, se han interesado en ellos. Han leído los cuatro y están esperando la continuación."
Patricia Ortiz
School Administrador
Administrador de Colegio
About the Author
B. Palma has enjoyed horseback riding all her life, especially in her youth in the State of Michoacan, Mexico, and show jumping in Mexico City with her husband. His true tales of growing up on his family’s sixteen haciendas and those of her adventurous youth in the Mexican countryside are woven into all of the Palo Alto adventures. Their lifetime love of horses is reflected by their years of equestrian show jumping. They now live in Mexico City and still ride every day. Ms. Palma is the owner/director of two Montessori schools in Mexico City. She has a degree in Psychology, Summa Cum Laude, and a Masters in Education, specializing in Montessori Integrated Education. She recently had an eight-page article published in the March centennial issue of the Montessori Life magazine. A similar article will be published in the Alpha Delta Kappa International Teacher's Sorority's biannual journal; The Kappan Recently she was awarded the Mexican National Press Circle's Special Award for Educational Merit, 2008 Her Elementary School has been officially acknowledged as a model school for the State of Mexico Her next book, And Then, takes the young adventurers of her books forward ten years where their childhood friendships grow into the beginnings of lifetime relationships. The first two books are available in Braille in Spanish.