Make yourselves comfortable, children, because today I will tell you something that few in this town know. It is the story of a man who, like this windmill you see turning, was always on the move, helping others without anyone noticing.

It was a day like this, with the sun shining brightly and the wind playing among the leaves of the mulberry tree. You, unruly as always, were running near the windmill when, accidentally, you broke one of my chairs. Do you remember?

Oh, Uncle Augustine! said some of the children with worried faces. «It wasn’t our intention!»

Of course, children are always getting into mischief. But instead of getting angry, I proposed a solution:

We went to Don Ezequiel. He knows more about wood than anyone.

Their faces changed at that moment remembering that thing about the broken chair. Don Ezequiel was not someone they wanted to deal with. He is an old man, quiet and unfriendly, it is said that no one has seen him smile in years.

When we arrived at his carpentry shop, he looked at us out of the corner of his eye and grunted:

And now what do you want?

I told him what had happened to the chair, and he, after examining it, said:

I can fix it… but these boys are going to help me.

So there you stayed, with your hands full of sawdust, learning to sand and join the pieces, but while you were working, I saw something interesting: your eyes began to scan the workshop.

There, among saws and boards, there were things you did not expect to see: a new crib waiting to be delivered, a carefully repaired table, and in a corner, a box full of hand-carved toys.

Who are all these toys for? —Sofia asked.

Don Ezequiel sighed, as if the question surprised him.

When someone needs them, I give them to them, he answered simply.

And then you understood. You remembered the boy who received a rocking horse when his family lost everything in a fire, or Mrs. Marta, who out of nowhere had a new door after the storm.

Was it you?, Tomás asked the old carpenter, with his eyes wide open.

He just nodded and continued sanding the chair, as if it were nothing important.

That afternoon, when you finished, you not only brought back a well-repaired chair, but a secret that no one had ever been able to see: the serious and quiet man of the town had spent his life helping everyone in silence.

That was how Mr. Ezequiel, the grumpy old carpenter, became someone unforgettable in this town.

And that, boys, is something you should never forget: sometimes, the people who seem most distant, are the ones who have given the most without expecting anything in return.

And that’s life, children, said Uncle Augustine as the wind played with the leaves of the tree. Sometimes, the biggest hearts are the ones that make the least noise.

The windmill turned slowly, as if it also agreed with his words. The children remained silent, looking towards Don Ezequiel’s carpentry shop in the distance, as if they suddenly saw it with different eyes.

Now, go and think about what you have learned today, continued Uncle Augustine. And the next time you pass by someone who seems serious and quiet, remember that behind every pair of wrinkled hands, there is a story waiting to be discovered.

He leaned forward, patted his old chair, the same one they had broken, and with a knowing smile, added:

And don’t forget to say hello to Don Ezequiel.

The children laughed softly, and one by one, they got up to go home. But something had changed in them. That afternoon, their steps were slower, as if they had learned something more valuable in their hearts than just repairing a chair.

And Uncle Augustine, with the windmill turning behind him and the mulberry tree rustling in the wind, watched them go with a quiet satisfaction, knowing that another experience had served its purpose.