Frozen Flies

Father Antonio Segura on his pious wisdom froze twenty flies. On his youth he had been a magician's apprentice for a couple of years. Seeing his inability to instill the power of prayer on his pupils he had decided to use an old trick he learned back then. The next day after the morning snack twenty children who would soon make their first communion sat on their desks each looking at a dead fly. Father Antonio instructed them to pray; to ask god to restore life to the fly in front of them; but to pray hard as it would be the only way God would grant their desires.

One by one the flies started waking up as they thawed, the ones closed to the window first. Children whose flies were still dead prayed harder. Soon the room was embellished with the buzz and pirouettes of nineteen flying flies. Only one lied dead. Father Antonio had inadvertently broken some tiny vital part on the freezing process. Alicia was praying hard but was starting to falter. That God had not yet listened to her prayers despite her fervent attempts made her nervous and her nervousness was starting to distract her away from praying. Father Antonio stood there not knowing what to do.