READING ASSESSMENT

At the age of twelve, Juan Peña fighting against some rogues, received a pebble over his teeth; the blood ran through his face washing the dirty of it and his tooth broke into a saw shape. From that day the golden age of Juan Peña begins.

With the tip of his tongue, Juan teased the broken tooth; the motionless body, with a wander, look- without thinking. Like troublemaker and quarrelsome, turned tranquil and quiet. Juan's parents, tired of hearing their neighbors and pedestrian winnings, victims of the boy perversities, and they have been already used all types of scolding and punishments, were now worried and dumbfounded for the sudden change of attitude of Juan.

Juan didn’t joke and remained for hours in a hieratic attitude, like in extasis, while there, inside of the darkness of his closed mouth, his tongue stroked the broken tooth -without thinking.

-The boy isn’t well, Pablo - said the husband’s wife-; we have to call the doctor.

The doctor arrived serious and plump and proceeded the diagnosis: Good pulse, blood muffins, excellent appetite, no sickness symptoms.

-Miss - said the wise one after a long diagnosis- the sanctity of my profession imposes on me to declare before you…

- What, doctor of my soul? - interrupted the mother

-That your boy is healthier than an apple. What is arguable - continue with a mysterious voice-, is that we are in front of the phenomenal case: Your son, my dearest lady, suffers from what we call it today the sickness of thinking; in short words, your son is an early sharp, a genius maybe.

In the darkness of his mouth, Juan stroked the broken tooth - without thinking

Relatives and friends made running the voice of the doctor's opinion, welcomed with unspeakable jubilee by Juan's parents. Soon in the town everything, the admirable case of the "prodigy child" was cited and his fame increased like a paper swollen smoke bomb, Until the teacher from school, that have considered him the hardest head of the world, submitted himself to the general opinion because of the belief people's voice heavens voice. Nonetheless, each one of them had an example: Demosthenes ate sand, Shakespeare was a raggedy little runt, Edison… etc-

Juan Peña grows up in the middle of open books before his eyes but he didn’t read them, distracted to the task of his tongue touching his little saw tooth shape of the broken- without thinking.

And with his body, his reputation of responsible man started to grow up, wise and “deep”, and nobody got tired of praising the wonderful talented Juan. In his youth, the most beautiful women tried to flirt and seduce that superior soul delivered to deep meditations, to the others; but in reality, deep in the dark of his mouth, he stroked the broken tooth - without thinking.

Months and years passed and Juan Peña became deputy, academic, minister, and almost got crowned president of the republic, when the stroke surprised him when he stroking his broken tooth with the tip of his tongue.

And the bells tolled, and a rigorous national mourning was decreed; an orator wept at a funeral prayer in the name of the country, and roses and tears fell on the grave of the great man who had had no time to think.

PEDRO EMILIO COLL (VENEZUELAN)