The flight to Mexico City was quiet. Not because no one wanted to talk. But because everyone knew the last tower was different. The Tower of Silence.
Lucas looked out the window. Below them, the Andes passed by like a fold in the earth. Then the ocean. Then Central America. Then... Mexico.
“HOW MUCH LONGER?", he asked.
“ONE HOUR", said the phone. “EFFICIENT."
“PLEASE NO!"
Don Pedro sat in the corner, staring at his sombrero, which he held on his knees. He hadn’t worn it for hours. That was unusual.
“What’s wrong?", Isabella asked quietly.
“THE LAST TOWER", said Don Pedro. “SILENCE."
“AND?”
“SILENCE IS DIFFERENT", he said. “YOU CAN LET TEARS GO. YOU CAN FREE LAUGHTER. YOU CAN HEAR SCREAMS. YOU CAN GIVE BACK DREAMS. BUT SILENCE?”
“WHAT ABOUT SILENCE?”
“SILENCE IS NOTHING", said Don Pedro. “AND YOU CAN’T FREE NOTHING."
Lucas swallowed. “THEN WHAT DO WE DO?”
“I DON’T KNOW", said Don Pedro. For the first time in days, he sounded genuinely uncertain.
The opossum hung from the luggage rack and looked down. “I KNOW SILENCE", it said. “I WAS MONTHS ON LEVEL 47. IT WAS... NOTHING."
“NOTHING?”, asked Isabella.
“YES", said the opossum. “NO TEARS. NO LAUGHTER. NO SCREAMING. NOTHING. JUST... EMPTINESS."
“AND HOW WAS THAT?”
“BAD", said the opossum. “BECAUSE YOU CAN NO LONGER FEEL YOURSELF."
Silence in the plane. Real silence.
Then Chico said: “BUT WE ARE HERE. AND WE ARE NOT SILENT."
“THAT IS TRUE", said Don Pedro and put on his sombrero. “AND THAT IS OUR STRENGTH."
“SWITCH TECHNIQUE?”, Lucas asked hopelessly.
“NO", said Don Pedro. “THAT IS TRUTH."
---
Mexico City was huge. 22 million people, all on the streets at once, as if someone had called: “Everyone out! Now!” It smelled of corn, chili, and gasoline.
The Torre de Silencio stood on the city’s edge. It was different from the other towers. Not tall. Not shiny. But flat, wide, and black. Like a stone that didn’t reflect.
“THE TOWER IS... QUIET", said Isabella.
“ALL TOWERS ARE QUIET", said Lucas.
“NO", said Don Pedro. “THIS ONE IS REALLY QUIET. DO YOU HEAR?”
Lucas paused. He heard. And he understood. The city was loud. Mexico City was always loud. But here, near the tower... it was silent. Not quiet. But silent. As if someone had turned off the sound.
“THAT IS CREEPY", said Tito, who peeked out of Lucas’s backpack.
“YES", said Don Pedro. “AND IT GETS WORSE THE CLOSER WE GET."
At the entrance, Dr. Camila waited. She looked tired. But her eyes were alert.
“You’re here", she said. “Good. I’ve discovered something."
“WHAT?”
“The tower doesn’t collect", said Dr. Camila.
“WHAT?”, shouted Lucas. “IT DOESN’T COLLECT?”
“No", said Dr. Camila. “All the other towers collect emotions. Tears, laughter, screaming, dreams. But this one... takes away."
“TAKES AWAY?”, repeated Isabella. “WHAT DOES IT TAKE AWAY?”
“Everything", said Dr. Camila. “It takes away people’s silence and makes it... nothing."
“THAT MAKES NO SENSE!”, said Lucas. “SILENCE IS NOTHING! HOW CAN YOU TAKE AWAY NOTHING?”
“BY REPLACING IT WITH EVEN LESS”, said Don Pedro quietly.
Everyone looked at him.
“WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?”, asked Isabella.
“SILENCE IS THE ABSENCE OF NOISES", said Don Pedro. “BUT THERE IS SOMETHING THAT IS EVEN LESS THAN SILENCE.”
“WHAT?”
“FORGETTING", said Don Pedro. “WHEN YOU TAKE AWAY SILENCE, FORGETTING REMAINS.”
Silence. Real, heavy silence.
Dr. Camila nodded. “R started here. Before he built the other towers. This tower was the first. It took away people’s memories of silence. And without memories of silence... they can no longer find peace.”
“THAT IS—”, Lucas began.
“CRUEL”, finished the opossum from the ceiling.
“YES", said Dr. Camila. “The people in Mexico City can no longer sleep. No longer sit quietly. No longer think. Because they have forgotten what silence feels like.”
“AND THE MACHINE?”, asked Lucas.
“THERE IS NO MACHINE", said Dr. Camila. “ONLY A ROOM.”
“A ROOM?”
“YES", she said. “LEVEL 49. OR LEVEL 0. IT’S THE SAME. IT’S A ROOM. WITHOUT MACHINES. WITHOUT DEVICES. JUST... SILENCE.”
“AND WHAT DOES THE ROOM DO?”
“IT EXISTS”, said Dr. Camila. “AND WHILE IT EXISTS, PEOPLE FORGET.”
“THEN WE DESTROY IT!”, shouted Lucas.
“NO", said Don Pedro. “YOU CAN’T DESTROY SILENCE.”
“WHY NOT?!”
“BECAUSE SILENCE IS NOTHING”, said Don Pedro. “AND YOU CAN’T DESTROY NOTHING.”
“THEN WHAT?”
Don Pedro looked at the tower. For a long time. Then he said:
“WE MUST GO IN. AND WE MUST BE LOUD.”
“LOUD?”, asked Isabella.
“YES", said Don Pedro. “REMEMBER? SILENCE AGAINST SILENCE IS LOUD.”
“YOU SAID THAT IN LIMA!”
“AND IT IS TRUE”, said Don Pedro. “THE ROOM TAKES SILENCE. BUT IF WE ARE NOT SILENT... IT CAN TAKE NOTHING.”
“THAT SOUNDS... TOO SIMPLE”, said Lucas.
“NO", said Don Pedro. “IT IS HARD. BECAUSE SILENCE IS CONTAGIOUS. WHEN YOU ENTER THE ROOM... YOU BECOME SILENT. WHETHER YOU WANT TO OR NOT.”
“AND THEN?”
“THEN YOU FORGET”, said Don Pedro. “LIKE EVERYONE ELSE.”
Silence.
“WHO GOES IN?”, Isabella finally asked.
“I DO”, said Don Pedro.
“YOU?”, shouted Lucas. “YOU CAN’T!”
“I AM THE ONLY ONE WHO CAN”, said Don Pedro. “I AM A JAGUAR. JAGUARS CAN BE SILENT. BUT I AM ALSO TECH. AND TECH CAN BE LOUD.”
“THAT IS—” Lucas swallowed. “THAT IS TRUE.”
“YES", said Don Pedro. “AND I WEAR A SOMBRERO.”
“THE SOMBRERO DOESN’T HELP!”
“YES IT DOES”, said Don Pedro. “IT REMINDS ME WHO I AM.”
Lucas looked at the jaguar. At his hat. At his eyes. And he understood.
“THEN I GO TOO”, said Lucas.
“NO”, said Don Pedro.
“YES!”
“YOU CAN’T BE SILENT”, said Don Pedro. “YOU ARE HUMAN.”
“AND THAT’S GOOD!”
“NO”, said Don Pedro. “IN THIS ROOM IT IS DANGEROUS. BECAUSE HUMANS FORGET FASTER.”
“BUT—”
“LUCAS”, said Don Pedro seriously. “I NEED YOU HERE. UPSTAIRS. AS A VOICE.”
“AS A VOICE?”
“YES", said Don Pedro. “WHEN I AM INSIDE... AND WHEN I BECOME SILENT... THEN SOMEONE MUST CALL ME.”
“CALL?”
“YES", said Don Pedro. “NOT LOUD. BUT TRUE. A VOICE THAT REMINDS ME.”
“OF WHAT?”
“OF ME”, said Don Pedro. “OF MY NAME. OF MY HAT. OF WHAT I AM.”
Lucas swallowed. “AND IF I CAN’T DO IT?”
“THEN I FORGET”, said Don Pedro quietly. “AND I WILL BE SILENT. FOREVER.”
Silence. Heavier than before.
“THAT IS—” Lucas clenched his fists. “THAT IS TOO DANGEROUS!”
“EVERYTHING IS DANGEROUS”, said Don Pedro. “BUT DOING NOTHING IS EVEN MORE DANGEROUS.”
“SWITCH TECHNIQUE?”
“NO", said Don Pedro. “TRUTH.”
Dr. Camila led them to the tower’s entrance. Inside it was dark. Not black. But... colorless. As if someone had removed the colors.
“THE ROOM IS BELOW”, she said. “LEVEL 0. ALL THE WAY DOWN.”
“WHY LEVEL 0?”
“BECAUSE SILENCE IS THE BEGINNING”, said Dr. Camila. “AND THE BEGINNING IS BELOW.”
The elevator went down. This time no numbers. No display. Just one button. Black. Without a label.
“SHOULD I PRESS IT?”, asked Lucas.
“NO", said Don Pedro. “I WILL.”
He placed his paw on the button. The elevator began to move. Slowly. Quietly.
Too quietly.
“I FEEL IT”, Isabella said suddenly. “IT’S GETTING... QUIETER.”
“YES", said Don Pedro. “THE DEEPER WE GO, THE QUIETER IT GETS.”
“I—” Lucas paused. He wanted to say something. But he had forgotten what.
“LUCAS?”, said Isabella. “WHAT IS IT?”
“I... I DON’T KNOW”, said Lucas. “I HAVE... FORGOTTEN SOMETHING.”
“IT BEGINS”, whispered Don Pedro. “FORGETTING.”
The elevator stopped. The door opened. And behind it lay... nothing.
A white room. Without walls. Without ceiling. Without floor. Just white. And silence.
Don Pedro stepped out. He turned around. He saw Lucas, Isabella, Dr. Camila, the opossum, Chico, Tito. All standing in the elevator. All beginning to forget.
“GO BACK”, said Don Pedro. “UPSTAIRS. NOW.”
“BUT—”
“NOW!”, said Don Pedro. “I’LL COME AFTER. PROMISED.”
Isabella pulled Lucas back. The door closed. The elevator went up.
And Don Pedro stood alone in the white room.
It was silent.
Completely silent.
And he began to forget.
First his name. Then his hat. Then... everything.
But then... he heard something. From above. From far away. A voice.
“DON PEDRO!”
It was Lucas.
“DON PEDRO! YOU ARE A JAGUAR! YOU WEAR A SOMBRERO! YOU EAT CHIPS! YOU ARE MY FRIEND!”
Don Pedro blinked. The words came through the silence. Like a thread through darkness.
“I...”, he began. “I AM...”
“DON PEDRO!”, shouted Lucas. “REMEMBER!”
And Don Pedro remembered. Not everything. But enough.
He was a jaguar. He wore a sombrero. He had friends. And he was not alone.
And then he did something no one expected.
He began to speak.
“I AM DON PEDRO”, he said. Loudly. Into the silence. “I AM A JAGUAR. I WEAR A SOMBRERO. AND I AM LOUD.”
The silence trembled.
“I AM DON PEDRO! AND I HAVE FRIENDS! AND I HAVE A HAT! AND I EAT CHIPS!”
The white room began to crack. Like glass that gets cracks.
“AND I AM NOT SILENT! I AM LOUD! BECAUSE THAT IS MY CHOICE!”
The silence broke.
Not loud. Not violent. But like ice melting in the sun. Slowly. Naturally. And in its place came... sound. Voices. Life.
Don Pedro stood in the room. The room was no longer white. It was... normal. A room. With walls. With floor. With air.
And he could remember.
The elevator came down. The door opened. Lucas was there. Isabella. Dr. Camila. Everyone.
“DON PEDRO!”, shouted Lucas and hugged the jaguar. Which was difficult because jaguars are big.
“HELLO”, said Don Pedro. “I HAVE... DONE SOMETHING.”
“WHAT?”
“I WAS LOUD”, said Don Pedro. “AND SILENCE LOST.”
“THAT IS—” Lucas smiled. “THAT IS TRUE.”
“YES”, said Don Pedro. “SWITCH TECHNIQUE.”
“I HATE YOU!”
“I KNOW.”
And as they went up, Mexico City was no longer silent. But loud. With music. With conversations. With life.
Five towers. Five victories. One journey.
And the question: What comes next?