The dirty alleys, always full of rats, served as soccer fields for most of those boys who were born and raised in complete poverty, with no prospect of change. The small village of Icoaraci, located a few kilometers from Belem, was inhabited in large part by poor families, street vendors, street vendors, housekeepers and still an enormous amount of unemployed people who caused permanent terror to anyone who passed through those dark and deserted alleys.

 Making their victims, often fatal. Among these were Pedro and Felipe, Dona Suely two oldest children. A determined, hardworking woman, of extreme moral character, determined to maintain the house in a dignified and honest manner. Quality that was taught exhaustively to both, who never listened and ended up getting involved with the criminal world.

 Bad friends, bad way. Her routine was to leave for work early, only returning in the middle of the night. Bringing some food from the houses where he worked as a day laborer. She was a woman without a partner to help her with expenses. Living without support, there was no alternative but to fight and be so willing.

Thus, absent from home most of the time, it allowed them to live absolutely. Free to choose their own paths, although whenever possible to warn them about the dangers of bad influences. It was his habit to ask them to stay as far away as possible from the traffickers who usually seduced children, young people and teenagers into selling narcotics. Advice that, as far as we could see, was of no avail, as this was exactly what they decided to do, since the criminal life of the two brothers soon began and brought serious consequences.

 Becoming fugitives from those who owed drugs and the police, constantly threatened with death on both sides. Even in the face of disastrous events like these, she was a woman of great faith to the point of believing in the recovery of her children. He dreamed of seeing them free from the addiction that they were chained to. They lived in chains in a reprehensible and shameful conduct, which caused immense pain and sadness to their mother's heart, unable to condemn them.

Despite being aware of their mistakes, I continued to love them with the hope of seeing a miracle happen that could free them from such misfortune. For his comfort, the youngest son, Fabiano, just nine years old, was very dedicated to studying at the small school in the neighborhood, where he studied and received high praise from the teachers for the excellent grades achieved in the exams and for standing out among students in school activities.

Where he stayed all day. Despite his young age, only nine years old, he was a communicative child and already showed great dreams. For he believed one day to become a very influential man. And so, to conquer his place in the society that until then he saw people like his mother and other residents of the village despised. Because of the extreme poverty in which they lived in that dense darkness he was like a star whose brightness brought hope. The light at the end of the tunnel, of which Suely could finally be proud. He seemed to have been the only one to absorb his insistent advice to escape the appearance of evil.

Fabiano was a child in love with books, he reread the same stories over and over again and his essays were excellent. Despite his young age, he was optimistic about the future and no doubt that boy full of convictions would really be a winner. He would soon see all his perspectives come true. Since fate chose him as the fruit tree of that family and reserved a surprising future, however at a very high price of sadness and loneliness. Suely was a woman of strong will, nothing prevented her from pursuing her ideals, even though she was not fortunate enough to reach them all, but she had a weakened health because of the difficult life.

His hospitalizations to treat heart disease were constant. Weakened mainly by the advancing age and the sadness of being aware of the recent crimes committed by Pedro and Felipe, which resulted in the arrest and the two criminals, which made her even more distressed.

Contributing to the precarious state of health, remaining hospitalized with little chance of survival. At the same time the two marginal children found a way out of the prison. Further complicating their precarious situations before the court that has now ordered the capture of fugitives, living or dead. While all this was going on, Fabiano moved in with his aunt Eulalia, a bitter-spirited woman.

Outraged by nature, he found reasons to punish him with harsh punishments. Even when he did nothing to deserve them. On a rainy Saturday morning came the sad news of the death of Suely, who did not resist surgery on the fragile heart. With the death of his mother, little Fabiano became a victim of constant aggressions, due to small antics that he committed in the innocence of a child. Using this as unnecessary pretexts, to punish you. His brothers who lived on the margins, after escaping from prison, returned to commit several other crimes. With that they ended up killed by the police.

 After that he became an orphan completely. His situation became more and more unsustainable with his aunt, especially after forcing him to work at the Ver-O-Peso fair, forcing him to leave school, where he successfully completed his primary studies. The life of the boy who got excellent marks in his exams and represented to his mother a hope of being freed from the life of suffering he led.

He underwent a radical change, leading him to follow paths beyond his purposes, beyond what he imagined for himself. However, when destiny writes the beginning of a story, it knows how to conclude the end. Which you consider ideal for your characters.

 And he never forgets to create the right means for them to live their stories. He creates means that enable them to reach the point that he himself defined in this world, so that they can find their hidden treasure at the end of the rainbow. In his daily coexistence among the marketers he became more experienced. He quickly learned how to properly sell his products to the public.

 And because he was very communicative, he won the friendship of everyone, who admired the way that boy, who at such a young age, was able to attract attention with his outgoing manner, and surrounded the stall, buying his products for sale always in large quantities. quantities.

 Causing wonder around. Because of this, many of them started harassing him to work with them on their newsstands, promising him good remuneration, which he started to do after finishing his sales. His cheerful manner attracted the many tourists who passed by, young and old were affectionate for the friendly boy who brought joy to Ver-O-Peso. Even the captains of the fishing vessels that docked at the pier commented on it. And some of them invited him to travel and see the high seas, invitations that aroused his immense curiosity. One day the ship Esmeralda anchored in the Docks.

 Whose destination was to continue on the journey towards Marajo, a region of small islands located between Belem and Manaus, well known by sailors, but never visited by the boy who dreamed of being able to walk those sides. Because his mother always made several mentions about the huge farms that exist there, where he was born and lived all his childhood and part of his youth, a place where nature revealed its mysteries. And the buffalo could be seen with their curved, ferocious horns and whose milk was ten times stronger than that of ordinary cattle.

They were admirable animals as his mother told him and, to his surprise, Damião, captain of the ship, showed interest in taking him with him. It would be on a trip to the island, which would be a chance to realize his first big dream: To know the charms of Marajo.  That summer morning, he woke up stunned by the noise. She came from the small wooden shack room where she started to live with her aunt, after she lost her mother and brothers. Tremendous confusion was heard outside. Eulalia and her partner beat each other after returning home from a party.

A routine of the violent couple to beat themselves up after a drunken night and those who suffered from this mismatch were their two daughters as teenagers. The whole situation made Fabiano feel more encouraged to follow the search for something better for his life. For he understood that that misfit environment was not conducive to him.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, he left early for work together with Mr. Hilario, the street vendor who offered him a ride in the old cargo car. He felt capable of carrying out his duties at the fair without having to depend on Eulalia, especially when he saw the sad state, she was in. Along the way, he exchanged ideas with his new friend about Marajo and the buffalo oxen, his great passion:

    — So, you mean there on the island is full of buffalo, Mr. Hilario?

    — Yes, boy Fabiano, and they are beautiful animals to see!

    — My mom always talked about how huge and fierce they were. All black and very strong!

     — True, they are really interesting, maybe one day you will have a chance to see them up close!

     — Yes, I will see, one day I will be very rich and buy many buffalo for my farms in Marajo, I want to ride my race horse and run among them!

 The two continued talking about that subject that filled the boy's heart with dreams. Without even imagining that it was all part of the plans that fate had in store for him.

After morning hours, he would walk around the pier and watch the ships that looked like giants in front of him, taking the opportunity to explain his biggest dream to his friend:

  — Actually, I don't intend to visit other places, just Marajo, because I want to see the buffalo up close, and I know that there are a lot of them there

  — Well, so this is very easy for us to solve

  — And how could we solve this, Mr. Damião?

  — You come with me on the old ship Esmeralda and we will set sail tomorrow morning!

The proposal made by the old sailor of the waters left the boy full of curiosities in being able to get up close to the mysterious animals that his mother always made him so many mentions when remembering the times of his youth.

The biggest problem now would be to get his evil aunt to allow him to travel with his friend, as he was still a minor and depended on her approval. Upon returning home, he decided to face the enraged woman immediately.

And to know at once his position on that subject:

   — And it is like that, aunt, my friend Damião made me this invitation and I would really like to be able to visit the land where my mother was born and grew up. She talked a lot about Marajo, buffalo and how wonderful everything is there! Let me go with him, aunt?

   — No way, kid, who's going to take care of the tent while you're playing tourist around? You can just forget about this absurd idea, here whoever eats has to work, and that's the end of this conversation!

   — My sister is no longer here, boy, I tell you how things are going to be for you from now on, and I already decided that you are going to be at the stall there at the fair, you will get used to work and earn money!

Eulalia response came as no surprise to Fabiano, who already had that explosive reaction and had a second plan to put into action. And he would do that if his first attempt went wrong.

The First Journey

 That Saturday morning was a cold one, the kind that makes anyone want to stay in bed, but the desire to leave on that adventure was greater than anything and the sun hadn't even risen on the horizon, when the new crew member was already on board. He was carrying an old backpack with some belongings, nothing that could cause embarrassment to him, the ship lifted anchor and went on to the islands.

Leading the boy to realize the first of many of his dreams, Fabiano was finally able to see the immensity of the waters of Guajará and feel the gentle breeze that passed through his hair and cooled his skin. And at the same time, he passed between his little fingers extended towards the infinite.

Accompanied by an innocent smile and full of happiness, at home Eulalia never imagined that the little boy had left the fruit stand in the open. He went with the fishermen for a trip towards Marajo, giving wings to the realization of a great dream. Only in the late afternoon, Mr. Hilario went to his house and explained in detail what happened. The odious woman screamed in revolts and vowed to penalize her nephew when he returned. This would be yet another project designed by the wisdom of destiny.

 That he intended to lead his character towards the end that had been reserved for him, a glorious end, full of great achievements, but sad and doomed to unhappiness. After a full day of travel, with intense fatigue and when the darkness of the night showed signs of his arrival, in the distance he saw the village by the river, Damião explained to the interested crew that it was the village of Soure. Inhabited by riverside families.

And soon took the opportunity to stop by the place, in order to stay overnight and rest from the long trip. There he had the chance to meet several people and make many friends. Damião decided to stay there for three days. It was during this period that she met Berenice, a pleasant lady who, together with her husband, took care of the buffalo farm Three Marys, belonging to Braga, one of the most illustrious Pará families, owners of many lands, industries and various other types of properties. There were many buffaloes scattered on all sides of the immense farm, the boy was delighted with such diversity of animals. Large and robust, with pointed horns, curled, curved and well pointed downwards.

The village boys were smart, they knew how to do many interesting things, such as riding horses and chasing oxen to put them back in the pasture. When they strayed through the woods, under the influence of the others, Fabiano learned a little of everything he could with them. He learned how to milk the cows, in the corral, to make cheeses, curds and drink for breakfast.

The news immensely won the heart of the dreamer boy, who believed he could one day be an important man. Unfortunately, the three days were over and the ship lifted anchor. Damião said goodbye to some relatives who lived there and Fabiano to the friends he met in such a short time and from whom he would keep strong memories in his heart.

 After receiving warm hugs and saying goodbye to Berenice, who was delighted with her way of being, she left again at the Esmeralda, in order to witness for the first time a fishing in the waters of the great river. The fishing vessel stopped in the middle of the bay and the fishermen threw their nets, which returned full of fish, to the admiration of the boy who had never seen fish so large and still alive, large fish were caught, everything was new and surprising.

He became increasingly interested in the work of the navigators, full of novelties never before seen by him. Finally, it was time to return to Belem, bringing several tons of fish to sell to resellers. Upon learning that Fabiano would return, his countenance fell, a visible sadness could be seen in his eyes. Damião, a very experienced man, soon realized that something was bothering him and wanted to question him.

But he was very discreet to the point of knowing how to keep his personal affairs to himself. In a rush he went to the captain and asked if it would be possible, at that moment, to touch the village. He intended to see his friends again, but received a negative answer.

 Because it was necessary to take the cargo to the Docks immediately, to prevent the loss, the ship Esmeralda returned to Belem, fulfilling yet another of its voyages successfully. However, something very serious awaited his crew on dry land. Eulalia reportedly alerted the court about the possible abduction of her nephew. He believed it was fishermen who took him on a ship to an uncertain place.

The police sent a team to try to rescue the child from a possible kidnapping. As soon as the ship approached the Docks the captain and his crew were surprised by several agents. They came on speedboats and boarded, intercepting the ship. As soon as Fabiano's presence was confirmed. The ship was apprehended, its crew members arrested and sent to testify before the delegate responsible for the case, accused of kidnapping.

During the long interrogation, Damião pleads not guilty to the charges. And he says that the boy was with him of his own free will, a statement confirmed by the other crew members, which led to a confrontation between the boy and the captain, where the versions of that confused story were evaluated.

In addition to Fabiano's statement regarding his aunt's ill-treatment, the situation was reversed. Mr. Hilario, for living nearby and being aware of what happened to the boy, was called to confirm the denunciation made against Eulalia, which he promptly did.

 Because everyone in the village knew that she had taken him away from school, forcing him to work at the fair, and no one agreed with that, even though he was silent to avoid serious confrontations. Information reinforced by other witnesses.

After listening to the narrative and evaluating all the details, the authority ordered the police to summon the accused to testify, but when they arrived at the address, they were told that she had sold the old wooden shack, evading the place to an uncertain place.

This only placed greater emphasis on complaints made by the child and his friends. Regarding the evils she carried out against him, with no evidence to blame for the kidnapping of the boy.

 The sailor, together with his crew, were absorbed and were able to continue their journey. As for Fabiano, he was under the custody of the juvenile court that would await the presence of a relative who wished to take responsibility for him, if this did not happen, he would be sent to an orphanage.

 The orphanage

That house looked badly haunted, with its old walls and full of mud, in large part there were deep cracks that gave the impression that everything there could collapse in an instant. The social worker held the boy's hand and squeezed it tightly, seemed to want to prevent his possible escape, there were other children in that dark place, all of them seemed to have the same dementia.

They had their sad and frightened looks. They approached the counter and, while the women resolved the question of their permanence in the amazing place, he looked through every corner. He considered that there as the very likeness of hell. But I would have to face it.

  — Okay, Fabiano, everything is fine for your stay here at the Orphanage Santa Tereza, from now on the nuns will be responsible for you, behave, understand?

  — Yes ma'am!

 The corridor of that huge house, which seemed to have been built centuries ago, was almost infinite. The short, fat, frowning and bitter-faced nun tugged on his arm, was rude and showed no affection for children, although it was her job to care for them.

At the end of the narrow corridor, when his short legs were burning with fatigue, he was able to stop for a second and enter a cubicle. Where he found an old bunk available, with stained blankets and pillows. The children slept grouped in the same three-bed bunk, the girls were separated from the boys, in another wing of the place. Fabiano would share the small room with five other boys of his age, among them w

as Gilberto who in the future would become his best friend. The routine there was to participate in the classes taught by the arrogant Maristela. She was at the center of the universe, after attending the craft workshops. Place where the little ones learned to make pieces out of clay, which were then supplied at a lower price to the artisans, after which they resold at open markets or at exhibitions.

 The difficult side of life in that place was having to endure Valeria's abuses. The bitter headmistress who seemed to hate all the children and to feel a particular contempt for the new resident of the house. Perhaps his apathy for Fabiano was due to the fact that he was different from other boys. In addition to showing a higher level of intelligence, he was also more goodwill in everything he did. A brilliant student, on several occasions was locked up in a dark room, unjustly punished. He paid for the mistakes made by the other children and who blamed him, at the behest of the Machiavellian director.

 Services such as washing the floors of the spacious rooms, mowing the lawn in the garden, pruning small trees and even helping Dona Amelia. The fat and grumpy cook, in the housework, was ordered. But he did everything with humility, aware of the injustice suffered. But he remained convinced that it would all turn into incomparable rewards up front, when it reaped its rewards. For thus he learned in the short coexistence that he had with his mother. One of the many times he was penalized without cause.

 He remained all day in the tight solitary, the place of carrying out his punishments. But despite being aware of it, he was not the type to settle for stagnating in certain situations. Not even waiting for things to happen, he preferred to pursue his goals. And with that insight, the boy with countless dreams made the decision to escape that hell. For understanding that it would be a tremendous waste of time to stay in that place while there were so many dreams to achieve. In a conversation with his new friend Gilberto, he confessed his intention to return to the streets:

     — Take me with you, I also want to get out of this damn place!

     — Alright, pay attention: Let's find a way to leave the kitchen door unlocked after the cook leaves, and when everyone is asleep, we climb the tree next to the wall and run away

     — Nice! That night the two friends did as planned and in the morning, they left the orphanage, following the dark and completely deserted city street.

 The Second Journey

After escaping from the orphanage in the company of his new friend, who decided to go in the opposite direction, Fabiano immediately followed Ver-O-Peso, hoping to find or at least hear from Damião, as he had in mind to return to Marajo in Emerald.

 But the captain would certainly be afraid to put him back on board his ship after the unfortunate previous episode, but he wanted to try to convince him of that. However, upon arriving at the Docks, he was informed that the ship had just made a voyage towards Manaus and would only return after two weeks. As he was in a hurry to leave Belem to avoid being recaptured by the juvenile court, he used the strategy, hitchhiking on another vessel.

By coincidence, João Franzino, an old acquaintance and experienced navigator who for many years crossed the muddy waters of the Guajará River, with his old boat moored nearby and this allowed him to meet him. He intended to ask for help, in order to get to the village of Soure and meet the friends he met on the last trip. Franzino was thus known for the fact that he was tall and thin.

 Rather hunched and with bulging eyes. He was addicted to strong drinks he was astonished by those who were unlucky enough to cross his path. However, the fearless boy has never had any problem approaching him since the time he sold in his aunt's stall, when he used to buy a good amount of fruit, when they met and made a solid friendship:

   — Good morning, Mr. Franzino, how are you?

   — Boy Fábio, what are you doing at this time of day on these sides?

   — It's not Fábio, Mr. Franzino, it's Fabiano!

   — I know, I know, but answer my boy, what makes you visit this old water adventurer, so early?

   — I came here to ask you an important favor and I hope you can help me

   — Okay, young man, tell me how can I be useful to you?

   — Mr. João Franzino, take me on your boat to the village?

   — Thanks, Mr. Franzino, you can let me tell you everything!

   — And can I know what you intend to do so far?

   — It's a long story, I tell you everything on the way. Take me on your boat, please, in the name of our friendship!

   — Okay, but I want to know right about this story!

The old boat left the port for the islands, taking the audacious passenger. Now he knew the way, he knew where he needed to go. During the trip he left João Franzino aware of the latest events and how he was abandoned by his aunt in an orphanage, from where he had to flee in the company of another inmate who decided to go the other way.

He explained that his purpose was to find shelter among the riverside people with whom he had contact when visiting them some time ago. To help him, Mr. Franzino took the boy to his destination and only left there after making sure he was in good hands. Berenice was informed that the boy would be back in the village and decided to go to meet him, because she had immense affection for him, from the day she met him in the company of Damião.

As she was sterile, she longed to have him around, to satisfy her desire to be a mother. The reunion could not have been more exciting. Because both loved each other in an inexplicable way, the friendship that was born between them was admirable. And it was this affection that united them the reason he wanted to return, he knew that he would be accepted and loved by everyone, especially by Berenice.

Since the beginning he was delighted with the boy's charisma, as he predicted, he was invited by her to live in his house, it was his plan to adopt him. Fazenda Three Marys was located several kilometers from the village and its difficult access was through a narrow path, marked by the tire tracks of the cart used by Berenice.

In their constant comings and goings to buy the necessary supplies for their livelihood and the domestic animals, which were in large quantities. Fabiano's day-to-day life with animals around the new house where he started to live made him learn to love life in the countryside. Away from the problems of the city, partly forget the suffering lived alongside the criminal mother.

 And brothers in their early childhood years. He found in that place the peace he needed to better plan his future and be more, sure that he would reach the top of his dreams. That was the right occasion to organize your ideas, rethink the correct way to achieve your true goals.

 Fabiano was a child different from the others, his mental maturity was beyond his age, the physical aspect did not reveal his true ability to interpret life, perhaps he could be seen as a little genius, someone beyond his time. The boy born in the city quickly adapted to life on the farm, in addition to Berenice, there were dozens of cowboys who took care of herds of buffalo, Valentino, the foreman, also felt affection for the smart boy and took him to the forest, teaching you how to touch the cattle, what I had learned before with the kids in the village. He helped milk the dairy cows and accompanied the cowboys in everything they did. He still had time and willingness to take care of the vegetables planted in the flowerbeds and feed the creations existing there.

He could read deeply the story books they kept on the shelf. Be willing! Once a week, he went with Berenice to the capital to shop and was able to see old friends at Ver-O-Peso. Upon hearing his aunt's news with Hilario, he said that Eulalia was separating from her husband and now lived with her two daughters in Saint Mary, a small town two kilometers from Belem.

At the time of his escape from the orphanage, the juvenile court gave his only relative the responsibility of rescuing him from the streets and, being threatened with penalties, he has been looking for him ever since. And in the face of this, he always asked friends of the trade not to give him any information about himself, in order to prevent her from accusing again those who helped him in the kidnapping and as everyone knew that Eulalia was a bad character, they agreed not to say anything about it.

The months passed quickly and Fabiano started to study at the simple school in the village with Professor Gouveia.  A hard-working boy who studied teaching in Belem. And after graduating he decided to dedicate himself to teaching poor children on the island. As always, he stood out from the crowd and his school averages surprised everyone. He was very easy to learn and had a good command of letters.

— I came here to give you important advice. I believe that the boy Fabiano has an intellectual level too high for such a young age and it would be a huge waste to leave him here on this island, far from where he can develop properly. I advise you to find a way to return this child to the urban environment, where he can shine in the intensity of the light, he has

— Are you implying that I return you to the streets you just left? Do you have any idea of ​​the absurdity you're asking me, professor?

— In no way, I actually had in mind to propose another solution to this problem: Why don't you bring his situation to the attention of Paula Braga? She is rich and very influential, she can find the ideal place for him to stay until he comes of age, when he will assume his life and choose his own path. This, without considering the great possibility that she would decide to adopt him, then he would become one of the direct heirs of all that fortune!

 — I have no ambitions about that!

 — I understand, but what about him, do you think so too? Don't forget this boy's ability and how much help he needs to achieve everything that destiny has in store for him!

 Berenice came to herself and realized how she was acting selfishly, taking into account only her purpose as a mother.  And forgetting the urgent need to help her little friend. Allowing him to conquer his true ideals, which was to become a man of great prestige, to reach a high social position, to show his full potential, as he used to say during the conversations they had.