On the chessboard, each piece moves with precision under the invisible hands of a player. Every move is calculated, every destiny seems predetermined. But for a pawn named Eco, the game is not just a game—it’s a reflection of life itself, a stage where the larger pieces seem to have all the control, and he, a mere small and expendable piece, struggles with an existential dilemma.

  Eco, the pawn, always found himself on the front lines of battle. Though small and with limited movements, within his mind churned a deep reflection. What is the purpose of my existence? he wondered. If I’m only sacrificed for the good of others, do I have any value for myself?

  His friend Cabrión, the knight, was the complete opposite. He hopped from square to square, always out of place, distracted by anything that caught his attention. Sometimes he couldn’t remember if they were in the middle of a game or if it was just a leisurely stroll. Though Eco liked Cabrión, his constant distraction was frustrating.

  “Cabrión, have you ever wondered why we’re here?” Eco asked one day as the knight shook himself off, as if trying to rid himself of some bothersome thought.

  “Here? Where? Oh, right, the board. Well... I don’t know. Look! A rook in check!” Cabrión replied, charging into the battle carelessly, completely ignoring the philosophical question.

  Eco sighed. His friend, the knight, never understood him, and the other pawns didn’t seem interested in deep matters either. We’re just pawns, they said. Our fate is to advance, be sacrificed, or, if lucky, reach the end of the board. But Eco didn’t want to be just a pawn marching on without questioning anything. He desired more.

  In the shadows of the board, the Queen watched. She was the most powerful of all the pieces, able to move in any direction, any distance. The others respected her, but few knew that her gaze wasn’t on the kings or rooks—it was on the pawn who advanced slowly but with purpose. She was in love with Eco.

  One night, after a long battle, the Queen approached him while everyone else slept in their squares.

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  “Why do you look so down, Eco?” asked the Queen, her voice soft, radiating both power and tenderness.

  Eco looked up, surprised that the Queen had noticed him.

  “I feel trapped in a life that seems to have one purpose, but... I don’t know if that purpose is mine. I just move forward because it’s what’s expected of me, but no one asks me what I want, or who I truly am.”

  The Queen smiled with compassion.

  “Many don’t dare to ask those questions, Eco. Most follow the path laid out for them without thinking. But you, a mere pawn, have awakened something that even the greatest pieces fail to understand.”

  “And what do I do with that?” Eco asked, raising his voice in frustration. “I’m just a pawn! No one hears my thoughts, my questions are ignored, and my fate is already decided.”

  The Queen leaned closer, gently touching the square they shared.

  “Don’t underestimate your importance. A pawn has the power to change the game, to challenge fate. If you reach the other side, you’ll transform into whatever you choose to be. You can be a rook, a bishop, or even a queen. But before you reach that moment, you must believe that your existence has more meaning than they’ve told you.”

  The Queen’s words sparked a flame in Eco, but they also filled him with doubt. If he had the power to choose his future, what would he choose to be? Should he follow the desires of others, or forge his own path? The dilemma weighed on him.

  The game continued, the pieces moved, but Eco was no longer the same. Each step he took toward the front brought him closer to a definitive decision. Meanwhile, Cabrión continued jumping across the board, unaware of his friend’s deeper concerns. Sometimes he made Eco laugh with his naivety, and other times, he frustrated him with his inability to see beyond the next jump.

  At the end of the game, Eco reached the last row. The players awaited his transformation, and the Queen watched from a distance, her heart racing for the pawn who had come so far.

  “What will you be now, Eco?” the Queen whispered.

  Eco, after much reflection, understood that it wasn’t about what others expected of him. He didn’t want to be a rook, a bishop, or even a queen. He wanted to remain what he had always been, but with one difference: now he knew that, even as a pawn, he had the power to change the course of the game.

  And so, in a move that defied all logic, Eco chose to remain a pawn, advancing with the determination of one who knows that his value does not lie in his size or his movements, but in his ability to think and decide.

  The Queen smiled with pride, understanding that in that choice, Eco had proven to be freer than any other piece on the board.