The Sea of Lost Time by Gabriel García Márquez. Short summary

5 seconds

On the shore of a sea of vanishing times stood a poor village. Its inhabitants fished for crabs so as not to starve to death. One day, instead of the usual smell of rot, the scent of roses wafted in from the sea.

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In a small village on the seashore lived poor people. They earned their living by catching crabs in the sea. Every year at the end of January, the water would begin to boil and mud would be thrown on the shore. Soon the inhabitants were infected by the bad mood of the sea.

One day everything changed. Instead of the usual smell of rot and mud, the villagers smelled the scent of roses. At first, they could not believe what was happening, as it was the custom in the village to bury their dead tribesmen in the sea.

A rich stranger comes to the village. He convinces them that he can rid a man of any problem, but that before he does so, the villagers must show him their talents. After the stranger arrives, the smell of roses disappears.

At the very bottom of the sea of vanishing times lie the remains of dead locals. Next door to them, magnificent turtles doze. Perhaps somewhere out there is a village with beautiful houses and a very different life.