UNINTERLINGUA 2015

U N I N T E R L I N G U A 106 little boy’s name was Luis Claret who later became Mijail’s faithful driver until his tragic death more than 30 years later. While in the prison hospital, Mijail met Dr. Shelley, who became a very good friend and ended up having to raise Mijail’s and Eva’s daughter, María, when things became more dangerous and Eva knew her daugh- ter would not be safe under their roof. Dr. Shelley helped Mijail find a place to live and get a job when he first got out of jail. Little by little Mijail became indispensible in ac- company that manufactured artificial limbs, because he had a real talent for it. His pro- ducts resembled the real thing; they looked, felt, and moved almost like human limbs. One day, the owner’s son had an accident where he lost both hands. Mijail worked very hard and was able to produce two amazing artificial hands for his boss’ son. The ow- ner of the business was so grateful that he made Mijail practically a partner in the fac- tory. This did not sit well with the owner’s son, but from then on Mijail’s fame and for- tune really took off, although he continued to live a very simple and modest life. His only distraction was to go to the theater. On one occasion, a singer named Eva Irinova invited Mijail backstage. That very night they fell madly in love, but her legal guardians prohibited her from seeing Mijail again. However, by then he was rich and powerful, so he purchased the theater whe- re Eva worked, offered her legal guardians money, and made them leave town. The couple was now free to enjoy their love and began to plan their wedding and their future. However, on the day of their wedding, as the beautiful Eva was walking down the steps of the church, her resentful ex-guardian, Sergio, threw acid on her face and hands, burning them beyond recognition. Within moments, parts of her face and throat were literally melted away. From that point on, their lives became a living hell, and they took refuge in the big mansion Mijail had built for her. Mijail worked intensively to reconstruct Pierina Beckman