The motionless sleepwalker

She was peacefully sleeping when suddenly she felt completely conscious. She sat up, got up, and started walking without moving her feet. She went through her bedroom wall and entered her son’s bedroom. She covered him with a blanket. Some seconds later she entered her lying body and continued sleeping.

Two tears

He was a renowned Sumi-e painter. However, that day he couldn’t find the exact grey for the bamboo cane he was trying to paint.  He got desperate and started to cry. Two tears dropped on his paintbrush and then he achieved the master touches he had been looking forward to.

That marvellous weekend

Life was hard. They had been longing for that weekend. It was going to be their first weekend in a seaside resort. They bought suitcases and summer clothes. That weekend came and, with it,  a front of clouds full of rain from the Atlantic. Again, on Monday the sun shone.

The last drink

It was happy that summer. It saw a car driven by a sweaty man and flew in through the open car window. It set on his neck, began to walk down and drank his delicious salty sweat. Seconds later, a wasp was smashed between the driver’s back and his seat.

Home sweet home

After a hard day’s work they would meet at their home. Many days she would wait for him to start having supper. Afterwards, they would watch television on the settee. She would lie on the sofa -her head in his lap. That would be peace after a long tiring day.

Obsession

Peter always used to do the same things at the same time. He always dressed the same way, too. He was obsessed with times. However, on a Monday afternoon he seemed disoriented, sitting on a bench in the park of another city. He had lost his wristwatch some days ago.

by Ana Cajal

A special man

Mary had been preparing dinner for him. He loved  risotto with oysters and mushrooms. She also cooked roast beef and some fish, too. “He loves fish”, said to herself. She had also bought wine and cava to celebrate. Then the phone rang. Some minutes later Mary’s eyes were in tears.

by Ana Cajal

The housewife

As every Sunday she had got up early to cook their favorite dishes: lasagna stuffed with vegetables and chocolate cakes. After a hard long morning preparing the meal, all family sat at the large table. Everybody ate silently. When they finished, they stood up quickly and left. Nobody thanked her. 

by Vanesa Acin

The self unknown man

He was well considered in his community. Perhaps, even some people might admire him. Nevertheless he hadn’t meditated a single minute in his life. One day he did it. He realized he was but a hot air balloon. He was deeply unemotional. He had always had to make up himself.

Lack of ideas

He thought of himself as a writer because he’d written a pair of compositions graded with an “A”. One day his teacher told him to write a short story. Peter took out a sheet of paper and then realized he wouldn’t become a writer. No ideas came to his mind.

Bitter harvest

They had their fields neatly ploughed. They’d used the best seeds. The artichokes were growing well and healthy. One day it snowed. The following morning was even colder and snow turned into ice. Two chilly days had ruined five months’ work. They could only harvest debts, more work and tears.

The kendoist who didn't use to sleep

He had traveled to Madrid and taken part in a long kendo tournament. After that hectic day he hoped he would be able to sleep. He needed to, but again, he spent the whole night with his eyes wide open, completely worn out. Another hard day had begun for him.

The red balloon

Mother and child were walking happily. He was proud of the floating red balloon tied to the string. A tramp came towards them. When he was beside the child, the man approached his cigarette and the balloon exploded with a bang. His mother, absolutely angered, dried the bitter child’s tears.

The first snowflake ever

It was the first time the child could see the snow. He looked up, raised his arms, opened his hands and a light snowflake touched his palm. The child looked happily at it. Soon, the snowflake started to melt. The child’s tears mixed with what once had been a snowflake.

The date

There she was at ten to eight in the morning, dressed in a black coat and carrying her briefcase. We looked at each other, silently. We wished to say hello but neither of us had dared to. Once again I had had a brief date with my daily stranger.

A bank client

Two policemen entered and took him out of the bank. Whenever somebody took out money from the A.T.M. he was there. Sometimes he was wrapped up with cardboard, or he was curled up in his dirty sleeping-bag. Whenever somebody finished operating he asked for “one euro for a coffee, please”.

The sleeper

She was cycling from her house to her work when she fell off her bike and hit her head on the ground. During the following weeks she used to fall asleep after two or three minutes while having lunch, talking to people, driving, reading...  One day she didn’t awake again.

An experienced pianist

He’d played in the same hotel for 52 years. His fingers ached and he was slow. His shabby tuxedo knew all his melodies by heart. He looked at the staves though could hardly see. The scarce customers looked at each other whenever he played a wrong note on the piano. 

Transparent teacher

He was wandering on a Sunday morning. The park was crowded: children cycling, youths jogging and retired people. He recognized a school boy looking at him and saying nothing. Later he met a known foursome. They stared at him and went past. He was another transparent teacher in the street.

An idle sad look at a small lake

The morning was sunny. Chilly winds tried to cut her face. She looked at the frozen pond. It was an icy mirror. She picked up a pebble and threw it at its surface. The stone slid smoothly as far as a crack. There it fell down into the small lake.

Wrath

His life was a wreck. Everything in it didn’t work. Even his marriage was a mirage. He was full of anger. He had the ability to make the others feel that it was their fault though. His feelings of inferiority made him afraid of people. That is how he felt.

The woman who loved her dog so much.

She had a playful dog. It enjoyed playing with her and also with other dogs. She loved it so much! She only lived for it. She wanted it for herself, so it stopped playing with other dogs and with other people. And eventually it became infinitely unhappy, except with her.

The telephone call

She was the perfect mother. She’d always cared for him and backed him up. She was for him and he was the perfect son. She thought she had an ideal relationship. It was her birthday but the telephone didn’t ring. She felt the most helpless person in the world.

The living moments collector

People said he was the best local sculptor. He only worked with blocks of pure transparent ice in a dim wax candle light. His carvings looked living beings, so real that people could hear them moan with tears of pain when the sun started to melt them in the morning.

Powers of endurance

They’d told her to go to flat 159 in one of those buildings. The elevator didn’t work so she started to climb the stairs. Many times she was on the verge of giving up her climbing. After long time and effort she arrived there, but it was the wrong building.

The worth of a puncture

“Notoril” was the only cure for her illness. Her husband rushed to the pharmacy with the prescription. The laboratories would send the medicine immediately. A courier left the labs towards the chemist’s. On the road his motorbike had a puncture. When the medicine arrived nobody needed it. It was returned.

Motionless

He remained in the middle of nowhere wearing dusty shabby clothes. He was cold. Gusty chilly winds whipped his face. A raven started to peck his eye but he couldn’t get rid of it. Later, a fox tore his feet with extreme cruelty. He had turned into a useless scarecrow.

Darkness

There was only complete darkness around him. He felt hot and began to pant. He tried to raise his hands and felt a hard lid ten centimeters above his lying body. He understood he was in a coffin, buried and ready to die in a few hours, full of desperation.

Disappointment

José firmly believed that when his milk teeth fell down he would receive a present. He believed in "el ratoncito Pérez", which got the teeth children had placed under their pillows and left a present instead. When José woke up, there were some peanuts under the pillow. He felt disappointed.

Deadly notebook

Goya was walking home from school when she saw a book on the ground. She used it as her diary that night. She wrote the names of some schoolmates who used to bully her. The next morning she found those boys had not gone to school because they had died. 

The schoolboy

He was at breaktime feeling his hurting loneliness amongst those noisy boys. Then he picked up a stone from the playground. He threw it high into the air. Three seconds later he heard a loud cry and saw a boy bleeding on the head. He felt guilty, alone and wicked.

Children's games

Tommy climbed up the ruined house and saw him asleep on the ground floor. Tommy seized a large brick from the wall and threw it down on him, listening to the deafening noise. Some blood splashed onto the floor. Eventually Tommy hurried down to watch the smashed little black kitten.

Thanksgiving moment

The sun was shining and the water was warm and calm. There was the exact wind for a good windsurf. Everything was going perfectly and that day he had not fallen into the water. The shark came from under the board, its jaws wide open. It thanked god for its food.

An irresistible woman

She had won the beauty contest and was crying of happiness. She thought she was a winner with the world at her feet. She had such an irresistible body that many people envied her. Nevertheless, two minutes after her coronation, a warm quiet long stinking fart announced her irresistible diarrhea.

Deadly love

Ferdinand was a lonely sad fellow. He everyday saw Miranda going to school. He was in love with her, though she ignored it. He stopped his van and kidnaped her so that she had the opportunity to get to know him. A week later, a policeman found a dead girl.

Genetics rules

Being only 28 years old, he was a general, had a Ph.D in Computers, and in Physics. He could speak five languages at least. He offered guidance to troops, house builders, food factories and high speed train engineers. Nevertheless, he couldn't control the weather, unlike his father. A Supreme Leader.

Waiting for fate

The girl said she was going to come back. The boy promised to wait. He sat on the dock and waited. One day while he was waiting he noticed another girl sitting and looking out to sea. “Are you waiting, too?” he asked. “Not anymore”, she said. They both smiled.

The Uncomprehended General

He rode invincible on his horse conquering country after country. He wanted to be known as the European monarchs terminator. He’d bring more freedom  to people. People would love him and he’d be the emperor. His dreams collapsed in Europe’s edges, Russia and Spain. Those peoples have always detested invaders.

Intelligent War

The two Confederations sent their armies to the battlefield. The most powerful two intelligent war machines met on top of the hill. The North Confederation soldier scanned and analyzed the power of destruction of the other soldier. After forty seconds, it understood they wouldn’t succeed. The North Confederation gave up.

The Student

The boy who lived in the countryside came home from university. He wanted to give his parents a big surprise. At the door, he found his family cold and cheerless. To support him with his studies, his parents sold all their cattle and led a very poor and simple life.

The Happiest Day in My Life

This happened when I was 10. Coming home, I saw mum embracing a man, crying. I was angry, I thought he made her sad. Surprisingly, they clasped me. "Honey, this is your dad returning from the front," mum cried, but those were happy tears. We have had much laughter afterwards. 

The Kiss

It's my worst nightmare come true. Looking into those grey, cloudy eyes. That horrible hairy chin. Almost bald on the head with a few very grey, straggly hairs. Round, shiny nose as greasy as a chip pan. Its horrible, wrinkly lips smacking together . . .I have to kiss my grandfather.

The Commercial

He felt his life was a wreck. He felt ill, old and hopeless. He had the cold company of loneliness and rancour. He longed for love, but nobody loved him. Suddenly, he saw the enormous naive eyes of a happy baby on a television commercial. Then he smiled without bitterness.

Disliking Robots

"I don't like robots," I said to my new boss after a cup of coffee. "I hate them, I don't like working with cold machines."  "Perhaps you really should try to open your mind." My boss put down his cup and opened his body, then put two new batteries inside.

Young Darwinian

Their son was three. He seemed to understand everything they used to talk about. One day they were talking about “Darwinism”. They told him that men and women came from apes. Then, the kid asked his mother: “Mum, when you were a monkey, did you also live in the trees?”

A moment of glory

Last year I hired a private guitar instructor. I trained very hard. My school’s principal asked me to play a song in front of my students in the Christmas Festival. When I started with the first notes, one of the strings broke. Everybody began to laugh. My performance had finished.

Butterflies

Johnny’s parents never took him to the zoo or circus. They told him that all animals should roam free. On the morning of his first day at school, Johnny was found covered in blood. He’d slit his own stomach. Somehow he recovered. “I had butterflies in my stomach,” he explained. 

Brave Boy

The boy dislocated his foot and was taken to a surgeon. It was a difficult operation performed without anesthetic. To the doctor’s surprise, the boy didn’t utter a sound. After surgery, the boy told the doctor “If my mother had heard me crying, that would have caused her stronger pain.”

A happy man

I am a warlord in Japan. No doubt I am very fond of swords. I ordered one to the best sword maker in the country. Yesterday he came into my castle with it. I tested it beheading four servants in a row. I am very pleased with my new sword.