“Remarking that the statue looks hungry, Marcelino steals some bread and wine and offers it to the statue, which comes to life, descends from the Cross, and eats and drinks what the boy has brought him.”
“He has been warned by the monks not to visit the monastery attic, where a “very big man who will take him away” lives, but he ventures upstairs anyway, sees the man and tears off back down the stairs.”
“The new local mayor, a blacksmith whom the monks would not let adopt Marcelino because of his coarse behaviour, uses the incident as an excuse to try to shut down the monastery.”
“Given the silent treatment by the monks, Marcelino gathers up the courage to once again enter the attic, where he sees not a bogeyman, but a beautiful statue of Christ on the Cross.”
“The statue becomes Marcelino’s best friend and confidant and begins to give him religious instruction. For his part, Marcelino realizes that the statue is Christ.