Illusions - Jorge San Martín Zambrano

As the sharpness of his mind flickers, Fello Castillo harbors a secret love for María Ilusiones. The beautiful María works as a nurse at the retirement home, where he works as a maintenance man. But after Fello has a near-death experience on his way to work-and without warming her up to the idea-he strolls up to María in the parking lot and asks if he can kiss her. Because, after all, he has loved her in the privacy of his heart for a year.

You can imagine the outcome of such boldness.

As Fello reels from her initial rejection, Fred Donovan, a wealthy resident, dies, leaving a yellow envelope marked "For Fello’s Eyes Only!" at the reception desk. Fello discovers Mr. Donovan has tasked him with writing the rich man’s tale. To facilitate the project, Mr. Donovan has left cassette tapes containing some of his most significant life recordings and a parrot named Julio. The trouble is that the chatty gray marvel will have to share Fello’s cabin with Perceptivus, a raven with uncanny abilities of perception.

As the project upends Fello’s existence, Priscilla White, a former guest of the plush retirement home, joins the eclectic group as a ghost. She pesters Fello to tell her side, suspecting that Donny, as she affectionately calls her longtime lover, hasn’t voiced the truth about their extended romance in the tapes.

In a surprising twist, Fello discovers that María might love him after all. Their long-delayed, impending kiss propels their affair to heights never reached in their previous skirmishes with love. But time has its own agenda, and all these characters’ peculiarities intertwine, resulting in a magical tale.