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Once upon a
time, we had
slavery at
Brazil.
At that time, an
old man with
hair as white as
snow flakes,
lived in a big
and beautiful
farm building.
His name was
Sebastian.
The owner of the
land was bad and
overbearing. He
would castigate
the slaves for
no reason. If
his orders were
not obeyed, or
if the slave
tried to escape,
they would stay
without food or
drink for many
days.
For this reason,
the slaves were
rebellious and
didn’t like
their boss.
Therefore,
Sebastian was
different from
the others.
He
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had a
good and
generous
heart.
He was
always
happy
with
life and
trying
to help
others. |
The farmer’s
daughter was a
gentle and sweet
girl.
She had empathy
A filhinha do
fazendeiro,
menina meiga e
gentil, se
afeiçoara ao
velho Bastião
for Sebastian
and enjoyed his
company.
They would spend
a lot of time
together, when
he would tell
her lots of
stories.
One day, one of
the slaves tried
to escape. He
couldn’t bear to
be castigated
anymore. He was
found by the
foreman,
imprisoned and
chained. The son
of this slave
was only five
years old. He
saw his dad
chained, came
close to him and
cried, whilst
grabbing his
legs.
The farmer got
irritated by the
screams of this
child. He
decided to send
him to the
bushes so he
couldn’t hear
the child cry
anymore. The
farmer didn’t
realise his
daughter decided
to go after the
child, to give
him company. She
was feeling
sadness for this
family.
Her father was
not seeing his
daughter around.
She was the
light of his
life. When he
asked around
where she was,
he was told she
went after the
child. The
farmer got
frightened and
asked his men to
go after her.
Nevertheless,
Sebastian
realised what
was going on,
and went after
the children.
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When the farmer
and his men
found them, they
realised what
happened.
They saw a
poisonous snake
dead on the
floor, the
children hugging
eacher other,
but hidden
behind the stem
of a tree. They
seemed really
scared.
Sebastian killed
the snake, but
was bitten by
her.
The owner of the
land didn’t know
how to express
his gratitude. It was evident
the slave saved
the
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children’s
life
with his
own. He
hugged
his
daughter,
who was
very
frightened.
The patron asked
for the first
time with
kindness: |
— Sebastian,
what do you wish
for? Your
bravery saved my
daughter’s life.
What can I do
for you?
Whatever you ask
me for, it will
be done.
The old slave,
whose body was
being consumed
by the poison,
asked with tears
in his eyes:
— I didn’t only
save your
daughter, sir. I
also saved the
life of a small
slave, since
every life comes
from God and is
equally
important. Since
you allow me a
wish, I would
ask you to treat
every creature
as a human
being. We should
not have any
distinctions
since we are all
sons from the
same Celestial
Father.
The patron
looked at
Sebastian quite
surprised. He
never judged
possible for a
slave to have
such a level of
knowledge.
Sebastian said:
— This I have
learned with
Jesus Christ.
He realised
these words were
a great lesson
for him.
The slave could
have tried to
revenge and kill
his daughter.
Sebastian chose
to do the
opposite. The
patron felt
ashamed and
said:
— It’s true. You
are right,
Sebastian.
From now
onwards, I
promise you all
slaves will be
well treated,
with all respect
human beings
deserve.
The farmer gave
better life
condition to the
slaves from that
day on. He gave
them good living
conditions,
improving their
houses and food
supply. With
this
improvement, he
realised it was
not necessary to
castigate
anyone. The
slaves started
to like him and
also the work at
the farm. They
were trying to
do everything
with a smile on
their faces.
Some years
later, the
abolition of
slavery grew
massively in
Brazil. This
farmer was one
of the first
ones to free his
slaves. He
offered them a
job and they
would then get a
monthly salary.
The farmer never
forgot about the
old slave
Bastian. His
simplicity and
love modified
his life for
ever; not only
his life, but
also the lives
of those around
the farm.
Aunt Celia
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