The incredible story of the oldest man in the world

"It's hard to believe that someone still alive, flesh and blood, within easy reach, has lived through such rich experiences. How can we imagine that the old mulatto sleeping in the next room once hid in quilombos? How can we comprehend that Muzinga traveled the world as an interpreter for Emperor Dom Pedro II, in the distant 19th century? That he clashed with Lampião and his band of cangaceiros in the 1930s? What can we say about a witness to the abolition of slavery and the proclamation of the Republic—someone who, at that time, was already over 80 years old? Muzinga, for his part, is discreet. Every now and then, he tells a curious story, and that's it. Caio likes what he hears, but he knows there's much more to tell. A conflict boils in the young man's mind. His father spoke ill of Muzinga; would it be disloyal on his part if Caio admired him?"