Paco Yunque and the Secret of the Prize

Once upon a time, in a small town surrounded by mountains, there was a boy named Paco Yunque. Paco was a very shy boy, with big brown eyes and a heart even bigger. It was his first day of school, and he was very nervous. His mom, a hardworking and loving woman, had walked him to the school door and given him a kiss on the forehead. "Have a good day, my little one," she said, with a smile that tried to calm his nerves.

When he entered the classroom, Paco felt overwhelmed. There were many children playing and shouting. The teacher, a tall man with a kind voice named Mr. Galdós, pointed out an empty seat. Right next to Paco sat a boy named Humberto Grieve. Humberto was a rich boy, the son of the town's owner, and was known for being very arrogant and bossy.

From the beginning, Humberto made life difficult for Paco. He took his pencil, pushed him during recess, and made fun of his simple clothes. Paco, too shy to defend himself, simply lowered his head and tried to ignore him. One day, Mr. Galdós announced a drawing contest. The prize would be a beautiful box of colors and a diploma. Paco, who loved drawing, got very excited and decided to participate.

Throughout the whole week, Paco secretly worked on his drawing. He drew the landscape of his town, the mountains, the trees, and the animals he saw in the fields. He put all his heart into his drawing, hoping it would be good enough to win. Humberto, on the other hand, didn't try very hard. He simply copied a drawing from a book and presented it as his own.

The day of the drawing presentation arrived. All the children were eager to find out who the winner would be. Mr. Galdós carefully reviewed each drawing and finally announced: "The winner of the contest is... Humberto Grieve." Paco felt very sad. He knew Humberto's drawing wasn't original and that he had worked much harder. But he said nothing. He simply sat in his seat, eyes full of tears.

One of Paco's classmates, named Antonio, saw the injustice. Antonio was a brave and fair boy, and couldn't stand seeing Paco so sad. He approached Mr. Galdós and said: "Mr. Galdós, I think Humberto's drawing isn't his. He copied it from a book." Mr. Galdós, surprised, asked Humberto if it was true. Humberto, caught in the act, turned red and couldn't say anything.

Mr. Galdós, very disappointed, took the prize away from Humberto and gave it to Paco. "Paco," he said, "your drawing is beautiful and original. You deserve this prize." Paco, with a smile on his face, received the box of colors and the diploma. He was very happy that the truth had come to light.

But Paco's happiness didn't last long. Humberto's father, upon learning what had happened, came to the school furious. He shouted at Mr. Galdós and demanded that he return the prize to his son. Mr. Galdós, although scared, stood firm and refused to give in to the pressure. Humberto's father, furious, took his son out of school and threatened to fire Mr. Galdós.

Paco, seeing all that was happening, felt very guilty. He didn't want Mr. Galdós to lose his job because of him. With a heart full of sadness, he decided to return the prize. He approached Mr. Galdós and said: "Mr. Galdós, I don't want the prize. I don't want you to lose your job because of me." Mr. Galdós, with tears in his eyes, hugged Paco and said: "You are a very good boy, Paco. Don't worry, everything will be okay."

In the end, Paco didn't keep the prize, but he gained something much more valuable: the respect and admiration of all his classmates and his teacher. He learned that justice sometimes takes time to arrive, but it's always worth fighting for. And although Humberto remained a proud and bossy boy, Paco was never afraid of him again. He knew he had the strength and goodness to face any adversity.

From that day on, Paco kept drawing and studying with great enthusiasm. He became a great artist and always remembered the lesson he learned on his first day of school: that truth and justice are the most important values in life.