La fábrica de madera

Story

Diego era un niño de ocho años. Cada tarde, esperaba el autobús en la parada, cerca de una fábrica pequeña. Hacía mucho frío, y Diego llevaba un abrigo grande. Mientras esperaba, siempre miraba la fábrica y quería saber qué hacían dentro.

Diego was a boy of eight. Every afternoon, he waited for the bus at the bus stop, near a small factory. It was very cold, and Diego wore a big coat. While he waited, he always looked at the factory and wanted to know what they did inside.

Un día, una mujer salió de la fábrica. Se llamaba Marta y era una mujer encantadora. "¿Quieres ver cómo hacemos las cosas aquí?", preguntó. Diego dijo que sí y entró con ella.

One day, a woman came out of the factory. Her name was Marta and she was a charming woman. "Do you want to see how we make things here?" she asked. Diego said yes and went in with her.

Dentro, Diego vio una cadena de máquinas. Todo estaba hecho de madera. "Aquí cortamos la madera y le damos forma con las manos", explicó Marta. "Después, cada cosa recibe un tratamiento especial para ser fuerte y firme." Diego tocó una silla nueva. Era muy bonita.

Inside, Diego saw a chain of machines. Everything was made of wood. "Here we cut the wood and give it shape with our hands," Marta explained. "Afterwards, each piece receives a special treatment so it is strong and firm." Diego touched a new chair. It was very pretty.

Marta tomó una caja de madera y se la mostró a Diego. "Mira bien. Ninguna caja es una copia de otra. Cada una es diferente, porque las hacemos a mano." Diego pensó que ese trabajo era muy hermoso.

Marta picked up a wooden box and showed it to Diego. "Look closely. No box is a copy of another. Each one is different, because we make them by hand." Diego thought that work was very beautiful.

Esa tarde, un hombre de una agencia llegó a la fábrica. Quería comprar muchas cajas y pagar con mucha plata. Marta habló con él, pero no vendió todo. "La plata importa", le dijo a Diego, "pero un trabajo hecho con cuidado es más importante que el dinero. La buena educación y ser amable con la gente son más importantes que la plata."

That afternoon, a man from an agency arrived at the factory. He wanted to buy many boxes and pay with a lot of money. Marta spoke with him, but she did not sell everything. "Money matters," she said to Diego, "but work done with care is more important than money. Good manners and being kind to people are more important than money."

Antes de irse, Diego y Marta tuvieron una charla larga y bonita. Marta le dio una pequeña caja de madera como regalo. "Es para ti", dijo. "Recuerda: el trabajo bueno viene del corazón, no de la plata."

Before leaving, Diego and Marta had a long and lovely chat. Marta gave him a small wooden box as a gift. "It is for you," she said. "Remember: good work comes from the heart, not from money."

Diego llevó su regalo a casa, muy feliz. Nunca olvidó la charla en la fábrica, ni las palabras de Marta. Desde ese día, Diego quería hacer cosas con las manos, con cuidado y con amor.

Diego took his gift home, very happy. He never forgot the chat at the factory, nor Marta's words. From that day on, Diego wanted to make things with his hands, with care and with love.