Wow, such a good story! I was wondering, but who are the silent ones? And then it hit me haha Is this kinda based on real events or persons? Because I think I've hear that name, Ulises Guanipa, somewhere before.
I spent some two magical weeks at El Paují a few years ago and your story really took me back among the rivers, the wet jungle, the sudden rock and mineral formations, the nightly beast sounds, but over all the silence, eternal, palpable... Man, I want to go back ahaha
Thanks for an amazing piece!
Thank you very much, I´m glad you enjoy it... BTW, I never been there, I always wanted to go but I have to wait a lot until I can.
The name came from Ulysses from Homer´s "The Odyssey" (20 years missing) and the last name I took it from a character from Romulo Gallego´s "La Trepadora", so no, is not a real person, but maybe there is some "real events".
There is a town "El Callao" (something like The Silent), that was funded near a gold mine, the name, as people say came from the man who find it and never tell anyone (callao), so he could take all the gold he wanted without anyone disturbing him, until someone curious (as Ulysses) follow him and discover his secret, so I made a story based on that legend and some other ideas that I took here and there, like Nathaniel Hawthorne´s "Rip Van Winkle" (the character missing for a long time without notice it) and Gallego´s "Canaima" (the store, the owner of the store).