A Tale to Wait for the Springtime (the story of the building with no windows)

One of these crazy architects was the menthor for the idea. He wanted something that would turn people’s mood around.

When announced the construction of the new government building, a lot of people thought the project would be forgotten inside some drawer after being entitled “vanguardist” or “absurd”.

The general governor, however, saw in the project a perfect symbol for his progressist and future headed administration.

So, the project beat the competitors. The construction companies thought they could take the idea, and had the nerves to start putting in action projects that copied it in all ways.

As the project had been copyrighted, the fakes had to be burnt down, and two of them were stopped in the beginning of construction.

All construction workers of the town wanted to join in - rumors said they would pay big money. In fact, there was not such a big deal.

The money could afford a couple of extra beers and some thai belly dancer - good enough for those who had seen them only on the Sunday tv shows.

But there was a great sense of patriotism. The construction workers also wanted to help build the monument that would be as important as the majestic Statue of the Smoking Snake, in Burkina-Faso, or de Giant Marble Thimbles, in Letonia.

Soon the construction of this symbol was started. At the release of the tombstone, the couple from the 9 o’clock soap opera was present. According to the Military Police, there were about 300 thousand people in the place.

For the first few weeks, some networks broadcasted the construction live, 24 hours a day.

After some time, when thy stopped doing such a big fun about it, the thing got restricted to some small notes in the evening news.

The work was being done and, each day, some dozens of people came to see it, mainly kids and bums.

With many good will men helping out, the building soon got finished. But something didn’t look right. Maybe it was the buildings beside. If that was it, they would be put down.

The girl from the soup opera was picked to get the champagne open. Her partner watched the hole thing from home on TV, because they got divorced on the soup opera.

Now, she was an independent woman.

The construction men locked inside the building clapped when the band started playing.

Those who were in the outside got disappointed, because they weren’t able to congratulate their partners.

The general governor gave a press conference, saying that a retake in traditions was necessary, and that his administration would now prime for the past.

The children from that time, and from others also, always came back to the building. They pressed their ears against the walls and could hear strange noises. It was probably the construction workers, feeding from concrete. They probably formed a new species of beings, with sensitive whiskers instead of eyes. Filling the inside, forever in the dark, of that building.

Drawings: Guilherme Caldas Story: Adriano Rodriguez S達o Paulo - 1996