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Childhood Teleportation

Raoul’s Two Cents: July 4, 2025

This is an original story from a dream this week — Raoul


In the dusty town of San Isidro, where the sun baked the cobblestones and the sea’s salty breath clung to the air, lived a boy named Pepito. Barefoot and clad in a patched shirt, he roamed the market, selling fish from a rickety cart. His voice, sharp and hopeful, called out, “Fresh fish! Caught this morning!” But his pockets stayed empty, his meals meager, and his dreams small—except for one: every Holy Week, the grand church at the town’s heart held a retreat, a sacred gathering where God’s word echoed through candlelit halls. Pepito longed to attend, but the entrance fee was a fortune he could never scrape together.

The church loomed over San Isidro, its stone walls cold and imposing, ruled by Father Burgos, a priest whose heart seemed as rigid as the iron gates. His rules were law: no running in the courtyard, no speaking out of turn, no unwashed hands touching the pews. Break one, and the consequences were swift—public shaming, lashings, or worse. The townsfolk whispered that Father Burgos’s God was one of wrath, not mercy.

One spring, as Holy Week approached, a stranger arrived in San Isidro. He was old, with a face creased like weathered parchment and eyes that held a quiet warmth. His name was Mateo, a wanderer come for the retreat. On his way to the church, he paused at Pepito’s cart, drawn by the boy’s earnest calls. They spoke—Pepito shy at first, then spilling stories of the sea, his fish, his dreams. Mateo listened, his smile soft. When Pepito admitted his longing for the retreat, Mateo reached into his worn cloak and pressed coins into the boy’s hand. “Come,” he said. “God’s word is for everyone.”

Pepito’s heart soared. Inside the church, the retreat was a revelation. Candlelight danced on the walls, hymns filled the air, and the scriptures spoke of love and redemption. For the first time, Pepito felt close to something divine, as if God Himself whispered to his soul. He sat wide-eyed, drinking in every word, unaware of Father Burgos’s gaze—narrow, suspicious, tracking the ragged boy who didn’t belong.

The retreat ended on a somber note, the villagers filing out into the twilight. As they left, Father Burgos’s voice cut through the murmurs. “Stop!” he bellowed, holding up a hand. “The sacred chalice is gone!” His eyes locked on Pepito, the outsider, the poor boy who’d dared enter his sanctuary. “Thief!” he accused, pointing. “You took it!” The crowd gasped, turning on Pepito, whose protests were drowned by their murmurs. Father Burgos’s verdict was merciless: theft of a holy relic meant stoning, a punishment from ancient times.

Pepito trembled, tears streaking down his cheeks, swearing his innocence. But the priest’s rules were ironclad, and the crowd, fearful of Burgos’s wrath, began to gather stones. Then Mateo stepped forward, his voice steady. “If you must punish someone, take me instead,” he said. “The boy is innocent.” The crowd hesitated, but Father Burgos, unyielding, agreed. Mateo was led to the square, where stones flew until he fell, silent and still.

The chalice was found the next day, misplaced in the sacristy by a careless altar boy. Whispers of guilt spread, but Father Burgos offered no apology, only a sermon on obedience.

Pepito, heartbroken, left San Isidro, carrying Mateo’s kindness and the bitter truth in his heart: rules do not make kind hearts. True compassion, he learned, comes from those who listen, who give, who sacrifice—strangers like Mateo, not priests like Burgos.

THE END


Hope you liked it. I woke up from this dream with tears in my eyes. Of course I had to clean up a lot of ambiguity (as most dreams go) but I think I captured the essence.

TGIF people! Happy Fourth of July America!

If you like my emails, please do me a favor and spread it around. Thank you!

Thanks to Colleen of Washington State


“Integrity has no need of rules.” — Albert Camus

“Integrity is telling myself the truth. And honesty is telling the truth to other people.” — Spencer Johnson

“When the whole world is silent, even one voice is powerful.” — Malala Yousafzai

“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” — 1 Peter 2:24

JOKE OF THE WEEK

Thanks to Tom of Pasadena, California

Original art by Raoul Pascual.

Thanks to Frank of Modesto, California

Thanks to Tom of Pasadena, CA

Thanks to Boris of Washington, DC

Thanks to Maling of New Manila, Philippines

Thanks to Lito of Anaheim, CA

Thanks to Art of Sierra Madre, CA

Good to know:

Good to know:

Thanks to Norm of Encino, CA

Good to know:

Thanks to Colleen of Washington State

I found these:

My good friend (and jokester) Terry and I came up with these.

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6 Comments

  1. Tom

    July 7, 2025 at 6:40 pm

    Amazing how dreams form and continue . Human Minds operate while we sleep in mysterious ways Thanks for continuing to keep us smiling. Tom

    Reply

  2. Colleen

    July 7, 2025 at 6:41 pm

    Good one, Raoul! Thanks 😀

    Reply

  3. Ed

    July 7, 2025 at 6:42 pm

    A Real winner from a dream with an uplifting moral. I enjoyed it even more the second time.

    One of your best..

    Reply

    • Raoul

      July 7, 2025 at 7:17 pm

      Thanks for the gushing feedback.

      I’m always amazed at how our dreams interact with our psyche. That dream about Pepito is a prime example of how complex our brains are. Almost as if there was another person inside me. How can we even tell ourselves a narrative with a surprise ending? Because I’m a light sleeper, there have been countless times the dream is still spinning in my mind when I am already partially awake. I can literally tell I’m leaving a fictional world and I need to write my experience down before I am completely detached.

      I have solved tech problems, relational problems, design problems, in my dreams. They’ve opened up angles or approaches I would never have considered while awake. I’ve written songs, formulated outlines for my TGIF, and understood difficult passages in scripture. I’d be willing to be a guinea pig for science to study the effects of dreams.

      Reply

  4. Oscar

    July 7, 2025 at 6:55 pm

    Happy Fourth of July 2025 🎊🎉🎆🎇🙏🇺🇸🙏

    Good TGIF Raoul .😂😂😂🤷‍♂️

    The cleanest Pepito story I’ve ever heard.😂😂😂🤷‍♂️

    Rules don’t make nice people 👍👍👍

    Rules are needed so Good people don’t turn bad 🙏❤️👍😊

    Reply

  5. Larry

    July 7, 2025 at 7:03 pm

    Pepito found kindness in Mateo. Come, God’s word is for everyone. Truer words were never spoken.

    You did a great job. No joke. Excellent work!!!

    TGIF

    Reply

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