his country and ignored in ours, During my con- ecant travel, I read a lot of his work for the theater id discovered that he had also written stories for A student wishes to ask his beloved to dance, but she refuses, saying she would only accept if 7 he brought her a red rose. It so happened that in the place where the student lived, all the roses __ were yellow or white. The nightingale heard the conversation. See- ing his sorrow, she decided to help the poor boy. First, she thought of singing something beauti- ful, but soon concluded that it would be much ‘worse—in addition to being alone, he would be melancholy. A passing butterfly asked what was going on. “He is suffering for love. He needs to find a red rose.” “How ridiculous to suffer for love,” said the140 PAULO COELHG “Give mea ted rose, please,” ngs the rosebush said it was impossib} for him to find another— red, but now they had beco; The nightingale did as she was told, She flew far away and found the old rosebush. “I need a a red flower,” she asked. se 3000 le, and “Its roses Were Once ai me white, “I'm too old for that” was the answer. “The winter has chilled my veins, the sun faded my petals.” “Just one,” begged the nightingale. “There must be a way!” Yes, there was a way. But it was so terrible austed, a that she did not want to tell. “I'm not afraid. Tell me what I can do to geta red rose. A single red rose.” “Come back at night and sing the most beautiful melody that nightingales know while ; pressing your breast against one of my a i The blood will rise through my sap and color the Wa cd the nightingale did that that night, con- a 4 orth sacrificing her life in the cy ; . it | : we. As soon as the moon appeared f Love. of ‘ ind od .d her breast against the thorn a she presseM41 cite First she sang of a man and a in love. Then how love justifies S the moon crossed the ig and the most beauti- bush was being crimsoned by re rosebush at one point. “The le pressed her breast closer moment the thorn reached her continued to sing until the work sted, and knowing she was about to 20k the most beautiful of all the red d went to give it to the student. She ndow, set down the flower, and the noise, opened the win- was the thing he had dreamed e world. The sun was rising; he ed off to the house of his ed of me,” he said he same time. S not exactly what I wanted,” answered