By Mahalia Williams. Mahalia is a student at Dodgertown Elementary School, Vero Beach, FL and enrolled in The Journalist Program at the Gifford Youth Achievement Center.
Juan Garrido’s life, though largely forgotten by history, was anything but ordinary.
Born somewhere in Spain during the early 1500s (It was 1487), he was a mischievous child with an insatiable curiosity and a knack for getting into trouble. From the very beginning, it was clear that Juan was not meant to be just another face in the crowd. He was destined for something… different. And by “different,” I mean that he had a remarkable talent for finding himself in absurd situations.
At a young age, Juan made a name for himself in his small town, mostly by breaking things. A dish here, a chair there, nothing was safe when little Juan was around. His parents were exasperated, constantly shaking their heads at his antics. However, it wasn’t long before young Juan realized that his real talent lay not in breaking things, but in telling stories. And so, his reputation grew, he wasn’t just the kid who knocked over the milk jug anymore, he was the one who could spin tales about it for hours, often making even the most mundane events seem like grand adventures…