L'escanya-pobres

In the early 1950s the small town of Pratbell awakens to a burst of activity. A fresh highway linking Madrid to Granada runs through the village, bringing wagons loaded with Urgel and Aragon wheat. The market square swells with traders, while the newly built granaries promise prosperity to anyone who can master the flow of grain.

At the heart of the scene stands the Olaguer, a slender dark‑haired man who runs a modest warehouse on the Rue de la Roca. His sharp eyes, perpetual silk handkerchief, and habit of greeting every passerby with a quiet “bon día” have turned him into a local curiosity. Villagers whisper about his mysterious fortune, linking it to an old patron’s death, a hidden pact, or simple shrewdness, but the truth remains elusive.

The narrative follows the Olaguer’s careful routines as he watches the market, balances trade, and navigates the suspicions of his neighbors. Listeners are invited into a world of cracked stone streets, the scent of fresh grain, and a puzzle that slowly unfolds, asking what really fuels ambition in a town on the brink of change.