Chapter 2: Pampeluma

"I remember it like it was yesterday. It was a beautiful 2 days that I spent in this sunny city! I was on my way back from San Ricardo, visiting my mother whom I wanted to see after my adventure in Jerez, looking for...something there. No less, I arrived in Pampeluma a little by accident because, as I was leaving San Ricardo on one of the walls, I saw a poster announcing the event. I read its contents carefully, the festivities were starting in a few hours, at noon, and from San Ricardo to Pampeluma is a maximum of 3 hours by horse, so I decided that hey! I can try myself in a bull race, I've always wanted to do it but never had the opportunity...I remember when I was young there were bull races organised in San Ricardo, but due to an accident one day the mayor banned the festivities. The city wanted to bring the races back, but the mayor was adamant.

So, after reading the leaflet I got on my horse and set off, as soon as possible I wanted to get to Pampeluma to prepare for the festivities. I was terribly excited about it! The thought that I would have to run away from an imaginary enemy and that I wouldn't be alone in this caused me excitement! It was a bit of a dream of mine to take part in this, and it could finally come true!" Said Puss with excitement in his voice.

"Wait, wait...did you dream that you were being chased by a herd of bulls?" Asked a perplexed Kitty interrupting the story for Puss. She would never have thought that Puss's dream could be...to be chased by a herd of bulls! It sounded a bit unrealistic looking at the kind of Adventures he had been on. She was surprised by this, stealing a golden goose seemed more amazing to her than running away from bulls!

"Yes, that was my dream and what? Everyone dreams about something right?" Puss replied.

"Well yes...but you..."

"It was my dream and that was it. Back to Pampeluna..." He paused for Kitty Puss. He took a moment to consider what he had finished his story on then continued.

"What I finished on here...aha! I already know. When I arrived in Pampeluma it was a quarter before noon. As I entered the town I immediately noticed the colourful, mainly red streamers that were hung on the balconies of the houses, there were leaflets about the bull race hung on the walls, they were practically everywhere! Everyone I saw was heading towards the town square, where the mayor was to officially start this year's festivities. I decided to move to where the population was. After all, they knew better where I should go. Driving towards the market, I could see that most of the streets were already closed, and the path I was passing was most likely the one on which we would be running the next day. I could see this because the peasants had spread bales of straw across its width, presumably to keep the bulls from escaping to other parts of the town. I was terribly excited by the sight - I had most likely timed the start ceremony perfectly.

When I arrived at the market square, it was already packed with locals who were waiting outside the town hall to see the rocket, which the locals called a chupinazo. I had to stand at the back, there was nowhere else to go and people were streaming in by the minute. Fortunately, being on horseback, I could see what was happening in front and had a view of the balcony of the town hall from where the rocket would most likely be launched.

As the church clock began to strike noon, the large wooden doors of the balcony opened wide and out stepped he, the tall, finely built mayor, who, dressed in an elegant outfit, held in his right hand the flare from which the rocket would be launched. The sight of the monarch caused the crowd to cheer and applaud towards him. The man approached the railing of the balcony waving to all those gathered and blessed us."

"Hello citizens of Pampeluma! I am extremely pleased to see you all gathered together in the square! Today, we will all be celebrating together the start of our favourite festival and, above all, the best sport that is bull racing!"

"Although everyone listened to the man's words and cheered actually most were waiting for one thing - for the rocket to be fired to start the festivities. The mayor's words may have been uplifting, encouraging church affiliation and encouraging fun, but standing in that scorching sun for half an hour made my head start to spin! Even though I had my hat on my head! Finally, my pleas were heard - the mayor blessed us once more then pointed his gun upwards then pulled the trigger. The rocket flew upwards and moments later red fireworks appeared in the sky!"

"I'm officially starting the celebrations!" Shouted the mayor as the firework display began. And by then it was the official start of the festivities and the fiesta began, which lasted until the evening!"

"OK, fine, but where was the big bull race you were so looking forward to ? Wasn't it supposed to start right away ?" Asked Kitty again interrupting for Puss. The man growled quietly interrupting his story to answer for his friend.

"The festivities started the day before the bull race. The races were held every day from the next morning onwards," Puss replied.

"Get back to your story please! It's starting to get interesting" added Perrito. Puss laughed contentedly while looking at the dog, who apparently liked the way the cat was telling the story.

"Sure, going back...

When the fiesta was over and people began to return to their homes to prepare for the morning's race I was introduced to Santiago, a young man who, like me, had come to Pampeluma for the bull race. Like me, he had wandered the world in search of adventure, so it was no surprise that we quickly found a common language. He came from Madrid, so a bigger chunk of the journey than I did. To be precise, he arrived in Pampeluma yesterday so he could rest. The road from Madrid could have been tiring, I understood that. He was no less full of energy and did not look like he had driven more than half the day to Pampeluma or was simply used to such journeys. His motivation showed that he was a classic adventurer. When I was about to end my conversation with him to look for accommodation he offered me to stay with him that one night or two. Luckily for me, he was given a room for two and he lived alone. He told me that he would be staying in Pampeluma for a good week and I had no intention of staying here that long, so I immediately accepted the offer. Admittedly, I had a bag of gold with me so I could have booked something, but since I had the opportunity to experience a night for free, why not?

Santiago had rented a room in a taverna, which was right next to the route through which we were to run the next day. Access to the building was difficult because the road was surrounded by bales of straw, which made it possible to cross over to other parts of the town. There were two solutions for this - either go around the street or jump over the obstacles. Of course, we chose the latter solution, which was much faster and more convenient for us. After all, what was a bale of straw to us if we had to run away from the bulls the next day?

Entering the tavern, we found several guests sitting at tables drinking booze and talking about their business. My companion and I didn't want to sit down to them - we wanted to rest up for tomorrow's marathon.

Santiago asked the bartender to deliver his dinner to his room and he told me to go to his room with number 5 after I had eaten my dinner. The bartender nodded, Santiago went to his room and I was left alone at the bar. Despite my friend's recommendations, I was not hungry and had no plans to eat. When the bartender finished preparing a dinner set for Santiago consisting of tea, and two sandwiches with cheese, meat, lettuce and tomato, I asked for two cups of Leche to relax a little before tomorrow. The growing excitement ahead of tomorrow's event was letting me know that it would be rather difficult for me to sleep that night. I don't know why, but I was looking forward to it like a child who can't wait for Christmas presents. The inner child in me was recovering and giving me vent at that moment.

The barman quickly served me two goblets of fresh Leche, which I drank in about five minutes. I was in no hurry, by which time the bartender had managed to carry dinner for Santiago, who was most likely taking a bath - he was wearing a dressing gown and wet hair as he left the room. He grabbed a tray of food and immediately closed the door behind him.

When I had drunk the leche I paid for it and went to Santiago's room. I knocked on the door and after a while a man in just a bathrobe opened the door letting me inside the room.

There was space...enough for two people. Opposite the door was the entrance to the balcony, to the right were two single beds and opposite them was a wardrobe with a mirror. Immediately to the left of the entrance was a small bathroom. I looked around the room, I had nothing to pack myself, so I immediately threw myself onto the bed to straighten my back a little and relax. The soft and gentle mattress was straightforwardly perfect for this. My back felt great comfort as I lay down on this comfortable bed. I felt very comfortable on this bed, I was so well placed on it that I had to hold back the muttering that wanted to come out of my mouth.

"Quite a comfortable bed, isn't it?" Asked Santiago as he ate his dinner. Hearing his question I sat down on the mattress in a modest voice answering: Quite comfortable, I must say.

"I chose this motel because it was the first one that caught my eye. I didn't know any places here, so I chose this one blind. Let's go to the balcony, we have a great view here of the route we will be running tomorrow," said Santiago. Having no objections I lazily slid off the bed and followed the man to the balcony.

On my way out I was blinded by the glare of the sun, which shone straight onto our balcony blinding us with its brilliance. The blood red sky was already hinting that the day was coming to an end and night was beginning. It was getting cooler outside, Santiago was shivering slightly as he stood in his dressing gown in the slight breeze, but I didn't want to reproach him for it. Instead, I focused on the road where we would be racing. All other streets were blocked, the road cleared of stones and red hustlers were strung out on bales.

"Those in Pampeluma know how to have fun," said Santiago admiringly.

"In fact, the level of preparation looks really respectable" I admitted for my companion.

"It will be fun to chase tomorrow, it will be quite a challenge" chuckled Santiago, to which I had to respond with a slight laugh.

"A challenge? It's just bulls that will chase you aimlessly! Where's the challenge here?" I asked.

"Well, maybe you don't realise how dangerous bulls can be...compared to your size... Think what would happen if one of them hit you..." Santiago chuckled thoughtfully. I felt a little offended by his words - I am Puss in Boots! Bulls couldn't challenge me!

"You're talking to Puss in Boots! I remember when I was fighting with the San Ricardo city guards I was explaining to a certain cat lady why I was special! I don't know what a challenge is!" I chuckled confidently.

"Ah yeah? Then why don't we make a bet?" Santiago replied. I looked at him with curiosity about the bet. What would be the price of this duel?

"What do you have in mind?"

"Since you are, how shall I say... multifunctional and able to talk to women while fighting, I have a bet for you. You will invite any girl of your choice to a Gazpacho during the chase," Santiago explained. I was a little confused by this offer. Inviting women through a bet was not my style, but on the other hand, at that time I was short of money. All I had with me at the time was one small bag of gold in my shoe.

"What is the stake? " I asked.

"Two bags of gold " replied Santiago. This answer was so convincing that I could not resist and finally agreed to the terms.

"Let it be...agreed!" I said almost shouting shaking hands for Santiago.

This is how I signed up for a bet that in theory was supposed to be an easy win, but time proved that it would not be like that at all.

After this conversation we went to the flat, Santiago closed the door from the balcony and we went to our beds.

"Remember, if you lose you give me a bag of gold" said Santiago. I laughed right in his face, I was sure I would easily win the duel. I nodded with a movement of my head, turned on my other side and fell asleep after a while.

The next day, at 8 o'clock in the morning, the festivities began. Santiago and I went to the Santa Domingo enclosure, from where the bulls were released and from there the chase began. We were almost the last ones to get there, because the others were waiting outside the pen warming up before the race so they wouldn't get caught in a scruff or something like that. I, of course, did not need to warm up as I am always prepared for all eventualities.

In addition to the runners, there were spectators gathered around the course, holding red scarves in their hands, eagerly awaiting the start of the race - and they weren't the only ones. I, too, could not wait for the gun to go off and the race to begin. In a moment it was all about to start. We were asked to line up in a row for the start. On a special platform next to the start, the mayor was already standing ready waiting with his gun so that the gun could go off and the festivities could officially begin.

"Attention Pampeluma residents! The first bull race of the year is about to begin! A big round of applause for our participants!" The mayor asked, after which an uproar of applause fell upon us, as if we were heroes running in front of the bulls. However, I didn't have any major problems with this, I knew I was worthy of this applause, but not at this point...

"I ask the others not to cross the barriers! Please keep an appropriate distance from the route so as not to be harmed. And you participants, to your seats!" Shouted the mayor. He raised his hand with a gun towards the sky. My heart started beating like crazy, I didn't know why myself! I felt mega stress, I didn't feel the slightest bit of fear, but the stress was nightmarish!

"Ready!"

"Remember the bet Puss " said Santiago smiling cleverly at me. I nodded with a movement of my head letting him know that I remembered and was still confident that I would win.

"Go!" Announced the mayor firing his gun.

The pen was opened, a group of angry bulls were released, the fans started cheering and we started running towards the bull arena, which was our goal. I took off the fastest, out of everyone, and immediately built up a lead over the others to the delight of the onlookers, who started chanting my name. But I had a task other than pleasing them, which I always did too - I had to find a woman to invite to the Gazpacho. A successful race depended on it! So while running I looked around at the women who were standing along the route choosing the one. From time to time I glanced behind me to see if the bulls were catching up with me. I seemed to be in a safe situation, so I slowed down a bit to be able to get a closer look at the women.

Finally, after running a few metres away, I saw her - wearing a green and white dress, curly black hair and brown eyes I immediately took a liking to. I turned behind me - the bulls were still around the bend, so I had a few seconds to invite her in. Using my shoes to glide to a halt beside her, she immediately took notice of me smiling radiantly with a slight blush.

"Hola seniorita, do you like Gazpacho?" I asked confidently. The woman was about to answer me when I turned to my right and saw a herd of bulls right next to me! I didn't have time to react, unfortunately, I was immediately crushed by a herd of rushing bulls that ran right through me as if nothing ever happened!

When I opened my eyes again I woke up in the hospital...without a single life and without a pannier of gold in my shoe... Santiago must have known that was where I kept my money! The next day I left Pampeluma to look for adventures somewhere else...

My dream turned into a kind of nightmare and phobia...until now when I think and see the bull my heart starts to speed up and involuntarily I want to get as far away from it as possible!"

Finished Puss's story.

Perrito, who was sitting opposite him, listened to the cat's story with careful attention at the same time putting his hands on the fire so that it would not go out. When Puss was about to add something more to his story he heard a noise coming from behind Perrito. Puss noticed that something had started to move in the bush behind Perrito.

"There's something in the bush," Puss said with suspicion. The fire from the campfire moments later illuminated a figure...to his amazement the shadow resembled confusingly...the shape of a bull!

"It's...a bull?!" Puss shouted. He quickly climbed a nearby tree, stood on a branch and pointed his spade towards the bush from which the shadow had come. Although he did not show it inwardly he was terrified and amazed that the bull was in the black forest!

A moment later, the bull's shadow disappeared and out of the bush came a black and white kitty who threw sticks that imitated the horns was and together with Perrito almost cried, from laughter!

"Kitty!" growled Puss irritated and embarrassed by the incident. He had seriously been fooled that the bull was in the black forest and was waiting just behind a bush! He imagined how silly he must have looked hastily climbing the tree! He hid his spade and stared with embarrassment and shame at Kitty, who was trying to recover.

"Hahaha, you seriously fooled yourself! It's that Puss in Boots, a real legend!" Said Kitty through laughter wiping away the tears that flowed from her eyes from laughing. Puss sighed heavily coming down from the tree and sat down next to her listening to her giggles.

"Well... Did you do something to get your money back?" Asked Perrito as he finished laughing. And at that moment, for Puss, he was reminded of his next death. He nudged Kitty to calm down already and stop laughing and started another story.

"Yet how! And this time it worked! It all happened in Las Vegas..."