Eyes of Silencio

My Name is Paulo Svenson. My father was a Swedish sailor who stranded in Brazil on one of his expeditions. He fell in love with a local girl named "Maria Sousa" in the Big city of Recife . That's where he settled and married .

My father was a real sailor always planning a next expidition. Sadly one day he fell of a roof of a storagebuilding where they where they were loading his ship. He broke his neck and died instantly . He was 34 years old. Luckely he left my mother and myself with a reasonable amount of money so we weren't troubled financially.I was just a small boy then so I remember very little of him. A few years before the accident he ordered my mother to give his "Patua" (=Lucky necklace)to his only son when he turned 16 if something would happen to him . And so I was given a beautifull necklace with a pearl when I turned 16 .

When I was little I went to a local school. Schools in Brazil are very different from the schools in Europe . The atmosphere is very unbound and free. Our school was situated in an old armybuilding near a little lake . After school we all went to the lake to throw stones in it or when the weather was good enough (which was often the occasion ) we went for a swim and then some friendly fights never stayed out !

Of all the kids in my class one never went along. After school he always vanished into thin air. One day a group of kids (including myself )tried to follow him home but we lost him near a corn field !

The kid was very introvert and never spoke in the during lessons that's why we called him Silêncio (=the silence).There was a group of kids of older age who were always on to him . Real bullies ! But one day the harassments and bullying stopped .I was 12 years old then .

I never knew exactly what happened ,but one of the bullies was brought to the nearby hospital and Silêncio was kicked out of school .

A few years later (when I was in Highschool )I started practising Capoeira .I trained 3 times per week with "Mestre Tabaco".He was called like that because he was never see without his pipe !

When I became 17 Mestre Tabaco gave me a Capoeira T-shirt of his group for my birthday ! The best advertisement is the one that walks and talks,he said... !

The same day there was of huge carnaval in Recife ,the perfect occasion to celebrate my birthday! Everyone was there and we gave a Capoeira Demonstration on the townsquare .After the demo every body partied and got drunk on capirinha! That week we had our Baptism and I was given the name Louro (Blond-one).Because of the blond hair I got from my beloved father .At 4 in the morning I went home . I wanted to avoid the crowd and took a short-cut thrue one of the rough neighbourhoods !

It was the Neighbourhood owned by "Talho"(the Butcher).A fierced and evil Capoeirista who robbed and killed people together with his gang !

I was still a little bit under the influence of the alcohol and went home ignoring the horrible stories my mestre told me !

I wandered across a little square when suddenly ,out of the night , a group of young men appeared. They where armed with sticks and knives but some of them held Capoeira instruments .In a few seconds I had become the centre of a roda that surrounded me .The men dressed in Black Capoeira pants laughed at their defenceless victim. Suddenly the mocking stopped and a huge dark and sinister man appeared in the Roda carrying a butcherknive in one hand and a Berimbau Gunga in the other.

"Well, well, well"he said "a student of mestre tabaco ... and he spit on my t-shirt !The other bandits started laughing."Iiéééé" shouted the man with the Gunga and the laughing stopped ."You have a lot of guts to enter the domain of Talho at such a dark hour", he said.

The tall man handed his Gunga and his knive to one of his followers and continued talking. "I see you have a nice Patua " he said smiling. Maybe you want to give it to me or do you fancy a game of Capoeira instead ?

I rather fight you than lose my patua,I yelled. (If I hadn't drunk so much I had probably shedd in tears but the alcohol gave me a foolish heroic strenght !)"Well than " laughed the giant "Let the music begin or is there perhaps someone who wants to buy this game... ?" The other bandits started laughing but that soon stopped . "I will buy this game " Said a young male voice out of the dark .Talho was furious !

The young capoeirista wore gray Capoeira pants with no mark of any school on them. I had never seen this man or heard his voice .His torso was tanned and muscular but he couldn't have been older then myself .He walked towards the gunga and took place under it . Talho followed his example .

Then he continued with and "au" to the centre of the Roda . Talho tried a Cabecada (=headbutt) but he came to late. The young capoeirista quickly reacted with a low meia lua do compasso (with a speed I had never seen before )and hit Talho on the side of his head.

Talho rose up but then he staggered and fell down .The Music stopped and the roda scattered .In all the chaos one of the bandits grabbed my necklace and ripped it of my neck,dissappearing in a dark alley .I was still stunned by the event that happened and couldn't react fast enough to stop him .A few seconds later the only two people left on the square were Talho (litterly on the square ) and myself .When Talho's body starded moving I decided it was time to leave ,so I ran home .

In the morning I woke up with a slight hang-over . I opened the curtains of my room and looked right in to the bright green eyes of the Capoeirista who had rescued me last night ." You lost your Patua ",he said ."I know " I answered. "A good Patua always returns to his rightfull owner" he said.

As I walked to the door it all became clear to me . The Capoeirista was "Silêncio". I opened the door but there was nobody there .


	Back to the Capoeira Fiction Main Page The Eyes of Silêncio My Name is Paulo Svenson. My father was a Swedish sailor who stranded in Brazil on one of his expeditions. He fell in love with a local girl named "Maria Sousa" in the Big city of Recife . That's where he settled and married . My father was a real sailor always planning a next expidition. Sadly one day he fell of a roof of a storagebuilding where they where they were loading his ship. He broke his neck and died instantly . He was 34 years old. Luckely he left my mother and myself with a reasonable amount of money so we weren't troubled financially.I was just a small boy then so I remember very little of him. A few years before the accident he ordered my mother to give his "Patua" (=Lucky necklace)to his only son when he turned 16 if something would happen to him . And so I was given a beautifull necklace with a pearl when I turned 16 . When I was little I went to a local school. Schools in Brazil are very different from the schools in Europe . The atmosphere is very unbound and free. Our school was situated in an old armybuilding near a little lake . After school we all went to the lake to throw stones in it or when the weather was good enough (which was often the occasion ) we went for a swim and then some friendly fights never stayed out ! Of all the kids in my class one never went along. After school he always vanished into thin air. One day a group of kids (including myself )tried to follow him home but we lost him near a corn field ! The kid was very introvert and never spoke in the during lessons that's why we called him Silêncio (=the silence).There was a group of kids of older age who were always on to him . Real bullies ! But one day the harassments and bullying stopped .I was 12 years old then . I never knew exactly what happened ,but one of the bullies was brought to the nearby hospital and Silêncio was kicked out of school . I never knew the kids name but what I remembered of him were is vivid green eyes ! A few years later (when I was in Highschool )I started practising Capoeira .I trained 3 times per week with "Mestre Tabaco".He was called like that because he was never see without his pipe ! When I became 17 Mestre Tabaco gave me a Capoeira T-shirt of his group for my birthday ! The best advertisement is the one that walks and talks,he said... ! The same day there was of huge carnaval in Recife ,the perfect occasion to celebrate my birthday! Everyone was there and we gave a Capoeira Demonstration on the townsquare .After the demo every body partied and got drunk on capirinha! That week we had our Baptism and I was given the name Louro (Blond-one).Because of the blond hair I got from my beloved father .At 4 in the morning I went home . I wanted to avoid the crowd and took a short-cut thrue one of the rough neighbourhoods ! It was the Neighbourhood owned by "Talho"(the Butcher).A fierced and evil Capoeirista who robbed and killed people together with his gang ! I was still a little bit under the influence of the alcohol and went home ignoring the horrible stories my mestre told me ! I wandered across a little square when suddenly ,out of the night , a group of young men appeared. They where armed with sticks and knives but some of them held Capoeira instruments .In a few seconds I had become the centre of a roda that surrounded me .The men dressed in Black Capoeira pants laughed at their defenceless victim. Suddenly the mocking stopped and a huge dark and sinister man appeared in the Roda carrying a butcherknive in one hand and a Berimbau Gunga in the other. "Well, well, well"he said "a student of mestre tabaco ... and he spit on my t-shirt !The other bandits started laughing."Iiéééé" shouted the man with the Gunga and the laughing stopped ."You have a lot of guts to enter the domain of Talho at such a dark hour", he said. I tried to escape but there was no way I could get out ouf the Roda . The tall man handed his Gunga and his knive to one of his followers and continued talking. "I see you have a nice Patua " he said smiling. Maybe you want to give it to me or do you fancy a game of Capoeira instead ? I rather fight you than lose my patua,I yelled. (If I hadn't drunk so much I had probably shedd in tears but the alcohol gave me a foolish heroic strenght !)"Well than " laughed the giant "Let the music begin or is there perhaps someone who wants to buy this game... ?" The other bandits started laughing but that soon stopped . "I will buy this game " Said a young male voice out of the dark .Talho was furious ! "Ok you schrimp!" he shouted "If you want to get beat up you picked the right time and place ! The young capoeirista wore gray Capoeira pants with no mark of any school on them. I had never seen this man or heard his voice .His torso was tanned and muscular but he couldn't have been older then myself .He walked towards the gunga and took place under it . Talho followed his example . The Gunga started playing and soon the other instruments followed . I stepped a side and watched as the game began . Talho entered the game with and aggressive "au"(=cartwheel)followed with a mortal(=summer sault). The young Capoeirista plainly stepped in the Roda and began his Ginga which made Talho even more angry . Talho launched a couple of meia lua do compasso's at his opponent . But the young capoeirista dodged the kicks with a grace that even the best students of my mestre didn't adchieve. Then he continued with and "au" to the centre of the Roda . Talho tried a Cabecada (=headbutt) but he came to late. The young capoeirista quickly reacted with a low meia lua do compasso (with a speed I had never seen before )and hit Talho on the side of his head. Talho rose up but then he staggered and fell down .The Music stopped and the roda scattered .In all the chaos one of the bandits grabbed my necklace and ripped it of my neck,dissappearing in a dark alley .I was still stunned by the event that happened and couldn't react fast enough to stop him .A few seconds later the only two people left on the square were Talho (litterly on the square ) and myself .When Talho's body starded moving I decided it was time to leave ,so I ran home . In the morning I woke up with a slight hang-over . I opened the curtains of my room and looked right in to the bright green eyes of the Capoeirista who had rescued me last night ." You lost your Patua ",he said ."I know " I answered. "A good Patua always returns to his rightfull owner" he said. "Wait a minute I'm going to open the door so you can come in ." As I walked to the door it all became clear to me . The Capoeirista was "Silêncio". I opened the door but there was nobody there . Only my "Patua" was lying on the doorstep !!! Written by Piu-piu @Copyright