Echoes of Other Suns

 

Eleven autonomous views

 

 

Sea

 

I met him down by the sea.  He offered me a cigarette.  We sat there for a few moments and then he said: “Nice sunset, too bad it just lasts for a moment.”  “Yes”, I replied, and then we just forget about it.”   He smiled secretively and offered me a second cigarette.

 

 

Home

 

She was really pretty I thought, I could fall in love, but I didn’t know her. “Have you ever loved before”, she asked.  “Can’t remember”, I said.  She put her hand on my shoulder and the day came!  I was home again.

 

 

Anger

 

I trusted him, but he let me down.  “Why”, I asked, “why did you do that to me?”  He didn’t know how to explain it.  He just said: “I am sorry, I went astray again, I couldn’t help it.”  Strangely, I understood his grief and I wasn’t angry anymore.  “Come on”, I said, “let me buy you a drink.”  I never saw him again.

 

 

Life

 

My great-uncle had just begun his afternoon sermon when it happened.  Tom broke down lamenting his bad fate and the money he had lost.  “Tom never had any money”, went through my head.  “What’s going on here?”  After a long pause my great-uncle gave me a ring and said: “Go on, son, the life is waiting for you.”

 

 

 

The Boys

 

The day was hot, scorching.  Two young boys were sitting on the curb obviously bored.

“What’s up guys”, I asked as I was approaching.  “The smaller one looked at me and gave me a sad smile.  “Sir, we can’ take it anymore, can you help us please.”  “Sure, I said, “let’s get the Hell out of here.”  And we went to have some fun.

 

 

 

Anger II

 

She was mad!  No, really, she was as mad as Hell!  Although I was afraid, I approached her to find out the details.  It turned out that there were no details, just some strange paper lying on the floor. “I had seen those papers before,” I thought.  By the time her mother had arrived, it was all finished.  She was smiling, contented, as I would smile many years before.

 

 

 

Yellow Ribbon Reminiscence

 

The old oak tree had lost its yellow ribbon.  Perhaps it’s a joke.  But as the time went on, we were sure it wasn’t a joke.  We thought that it was a pity that someone played such a cruel joke on us!

 

Arnold

 

His name was Arnold.  He was born one stormy night off the coast of England, on a small fishing boat.  He never felt at home.  Last year he went to Key West looking for his old friend, but the friend had been long gone.  “Pity”, though Arnold, “I just wanted to thank him for everything.

 

 

 

My House

 

My house was deserted.  Not even insects could be found inside.  My house was dead.  But, I was alive.  Jack stopped by and said: “Remember the house that Jack has built?”  “Yes, I do”, I replied.  “What about it?”  “Nothing, I just wanted to remind you that the house is going to be built again.” I smiled and had another sip of my afternoon coffee.

 

 

She

 

“I like her” She opened the door and walked in slowly looking around the hall.  “It’s been a long time”, she said.  “Not as nearly as long as I would think”, replied an old beggar.  There was no other reason.  Funny, how things work out at the end.

 

 

 

Trouble

 

She doesn’t hate me; she just wants to keep the appearances.  Longer than ever I could not say anything.  I must do something about it.