«That night, they chose to stop the motion that had
been pushing them further away from each other and commit themselves to slowly
restore the bond they still shared but did not seem to remember anymore.»
By Raquel R.
in Short Story number 9
«It’s enough for me to be sure that you and I exist at
this moment.»
«And, by the time she reached the dinner table, she
already knew that something had changed in the way he used to look at her. It
almost seemed as if he was looking at her for the first time.»
By Raquel R. in Short Story number 9
«The power of a glance has been so much abused in love
stories, that it has come to be disbelieved in. Few people dare now to say that
two beings have fallen in love because they have looked at each other. Yet it
is in this way that love begins, and in this way only.»
«They both executed the movements with pristine
precision, as if they were actors in a play, and everything had to be according
to the script, leaving no margin for improvisation.»
By Raquel R.
in Short Story number 9
«There is always some madness in love. But there is
also always some reason in madness.»
Short Story number 8: Inspired by the song «You will become» by Glen
Hansard from the solo album Rhythm and Repose.
The summer sun had just initiated the temporary descent from its glorious
throne, leaving behind its majestic luminous mantle, until it finally faded
beyond the visible horizon. The brightness and splendor of daylight began to slowly
subside into an explosion of colours, tingeing every surface with an almost
ethereal golden glow of yellowish and reddish tones, scattering its softness
everywhere, revealing a new perspective of the ordinary or unveiling hidden
details of the common, unexpectedly painting a surprising portrait of the
usual.
As
nature took its course, creating an infinity of magic moments, that unfolded,
only before the eyes of those willing to see, the shadows generated by the last
rays of sun paved the wood floor of the hallway, with a succession of
never-ending and ever changing patterns and shapes.
Suddenly, the sound of her energetic footsteps filled the air,
disturbing the peace of the enchanted atmosphere. It was laundry day and as a
mother of two, she briskly went through every room in the house, submitting to
the scrutiny of her critical eye, every doubtful item of clothing or similar,
which having failed to meet her strict cleaning standards, was efficiently
subtracted from its functions and collected into the basket she carried along
with her.
Ever since she could remember, she has always been quite fond of
executing all the daily chores required to maintain a flawless functioning of
the household. As, the sometimes hard journey of self knowledge taught her, in
order to maintain her sanity, she needed to, now and then, during the course of
the day, let her mind and thoughts roam free from the constraints and shackles
of all the worries, insecurities and little tragedies that are part of the
essence of being human. She discovered that a temporary relief from all the
pressure was easily obtained, by a diligent engagement of all her senses in the
execution of the daily activities, which are often disregarded by some and
utterly avoided by others.
She was absorbed in that particular mind-set, where the purest thoughts
dwell, when suddenly, she found herself facing the door to her oldest son’s
bedroom. Even though her attention was engaged in a specific action and
directed to a specific purpose, she felt, for a split nanosecond, that her
instinct was trying to whisper something to her in its peculiar and sometimes
undecipherable language. Those messages, which are sent to us by whoever or
whatever entity that rules the universe, can come to us assuming a myriad of
manifestations. Still all of them, if correctly perceived can provide us with
valuable information that allow us to stir our life in the right direction.
Although her son’s bedroom was no longer part of the cleaning spree
circuit, since he recently moved away to his own house, she was still not able
to break the pattern and resist the temptation of conducting a weekly
inspection of its hygienic conditions. She could not exactly pinpoint what it
was, but this time, something made her hesitate before opening the bedroom’s
door. So, she stood there, on the empty hallway, surrounded by the last fading
shadows, which lingered behind as reminiscences of another day that had just
come to an end. In the midst of the silence that reigned in the house, she
could not help thinking that behind that closed door, once existed, a kind of
magical territory, inside which, a new life, her son’s life, slowly bloomed. It
was within the boundaries of that secluded and protected realm that the first
steps toward his emancipation were taken. It was there where he gradually
unveiled the secrets and wonders of life and, where he safely returned when his
heart was broken by his first love or needed to lick his wounds after a lost
battle.
She raised her hand and touched the wooden door. Then she leaned her
head against the door’s surface as if she was trying to hear something from the
other side. She closed her eyes and listened carefully. On the other side of
that threshold, where the past and present intertwined, she could still hear
the echoes of his voice while he sang, countless times, his favourite song,
like a mantra to the universe.
Downstairs, the sound of the keys turning on the door’s lock pulled her
away from the sweet memories. Her youngest child was returning home from school.
At that point she decided not to open the bedroom’s door. It was time
that she set him free and let him find his own path. She was sure that wherever
life will take him, he would be safe, because he carried her love in his heart
and for that reason, he would know, that she would always be there for him, if
he needed.
She tucked in the last item of clothing on basket and smiled. A strong
sense of gratitude invaded her heart and she felt blessed for having been able
to witness one the most amazing miracles in life: the growth and transformation
of a precious human being.
«Until that moment finally arrives, she would resist
the temptation of following the easiest path and solemnly refuse to deny the
possibility of the existence of this inexplicable bond that can be mysteriously
woven between two souls and stand the test of times. »
By Raquel R.
in Short Story number 7
«What Is Love? I have met in the streets a very poor
young man who was in love. His hat was old, his coat worn, the water passed
through his shoes and the stars through his soul.»
«She learned to tame her expectations and accept the
fact that, all the variables implicated on her quest to find the pure feeling
are beyond one’s control. Yet, she trusted that the universe will whisper on
her ear the exact coordinates to guide her to this secluded place where magic
happens and two unsuspected beings can finally find each other.»
By Raquel R. in Short Story number 7
To a stranger
Passing stranger! you
do not know how longingly I look upon you,
You must be he I was seeking, or she I was seeking, (it comes to me
as of a dream,)
I have somewhere surely lived a life of joy with you,
All is recall'd as we flit by each other, fluid, affectionate,
chaste, matured,
You grew up with me, were a boy with me or a girl with me,
I ate with you and slept with you, your body has become not yours
only nor left my body mine only,
You give me the pleasure of your eyes, face, flesh, as we pass, you
take of my beard, breast, hands, in return,
I am not to speak to you, I am to think of you when I sit alone or
wake at night alone,
I am to wait, I do not doubt I am to meet you again,
«She had been relentlessly enduring her search with
serenity on her heart and a smile on her face, for she realized that certain
things cannot be forced, as they demand from the future bearers a meticulous preparation,
which can only be earned by the sum of all the defeats.»
By Raquel R. in Short Story number 7
«I still haven’t found you,
but I wait patiently for the day you come into my life. The thoughts of you in
my dreams are worth all the lonely nights. I will fill my heart with love until
the day I have the chance to give it all to you.»
«But, the more she chased it, the more it got away
from her, the harder she tried to make it work, the faster it broke apart and
disappeared into thin air. Every time she thought she was close to her
destination, a succession of unpredictable and improbable events, seemed to
converge together, making her lose her way, and all her efforts to grasp its
essence would end ingloriously, without leaving a visible trace, condemned to
slowly fade away like an old photograph neglected by time. »
By Raquel R.
in Short Story number 7
« Love is the triumph
of imagination over intelligence.»
«She longed for the unquestionable certainty that the
real feeling infuses into every inch of one’s being, obliterating the tiniest
specks of doubts, that circle around one’s willingness to let the guard down,
like hungry sharks waiting to feed on the prey.»
By Raquel R. in Short Story number 7
somewhere i have never
travelled, gladly beyond
any experience, your eyes have
their silence:
in your most frail gesture are
things which enclose me,
or which i cannot touch
because they are too near
your slightest look easily
will unclose me
though i have closed myself as
fingers,
you open always petal by petal
myself as Spring opens
(touching skillfully, mysteriously)
her first rose
or if your wish be to close
me, i and
my life will shut very
beautifully, suddenly,
as when the heart of this
flower imagines
the snow carefully everywhere
descending;
nothing which we are to
perceive in this world equals
the power of your intense
fragility: whose texture
«He felt in awe with her presence and her eyes spoke
to him in the inexplicable language of those sharing the indestructible bond of
embracing each other, exactly as they were, without any reservations.»
By Raquel R.
in Short Story number 6
«For one human being to love another;
that is perhaps the most difficult of all our tasks, the ultimate, the last
test and proof, the work for which all other work is but preparation.»
