106. Moneylenders Have No Souls (Los Prestamistas No Tienen Alma)
One day, a knight died and when he went up to heaven he wanted to see an uncle of his who had died a year ago.
He got to heaven, knocked on a door and out came a man in a white blouse to open it.
What are you looking for here? – said the man in the blouse.
Nothing – said the knight -, I was [just] interested in seeing my uncle.
And who is your uncle?
Well, So-And-So.
He in the blouse looked up the name and later said:
No, señor, he is not here. Go knock on that other door and see if they could give you an account of your uncle.
He went to the indicated door, knocked [on it] and out came a señor with a very long beard who said to him:
What can I do for you?
And the knight said:
I came to see if an uncle of mine, who has been dead for a year, is here.
Well tell me who was your uncle.
So-And-So.
No – said he with the beard -, I know everyone here and your uncle is not one of them.
The knight went knocking on various doors as he was told, but no one could account for his uncle. Finally, he knocked on a door that was at the very end and a man with a very long tail and pointed ears came out to open it.
And the man said to him:
What are you looking for here?
Well, you see – said the knight -, it’s that I am searching for an uncle of mine who has been dead for a year, and I am tired of knocking on all the doors and [yet] no one could give me anything on him.
And what is your uncle called?
So-And-So.
The man at the door thought to himself and later said:
No, señor, he is not here either, at least with that name. But, tell me, what was your uncle’s occupation?
The knighted replied:
He was a moneylender.
And the other man then said:
Well, we’re done here! Don’t bother searching for him here, because moneylenders have no soul.
—– VOCABULARY —–
Acabáramos – we finished
Barba – (facial hair) beard, stubble; (anatomy) chin
Blusa – (clothing) blouse
Dar razón de – to account for; give an account of; to give a reason for
Entrar ganas de – might; feel like (doing sth)
Molestarse – (to get annoyed) to get upset; to take offense; (to trouble oneself) to bother
Oreja – (anatomy) ear; (handle) handle; (part of a tool) claw; (of a sofa) arm, wing
Prestamista – (occupation) moneylender
Puntiagudo – pointed, sharp
Razón – (sanity) reason; (cause) reason; (truth) right; (mathematics) ratio; (colloquial) (note) message