The
vast majority of these cases are based on true events… The short story ‘Pigeon Hearted’ was first
published in magazine format in 2009: here is a very brief excerpt:
Pigeon-Hearted
Fireworks in daytime are not particularly spectacular, but that doesn’t deter my Spanish compatriots from setting them off. The clear blue sky was momentarily sprayed with silver and red stars as the single rocket exploded above the town square. Minutes afterwards, a profusion of colours darted above our heads, but this display wasn’t the transient starburst of more pyrotechnics. The palette that soared in the sky came from garishly painted pigeons released from patios, balconies, rooftops, and gardens. In the next few minutes, the number of male birds increased to perhaps seventy.
“My prize bird
has been stolen!” a man shouted from a balcony on the opposite side of the
street. He gestured at us and added, “Pilar, tell your brother I need his
help!”
Pilar leaned on
her balcony’s metal railing and waved acknowledgement. “That’s Lorenzo Sousa, last
year’s champion,” she said. “It seems a bit drastic, to steal his prize-winning
pigeon, don’t you think?”
Resting my
forearms on the rail next to her, I smiled. “All part of the competitive
spirit, I imagine.”
This pigeon
business, organised by the Federacion Española de Columbicultura, was highly
popular. There were competitions at various levels: the comarcal, the
inter-comarca, the regional and comunitat, and eventually on to the Spanish
championships, where the winner could come away with a prize of €30,000.
Pigeons
are big money, here in Spain and elsewhere. From time to time news reports echo
the Cazador tales, and this is but one of them. In Burnley, England, arsonists
destroyed a pigeon fancier’s loft, killing 100 of his best racing birds worth
thousands of pounds. In Cartagena, Spain, a man was arrested for stealing 210
pigeons in the area. From such reports stemmed this tale, part humour, part
romance, part crime… To learn how Leon Cazador gets involved, please read the
book…
Image
courtesy of Derek Workman – See his website ‘Spain uncovered’ - http://derekworkman.wordpress.com/spainuncovered.net/
[Derek
moved to Spain in 1999; ex Merchant Navy, antiques restorer, muralist,
exhibition organizer, and audio magazine producer, he settled in Valencia city
and worked on regional and international newspapers and is a freelance writer. He
has written two guide books – Inland Trips
from the Costa Blanca and Small
Hotels and Inns of Eastern Spain.]
Spanish Eye paperback can be bought post-free worldwide from here
Kindle UK here
Kindle Amazon com here
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