This is not a sequel to Rio: Forgotten memories, it is the life of Castillo and how his actions made him who he is in my story.

(If you have not read my story yet, go check it out)

Rio: Life of Castillo

Hello, my name is Jorge Castillo and I am a lieutenant for the Federal police force of Brazil, you might know me as the man who helped the veterinarians rescue the rare birds of the Blu bird sanctuary but you don't know how I got from being a rat on the street to being one of the best lieutenants in Rio de Janeiro. I was born on November 17, 1977 in Medellin, Columbia. I was a child of five and my father worked with the Columbian police force while my mother worked all day and all night at our home. At the time, the city had a population of one million; the city was once known to be one of the most violent cities in the world which was during the urban war with the drug cartel in the 80s. I grew up during the up rise of crime in Columbia, nowhere was safe from the notorious Pablo Escobar. He was like God, if he said he wanted a man dead, the man would surely die that day. The Medellin Cartel, which was operated by Jorge Luis, Ochoa Vasquez and Pablo Escobar himself, terrorized Bogota and Medellin with their threats to kill anyone who exposed them to the government. Columbia was a very scary place to be at during the time, I was only 4 when my family moved to Bogota Columbia. It was the year 1981 and the drug trafficking got worse as the years went by, many public officials died at the hands of the drug lord, he had absolute power over the people. Escobar was quickly becoming one of the richest and most powerful criminal in world history. In 1987, Pablo Escobar was considered a hero to many in Medellin, much to my family and the governments surprise. He was actually giving free money to the poor, he was like Robin Hood…but I did not see him that way, my parents told me to never trust anyone who was associated with the Columbian Cartel. Even thought the world viewed him as a cold blooded killer, he usually talked before he shot his victims, offering them to work for him or else be gunned down. He also bribed local policemen so they would not report any suspicious activity in the local towns. My family was wealthy and we were in constant danger of being attacked by Escobar. It was then 1989 and it was the peak of Escobar's influence in Columbia, I was 12 years old and one day in the rainy vicinity of Bogota, Escobar invaded our home. I was at home, playing with my siblings until my mother got us all into a closet in the room, she got out with my Father and both of them confronted Pablo Escobar and his men. my father, being the determined officer he was, fought valiantly against the drug lord's men, but he was shot and killed, I witnessed my own father's death, I remember hiding in the closet, seeing the blood splash against the door. My eyes were flooded with water; my hands were shaking, my anger slowly growing inside. My siblings were right next to me, I was the oldest and they looked up to me for help. But I didn't know what to do, I felt so useless. Pablo walked up to my mother and slapped her, she was…stabbed several times until she came crawling towards our closet. The drug lord noticed us and he opened the closet door, revealing the light in front of us. He smiled and laughed as he told his men to take us away. I saw my mother…crying, she was trying to help us but to no avail. We were taken out of the house and…the house was set on fire by Pablo. I wanted to kill this man for causing so much pain in my body. We were taken to the usual hideouts and were sold like dogs, I was taken to Brazil and on the way to Sao Paulo, and there was a violent earthquake in the area. The truck swerved until I was out, I was alone and helpless…I felt like a smuggled animal. I didn't know where I was…I didn't know what to do at the time, I never saw my siblings again after that. I walked and walked…days and days…until I arrived at a beautiful city, its mountains and lush forests surprised me. It was Rio de Janeiro, I arrived at a favela, and I was hungry and thirsty. I then noticed an old lady, she offered me some fruit and I happily ate some, she asked me if I had a home. I just lowered my head in sadness; she gladly took me in as her son. She never told me her name but I always called her Abuela. As the years went by, I asked myself how different of a person I might have been if things were different; it is one of my darkest fears. It was December 2nd 1993 and news spread that Pablo Escobar was killed, the drug lord died in Medellin, he was shot in the leg, torso and ear. Rumors said he killed himself, others said he was executed. Whatever it was, I was happy that the man was dead, I felt as though my family was finally avenged. I sat by an old television set and watched the news, day and night, how it all happened on that day. As I grew older, I went to finish school in the local education centers. I graduated in 1996 and I felt free as I walked outside to open my arms to the world. It was a happy time to be alive, Columbia's crime rates slowly died and the country's new constitution quickly made the area recover from Escobar's reign. I made a decision to stay in Brazil, regardless; it was because of my aging "grandmother" and work in the city that kept me here for so many years. Then, in 2002, my grandmother was suffering from terminal illness, she died during a stroke. I was informed of her demise and I collapsed at the door of her deathbed. It was the first time I cried in years, I was going to leave to live in the United States but I did not to go. I wanted to follow my father's footsteps as a police officer; I had a tremendous sense of pride in the business. It was like I was meant to be a cop, I wanted to help those in need and I would not hesitate with an order given to me, these two characteristics quickly made me climb the ranks. Then, in 2004, i met a lovely lady by the name Olivia. Me and Olivia quickly became lovers and i never left her side. We married a year later and we were given a beautiful son, with a head full of black hair, I was happy for the first time in 4 years but that happiness soon ended when i was given word that my wife and my son were killed by a speeding car, I felt depressed for many months to come, I vowed to make the city much safer, for my wife...and child. In 2006, I was a 1st sergeant, I was given the order to investigate a series of disappearance of birds in the local forests, i apprehended more then 30 smugglers during my time in the force and i patrolled every street in Rio, making sure everyone was safe, including the children, I just could not bear with children being abused or dieing, it was one of my darkest thoughts. Years followed and I became 1st lieutenant in 2009. Then in the year 2011, I was 34 years old and carnival was approaching, word of the two rarest birds in Brazil, was captured by smugglers but the suspects were quickly thwarted. I was sent to investigate the situation until a new order was given a few weeks later. I was given the order to investigate an incident that occurred in a local prison that was called Polinter De Queimados Jail. One man was found severely wounded and the officers claimed three people were responsible for releasing three smugglers from their confines. I investigated the tapes and I made a shocking discovery, the people who owned the two rarest birds in Brazil were releasing the same smugglers that took them away. I was puzzled and decided to investigate even further into this, I kept close watch at the people of this "Blu bird Sanctuary" and I eventually found out that they did this to save a "toucan". I was confused but finally understood it myself; I then found the smugglers….

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(Read my story: Rio: Forgotten memories to find out more)

Thanks for reading!