Víctor Gutiérrez Sanz Víctor Gutiérrez Sanz (Valladolid, 1990) studied Journalism (2013) and Theory of Literature (2014) at Universidad de Valladolid. In 2012 he published his first book of short stories, Juego de sombras y espejos, which received Editorial Seleer’s 1st Prize. He balances his work in regional and university media with creative writing. He also produces a radio show for the promotion of reading, “La Milana Bonita”.
The Boythatwantedtobe always wanted to become a scientist. Neither his parents or his sister or even Tobitin, his teddy bear, could say when that kind of obsession for empiric rationality began, but the fact is that ever since he was very small, the Boythatwantedtobe would always answer in the same manner to that absurd and ridiculous question that adults seem to like to repeat so much: ‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’ Swelling with pride and putting on a pompous voice, he would always answer: ‘I want to be a scientist’. Imagine, dear reader, the reaction of the adult: practically always a smile of satisfaction, at times some petulant flattery telling him that he would go very far in life.
However, none of those men and women (all of them well grown up) bothered to question him on what was really important, so I, in the role of omniscient narrator, have this duty.
‘Hey, you! Why do you want to be a scientist?’
The Boythatwantedtobe answers me with a dash of indignation due to my lack of erudition.
‘Well, what do you think? And you call yourself Knowitallnarrator?’
‘You’re absolutely right, I am the Knowitallnarrator and I should have clarified that doubt for the readers. Besides, I think it is such a crucial question that it should form the title of this story.’
‘Of course it must. Now you are behaving correctly.’
So now you can see the experiences that the Boywhowantedtobe had. His obsession was to be like Victor Frankenstein, the mad scientist in Mary Shelley’s novel. How crazy! However, on behalf of the Boythatwantedtobe, I should inform you, dear readers, that his reasons were entirely praiseworthy. He used to say that behind all that evil genius masquerade was hidden an unquestionable reality: the power to change the world. Whether it was for better or for worse was a secondary matter.
Well, as any sagacious reader must have imagined, the Boythatwantedtobe never became a scientist (in fiction a twist is a must). There was a monster or something similar called "crisis" prowling around Spain that prevented him from studying. He had always thought that that particular beast was lurking in the forest of a small village in Castilla called Torrelobaton, where his grandparents lived. However, when all the trees were felled to begin building a huge residential area which was never finished, he kept watch to see if he could spot it running away in order to throw a stone at it, but he saw nothing. The damned thing did not show up.
So, the Boythatwantedtobe grew up but did not mature. There was something that bothered him, a sort of itch in an unreachable spot on his back. It itched and itched and itched until there came a day when he woke up and remembered; he wanted to be a scientist! But it was already too late. Then he had a great idea. He took a pen and a sheet of paper, he scratched his head, and by the art of the word he became the Knowitallnarrator. He managed to create life and he had the hope that someday a boy would read his story and would become the Boywhowasascientist.
