By Jacinto Quintela ’26
When Jacinto Quintela woke up one morning from unsettling dreams, he found himself changed in his bed into a monstrous hybrid of man and tree. His limbs twisted and contorted, resembling knotted branches reaching out into the small room. Leaves sprouted from his skin, rustling softly with each movement as if whispering secrets of his transformation.
Jacinto’s metamorphosis sent shockwaves through the boarding school in Maine where he resided. His roommate, Cliff, stumbled backward in horror at the sight of Jacinto’s diabolical form, his eyes wide with horror. The other students gawked and whispered as rumors spread like wildfire throughout the halls, painting Jacinto as some sort of botanical aberration.
His friends, Mateo, Romeo, Sophia, and Vicky stood by his side, their expressions a mix of concern and fascination. They tentatively approached Jacinto, their voices trembling as they asked him what had happened. But Jacinto could offer no explanation, for he was just as confused by his transformation as they were.
He went to the health center to see if they could help him in any way, but when he saw the horror in Mrs. Judd’s eyes, he knew they couldn’t do anything. After thinking about it for a while Jacinto decided to go to class, despite the confusion and fear he had underneath his thick and bumpy skin.
After 5 hours of classes, the first day of school as a monster had finally ended. He ran to his dorm, thinking what to do and what would calm him, and he saw his lacrosse stick. Despite his monstrous appearance, Jacinto’s love for lacrosse remained undiminished. He attempted to wield his newfound attachments like new arms, clumsily dribbling a lacrosse ball as he stumbled across the field. His teammates watched in awe as he moved with an otherworldly grace, his arboreal form bending and twisting in ways that defied logic.
But as the days passed, Jacinto’s transformation took its toll on those around him. His world literature teacher, whom he adored, struggled to come to terms with the sight of her once-promising student now trapped in a body that resembled something out of a nightmare. She wrestled with conflicting emotions, torn between pity and revulsion, unsure of how to help Jacinto in his time of need.
Despite his best efforts to continue attending classes, Jacinto found himself increasingly isolated from his peers. The other students whispered and pointed whenever he passed by, their eyes filled with a mixture of fear and curiosity. Even his closest friends struggled to look past his monstrous exterior, their once-strong bond strained by the weight of his transformation.
But amidst the chaos and confusion, there were moments of beauty and wonder. Jacinto found solace in the quiet moments spent among the trees, their branches reaching out to him like long-lost friends. And though he may have been changed in body, his spirit remained unbroken, a testament to the resilience of the human soul in the face of adversity.
In the end, Jacinto’s metamorphosis served as a reminder that even in our darkest moments, there is still light to be found. For though he may have been transformed into something monstrous, he remained, at his core, a boy with dreams and aspirations, longing for acceptance and understanding in a world that often seemed indifferent to his plight.