The Strange Friend of Tito Gil

"The Strange Friend of Tito Gil" by Pedro Antonio de Alarcón is a story set long ago about a young man's journey through the ups and downs of life, which leads him to a strange friendship and newfound powers. Tito Gil starts as a shoemaker’s son, but after his benefactor's death he is on his own and in a bad place. Things get weird when Death shows up, saying he feels bad about Tito’s misfortunes and wants to be friends, even offering him special abilities. These powers present Tito a chance to become a doctor and maybe even win back his childhood sweetheart, Elena. But using Death's gifts isn't easy, and Tito finds himself facing tough choices about love, what’s meant to be, and what it all means to have such abilities, which tests what he thought he knew about life.