THE TREASURE OF CADIZ – An adventure of the Black Corsair

(Story freely inspired by Emilio Salgari's Black Corsair)

The Black Corsair was a tall, slender man with an elegant bearing. His features were beautiful: a regular nose, two small lips, red like coral, a wide forehead furrowed with a slight wrinkle, which gave his face a melancholy air, and two eyes as black as charcoals with a perfect cut, vivid and animated, surrounded by long and lush lashes.

One day the Corsair arrived in Cadiz, a town located along the southwestern coast of Spain. For some time, in fact, it had been rumoured that a magical treasure was to be found right here. It was made of precious stones and gold coins, but no one had the slightest idea where it could be hidden.

Arriving at the port aboard his great vessel, our hero disembarked. He wore very elegant clothes: a black silk tunic, rich in lace and with leather cuffs, also black, and a pair of trousers tightened at the waist by a wide fringed band; high boots and a hat with a long black feather completed his look.

Immediately, he went to a nearby inn to eat paella and to quench his thirst with some sangria, unaware of being watched. Always, the Corsair had enemies who tried to hinder him in everything, but this time they would not succeed!

He had no idea where these were hiding but, on the contrary, they knew everything about him and would use him to be led to the treasure.

After the eating and drinking binge, sated and happy, he decided to start the search from what, according to him, could be the ideal hiding place: the Castillo de San Sebastián, a fortress perched on top of a small rocky island.

Having overcome the rocks with difficulty, the Corsair finally reached the door of the great castle, which he managed to open only after great difficulties. In the meantime, there were those who continued to observe everything from afar.

Once inside, the man realised he was being followed, and he immediately hurled himself against his enemies, showing off his sword and challenging them in a heated duel. It was a long and exhausting fight: first one blow, then another, then another again. In the end, exhausted, the rivals were forced to retreat.

At that point, the Corsair found himself alone in the castle: he searched for a long time but there was no trace of the treasure and, with the setting of the sun, he had to abandon his quest.

For the night, he decided to take refuge in the Parque Génoves, one of the most beautiful green areas in the city, overlooking the sea. There were many corners to hide in.

The Corsair lay down under a tree, sheltered from prying eyes and not far from a terrace, from which one could enjoy a magnificent view of the immense vastness of the ocean. In front of that spectacular view, and overwhelmed by tiredness, he relaxed and managed to fall asleep quickly.

During the night, his rivals had tracked him down, and early the next morning, they were ready to follow him again. As soon as the Corsair awoke, he noticed that next to him was a bottle containing a message. He opened it and found a map that would take him to the treasure.

Who could have given him such a gift? And above all, how did they discovere his refuge?

Still, with a thousand questions in mind, he set off following the directions on the map. Convinced that he was still being followed, in order to avoid another clash and while trying to deceive his enemies, he changed his route, mingling with the crowd of the Mercado Central de Abados and making himself unrecognisable among the people.

The opponents lost sight of him and the Corsair rushed towards the destination indicated on the map: the Cathedral of Cadiz.

The building, a blend of baroque, rococo, and neoclassical, seemed to be waiting for him enveloped in a soft and mysterious light, and shivering silence.

Once inside, the Corsair set out in search of the treasure but, in the meantime, he was joined by the eternal pursuers.

He quickly hid in the basement but the enemies, walking outside it, found him.

The rooms were in complete darkness and only one central light was shining on a chest.

Without noticing each other, the corsair and his pursuers found themselves lifting the lid of the chest at the same moment. Inside, a great surprise was waiting for them: the chest did not contain gold coins or precious stones but only many, many memories of their childhood, years in which they were bound by a strong friendship and had shared many happy moments.

It was the beautiful and sweet Isabel who had brought the stories about the precious treasure of Cadiz to the ears of the Corsair and his pursuers. The girl had grown up with them and did not want that an old and beautiful friendship could end for trivial reasons, at the risk of being lost forever. She had decided, then, to intervene, sure that everyone would be looking for the mysterious treasure.

The old friends understood that their rivalry did not serve any purpose and that friendship was more important than anything else.

In fact, many believe that money is happiness but, in reality, the greatest wealth are our friends and the people who are close to us. They are often the reason for our smiles.