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Unlocking Ancestral Secrets in Seville's Illuminated Halls

Fluent Fiction - Spanish·Apr 25, 2026·19:17

About this Episode

Fluent Fiction - Spanish: Unlocking Ancestral Secrets in Seville's Illuminated Halls
Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:
fluentfiction.com/es/episode/2026-04-25-07-38-19-es

Story Transcript:

Es: La luz del sol de primavera entraba por los vitrales de la Catedral de Sevilla, pintando el suelo con un arcoíris de colores brillantes.
En: The spring sunlight streamed through the stained glass windows of the Catedral de Sevilla, painting the floor with a rainbow of bright colors.

Es: Mateo, con su carpeta llena de documentos, contemplaba el majestuoso altar.
En: Mateo, with his folder full of documents, contemplated the majestic altar.

Es: A su lado, Camila admiraba las esculturas en las paredes.
En: Next to him, Camila admired the sculptures on the walls.

Es: Sus ojos, acostumbrados a observar detalles, captaban cada curva, cada sombra.
En: Her eyes, accustomed to observing details, captured every curve, every shadow.

Es: Inés, con su andar pausado, los alcanzaba lentamente.
En: Inés, with her slow pace, caught up with them gradually.

Es: Era la primera vez que los tres se reunían en persona.
En: It was the first time the three met in person.

Es: Los unía una misión: descubrir su historia familiar.
En: They were united by one mission: to discover their family history.

Es: Mateo había pasado meses siguiendo pistas.
En: Mateo had spent months following clues.

Es: Sabía que sus raíces estaban entrelazadas y que Sevilla era el lugar donde todo tuvo inicio.
En: He knew that their roots were intertwined and that Sevilla was the place where everything began.

Es: Camila, llegada desde Argentina, compartía esa emoción y ofrecía su habilidad para ilustrar lo que encontraran.
En: Camila, coming from Argentina, shared this excitement and offered her skill to illustrate what they found.

Es: Pero el mayor reto era Inés.
En: But the biggest challenge was Inés.

Es: Ella guardaba un secreto, algo que podía cambiar todo lo que Mateo había encontrado.
En: She held a secret, something that could change everything Mateo had uncovered.

Es: El día transcurría entre historias y anécdotas familiares.
En: The day passed by with family stories and anecdotes.

Es: Mateo, con entusiasmo, sacó su árbol genealógico.
En: Mateo, enthusiastically, pulled out his family tree.

Es: Lo extendió sobre un banco de la catedral, esperando que Inés lo completara.
En: He spread it out over a pew in the cathedral, hoping that Inés would complete it.

Es: Pero ella dudaba, sus manos temblorosas acariciaban el papel como si fuera un tesoro frágil.
En: But she hesitated, her trembling hands caressing the paper as if it were a fragile treasure.

Es: —Inés, necesitamos saber más —imploró Mateo suavemente—.
En: "Inés, we need to know more," Mateo implored softly.

Es: Este es nuestro legado.
En: "This is our legacy."

Es: Camila, notando la tensión, comenzó a dibujar líneas y retratos familiares, llenando los espacios vacíos del árbol.
En: Camila, noticing the tension, began drawing lines and family portraits, filling the empty spaces of the tree.

Es: Sus dibujos eran tan vivos que parecía que la familia estaba allí, presente, observándolos.
En: Her drawings were so vivid it seemed as if the family were there, present, watching them.

Es: Inés los miraba en silencio.
En: Inés looked on in silence.

Es: Algo en sus ojos cambiaba al contemplar las figuras emergiendo del papel.
En: Something in her eyes changed as she contemplated the figures emerging from the paper.

Es: —Hay algo que debo mostrarles —susurró finalmente Inés, sus palabras quebradas, pero firmes.
En: "There is something I must show you," Inés finally whispered, her words broken yet firm.

Es: Sacó de su bolso un manuscrito antiguo.
En: She pulled an ancient manuscript from her bag.

Es: Sus páginas, amarillentas por el tiempo, guardaban la historia de sus ancestros, un relato de viajes y sacrificios, de amor y pérdidas.
En: Its pages, yellowed with time, held the story of their ancestors, a tale of journeys and sacrifices, of love and losses.

Es: Este manuscrito era la llave que Mateo buscaba.
En: This manuscript was the key Mateo was looking for.

Es: Contenía nombres, fechas, y emocionantes relatos de aquellos que cruzaron océanos en busca de una nueva vida.
En: It contained names, dates, and thrilling stories of those who crossed oceans in search of a new life.

Es: La lectura del manuscrito fue un momento mágico.
En: Reading the manuscript was a magical moment.

Es: Sentados a la luz de los vitrales, se sumergieron en el pasado.
En: Sitting in the light of the stained glass windows, they were immersed in the past.

Es: Se rieron con las travesuras de un tatarabuelo y lloraron con las despedidas de antepasados lejanos.
En: They laughed with the antics of a great-great-grandfather and cried with the farewells of distant ancestors.

Es: Inés les reveló el sacrificio personal que una vez tuvo que hacer, un secreto que había mantenido para proteger un fragmento doloroso de su historia.
En: Inés revealed the personal sacrifice she once had to make, a secret she had kept to protect a painful fragment of their history.

Es: Pero ahora, alrededor de esa mesa improvisada, sus palabras sanaban viejas heridas.
En: But now, around that makeshift table, her words healed old wounds.

Es: Al terminar, Mateo entendió que cada miembro de la familia era una pieza crucial del rompecabezas que intentaba armar.
En: By the end, Mateo realized that every family member was a crucial piece of the puzzle he was trying to assemble.

Es: Comprendió que cada línea del árbol, cada historia, tejía la complejidad de su linaje.
En: He understood that every line of the tree, every story, wove the complexity of his lineage.

Es: Abrazó a Inés y agradeció a Camila por su arte, haciendo que el árbol cobrara vida.
En: He embraced Inés and thanked Camila for her art, bringing the tree to life.

Es: El sol comenzaba a desvanecerse detrás de las estructuras góticas de la catedral, dejando un resplandor dorado sobre ellos.
En: The sun began to set behind the gothic structures of the cathedral, leaving a golden glow over them.

Es: Mateo sabía que habían forjado un lazo irrompible, uno que no solo los unía en papel sino en los corazones.
En: Mateo knew they had forged an unbreakable bond, one that united them not just on paper but in their hearts.

Es: Así, dejaron la catedral con más que un árbol genealógico completo; salieron con una familia recompuesta, lista para escribir nuevas historias juntos.
En: Thus, they left the cathedral with more than just a complete family tree; they departed with a reunited family, ready to write new stories together.

Vocabulary Words:

the sunlight: la luz del sol
the stained glass: los vitrales
majestic: majestuoso
to contemplate: contemplar
the sculpture: la escultura
accustomed: acostumbrados
to capture: captar
the pace: el andar
to reunite: reunir
the clue: la pista
to intertwine: entrelazar
the challenge: el reto
to hesitate: dudar
the tremor: tembloroso
to implore: implorar
the legacy: el legado
the tension: la tensión
the portrait: el retrato
to emerge: emergir
the manuscript: el manuscrito
exciting: emocionante
to cross: cruzar
the ocean: el océano
the prank: la travesura
to weep: llorar
the ancestor: el ancestro
to reveal: revelar
to protect: proteger
the wound: la herida
the sunset: el desvanecerse

Hosts & Guests

FluentFiction.org

Host

Transcript

Fluent Fiction, Fluent Fiction, Fluent Fiction, Fluent Fiction.

Welcome to Fluent Fiction Spanish,

the podcast where we bring you bilingual stories

to supercharge your listening comprehension.

In each episode, we'll present a short story

in both English and Spanish, with the aim

of helping you to improve your listening comprehension.

In this episode, we'll journey through

Seville's Radiant Cathedral to Unravel Hidden Family Legacies,

as secrets from a bygone era transform

three strangers into a united family,

right after this commercial break.

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The light of the sun of the spring

painted the sun with a shining rainbow of bright colors.

Mateo, with his body full of documents,

contemplated the majestic altar.

On his side, Camila admired the sculptures in the walls.

His eyes, used to observe details,

they captured each curve, each shadow.

Inés, with his hand crossed,

he reached it gently.

It was the first time that the three gathered in person.

He joined a mission to discover his family story.

Mateo had spent months following clues.

He knew that his roots were between the trees

and that it was the place where everything was beginning.

Camila, from Argentina, shared that emotion

and offered his ability to illustrate what they found.

But the greatest challenge was Inés.

She kept a secret, something that could change everything

that Mateo had found.

The day passed between stories and anecdotes families.

Mateo, with enthusiasm, took out his genealogy tree.

He extended it on a side of the cathedral,

waiting for Inés to complete it.

But she was doubtful, her hands were trembling,

they took out the paper as if it were a fragile treasure.

Inés, we need to see more,

implore Mateo gently.

This is our legacy.

Camila, noting the tension,

began to draw lines and family portraits,

filling the empty spaces of the tree.

Their drawings were so alive that the family was there,

present, observing them.

Inés looked at them in silence.

Something in his eyes was changing

to contemplate the figures emerging from the paper.

There was something that I must show you,

his roughly speaking Inés, his words that were brazen,

but firm.

He took out his bag, an old manuscript.

His pages, yellowed by time,

kept the history of his ancestors

a story of trips and sacrifices, love and losses.

This manuscript was the key that Mateo was looking for.

He had names, dates,

and exciting stories of those who crossed

do not know each other in search of a new life.

The reading of the manuscript was a magical moment.

Sent to the light of the victims

they emerged in the past.

They broke up with the travisures of a Tatarabuelo

and cried with the farewells of the distant ancestors.

Inés revealed the personal sacrifice

that once he had to do,

a secret that he had maintained

to protect a painful fragment of his story.

But now, around that improvised table,

his words were old wounds.

At the end, Mateo understood

that each member of the family

was a crucial piece of paper

that was trying to harm.

He understood that each line of the tree,

each story,

had the complexity of his lineage.

He hugged Inés and thanked Camila for his art,

making the tree cover his life.

The sun began to rise

behind the guttural structures

of the cathedral,

leaving a resplendor golden on them.

Mateo knew that they had forged a broken glass

one that did not only unite them in paper

but in the hearts.

Thus, they left the cathedral

with more than a complete genealogy

with a complete family,

ready to write new stories together.

Let's take another listen.

Listen closely to any parts you may have missed.

The light of the sun of spring

was brought by the vitrars

of the cathedral of Sevilla,

painting the sun with a rainbow of bright colors.

Mateo, with his folder full of documents,

contemplated the majestic altar.

Asulado, Camila admiraba