The stories are news features inspired by Lynne Tillman's short story "Little Tales of New York"
1.
By Andrea and Maja R.
The story
I always wake up earlier than my master. I do that so that I get to be the first thing he sees in the morning!
He holds me in his arms when we are sleeping. It feels nice, especially because it sometimes gets so cold at night.
We usually sleep outside. That is because that we’re outdoorsy!
I wondered what we were going to do that day? My master always takes me with him wherever he goes. I’m his best friend and he is mine! We always start the day off with breakfast. My master gets up on my back (my master is very small so we get around much faster when he sits on my back and I walk us both around) and then we go on looking for food. Sometimes we get some food from other people who want to give us their food and other times we find delicious food in something my master calls “damn dumpsters”. I call them “food surprises”, because you never know what you will find to eat!
But that day my master didn’t want to eat. He just patted me on my head and got up on my back.
People always stare at us when we walk by. My master always wears a black hat he never wears any other. And he also wears a big coat that would reach all the way down. But I think that they stare at us because they can see that we are the best’est friends in the entire world!
We went around the streets of our usual neighbourhood. We would often move around to different places. Not long time ago we lived in a big green park – I liked living there! So many trees to sniff!
I tried to make my master laugh by doing all the usual things that I knew would make him in a better mood. I shook my whole body so that he would laugh but it didn’t work. Then I barked in a way that made it seem like I was singing and all the people around us stared and some even laughed, but not my master. He just smiled briefly at me and then looked sad again.
I couldn’t make him laugh today. Why was he not happy? I was happy. I loved him. He loved me. We were together as always. Why wasn’t he happy?
He lightly poked me in my right side with his foot, which means that I should turn right. And so I did. My master made me turn many times and we walked around like that for a long time. Then we walked over this enormous bridge, which I only had seen from a distance at night; because at night the bridge would lighten up and shine all over the lake it was build on. I loved that bridge.
I don’t anymore.
After we had been walking about halfway over the bridge my master gently poked me with both of his feet, which I knew meant that I should stop. And so I did. My master then jumped down from my back and just stared out in the distance from the bridge. I thought that was nice so I sat down next to him and we enjoyed the view together. I loved it! I loved my master!
After sitting on the big bridge for a very long while, my master turned his head and looked at me. I saw that he was crying. He lifted his hand and scratched me behind my ear. He then got up, and for the first time in my entire life he lifted me so that I would lie in his arms. He then walked closer to the edge, kissed me on my forehead, squeezed me tighter, and then he jumped.
We went through the air for something that felt like eternity. None of us made a sound. I just looked up on my master and saw his face, which was filled with tears and I felt him holding me tight.
We hit the water hard. My master’s grip around me loosened and he slipped away from me. I had to find him! I had to safe him! I swam around the ice-cold water looking for my only and dearest friend. Then I saw his black hat, which he had never taken of, and not far from it I could see his small body. When I reached him I was so thrilled that I had found him! I grabbed his collar with my mouth and tried to keep him close to me. I’d never let him go again. I swam towards the shore and at the shore I could see some people watching us. They would help us. A man came towards us and another man joined. One of them took my master under his arm and the other man grabbed me.
That was the last time I saw my master. They separated us. Someone said something about my master had “kicked the bucket”, but I didn’t see any bucket?
They took me to where I am now. A cold, dark place with other dogs barking and calling me names.
I miss my master and all day long I sit in my cell waiting for my friend to come and take us home.
The story
I always wake up earlier than my master. I do that so that I get to be the first thing he sees in the morning!
He holds me in his arms when we are sleeping. It feels nice, especially because it sometimes gets so cold at night.
We usually sleep outside. That is because that we’re outdoorsy!
I wondered what we were going to do that day? My master always takes me with him wherever he goes. I’m his best friend and he is mine! We always start the day off with breakfast. My master gets up on my back (my master is very small so we get around much faster when he sits on my back and I walk us both around) and then we go on looking for food. Sometimes we get some food from other people who want to give us their food and other times we find delicious food in something my master calls “damn dumpsters”. I call them “food surprises”, because you never know what you will find to eat!
But that day my master didn’t want to eat. He just patted me on my head and got up on my back.
People always stare at us when we walk by. My master always wears a black hat he never wears any other. And he also wears a big coat that would reach all the way down. But I think that they stare at us because they can see that we are the best’est friends in the entire world!
We went around the streets of our usual neighbourhood. We would often move around to different places. Not long time ago we lived in a big green park – I liked living there! So many trees to sniff!
I tried to make my master laugh by doing all the usual things that I knew would make him in a better mood. I shook my whole body so that he would laugh but it didn’t work. Then I barked in a way that made it seem like I was singing and all the people around us stared and some even laughed, but not my master. He just smiled briefly at me and then looked sad again.
I couldn’t make him laugh today. Why was he not happy? I was happy. I loved him. He loved me. We were together as always. Why wasn’t he happy?
He lightly poked me in my right side with his foot, which means that I should turn right. And so I did. My master made me turn many times and we walked around like that for a long time. Then we walked over this enormous bridge, which I only had seen from a distance at night; because at night the bridge would lighten up and shine all over the lake it was build on. I loved that bridge.
I don’t anymore.
After we had been walking about halfway over the bridge my master gently poked me with both of his feet, which I knew meant that I should stop. And so I did. My master then jumped down from my back and just stared out in the distance from the bridge. I thought that was nice so I sat down next to him and we enjoyed the view together. I loved it! I loved my master!
After sitting on the big bridge for a very long while, my master turned his head and looked at me. I saw that he was crying. He lifted his hand and scratched me behind my ear. He then got up, and for the first time in my entire life he lifted me so that I would lie in his arms. He then walked closer to the edge, kissed me on my forehead, squeezed me tighter, and then he jumped.
We went through the air for something that felt like eternity. None of us made a sound. I just looked up on my master and saw his face, which was filled with tears and I felt him holding me tight.
We hit the water hard. My master’s grip around me loosened and he slipped away from me. I had to find him! I had to safe him! I swam around the ice-cold water looking for my only and dearest friend. Then I saw his black hat, which he had never taken of, and not far from it I could see his small body. When I reached him I was so thrilled that I had found him! I grabbed his collar with my mouth and tried to keep him close to me. I’d never let him go again. I swam towards the shore and at the shore I could see some people watching us. They would help us. A man came towards us and another man joined. One of them took my master under his arm and the other man grabbed me.
That was the last time I saw my master. They separated us. Someone said something about my master had “kicked the bucket”, but I didn’t see any bucket?
They took me to where I am now. A cold, dark place with other dogs barking and calling me names.
I miss my master and all day long I sit in my cell waiting for my friend to come and take us home.
2.
By August and Andreas
The obsession
They always had a hard time at Annas home. It was like her and her parents just didn’t fit together. they had fights almost every day, and kept yelling at eachother until Annas parents told her to go to her room and think about what she had done.
This weird and kind of hatefull relationship started in a very early age. Her parents were very strict and proper people, and their many weird and old manors and ways of behavior had always droven Anna out of her mind. So she was reliefed when she in her teenage years found out that they weren’t actually her real parents. They told her at her 16 years birthday and she felt like it was the best present ever, finally she could get rid of her foster-parents.
As soon she turned 18 she moved from her parents house in Queens to her own little apartment in the lower Mahanttan.
She got a day job as a waiter on a little semi-rated italian restaurant and at night she worked as a ticket salesman in Landmarks Loew’s Jersey Theatre.
She got a boyfriend, a guy named Dave who was the dishwasher at the restaurant. They started dating and after a couple of months he moved in. Anna was happy for her relationship, but everytime they were in at Daves parents in Colorado she felt an empty hole. She missed having a family someone who she could turn to when she was sad and someone to be with at holidays and special times.
One day Dave propossed to Anna, she was happy but had to tell him that she couldnt get married before she had found her real biological mother, because she wanted her to be at the wedding. Dave agreed and they started to search for Annas mom.
It began to be an obsession to Anna, she first quit her day job so she had more time for the researching. She hired a private detective for the job, but with no money and no progress she fired him after a couple of months. The search took over Annas life, she also quit her job at the Landmarks Loew’s Jersey Theatre, with no jobs the couples economy layed of Daves job as a secretary on a little office that he had finally gotten after studying for a couple of years while working as a dishwwasher.
After 5 years Dave was sick and tired of Annas obsession with finding her mom. He told her that if she didnt quit the search and went back to her normal life and got her jobs back, he would leave her. She told him that she loved him but that she couldnt give up searching for her biological mother, so Dave packed his stuff , smacked the door and Anna never saw him again.
15 years later, finally there were a breakthrough in her searching for her mother. She found her mothers adress from the adoptioncompany that she had used.
She went to the adress on Staten Island, dressed up in her finest dress and with flowers and chocolate for her mother and ringed her mothers doorbell. A young woman, maybe 10 years younger than Anna opened the door. Anna told her what she were there for and the young woman told her to come in. On the couch in the little living room an old lady sat. Anna went to her and told her who she was, her mother started crying of happiness and hugged her daughter. She told Anna that she had to meet her sister, Brita. The young woman who opened the door came in the living room and hugged Anna. Suddenly Anna got this strange feeling, why did she get adopted when Brita didnt? She started crying and said to her mother that she couldnt handle it right now. She took things and went out of door again.
When she got home, she started to realise how much of a mess her life was. She was almost 40 now, and she stil didn’t have a husband. Or a boyfriend for that matter. The last one was Dave, and that was about 15 years since now. She didn’t have a job, she had sold all of her furniture, and now when she had met her mother, it felt like she had nothing left to do with her life. She sat down on the floor, crying, and regretted what she had done
The obsession
They always had a hard time at Annas home. It was like her and her parents just didn’t fit together. they had fights almost every day, and kept yelling at eachother until Annas parents told her to go to her room and think about what she had done.
This weird and kind of hatefull relationship started in a very early age. Her parents were very strict and proper people, and their many weird and old manors and ways of behavior had always droven Anna out of her mind. So she was reliefed when she in her teenage years found out that they weren’t actually her real parents. They told her at her 16 years birthday and she felt like it was the best present ever, finally she could get rid of her foster-parents.
As soon she turned 18 she moved from her parents house in Queens to her own little apartment in the lower Mahanttan.
She got a day job as a waiter on a little semi-rated italian restaurant and at night she worked as a ticket salesman in Landmarks Loew’s Jersey Theatre.
She got a boyfriend, a guy named Dave who was the dishwasher at the restaurant. They started dating and after a couple of months he moved in. Anna was happy for her relationship, but everytime they were in at Daves parents in Colorado she felt an empty hole. She missed having a family someone who she could turn to when she was sad and someone to be with at holidays and special times.
One day Dave propossed to Anna, she was happy but had to tell him that she couldnt get married before she had found her real biological mother, because she wanted her to be at the wedding. Dave agreed and they started to search for Annas mom.
It began to be an obsession to Anna, she first quit her day job so she had more time for the researching. She hired a private detective for the job, but with no money and no progress she fired him after a couple of months. The search took over Annas life, she also quit her job at the Landmarks Loew’s Jersey Theatre, with no jobs the couples economy layed of Daves job as a secretary on a little office that he had finally gotten after studying for a couple of years while working as a dishwwasher.
After 5 years Dave was sick and tired of Annas obsession with finding her mom. He told her that if she didnt quit the search and went back to her normal life and got her jobs back, he would leave her. She told him that she loved him but that she couldnt give up searching for her biological mother, so Dave packed his stuff , smacked the door and Anna never saw him again.
15 years later, finally there were a breakthrough in her searching for her mother. She found her mothers adress from the adoptioncompany that she had used.
She went to the adress on Staten Island, dressed up in her finest dress and with flowers and chocolate for her mother and ringed her mothers doorbell. A young woman, maybe 10 years younger than Anna opened the door. Anna told her what she were there for and the young woman told her to come in. On the couch in the little living room an old lady sat. Anna went to her and told her who she was, her mother started crying of happiness and hugged her daughter. She told Anna that she had to meet her sister, Brita. The young woman who opened the door came in the living room and hugged Anna. Suddenly Anna got this strange feeling, why did she get adopted when Brita didnt? She started crying and said to her mother that she couldnt handle it right now. She took things and went out of door again.
When she got home, she started to realise how much of a mess her life was. She was almost 40 now, and she stil didn’t have a husband. Or a boyfriend for that matter. The last one was Dave, and that was about 15 years since now. She didn’t have a job, she had sold all of her furniture, and now when she had met her mother, it felt like she had nothing left to do with her life. She sat down on the floor, crying, and regretted what she had done
3.
By August Wichmann & Victor Ghaznawi
13-feet of Bronx
The psychologist looked at her board.
“So tell me Ms. ... Smith, what exactly happened to your boy?”
“Well, first of all my two teenage sons, absolutely loved snakes. They even kept a 13-foot snake in our apartment.”
Mrs. Smith smiled nervously at the psychologist.
“They both hoped that they could one day make a career out of caring for reptiles. They we’re so full of love, and cared so much for those creatures. They would spend all their time at the zoo. But one day, when I was at work, an accident occurred with the snake.”
“Mrs. Smith, what was this accident that occurred?”
“Well, as I said, I was at work, so i wasn’t home to look after my sons at the time. He must have been feeding the snake with live chickens, cause when we found him, there was feathers and blood all over, and the snake was still coiled around him, squeezing his body. It took me over a week to clean it out. But at least nobody complained or pressed charges … that’s one of the benefits of living in one of the worse neighborhoods.”
The psychologist looked at Ms. Smith with an expression that seemed to be equal amounts of interest and fear.
“How did finding the body of your son affect you?”
“Well, I called the police as it seemed the only thing I could do at the time … and …”
The psychologist interrupted her.
“Sorry Ms. Smith, I think you misunderstood my question. How did finding your son make you feel? What emotions went through you at the time?”
“My other boy and I were of course terrified. Finding him like that was simply horrifying, no mother should ever have to go through that. I can’t describe the misery I felt at the time.”
Ms. Smith said this without any emotion.
The psychologist looked at her papers.
“Did it not occur to you, to ask your sons to get rid of the snake, before the accident?”
“I did, but they said that they truly loved it. A mother cannot ask her sons to get rid of something they love that much. Both my boys cried for days after I asked them to get rid of it.”
“So have you gotten rid of the snake now?”
“Yes, of course, I will not have an animal that does such terrible things in my apartment. But I did by my other son a new snake. A smaller green one. It was very expensive for such a small animal.”
Ms. Smith laughed.
“He loves reptiles so much.”
The psychologist smiled nervously.
“I’m afraid our time is up Ms. Smith. I would like you to go visit a colleague of mine, Dr. Adams, he’s a psychiatrist, and here is his card. See you Monday”
Ms. Smith took the card and walked out the door.
13-feet of Bronx
The psychologist looked at her board.
“So tell me Ms. ... Smith, what exactly happened to your boy?”
“Well, first of all my two teenage sons, absolutely loved snakes. They even kept a 13-foot snake in our apartment.”
Mrs. Smith smiled nervously at the psychologist.
“They both hoped that they could one day make a career out of caring for reptiles. They we’re so full of love, and cared so much for those creatures. They would spend all their time at the zoo. But one day, when I was at work, an accident occurred with the snake.”
“Mrs. Smith, what was this accident that occurred?”
“Well, as I said, I was at work, so i wasn’t home to look after my sons at the time. He must have been feeding the snake with live chickens, cause when we found him, there was feathers and blood all over, and the snake was still coiled around him, squeezing his body. It took me over a week to clean it out. But at least nobody complained or pressed charges … that’s one of the benefits of living in one of the worse neighborhoods.”
The psychologist looked at Ms. Smith with an expression that seemed to be equal amounts of interest and fear.
“How did finding the body of your son affect you?”
“Well, I called the police as it seemed the only thing I could do at the time … and …”
The psychologist interrupted her.
“Sorry Ms. Smith, I think you misunderstood my question. How did finding your son make you feel? What emotions went through you at the time?”
“My other boy and I were of course terrified. Finding him like that was simply horrifying, no mother should ever have to go through that. I can’t describe the misery I felt at the time.”
Ms. Smith said this without any emotion.
The psychologist looked at her papers.
“Did it not occur to you, to ask your sons to get rid of the snake, before the accident?”
“I did, but they said that they truly loved it. A mother cannot ask her sons to get rid of something they love that much. Both my boys cried for days after I asked them to get rid of it.”
“So have you gotten rid of the snake now?”
“Yes, of course, I will not have an animal that does such terrible things in my apartment. But I did by my other son a new snake. A smaller green one. It was very expensive for such a small animal.”
Ms. Smith laughed.
“He loves reptiles so much.”
The psychologist smiled nervously.
“I’m afraid our time is up Ms. Smith. I would like you to go visit a colleague of mine, Dr. Adams, he’s a psychiatrist, and here is his card. See you Monday”
Ms. Smith took the card and walked out the door.
4.
By Daniel and Johan
His stomach was filled with butterflies when he woke up early in the morning, after an almost sleepless night. His wife was still sleeping, so he silently left the bedroom and went down the stairs into the kitchen. He made himself a big, healthy breakfast. It’s very important to eat quite a bit in the morning before a competition, as it helps the stomach expand. Eggs, bacon with toast and baked beans plus a PB & J sandwich with a couple of glasses of orange juice. It was then time for work for Mr. Ed Krachie. He opened the garage door, went into his Dodge Ram and hit the ignition button.
He arrived at exactly 7.30 AM as always, at the QFT (Queen’s Film Theatre), where he worked as the manager. A pretty decent job with many perks. Free movies for life and 20$ of candy a week, which he appreciated very much! It’s not hard to see that he had these perks, as he weighed in at 320-pounds.
After his usual 6-hour shift, he went home to prepare for the competition. His wife greeted him, at the door with a 2-foot Club Sandwich. The competition started at 6 PM, so he just had time for a two-three hour nap, so he could ensure that he was ready and well rested.
Ed woke up at 5 PM from his nap, and he now felt completely ready for the competition. His opponent was a newcomer from Japan. Apparently he was the eating champion over there, but he was totally unknown in the states. Ed arrived at Nathan’s Famous on Coney Island, where the competition was being held, and was greeted by all of his friends wishing him good luck. The butterflies slowly started rumbling in his stomach. He sat down at the table where the 30 official competition hotdogs was being stacked perfectly on a plate by the two judges. As soon as the two judges finished stacking, the Japanese champion Hirofumi showed up at the entrance. He weighed in at only 144-pounds compared to “Animal’s’” (Ed Krachie’s nickname) massive 320-pound. After greeting they both sat down at the table again, and the countdown clock started ticking. 30 seconds, 20 seconds, 10 seconds, 0 seconds and they were off! 12 minutes on the clock, and everyone was cheering for Ed. Everyone was expecting him to win as well, as he was the current world record holder. They started out neck and neck through the first ten hotdogs, but after Ed’s 14th hotdog, he noticed that Hirofumi suddenly was two hotdogs in front of him. “How the hell can that puny little Asian beat me?!” thought Ed, and started eating even faster fueled by his anger. As the competition went into its final 2 minutes had Ed fallen behind by three franks. Hirofumi was at a staggering total of 21 hotdogs at that moment, and it seemed like he was going to beat the unbeatable “Animal”. “DING DING DING DING DING” rang the clock, and the competition was over. The judges carefully inspected the remains of the hotdog plate, which was now a grueling mess of meat, bread, ketchup and mustard. “Twenty-three and a half franks!” yelled one of the judges and pointed at Hirofumi. “The new world record holder and champion - Hirofumi Nakajima of Japan!” The whole crowd dropped their jaws as they heard that the scrawny little Asian had won against the gigantic “Animal”. Everyone applauded, including Ed, as Hirofumi got on top of the podium and received his trophy. Ed was a little envious, but he realized that he was beat by the best. As he said after his loss: ”When I first saw how small he was, I was ready to pick up a copy of the Daily News and read while I was eating. But he was on his game.”
His stomach was filled with butterflies when he woke up early in the morning, after an almost sleepless night. His wife was still sleeping, so he silently left the bedroom and went down the stairs into the kitchen. He made himself a big, healthy breakfast. It’s very important to eat quite a bit in the morning before a competition, as it helps the stomach expand. Eggs, bacon with toast and baked beans plus a PB & J sandwich with a couple of glasses of orange juice. It was then time for work for Mr. Ed Krachie. He opened the garage door, went into his Dodge Ram and hit the ignition button.
He arrived at exactly 7.30 AM as always, at the QFT (Queen’s Film Theatre), where he worked as the manager. A pretty decent job with many perks. Free movies for life and 20$ of candy a week, which he appreciated very much! It’s not hard to see that he had these perks, as he weighed in at 320-pounds.
After his usual 6-hour shift, he went home to prepare for the competition. His wife greeted him, at the door with a 2-foot Club Sandwich. The competition started at 6 PM, so he just had time for a two-three hour nap, so he could ensure that he was ready and well rested.
Ed woke up at 5 PM from his nap, and he now felt completely ready for the competition. His opponent was a newcomer from Japan. Apparently he was the eating champion over there, but he was totally unknown in the states. Ed arrived at Nathan’s Famous on Coney Island, where the competition was being held, and was greeted by all of his friends wishing him good luck. The butterflies slowly started rumbling in his stomach. He sat down at the table where the 30 official competition hotdogs was being stacked perfectly on a plate by the two judges. As soon as the two judges finished stacking, the Japanese champion Hirofumi showed up at the entrance. He weighed in at only 144-pounds compared to “Animal’s’” (Ed Krachie’s nickname) massive 320-pound. After greeting they both sat down at the table again, and the countdown clock started ticking. 30 seconds, 20 seconds, 10 seconds, 0 seconds and they were off! 12 minutes on the clock, and everyone was cheering for Ed. Everyone was expecting him to win as well, as he was the current world record holder. They started out neck and neck through the first ten hotdogs, but after Ed’s 14th hotdog, he noticed that Hirofumi suddenly was two hotdogs in front of him. “How the hell can that puny little Asian beat me?!” thought Ed, and started eating even faster fueled by his anger. As the competition went into its final 2 minutes had Ed fallen behind by three franks. Hirofumi was at a staggering total of 21 hotdogs at that moment, and it seemed like he was going to beat the unbeatable “Animal”. “DING DING DING DING DING” rang the clock, and the competition was over. The judges carefully inspected the remains of the hotdog plate, which was now a grueling mess of meat, bread, ketchup and mustard. “Twenty-three and a half franks!” yelled one of the judges and pointed at Hirofumi. “The new world record holder and champion - Hirofumi Nakajima of Japan!” The whole crowd dropped their jaws as they heard that the scrawny little Asian had won against the gigantic “Animal”. Everyone applauded, including Ed, as Hirofumi got on top of the podium and received his trophy. Ed was a little envious, but he realized that he was beat by the best. As he said after his loss: ”When I first saw how small he was, I was ready to pick up a copy of the Daily News and read while I was eating. But he was on his game.”
5.
By Gertrud og Emma
A few years ago a man whose name was Christopher lived in a small apartment in Bronx, New York. He was a skinny strangely looking man in his sixties, with a big beard and almost no hair on his head. Usually Christopher would be wearing a coat, some big boots and a pair of heavy glasses when he was walking around in the district. All though Bronx was, and still is, a densely populated borough in New York, Christopher lived all by himself. His small apartment was situated in the middle of Bronx - in a district which was known as the poorest of all. The flat was a penthouse that had a great view. Unfortunately Christopher was turning blind as the years passed by, and he could therefore not enjoy the wonderful view anymore. People who lived near him found it strange that he so often was sitting staring out of the window with his blind eyes. They often talked about how they did not feel secure having him around their children. In the beginning Christopher found it gloomy having no friends and family visiting him, and as time passed he began talking a bit with the children from his apartment block - and sometimes, when he felt the most lonely, he also talked to himself.
Spring was on it's way, and according to Christopher it was the best season of the year. Children would be playing in the backyard and sometimes families from the apartment block would gather and eat dinner outside. Christopher often spent his days sitting in his armchair while listening to the sounds of the city and the people talking around the block. He also enjoyed listening to the wind which made the apartment creak a little. It reminded him of his childhood where he also very much enjoyed playing in his little cabin in the tree. Another reason why Christopher enjoyed spring, was that doves would make nests between the roof tiles. And sometimes, when he sat very still in his chair, he could hear them twitter.
The neighbours suspicion grew as the time went. Every time they saw Cristopher playing with the kids on the community lot they always stopped to gaze for a minute, just to make sure no children was offended by the weird man. As the rumour of 'Christopher, the weird blind man who plays with the kids' spread in the city, the inhabitants started whispering in the corners. They would meet and talk on their grocery shopping and a common thought between the Bronx citizens arose: they had to get rid of that creepy man. They were determined to find out the secret they knew he had. Pedophilia was the greatest fear but they were desperate and hung on to all the little details that might indicate this. When someone saw Christopher give a kid a little snack while playing soccer on the lot, it was the biggest news among the citizens, and the fear of the creepy man grew stronger. One day a kid told his parents that he had given Christopher his picture. His parents went berserk and ordered this boy to never go see the man again. The boy was sad and tried to explain his and Christophers friendship, but the parents would not listen. Now they had to worry about Christopher having pictures of their kid and probably others too. As for Christopher he had the time of his life, and for the first time he felt like his life had a meaning. Joy filled his life as the kids had so much to give, and he started to forget that he was a loner. As he grew happier the people in the city’s reactions became angrier. He would walk down the street and suddenly feel a moist lump on his neck. Someone spit at him, and he didn’t know how to react. Suddenly it was not just that man, it was one more for every day that went by. The kids and Christopher had helped each other build a little ‘cave’, as they called it, on the lot.
Christopher went that day to the lot where the kids were waiting for him after they had been to school. Him, with his disgusting clothes – he felt gratitude fill his body. On his way only two had spit on him – that was now defined as a good day, and the kids were all so happy he almost burst to tears of happiness. That hot spring night he fell asleep in the cave with a feeling of a better future from now on.
It was windy sunday morning at 6am. Bronx was still asleep and the leaves were dancing in the wind as the grocer was about to open his shop. As he was about to put the local newspapers in its place, and he was choked as he read the headline. “homicide committed on local recluse”. Christopher who through a period of time has been accused for being a phedophile was found killed on an empty lot near by his home. According to the police it was a group assault, possibly from the local area. The assailants had tried to rip out his heart, surely a heartless crime.
A few years ago a man whose name was Christopher lived in a small apartment in Bronx, New York. He was a skinny strangely looking man in his sixties, with a big beard and almost no hair on his head. Usually Christopher would be wearing a coat, some big boots and a pair of heavy glasses when he was walking around in the district. All though Bronx was, and still is, a densely populated borough in New York, Christopher lived all by himself. His small apartment was situated in the middle of Bronx - in a district which was known as the poorest of all. The flat was a penthouse that had a great view. Unfortunately Christopher was turning blind as the years passed by, and he could therefore not enjoy the wonderful view anymore. People who lived near him found it strange that he so often was sitting staring out of the window with his blind eyes. They often talked about how they did not feel secure having him around their children. In the beginning Christopher found it gloomy having no friends and family visiting him, and as time passed he began talking a bit with the children from his apartment block - and sometimes, when he felt the most lonely, he also talked to himself.
Spring was on it's way, and according to Christopher it was the best season of the year. Children would be playing in the backyard and sometimes families from the apartment block would gather and eat dinner outside. Christopher often spent his days sitting in his armchair while listening to the sounds of the city and the people talking around the block. He also enjoyed listening to the wind which made the apartment creak a little. It reminded him of his childhood where he also very much enjoyed playing in his little cabin in the tree. Another reason why Christopher enjoyed spring, was that doves would make nests between the roof tiles. And sometimes, when he sat very still in his chair, he could hear them twitter.
The neighbours suspicion grew as the time went. Every time they saw Cristopher playing with the kids on the community lot they always stopped to gaze for a minute, just to make sure no children was offended by the weird man. As the rumour of 'Christopher, the weird blind man who plays with the kids' spread in the city, the inhabitants started whispering in the corners. They would meet and talk on their grocery shopping and a common thought between the Bronx citizens arose: they had to get rid of that creepy man. They were determined to find out the secret they knew he had. Pedophilia was the greatest fear but they were desperate and hung on to all the little details that might indicate this. When someone saw Christopher give a kid a little snack while playing soccer on the lot, it was the biggest news among the citizens, and the fear of the creepy man grew stronger. One day a kid told his parents that he had given Christopher his picture. His parents went berserk and ordered this boy to never go see the man again. The boy was sad and tried to explain his and Christophers friendship, but the parents would not listen. Now they had to worry about Christopher having pictures of their kid and probably others too. As for Christopher he had the time of his life, and for the first time he felt like his life had a meaning. Joy filled his life as the kids had so much to give, and he started to forget that he was a loner. As he grew happier the people in the city’s reactions became angrier. He would walk down the street and suddenly feel a moist lump on his neck. Someone spit at him, and he didn’t know how to react. Suddenly it was not just that man, it was one more for every day that went by. The kids and Christopher had helped each other build a little ‘cave’, as they called it, on the lot.
Christopher went that day to the lot where the kids were waiting for him after they had been to school. Him, with his disgusting clothes – he felt gratitude fill his body. On his way only two had spit on him – that was now defined as a good day, and the kids were all so happy he almost burst to tears of happiness. That hot spring night he fell asleep in the cave with a feeling of a better future from now on.
It was windy sunday morning at 6am. Bronx was still asleep and the leaves were dancing in the wind as the grocer was about to open his shop. As he was about to put the local newspapers in its place, and he was choked as he read the headline. “homicide committed on local recluse”. Christopher who through a period of time has been accused for being a phedophile was found killed on an empty lot near by his home. According to the police it was a group assault, possibly from the local area. The assailants had tried to rip out his heart, surely a heartless crime.
6.
By Max, Pelle & Oscar version 1
Intro
I would like to tell you all a very ironic and tragic story. It’s about two people, who used to love each other, but one day it all went wrong. Very, very wrong.
The wife’s story
Rachel Smith was shopping at Times Square. She had found a pair of expensive shoes worth $ 4000. She immediately went to the cashier to buy them. She swiped her Platinum American Express Gold Card through the machine and it made a funny peculiar sound. The cashier said “your card was denied”, she tried again as she thought she typed in the wrong code, but the card was denied again. Rachel was pissed off; she started yelling as she stormed out of the store. Rachel pulled out her phone just outside the store and phoned her husband, John Smith. When John picked up his phone, Rachel started yelling and demanded that he should transfer money to her account. John was in a meeting and refused the transfer. Rachel freaked out and kicked over a trashcan in rage and fury. She was in a bad mood the rest of the day.
At the end of the day she had to pick up the kids from school. On the way out she spots a senior student. He had a trained body, tanned skin, long blond hair like a surfer, Colgate smile, big blue eyes and a seashell necklace. Rachel was immediately drawn by his scent, so she decided to walk up to him. She asked him if he was interested in a job as her family’s pool boy. He accepts and they decided which day he should start. On the way home she couldn’t get the pool guy out of her head. He just smelled so good! In the evening, Rachel was cooking a delicious meal. At dinner Rachel told John that she had hired a pool boy. All John cared about was how much money he had to spend on the boy’s salary. Rachel told him it was $ 50 an hour. John instantly became frustrated because of his wife’s behavior. He said that $ 20 an hour was the highest he would pay, and not a dollar more. Rachel demanded a higher salary for the boy, because $ 20 would not be enough. They discussed for an hour and decided on a compromise, $ 30.
One day as the pool boy was cleaning the pool; Rachel was lying out in the sun. Rachel could not get her eyes off the sexy young man. She wanted him so bad. She started thinking; John was working late as usual and the kids were at their friends’ houses for the night. It couldwork. She decided to invite him in for drinks. One thing led to another and suddenly they were having sex. They kept the affair going for months and her marriage was not working at all. One day, after a huge argument between her and John, she decided to hire a hitman to kill John. She met with the hitman, who called himself “Georg” and he promised to get the job done.
The husband’s story
John Smith was having a meeting when his phone rang. He answered it, because the caller ID said “The wife”. When he picked it up, she started screaming and demanded him to transfer money to her account, because her card got rejected in a store. He did not want to do it, because of her constant demands. He hung up and apologized to his colleagues.
Later that night, they were sitting around the table and eating some really bad food, Rachel had prepared. Rachel told him, that she had hired a pool boy and she were willing to pay him 50$ pr. hour. He freaked out and told her that it was too much. After hours of discussing they finally agreed on a fee.
The days went by and the marriage wasn’t working at all. John had just recently hired a young, blond secretary named Stephanie. She wasn’t really smart, but very attractive. He hired her a couple of months ago, when he fired the old one. Even though she was good at her job, she was just too boring and not attractive at all. John used to work late almost every day and one day he did exactly that.Rachel was at home with the kids and he was stuck at the office. So he asked Stephanie to join him. And so she did. After a couple of hours, they got closer and closer and finally they had sex. The affair went on for months and at the same time the marriage started to fall more and more apart. One day, after a very bad fight between him and Rachel, he decided to hire a hitman and kill Rachel. He met with the hitman who called himself “Nigel”. He assured him that he would get the job done.
The end
Now they are sitting side by side in a cell. They contacted the same hitman and he turned out to be an undercover policeman. Ironic, isn’t it? They tried so hard to kill each other and now they are stuck in together for the rest of their miserable lives.
VERSION 2, by Laura M, Eva
Mr. and Mrs. Brown lived in Queens with their three children; Adam, Kati and Cassidy. The Browns’ lived an ordinary life. Mr. Brown worked as a bank assistant in the nearby bank, and Mrs. Brown was a household-mother, whose job was to take care of the daily activities at home. Her daily chores consisted of doing the laundry, cleaning the house and picking the kids up from school and dropping them off at soccer practice. This was not the life that Mrs. Brown had dreamt of. As a teenager she had always been a straight A’ student, and her life goal was to become a pediatrician. Due the her high marks, Mrs. Brown had been offered a full scholarship to the N.Y.U. During her first semester she had met Mr. Brown, who was studying economics, and they both fell in love. On the weekends he would take her out for long drives in his car and they would talk about all the amazing places they wanted to go with each other. One day, all of those plans fell to the ground when Mrs. Brown found out that she was pregnant. Because of their financial situation they moved in together in a small flat, and Mrs. Brown was forced to drop out of college. Back then, it seemed like the only possible solution, but now-and-again she got this sour feeling of regret.
Being a bank assistant, Mr. Brown was not very fond of spending money. His motto was: have, don’t spend. Mrs. Brown was very unhappy with this, but since she didn’t work, she was dependent of her husband's income. She used most of her energy saving money for food, and all the dreams she had had about travelling and seeing the world, had been shattered because of their poor living. Mr. Brown was a very strict person, and he did not like seeing his wife having a good time, when he did not. He worked from 7am to 6pm behind a desk collecting money, which was not revolutionary in any way. Mr. Brown’s lack of responsibility and power made him feel less as a man. Therefore he liked controlling what ever was possible. He made sure that his wife needed him, and that his children were firmly controlled and observed whenever he was near.
As a couple, the Brown’s were considered to be very admirable people. Their neighbours often speculated about the fact that they might have some sort of “dirty secret” that no one knew about, but that was said in a more kidding manner because everyone on the block considered the Browns to be the perfect family. The family all went to the local baptist church every Sunday and helped out with bake sales and charity at the children's school. Mrs. Brown always kept the house nice and tidy and Mr. Brown was never drunk or rude to anyone.
This illusion was not true at all though. Mr. and Mrs. Brown couldn’t stand one another, but instead of taking the annual fight, Mrs. Brown turned her back to her husband and began living her own life. Every Friday she would drop off the kids at their grandmother's house, and Mrs. Brown would go out to have a drink or two. As time went by, the kids lived more and more at their grandmother’s, and Mrs. Brown would drink way more than a glass or two. No one knew about this though, not even her husband. Mrs. Brown would make sure to erase all evidence of her binge drinking trips by throwing away the receipt and making up stories about going to the local book club.
One day she sat in the bar of some dodgy little nightclub. A man sat across her and seemed like, he was interested in getting in contact with her. She failed to notice, but the man scooped his chair against hers, and he made it clear, that he was interested. Mrs. Brown didn’t even think once about being married, and instead she decided to sleep with the guy. She felt happy, which was a feeling she had not felt in quite some time. Mrs. Brown would in several occasions, sneak out at night to see the other man. He was very handsome and spoke a lot about travelling experiences. He worked freelance as an architect, and loved spending money on beautiful things. Mrs. Brown endorsed the feeling of freedom, and soon enough she became the other guy’s mistress.
Mrs. Brown was not the only one who had secrets. During the last years of their marriage, Mr. Brown had also come to hate his wife. He hated how she always tried to blame him for their poor financial situation and how she never fully appreciated how hard he worked to keep the family together. She is an ungrateful bitch, he thought to himself sometimes when they laid in bed together at night. At one point, Mr. Brown decided to take action. He would simply not keep living his petty, insignificant life the way that he had up until now, so he went to the city on a Friday night with his single friends from the bank. The four men visited one of New York’s many nightclubs, a place where young women were plenty and the drinks were well above the average price. Mr. Brown had never felt so free in his entire life. Ever since they had had children, Mr. and Mrs. Brown had never gone out on the weekends, except on their anniversary once a year. This was like being 21 again, he thought to himself.
Next to him in in the bar, sat a beautiful young woman. She had long blond hair, and unlike Mrs. Brown she had put an effort into her appearance. They began to talk and he immediately fell in love with her. Mr. Brown and the young woman kept in contact for weeks after, and they secretly met every weekend. Mr. Brown excused himself by saying that he was going on business trips. One night at a sleazy motel, the young woman suggested that Mr. brown should get rid of his wife, so that they could live together instead. At first Mr. Brown was a bit shocked by the suggestion, but then it seemed to be the best solution for everyone. Mrs. Brown would never agree to get a divorce, and he quite frankly would not be able to pay for a good lawyer.
When he met up with the young woman later in the week, she gave him the phone number of an old boyfriend of hers who would be willing to “do the job” as she said. When he called the guy later that night, they agreed on the terms and Mr. Brown then withdrew the cash and met up with him in central park.
For a while Mrs. Brown was furtively happy, and then she had her lover go hire a hit man to kill her husband for 10.000$. She had saved up her meagre household allowance. She knew that getting her husband killed, would mean that she would get his life insurance, and become extremely wealthy! Her lover and herself would travel around the world, spending money at fancy hotels. So without knowing it, both Mr. and Mrs. Brown had been driven to the point of madness due to their broken dreams. They had now both paid money to have their spouse killed, without feeling any regret.
It did not take long for the police to spoil the plot though, and both the hit men and Mr. and Mrs. Brown were arrested. Once they found out that they had tried to kill each other, the couple broke into tears. The reality was so far from what they had expected of life. Now with both of them in jail, their kids were being looked after by their grandparents. This was what hurt them the most. They had not meant to harm their children, but they had been so caught up in their own desires that they had not thought of that a single time. After the trial both Mr. and Mrs. Brown were sentenced to jail and never had they been more miserable than now, even though they had gotten rid of each other.
Intro
I would like to tell you all a very ironic and tragic story. It’s about two people, who used to love each other, but one day it all went wrong. Very, very wrong.
The wife’s story
Rachel Smith was shopping at Times Square. She had found a pair of expensive shoes worth $ 4000. She immediately went to the cashier to buy them. She swiped her Platinum American Express Gold Card through the machine and it made a funny peculiar sound. The cashier said “your card was denied”, she tried again as she thought she typed in the wrong code, but the card was denied again. Rachel was pissed off; she started yelling as she stormed out of the store. Rachel pulled out her phone just outside the store and phoned her husband, John Smith. When John picked up his phone, Rachel started yelling and demanded that he should transfer money to her account. John was in a meeting and refused the transfer. Rachel freaked out and kicked over a trashcan in rage and fury. She was in a bad mood the rest of the day.
At the end of the day she had to pick up the kids from school. On the way out she spots a senior student. He had a trained body, tanned skin, long blond hair like a surfer, Colgate smile, big blue eyes and a seashell necklace. Rachel was immediately drawn by his scent, so she decided to walk up to him. She asked him if he was interested in a job as her family’s pool boy. He accepts and they decided which day he should start. On the way home she couldn’t get the pool guy out of her head. He just smelled so good! In the evening, Rachel was cooking a delicious meal. At dinner Rachel told John that she had hired a pool boy. All John cared about was how much money he had to spend on the boy’s salary. Rachel told him it was $ 50 an hour. John instantly became frustrated because of his wife’s behavior. He said that $ 20 an hour was the highest he would pay, and not a dollar more. Rachel demanded a higher salary for the boy, because $ 20 would not be enough. They discussed for an hour and decided on a compromise, $ 30.
One day as the pool boy was cleaning the pool; Rachel was lying out in the sun. Rachel could not get her eyes off the sexy young man. She wanted him so bad. She started thinking; John was working late as usual and the kids were at their friends’ houses for the night. It couldwork. She decided to invite him in for drinks. One thing led to another and suddenly they were having sex. They kept the affair going for months and her marriage was not working at all. One day, after a huge argument between her and John, she decided to hire a hitman to kill John. She met with the hitman, who called himself “Georg” and he promised to get the job done.
The husband’s story
John Smith was having a meeting when his phone rang. He answered it, because the caller ID said “The wife”. When he picked it up, she started screaming and demanded him to transfer money to her account, because her card got rejected in a store. He did not want to do it, because of her constant demands. He hung up and apologized to his colleagues.
Later that night, they were sitting around the table and eating some really bad food, Rachel had prepared. Rachel told him, that she had hired a pool boy and she were willing to pay him 50$ pr. hour. He freaked out and told her that it was too much. After hours of discussing they finally agreed on a fee.
The days went by and the marriage wasn’t working at all. John had just recently hired a young, blond secretary named Stephanie. She wasn’t really smart, but very attractive. He hired her a couple of months ago, when he fired the old one. Even though she was good at her job, she was just too boring and not attractive at all. John used to work late almost every day and one day he did exactly that.Rachel was at home with the kids and he was stuck at the office. So he asked Stephanie to join him. And so she did. After a couple of hours, they got closer and closer and finally they had sex. The affair went on for months and at the same time the marriage started to fall more and more apart. One day, after a very bad fight between him and Rachel, he decided to hire a hitman and kill Rachel. He met with the hitman who called himself “Nigel”. He assured him that he would get the job done.
The end
Now they are sitting side by side in a cell. They contacted the same hitman and he turned out to be an undercover policeman. Ironic, isn’t it? They tried so hard to kill each other and now they are stuck in together for the rest of their miserable lives.
VERSION 2, by Laura M, Eva
Mr. and Mrs. Brown lived in Queens with their three children; Adam, Kati and Cassidy. The Browns’ lived an ordinary life. Mr. Brown worked as a bank assistant in the nearby bank, and Mrs. Brown was a household-mother, whose job was to take care of the daily activities at home. Her daily chores consisted of doing the laundry, cleaning the house and picking the kids up from school and dropping them off at soccer practice. This was not the life that Mrs. Brown had dreamt of. As a teenager she had always been a straight A’ student, and her life goal was to become a pediatrician. Due the her high marks, Mrs. Brown had been offered a full scholarship to the N.Y.U. During her first semester she had met Mr. Brown, who was studying economics, and they both fell in love. On the weekends he would take her out for long drives in his car and they would talk about all the amazing places they wanted to go with each other. One day, all of those plans fell to the ground when Mrs. Brown found out that she was pregnant. Because of their financial situation they moved in together in a small flat, and Mrs. Brown was forced to drop out of college. Back then, it seemed like the only possible solution, but now-and-again she got this sour feeling of regret.
Being a bank assistant, Mr. Brown was not very fond of spending money. His motto was: have, don’t spend. Mrs. Brown was very unhappy with this, but since she didn’t work, she was dependent of her husband's income. She used most of her energy saving money for food, and all the dreams she had had about travelling and seeing the world, had been shattered because of their poor living. Mr. Brown was a very strict person, and he did not like seeing his wife having a good time, when he did not. He worked from 7am to 6pm behind a desk collecting money, which was not revolutionary in any way. Mr. Brown’s lack of responsibility and power made him feel less as a man. Therefore he liked controlling what ever was possible. He made sure that his wife needed him, and that his children were firmly controlled and observed whenever he was near.
As a couple, the Brown’s were considered to be very admirable people. Their neighbours often speculated about the fact that they might have some sort of “dirty secret” that no one knew about, but that was said in a more kidding manner because everyone on the block considered the Browns to be the perfect family. The family all went to the local baptist church every Sunday and helped out with bake sales and charity at the children's school. Mrs. Brown always kept the house nice and tidy and Mr. Brown was never drunk or rude to anyone.
This illusion was not true at all though. Mr. and Mrs. Brown couldn’t stand one another, but instead of taking the annual fight, Mrs. Brown turned her back to her husband and began living her own life. Every Friday she would drop off the kids at their grandmother's house, and Mrs. Brown would go out to have a drink or two. As time went by, the kids lived more and more at their grandmother’s, and Mrs. Brown would drink way more than a glass or two. No one knew about this though, not even her husband. Mrs. Brown would make sure to erase all evidence of her binge drinking trips by throwing away the receipt and making up stories about going to the local book club.
One day she sat in the bar of some dodgy little nightclub. A man sat across her and seemed like, he was interested in getting in contact with her. She failed to notice, but the man scooped his chair against hers, and he made it clear, that he was interested. Mrs. Brown didn’t even think once about being married, and instead she decided to sleep with the guy. She felt happy, which was a feeling she had not felt in quite some time. Mrs. Brown would in several occasions, sneak out at night to see the other man. He was very handsome and spoke a lot about travelling experiences. He worked freelance as an architect, and loved spending money on beautiful things. Mrs. Brown endorsed the feeling of freedom, and soon enough she became the other guy’s mistress.
Mrs. Brown was not the only one who had secrets. During the last years of their marriage, Mr. Brown had also come to hate his wife. He hated how she always tried to blame him for their poor financial situation and how she never fully appreciated how hard he worked to keep the family together. She is an ungrateful bitch, he thought to himself sometimes when they laid in bed together at night. At one point, Mr. Brown decided to take action. He would simply not keep living his petty, insignificant life the way that he had up until now, so he went to the city on a Friday night with his single friends from the bank. The four men visited one of New York’s many nightclubs, a place where young women were plenty and the drinks were well above the average price. Mr. Brown had never felt so free in his entire life. Ever since they had had children, Mr. and Mrs. Brown had never gone out on the weekends, except on their anniversary once a year. This was like being 21 again, he thought to himself.
Next to him in in the bar, sat a beautiful young woman. She had long blond hair, and unlike Mrs. Brown she had put an effort into her appearance. They began to talk and he immediately fell in love with her. Mr. Brown and the young woman kept in contact for weeks after, and they secretly met every weekend. Mr. Brown excused himself by saying that he was going on business trips. One night at a sleazy motel, the young woman suggested that Mr. brown should get rid of his wife, so that they could live together instead. At first Mr. Brown was a bit shocked by the suggestion, but then it seemed to be the best solution for everyone. Mrs. Brown would never agree to get a divorce, and he quite frankly would not be able to pay for a good lawyer.
When he met up with the young woman later in the week, she gave him the phone number of an old boyfriend of hers who would be willing to “do the job” as she said. When he called the guy later that night, they agreed on the terms and Mr. Brown then withdrew the cash and met up with him in central park.
For a while Mrs. Brown was furtively happy, and then she had her lover go hire a hit man to kill her husband for 10.000$. She had saved up her meagre household allowance. She knew that getting her husband killed, would mean that she would get his life insurance, and become extremely wealthy! Her lover and herself would travel around the world, spending money at fancy hotels. So without knowing it, both Mr. and Mrs. Brown had been driven to the point of madness due to their broken dreams. They had now both paid money to have their spouse killed, without feeling any regret.
It did not take long for the police to spoil the plot though, and both the hit men and Mr. and Mrs. Brown were arrested. Once they found out that they had tried to kill each other, the couple broke into tears. The reality was so far from what they had expected of life. Now with both of them in jail, their kids were being looked after by their grandparents. This was what hurt them the most. They had not meant to harm their children, but they had been so caught up in their own desires that they had not thought of that a single time. After the trial both Mr. and Mrs. Brown were sentenced to jail and never had they been more miserable than now, even though they had gotten rid of each other.
7.
By Maja Dreijer and Laura With Feldman
Nora
The blue curtains were down so the morning light could not get in, and the walls that were normally bright had a hint of grey in them, because they had not seen the sun for months. In the corner a Siamese cat with a creamy colored fur, black face, paws and light blue starring eyes was sitting still on a burgundy red armchair. Sometimes the deep silence in the room would be exchanged for the sound of the cat’s slow purring.
A big golden mirror was filling up the space on one of the walls. In front of it, a young girl was standing, looking at herself as she did every day. Sometimes she would stand there for hours; sometimes it would be only a quick glance before she turned her face away.
She was born 6 weeks early into a familywith hardworking parents who were always gone for business. She grew close to her nanny who basically raised her.
In the age of 13 the girl discovered her father having an affair with her nanny, and this became an incident, which she would never forget. The following months contained a lot of fighting between her parents who ended up getting an expensive divorce, and since then she lived with her mother.
The following years she only saw her father once a year, on her birthday. Everyday she wanted him to come back and apologize for everything. Even though she was angry with him for what he had done, she knew that she needed her father’s love. Unlike the young girl who turned very introvert as a person the mother began working harder and socialize with friends as an attempt to forget the past. This of course left the girl to herself many dark nights, and it gave her a lot of time to think and reflect about her broken family.
One day at school in the middle of the girl’s senior year, she got called down to the attendance office. Her hands were sweaty as she entered the cold air-conditioned office, and when she saw the faces of the two secretaries she immediately knew she wasn’t called down to discuss her problems with absence.
As she walked out the door her face had turned pale, and she didn’t notice the other students making their way to their next classes. She now realized that she would never find true happiness in her family, so she was determined to find it another way, no matter where it would take her.
Back in the room with the blue curtains, the girl’s reflection in the mirror became smaller as the weeks and months passed.. In the corner, the Siamese cat sat on its usual spot in the red armchair. It watched the girl’s eyes slowly roll out of her head as her body shrinked.
I was sitting in the college library one afternoon. I was bored as I tried to study for the finals, and my eyes started to wander. People were quiet, focused on their screens or rapt in their books. My eyes stopped at a girl who was searching the section of our school’s collection of yearbooks. She was wearing black jeans that fit loosely and a baggy sweatshirt with the initials of the school: NYU written in large block letters. As she reached up for a book on one of the top shelves, she flashed a little bit of her stomach. It was a horrible sight; the skin was stretched out as the skin on a drum, and her hipbones were sticking out. She looked around, and I saw the panic in her eyes when they met mine. At that moment I recognized her from the first day of school. I remember introducing myself, not getting anything back but a short “Hi, I’m Nora Tenues”, and since that day I hadn’t seen her on campus. I couldn’t help but notice that her eyes had grown big in her head. I needed some fresh air. On my way out the door, something hit me, and I stopped by the table where Nora was sitting. I asked if she was okay, and as I waited for her to answer I glanced down on the yearbook she was sitting with. A tear was rolling down the glossy page, and I followed its way until it passed a picture of a young graduate with dark hair like Nora’s and a serious look on his face. The name under it read: ‘Michael Tenues’.
The following weeks I actively tried to find Nora, but I never saw her. Every day I asked new people if they had seen her, but no one seemed to know her name, and I began to wonder if it was just my fickle mind that had been messing with me. Weeks went by and I slowly started to forget about the incident in the library until one day when I was sitting on a bench enjoying the weather. A Siamese cat with light blue eyes approached me and somehow it gave me chills. A sudden feeling of spring immediately filled up my body, and I could not help but smile.
Nora
The blue curtains were down so the morning light could not get in, and the walls that were normally bright had a hint of grey in them, because they had not seen the sun for months. In the corner a Siamese cat with a creamy colored fur, black face, paws and light blue starring eyes was sitting still on a burgundy red armchair. Sometimes the deep silence in the room would be exchanged for the sound of the cat’s slow purring.
A big golden mirror was filling up the space on one of the walls. In front of it, a young girl was standing, looking at herself as she did every day. Sometimes she would stand there for hours; sometimes it would be only a quick glance before she turned her face away.
She was born 6 weeks early into a familywith hardworking parents who were always gone for business. She grew close to her nanny who basically raised her.
In the age of 13 the girl discovered her father having an affair with her nanny, and this became an incident, which she would never forget. The following months contained a lot of fighting between her parents who ended up getting an expensive divorce, and since then she lived with her mother.
The following years she only saw her father once a year, on her birthday. Everyday she wanted him to come back and apologize for everything. Even though she was angry with him for what he had done, she knew that she needed her father’s love. Unlike the young girl who turned very introvert as a person the mother began working harder and socialize with friends as an attempt to forget the past. This of course left the girl to herself many dark nights, and it gave her a lot of time to think and reflect about her broken family.
One day at school in the middle of the girl’s senior year, she got called down to the attendance office. Her hands were sweaty as she entered the cold air-conditioned office, and when she saw the faces of the two secretaries she immediately knew she wasn’t called down to discuss her problems with absence.
As she walked out the door her face had turned pale, and she didn’t notice the other students making their way to their next classes. She now realized that she would never find true happiness in her family, so she was determined to find it another way, no matter where it would take her.
Back in the room with the blue curtains, the girl’s reflection in the mirror became smaller as the weeks and months passed.. In the corner, the Siamese cat sat on its usual spot in the red armchair. It watched the girl’s eyes slowly roll out of her head as her body shrinked.
I was sitting in the college library one afternoon. I was bored as I tried to study for the finals, and my eyes started to wander. People were quiet, focused on their screens or rapt in their books. My eyes stopped at a girl who was searching the section of our school’s collection of yearbooks. She was wearing black jeans that fit loosely and a baggy sweatshirt with the initials of the school: NYU written in large block letters. As she reached up for a book on one of the top shelves, she flashed a little bit of her stomach. It was a horrible sight; the skin was stretched out as the skin on a drum, and her hipbones were sticking out. She looked around, and I saw the panic in her eyes when they met mine. At that moment I recognized her from the first day of school. I remember introducing myself, not getting anything back but a short “Hi, I’m Nora Tenues”, and since that day I hadn’t seen her on campus. I couldn’t help but notice that her eyes had grown big in her head. I needed some fresh air. On my way out the door, something hit me, and I stopped by the table where Nora was sitting. I asked if she was okay, and as I waited for her to answer I glanced down on the yearbook she was sitting with. A tear was rolling down the glossy page, and I followed its way until it passed a picture of a young graduate with dark hair like Nora’s and a serious look on his face. The name under it read: ‘Michael Tenues’.
The following weeks I actively tried to find Nora, but I never saw her. Every day I asked new people if they had seen her, but no one seemed to know her name, and I began to wonder if it was just my fickle mind that had been messing with me. Weeks went by and I slowly started to forget about the incident in the library until one day when I was sitting on a bench enjoying the weather. A Siamese cat with light blue eyes approached me and somehow it gave me chills. A sudden feeling of spring immediately filled up my body, and I could not help but smile.
8.
By Louis and Sebastian
Little tales of New York
My foot is on the speedometer.
I’m driving.
In the rear-view mirror, I see my children.
By my side my wife sits, or actually, she “was” my wife.
She left me and after I was left, she expected me to take care of the kids.
A drop of sweat drops on my hand.
I quietly push down the speedometer.
I’m driving. Fast.
The last few days flashes from my eyes.
I was standing outside her door. I am begging her to get me back.
But she won’t take me back, she don’t want to live with me anymore.
I grab her hand. Crying. “What do you want me to do, to get you back?” She answer me: “nothing” silently.
She locks the door, and leaves me outside.
Once our relationship was better.
I’m frustrated. My life is ruined.
I look out of the front window. We are nearly there.
A hidden place. No one will find us there.
I look at my watch, the clock is ticking, two minutes till it's 3 pm.
In two minutes, everything will be gone, in two minutes I will be dead.
We are sitting behind a hill. Me and my wife.
We are on picnic, and we are having fun.
I tell her to close her eyes. she laughs.
i am proposing to her.
she says “yes”.
My wife says: “Where are we going?”.
I hesitate. After a few seconds I answer “somewhere nice”.
We are going somewhere nice, I hope.
But it can’t be worse than the life I’m living.
my wife whispers into my ear “Henrich can you please slow down?”.
I’m quiet. I do not respond.
I increase the speed of the car further.
I’m driving faster.
My ex wife shouts out loud “Henrich please stop the car!”.
I’m sweating, and my thoughts are a mess.
40 seconds left.
With a gentle shake, I say “relax, it’s just on the other side of this hill, then the children will be at the most beautiful playground in the universe... and we will be together forever”.
Man kills family 24/5 2001
Friday noon a horrible tragedy took place; a man killed his family and himself in a massacre.
He wasn’t mentally sick or had any problems physical. He was evil. But he had another problem; his wife had left him after years of loyalty as marriage. The break up was too much for the father and he decided to take his car and drive behind the hill where he proposed to his ex wife, with his children’s and ex-wife in the car. The father wanted to revenge that he was left alone. He wrote a letter, which was found in the destroyed car after the disaster:
Dear reader, this letter explains the indistinct answers you might have about this “accident”. Once me and and my wife were having a great time playing with the children, enjoying dinner together and all that stuff. One day a stranger knocked on the door it was the postmaster, he brings the post as he used to do. But it was a new person an unknown man. He seems like knowing my wife, and she without a doubt knew him. It was an old college friend. One day I came home and they were sleeping together. It was all so messy I couldn’t stand it, she left me and I became so stressed and sick of it all that I plan this against my family.
Little tales of New York
My foot is on the speedometer.
I’m driving.
In the rear-view mirror, I see my children.
By my side my wife sits, or actually, she “was” my wife.
She left me and after I was left, she expected me to take care of the kids.
A drop of sweat drops on my hand.
I quietly push down the speedometer.
I’m driving. Fast.
The last few days flashes from my eyes.
I was standing outside her door. I am begging her to get me back.
But she won’t take me back, she don’t want to live with me anymore.
I grab her hand. Crying. “What do you want me to do, to get you back?” She answer me: “nothing” silently.
She locks the door, and leaves me outside.
Once our relationship was better.
I’m frustrated. My life is ruined.
I look out of the front window. We are nearly there.
A hidden place. No one will find us there.
I look at my watch, the clock is ticking, two minutes till it's 3 pm.
In two minutes, everything will be gone, in two minutes I will be dead.
We are sitting behind a hill. Me and my wife.
We are on picnic, and we are having fun.
I tell her to close her eyes. she laughs.
i am proposing to her.
she says “yes”.
My wife says: “Where are we going?”.
I hesitate. After a few seconds I answer “somewhere nice”.
We are going somewhere nice, I hope.
But it can’t be worse than the life I’m living.
my wife whispers into my ear “Henrich can you please slow down?”.
I’m quiet. I do not respond.
I increase the speed of the car further.
I’m driving faster.
My ex wife shouts out loud “Henrich please stop the car!”.
I’m sweating, and my thoughts are a mess.
40 seconds left.
With a gentle shake, I say “relax, it’s just on the other side of this hill, then the children will be at the most beautiful playground in the universe... and we will be together forever”.
Man kills family 24/5 2001
Friday noon a horrible tragedy took place; a man killed his family and himself in a massacre.
He wasn’t mentally sick or had any problems physical. He was evil. But he had another problem; his wife had left him after years of loyalty as marriage. The break up was too much for the father and he decided to take his car and drive behind the hill where he proposed to his ex wife, with his children’s and ex-wife in the car. The father wanted to revenge that he was left alone. He wrote a letter, which was found in the destroyed car after the disaster:
Dear reader, this letter explains the indistinct answers you might have about this “accident”. Once me and and my wife were having a great time playing with the children, enjoying dinner together and all that stuff. One day a stranger knocked on the door it was the postmaster, he brings the post as he used to do. But it was a new person an unknown man. He seems like knowing my wife, and she without a doubt knew him. It was an old college friend. One day I came home and they were sleeping together. It was all so messy I couldn’t stand it, she left me and I became so stressed and sick of it all that I plan this against my family.
9.
By xxxx
10.
By Oskar and Stella
The sun stood at its highest. It was a perfect day. From miles away, the only thing I could see was flowers. Flowers in all different kind of colors. Red, blue, yellow, it was like a rainbow on earth. All the colors assembled in one place. From the tip of my ear I could hear the bees humming so sweetly. This was my secret place, no one to find. Only I knew where it was. I wanted to stay forever, but I needed to go. Now.
I lost track of time and i was supposed to meetmy mother in 10 minutes. My mother would not be pleased if she figured out where I had spent the morning at.
My mother is a lovely woman. Of course she is. She is my mother. She is really nice to me, and she is what a mother is supposed to be. But sometimes she can be really cruel too. I do not know why, but she seems to be two different persons. When my mother loved me or had a rather good day you could say, she thought I was almost good enough to eat, but when my mother was mad or had a bad day, it was almost like she hated my. Hated her own daughter. Hated me. She thought I was the pure devil. It made me really upset to think about it, I had a feeling of rebellion, anger, fear and most of all sadness.
The evening before, my mother was very upset with me. It seems that she got upset when we ate dinner. We were having soup for dinner and suddenly the spoon felt out of my grip, of course it wasn’t on purpose. But my mother seems to think that it was. She got really angry, and started to raise her voice, she told me that all day I had getting to her last nerve and that I did it on purpose, and if I absolutely had to make such a noise with the spoon I could eat the rest in my room. She told me not to come out before I have realized my mistake and apologized. My eyes started to water, and my vision got blurry. Then the first tear of many ran down my cheek.
She looked at me with disgust and before I even could blink she slapped me. I ran into my room, and dived into my bed with the tears streaming down my face.
I could not understand why she got so upset. It was a spoon. The whole evening I laid, in my bed doing nothing. I wasn’t thinking, my head was completely empty.
I looked across the room and spotted a framed picture of mother and I remember that day. We were in the amusement park. My mother won a fluffy and cuddling teddy bear for me, I won a bracelet for her. In the picture I am hugging her. Tight. With candyfloss all over my face. We were both laughing. We both looked happy. Looked.
The door squeaked and the doorknob turned and I turned towards the door. My mother came in and I could see that her face was covered in doubt and forgiveness. I totally forgot that earlier that evening she had slapped me for no reason. Actually I wasn’t even that mad at her.
She told me that she was really sorry and that it was unacceptable what she had done. She walked towards me with a caring smile while her arms surrounded me with a hug. She whispered that she loved me with all of her heart. She also mumbled some other words and finally she suggested that we should go to the amusement park today, like we used to.
Next day I had to go to school. I’ve already skipped one class yesterday. After all, my mother worked at the school cafeteria, she would definitely notice if I was gone.
Even though my mother worked at the cafeteria she did not want me to buy food from there. We couldn’t afford it, anyway. So I had to sneak into the kitchen to get my lunch from mother.
At lunch time the school was a jungle. I ran to make it in time, if i didn't make it i wouldn't get my lunch from my mom, and the i would starve. I ran so quickly into the cafeteria and my eyes were heading for the kitchen door but suddenly I bumped into a kid. It all happened so fast. Suddenly the other kid was covered in milk, food and vegetables. She began to cry and every single one in the cafeteria was staring. Including my mother. My mother had a red color at her face, and I could not figure out if it was because she was angry or because she was embarrassed.
She grabbed my wrist and dragged me away from the center of attention, she ran so fast I almost couldn’t follow with her. She looked insanely mad, I’ve never seen her like that before. People in the kitchen yelled after her, something about some salad. She walked right through them and into another room where the big oven was. She took me up, carried me and with all her strength she pushed me in the oven.
The sun stood at its highest. It was a perfect day. From miles away, the only thing I could see was flowers. Flowers in all different kind of colors. Red, blue, yellow, it was like a rainbow on earth. All the colors assembled in one place. From the tip of my ear I could hear the bees humming so sweetly. This was my secret place, no one to find. Only I knew where it was. I wanted to stay forever, but I needed to go. Now.
I lost track of time and i was supposed to meetmy mother in 10 minutes. My mother would not be pleased if she figured out where I had spent the morning at.
My mother is a lovely woman. Of course she is. She is my mother. She is really nice to me, and she is what a mother is supposed to be. But sometimes she can be really cruel too. I do not know why, but she seems to be two different persons. When my mother loved me or had a rather good day you could say, she thought I was almost good enough to eat, but when my mother was mad or had a bad day, it was almost like she hated my. Hated her own daughter. Hated me. She thought I was the pure devil. It made me really upset to think about it, I had a feeling of rebellion, anger, fear and most of all sadness.
The evening before, my mother was very upset with me. It seems that she got upset when we ate dinner. We were having soup for dinner and suddenly the spoon felt out of my grip, of course it wasn’t on purpose. But my mother seems to think that it was. She got really angry, and started to raise her voice, she told me that all day I had getting to her last nerve and that I did it on purpose, and if I absolutely had to make such a noise with the spoon I could eat the rest in my room. She told me not to come out before I have realized my mistake and apologized. My eyes started to water, and my vision got blurry. Then the first tear of many ran down my cheek.
She looked at me with disgust and before I even could blink she slapped me. I ran into my room, and dived into my bed with the tears streaming down my face.
I could not understand why she got so upset. It was a spoon. The whole evening I laid, in my bed doing nothing. I wasn’t thinking, my head was completely empty.
I looked across the room and spotted a framed picture of mother and I remember that day. We were in the amusement park. My mother won a fluffy and cuddling teddy bear for me, I won a bracelet for her. In the picture I am hugging her. Tight. With candyfloss all over my face. We were both laughing. We both looked happy. Looked.
The door squeaked and the doorknob turned and I turned towards the door. My mother came in and I could see that her face was covered in doubt and forgiveness. I totally forgot that earlier that evening she had slapped me for no reason. Actually I wasn’t even that mad at her.
She told me that she was really sorry and that it was unacceptable what she had done. She walked towards me with a caring smile while her arms surrounded me with a hug. She whispered that she loved me with all of her heart. She also mumbled some other words and finally she suggested that we should go to the amusement park today, like we used to.
Next day I had to go to school. I’ve already skipped one class yesterday. After all, my mother worked at the school cafeteria, she would definitely notice if I was gone.
Even though my mother worked at the cafeteria she did not want me to buy food from there. We couldn’t afford it, anyway. So I had to sneak into the kitchen to get my lunch from mother.
At lunch time the school was a jungle. I ran to make it in time, if i didn't make it i wouldn't get my lunch from my mom, and the i would starve. I ran so quickly into the cafeteria and my eyes were heading for the kitchen door but suddenly I bumped into a kid. It all happened so fast. Suddenly the other kid was covered in milk, food and vegetables. She began to cry and every single one in the cafeteria was staring. Including my mother. My mother had a red color at her face, and I could not figure out if it was because she was angry or because she was embarrassed.
She grabbed my wrist and dragged me away from the center of attention, she ran so fast I almost couldn’t follow with her. She looked insanely mad, I’ve never seen her like that before. People in the kitchen yelled after her, something about some salad. She walked right through them and into another room where the big oven was. She took me up, carried me and with all her strength she pushed me in the oven.
11.
The Crossbow - by Malte and Rasmus
There were two brothers in the Bronx who had a strict mother. The neighbourhood they lived in was very religious. The neighbourhood wasn't bigger than three blocks, but the community was large. The mother of the two brothers was also very religious. The family was very poor, so the mother forced her sons to study hard, so that they could receive a scholarship to a respectable college, get an education and move away from the poor environment. Their father left them three days after the birth of the younger son. All he left them was a crossbow. The neighbourhood pastor took care of the the two brothers as they grew up. He was a good man and the brothers loved him as their own father.
On the older brother's 11th birthday, the mother took the younger brother to the cinemas while the older brother was told to stay home and clean the house. The mother thought of him as a troublemaker and because of this, not worthy of celebration.
On another occasion, the older brother was playing the lead role in the school play. The mother didn't show up though, because she had to shop for the younger brother.
The older brother started hating his mother more and more, and he got very jealous of the younger brother, because he was favoured by their mother.
One day, after he had done his homework, the older brother was told to clean up the loft. It took him hours to muck out and the anger burned as hell inside of him. He hated his mother. He felt like he was treated as dirt. His anger elaborated in an aggressive kick to a large chest that flicked the top open and revealed a bunch of clothes he had never seen before. He started to take the clothings up one at a time and suddenly he saw a large crossbow lyingon the bottom. The weather had been cloudy all day, but a beam of light hit the chest from the window. It was like a sign from God. Now he knew what he had to do...
Just as the older brother raised from his knees from the prayer and reached for the crossbow, the younger brother crawled up the latter. The younger brother was shocked to see him with the crossbow in his hands. The older brother started to tell his younger brother about the injustice of their mother, and that he had decided to kill his mother. The younger brother couldn't believe his own ears, because he had never felt it that way. The older brother tried to convince his younger brother to help him, and they started arguing. However the younger brother refused to kill their mother.
The younger brother turned around to walk down the latter and to tell their mother about the brothers plan. The older brother couldn't risk it. He loaded the crossbow and quickly snapped it at the younger brother's neck.
The next morning, the chief of the police department of Bronx walked out of the police station and faced three journalists. A journalist asked him what had happened. All he answered was: “The younger brother did get seriously injured, but he had God with him. Luckily the arrow didn't hit his artery.”
Another journalist asked the officer whether the mother was feeling vengeful. The police officer said: “The mother was just trying to cope with the tragedy of having one son in the hospital and the other in custody.”
After the older brother had served his time in custody and the younger brother got healthy, the family got together and solved their problems.
12.
Little tales of New York
By Maya, Nanna and Rebecca
Georgevitch was a security guard. He was often bored. Actually he was bored every day, all the time. He was a 54 year-old man and he worked in a big office building in Manhattan, six nights a week. It was definitely not what he wanted to spend his time on, but it was the only job that his past would allow him to. He had a dirty past. No one knew about it, not because he cared if they knew. But because he didn't had anyone to tell. His harsh past had left its marks in his present. Everyone feared him, he had no family, and he had no friends. A long deep scar in the middle of his face, forced him to wear a big black hoodie, which made people run screaming away
He earned nearly enough to pay the rent for his small sleazy apartment in Harlem. The only thing that kept him going was the man in his dreams. His name was Johnny Rivers. When he met in for shift he always turned the radio on, and listened to the song “Secret Agent Man”. He knew that one day they would find each other, he just didn't know that that day would be today. It was an ordinary Thursday evening and everything was exactly as usual. The sky was light grey, and the air was thick and filled with dust from the dirty ground. He sat down in his old teared apart chair, and as always he started work with swallowing a little “happypill” that made him able to survive through the boring nights at the office. Afterwards he ate his usual smelly lunch pack. He watched the cleaning people, doing their routine, just like yesterday, and the day before that.. He was in a whole other world, daydreaming about the lovely Johnny Rivers, while counting the bits of his sweaty cheese sandwich. As he took the 16th bite, he suddenly felt a big urge to have Johnny Rivers in his arms. And as always, when he felt that urge he listens to his songs while imagining he was there. So he called the local radio station, to request the song “Secret Agent Man”. He picked up the phone, and dialed the number. A second later, a voice in the other end of the phone asked him “Hi there, who are you, and what is your song request?” Gerorgevitch answered a little confused, with his dry and deep voice: “Ehh hello, Georgevitch here, I would like to hear the song ‘secret agent man’ by Johnny Rivers”. “As you wish” the voice answered.
The song came on, and Georgevitch started dancing around and singing along. He closed his eyes and felt a funny ecstatic feeling in his stomach, the real world around him seemed far away and the feeling of freedom filled his body. It was like everything was perfect and nothing could harm him. In his head there was just Johnny Rivers and himself, dancing around as a happy couple, in love, when suddenly the song had reached its end and an overwhelming silence filled the room. Georgvitch opened his eyes and found himself back in real life. All of a sudden something broke the silence. Georgvitch squeezed his eyes together and started to listen carefully. It was the sound of sirens. A sound he only knew far too well. Gerorgvitch panicked. His blood froze and he couldn’t move. He knew that if the police caught him, they would send him right back to prison, where he escaped from two months earlier.
He blacked out for a while and when he finally woke up, he found himself in the back of a police car. Maybe it was just the effect of the “happypill”, but he swore that right by his side Johnny Rivers was sitting, smiling at him.
By Maya, Nanna and Rebecca
Georgevitch was a security guard. He was often bored. Actually he was bored every day, all the time. He was a 54 year-old man and he worked in a big office building in Manhattan, six nights a week. It was definitely not what he wanted to spend his time on, but it was the only job that his past would allow him to. He had a dirty past. No one knew about it, not because he cared if they knew. But because he didn't had anyone to tell. His harsh past had left its marks in his present. Everyone feared him, he had no family, and he had no friends. A long deep scar in the middle of his face, forced him to wear a big black hoodie, which made people run screaming away
He earned nearly enough to pay the rent for his small sleazy apartment in Harlem. The only thing that kept him going was the man in his dreams. His name was Johnny Rivers. When he met in for shift he always turned the radio on, and listened to the song “Secret Agent Man”. He knew that one day they would find each other, he just didn't know that that day would be today. It was an ordinary Thursday evening and everything was exactly as usual. The sky was light grey, and the air was thick and filled with dust from the dirty ground. He sat down in his old teared apart chair, and as always he started work with swallowing a little “happypill” that made him able to survive through the boring nights at the office. Afterwards he ate his usual smelly lunch pack. He watched the cleaning people, doing their routine, just like yesterday, and the day before that.. He was in a whole other world, daydreaming about the lovely Johnny Rivers, while counting the bits of his sweaty cheese sandwich. As he took the 16th bite, he suddenly felt a big urge to have Johnny Rivers in his arms. And as always, when he felt that urge he listens to his songs while imagining he was there. So he called the local radio station, to request the song “Secret Agent Man”. He picked up the phone, and dialed the number. A second later, a voice in the other end of the phone asked him “Hi there, who are you, and what is your song request?” Gerorgevitch answered a little confused, with his dry and deep voice: “Ehh hello, Georgevitch here, I would like to hear the song ‘secret agent man’ by Johnny Rivers”. “As you wish” the voice answered.
The song came on, and Georgevitch started dancing around and singing along. He closed his eyes and felt a funny ecstatic feeling in his stomach, the real world around him seemed far away and the feeling of freedom filled his body. It was like everything was perfect and nothing could harm him. In his head there was just Johnny Rivers and himself, dancing around as a happy couple, in love, when suddenly the song had reached its end and an overwhelming silence filled the room. Georgvitch opened his eyes and found himself back in real life. All of a sudden something broke the silence. Georgvitch squeezed his eyes together and started to listen carefully. It was the sound of sirens. A sound he only knew far too well. Gerorgvitch panicked. His blood froze and he couldn’t move. He knew that if the police caught him, they would send him right back to prison, where he escaped from two months earlier.
He blacked out for a while and when he finally woke up, he found himself in the back of a police car. Maybe it was just the effect of the “happypill”, but he swore that right by his side Johnny Rivers was sitting, smiling at him.
13.
By Freja, Jo & Kirke
06:55 AM
His hands were still shaking, but he felt a lot calmer and his breathing was almost normal. He kept his head down when two runners passed by, but he heard them panting and felt their synchronized steps in his feet. Central Park was almost empty, and the few who came by, didn’t even notice him.
He was wearing a pair of stonewashed jeans, a hooded jacket and his shoes were without laces. A bloody knife was lying on the bench beside him and he turned his head to look at his watch – 06:55 AM. Small drops of sweat found their way across his face and the palms of his hands were wet and slippery. He closed his eyes and thought of the day when his mother had died. He thought about her funeral and felt his chest was about to cave in. His stomach rumbled and he searched his empty pockets. He thought about the time when the headmaster had called him into her office and said that ‘they no longer would be in need of his services at the school’, and that he had wandered out without clearing his desk. He remembered how he later received a call explaining that ‘his mood swings and negative attitude was not suitable in relation to the young students he was teaching’. He clenched his hands and strained his jaw while he kept his sight on the ground. He rubbed his temples and remembered how much him and his wife had been fighting the following weeks. He had spent a lot of time in their apartment in Brooklyn looking for a new job, but as the months had passed, he found himself in a state of indifference. When she had left him after 21 years of marriage for another man, he was devastated. Months passed an he thought about her constantly. He remembered how he one day was sitting in the subway behind two of his former neighbours and he had overheard them mentioning his wife. Apparently she was being followed and had gone to the police for a protection order for her and their daughter. The following week the police had knocked on his door and taken him with them. When he got out of jail he had tried to contact her, and when she was nowhere to be found, he had been miserable: He had dyed his hair red and lost ten pounds.
Central Park was now crowded as usual. When he looked up he met the eyes of a little boy across the sidewalk. He relaxed his shoulders and felt the sun on his closed eyelids. He remembered that he first had seen their grey poodle between the hundreds of moving legs in the subway. When he had heard her voice, he had looked up and their eyes had met. He recalled how her eyes had been full of fear, and remembered how he had followed her to a public bathroom. He had wanted to tell her how he had bought a plane ticket to Miami for them to get away together, that he was aching from jealousy…
His head was now burning and his back was dripping wet. He drilled his fingernails into the wood of the bench and tried to remember what had happened next. The blurriness in his head wouldn’t seem to go away and pieces of his memories flickered in and out of order.
Across the sidewalk a little boy was whispering to his dad, who was reading the news. Apparently a woman had been found stabbed to death yesterday in a public bathroom in the subway, presumably killed by her ex-husband, who had been stalking her for months. The little boy shook his father and pointed his finger at a middle-aged man sitting on a bench. He was shaking, sweat was dripping from his face and a bloody knife was lying beside him. The man suddenly looked up and met the eyes of the boy. When he got up and began to unzip his sweatshirt, flaming red hair poured out from the dark hood of his jacket, and underneath he was wearing a white tank top with red drops scattered all across his chest. When he slowly began to walk along with the crowd, the boy noticed tears in the corners of his eyes. On the bench he had left the knife and the jacket with a newspaper tucked in the sleeve.
06:55 AM
His hands were still shaking, but he felt a lot calmer and his breathing was almost normal. He kept his head down when two runners passed by, but he heard them panting and felt their synchronized steps in his feet. Central Park was almost empty, and the few who came by, didn’t even notice him.
He was wearing a pair of stonewashed jeans, a hooded jacket and his shoes were without laces. A bloody knife was lying on the bench beside him and he turned his head to look at his watch – 06:55 AM. Small drops of sweat found their way across his face and the palms of his hands were wet and slippery. He closed his eyes and thought of the day when his mother had died. He thought about her funeral and felt his chest was about to cave in. His stomach rumbled and he searched his empty pockets. He thought about the time when the headmaster had called him into her office and said that ‘they no longer would be in need of his services at the school’, and that he had wandered out without clearing his desk. He remembered how he later received a call explaining that ‘his mood swings and negative attitude was not suitable in relation to the young students he was teaching’. He clenched his hands and strained his jaw while he kept his sight on the ground. He rubbed his temples and remembered how much him and his wife had been fighting the following weeks. He had spent a lot of time in their apartment in Brooklyn looking for a new job, but as the months had passed, he found himself in a state of indifference. When she had left him after 21 years of marriage for another man, he was devastated. Months passed an he thought about her constantly. He remembered how he one day was sitting in the subway behind two of his former neighbours and he had overheard them mentioning his wife. Apparently she was being followed and had gone to the police for a protection order for her and their daughter. The following week the police had knocked on his door and taken him with them. When he got out of jail he had tried to contact her, and when she was nowhere to be found, he had been miserable: He had dyed his hair red and lost ten pounds.
Central Park was now crowded as usual. When he looked up he met the eyes of a little boy across the sidewalk. He relaxed his shoulders and felt the sun on his closed eyelids. He remembered that he first had seen their grey poodle between the hundreds of moving legs in the subway. When he had heard her voice, he had looked up and their eyes had met. He recalled how her eyes had been full of fear, and remembered how he had followed her to a public bathroom. He had wanted to tell her how he had bought a plane ticket to Miami for them to get away together, that he was aching from jealousy…
His head was now burning and his back was dripping wet. He drilled his fingernails into the wood of the bench and tried to remember what had happened next. The blurriness in his head wouldn’t seem to go away and pieces of his memories flickered in and out of order.
Across the sidewalk a little boy was whispering to his dad, who was reading the news. Apparently a woman had been found stabbed to death yesterday in a public bathroom in the subway, presumably killed by her ex-husband, who had been stalking her for months. The little boy shook his father and pointed his finger at a middle-aged man sitting on a bench. He was shaking, sweat was dripping from his face and a bloody knife was lying beside him. The man suddenly looked up and met the eyes of the boy. When he got up and began to unzip his sweatshirt, flaming red hair poured out from the dark hood of his jacket, and underneath he was wearing a white tank top with red drops scattered all across his chest. When he slowly began to walk along with the crowd, the boy noticed tears in the corners of his eyes. On the bench he had left the knife and the jacket with a newspaper tucked in the sleeve.
14.
By Amanda & Sigrid
A BLOODY TALE OF NEW YORK
The music from the club played so loudly that the neighbours upstairs could not sleep. A dog outside was barking loudly, not quite following the rhythm. Alicia had now been waiting in line to get in for the past forty five minutes, and she was becoming more and more impatient. The man that she was supposed to meet an hour ago had still not shown. She had first seen his advertisement earlier the same day, and his prompt response to her message had been surprisingly short but straightforward:
Hi.
Meet me at the Transylvanian Club at 21.00 pm.
Greetings,
Henry
And now she was here. An hour had gone by, and he had still not shown. She would give him five minutes, and then she would leave. Definitely only five minutes.
Henry walked slowly down the street, eyeing the line that had formed outside the club. She had to be there. She could not have left. The music from the club reached his ears, and then he saw her. Her face was as pale as her lips were red, her eyes were as dark as the beat from the bass and she was absolutely beautiful. His steps grew in pace, and he soon found himself standing just a few metres behind her.
“Hi.” She spun around, surprised to hear a voice but not in doubt about who it belonged to.
“So you came.”
"Of course I did. What did you expect?" Her face felt warm and she was a bit dizzy. "Do you want to get out of here?" Henry asked, and all she could do was to nod twice, amazed by his handsome looks and soft voice. He took her hand as if it was the most natural of all things, and together they left the club. They walked a couple of minutes in silence. "So," he said, "when did you first discover?"
"Discover?"
"That you enjoy blood."
"Oh.. Discover. Of course. I think I was around 14. I used to bite my finger and suck my own blood. Later I sucked the blood of my friends, my mother and my father, but that was not going to last in the long run, obviously. My mother started sweating a lot, and she lost weight. My father just turned more and more pale, until you could barely even see him. My mother kept begging me to change my diet. She said carrots would be much more healthy for me and that she did not think my way of living was healthy.That was when I realized that I probably should leave. So I did."
"So you have been in this kind of relationship before?" Once again Alicia nodded. She felt a growing fondness for the warm blood running through the veins of the man. All she wanted was to suck it out of him, making it fill herself, thus removing the blood her old lovers had left.
Alicia stayed at his place that night.
The next couple of months continued in the same way: they met in town at night, went either to his or her apartment and spend the night together. The day after, they would always eat breakfast - blood, of course - and then either spend the day in Central Park or walking around in the streets of New York, each day getting more and more addicted to the blood of the other. Alicia grew fond of Henry as well as Henry grew fond of Alicia, and at some point their relationship evolved. They started calling each other at any given point of the day, wanting blood and someone patient to talk to. Eventually they ended up living together and lived bloody ever after.
A BLOODY TALE OF NEW YORK
The music from the club played so loudly that the neighbours upstairs could not sleep. A dog outside was barking loudly, not quite following the rhythm. Alicia had now been waiting in line to get in for the past forty five minutes, and she was becoming more and more impatient. The man that she was supposed to meet an hour ago had still not shown. She had first seen his advertisement earlier the same day, and his prompt response to her message had been surprisingly short but straightforward:
Hi.
Meet me at the Transylvanian Club at 21.00 pm.
Greetings,
Henry
And now she was here. An hour had gone by, and he had still not shown. She would give him five minutes, and then she would leave. Definitely only five minutes.
Henry walked slowly down the street, eyeing the line that had formed outside the club. She had to be there. She could not have left. The music from the club reached his ears, and then he saw her. Her face was as pale as her lips were red, her eyes were as dark as the beat from the bass and she was absolutely beautiful. His steps grew in pace, and he soon found himself standing just a few metres behind her.
“Hi.” She spun around, surprised to hear a voice but not in doubt about who it belonged to.
“So you came.”
"Of course I did. What did you expect?" Her face felt warm and she was a bit dizzy. "Do you want to get out of here?" Henry asked, and all she could do was to nod twice, amazed by his handsome looks and soft voice. He took her hand as if it was the most natural of all things, and together they left the club. They walked a couple of minutes in silence. "So," he said, "when did you first discover?"
"Discover?"
"That you enjoy blood."
"Oh.. Discover. Of course. I think I was around 14. I used to bite my finger and suck my own blood. Later I sucked the blood of my friends, my mother and my father, but that was not going to last in the long run, obviously. My mother started sweating a lot, and she lost weight. My father just turned more and more pale, until you could barely even see him. My mother kept begging me to change my diet. She said carrots would be much more healthy for me and that she did not think my way of living was healthy.That was when I realized that I probably should leave. So I did."
"So you have been in this kind of relationship before?" Once again Alicia nodded. She felt a growing fondness for the warm blood running through the veins of the man. All she wanted was to suck it out of him, making it fill herself, thus removing the blood her old lovers had left.
Alicia stayed at his place that night.
The next couple of months continued in the same way: they met in town at night, went either to his or her apartment and spend the night together. The day after, they would always eat breakfast - blood, of course - and then either spend the day in Central Park or walking around in the streets of New York, each day getting more and more addicted to the blood of the other. Alicia grew fond of Henry as well as Henry grew fond of Alicia, and at some point their relationship evolved. They started calling each other at any given point of the day, wanting blood and someone patient to talk to. Eventually they ended up living together and lived bloody ever after.