Short Stories

Stories inspired by t r o .. .

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Famous First Words...

European Literature: A mirror of European Identity?

Spain La Regenta by Clarín The city of heores was having a nap. The south wind, warm and languid, was coaxing grey clouds through the sky and breaking them as they drifted along. The streets of the city were silent, except for ....

Germany

The Shadow of the Wind by Ruiz Zafón

Measuring the world by Daniel Kehlmann (2005)

I still remember the day my father took me to the Cemetery of Forgotten Books for the

In September 1828, the greatest mathematician in the country left his hometown for the first time in years, to attend the German Scientific Congress in Berlin. Naturally he had no desire to go. He had been declining to accept for months, but Alexander von Humboldt had remained adamant, until in a moment of weakness and the hope that the day would never come, he had said yes….

The Pigeon by Daniel Süskind (1987) At the time the pigeon affair overtook him, unhinging his life from one day to the next, Jonathan Noel, already past fifty, could look back over a good-year period of total uneventfulness and would never have expected anything of importance could ever overtake him again…..

The Trial by Franz Kafka (1915) Somebody must have made a false accusation against Josef K., for he was arrested one morning wihtout having done anything wrong….

German Lesson by Siegfried Lenz (1968) They’ve kept me in to write an essay. Joswig, our favourite guard, has brought me to this room of mine, with it solid walls, has tapped the bars across my window

ta Monica in a wreath of liquid copper.

first time. It was the early summer of 1945, and we walked through the streets of a Barcelona trapped beneath ashen skies as dawn poured over Rambla de San-

'Daniel, you mustn't tell anyone what you're about to see today,' my father warned.

'Not even your friend Tomas. No one.'

'Not even Mummy?'

My father sighed, hiding behind the sad smile that followed him like a shadow all through his life.

Chronicle of a death foretold by Garcia Marquez On the day they were going to kill him, Santiago Naser got up at five-thirty in the morning to wait for the boat the bishop was coming on. He'd dreamed he was going through a grove of timber trees where a gentle drizzle was falling, and for an instant he was happy in his dream, but when he awoke he felt completely spattered with bird shit.

"He was always dreaming about trees", Placida Linero , his mother told me twenty-seven years later, recalling the details of that distressing Monday.

Don Quixote by Cervantes Long ago in a place called La Mancha, there lived a knight of those who still had swords and shields, ...

European Literature: A mirror of European Identity?

European Literature: A mirror of European Identity?

Italy Zeno’s Coscience (1923), by Italo Svevo Thinking about my childhood?

More than fifty years separate me from it, and my long-sighted eyes might get there, if the light that still reflects it wasn’t cut off by obstacles of every sort : true high mountains: my years and some of my hours.

The Netherlands The new life by O. Pamuk One day I read a book and it really changed my life.

Jacopo Ortis’s Last letters (1802), by Ugo Foscolo Our country’s sacrifice is over: all is lost, and even if we are granted to live we are only bound to cry for our calamities and shame.

The Operator, Serafino Gubbio’s exercise books (1925), by Luigi Pirandello I observe people in their daily occupations , to see if I can find in other people what is missing in what I do: the certainty that they understand what they do.

The Decameron (1353), by Giovanni Boccaccio The above mentioned place was situated on a small mountain , quite distant from every place ,from our streets , with trees and plants rich in green leafy branches , and that was such a pleasant view.

European Literature: A mirror of European Identity?

Titaantjes by Nescio We were boys, but nice boys…..

Turks Fruit by Jan Wolkers I landed in a real mess after she had left me.

Mama Tandoori by E. van der Kwast It all started with two suitcases.

European Literature: A mirror of European Identity?

Our version of: Confusion

A new version of: Titaantjes by Nescio

We were boys, but nice boys... And we lived in a world where nobody ever lied in his whole lifetime.

My friend Mike and me have been best friends for ages. We were very honest to each person, for example when I was falling in love with Mike´s girlfriend I told him that I am in love with his girlfriend. But after that he told me that it is okay because we were like brothers and we were still best friends. Or one day I wanted to borrow a CD from Mike but he did not want to give it to me because it was his favourite one. However I took the CD in my bag when he was not watching me. An hour later I gave it back to him and told him that I was so sorry and I would never do this again.

But one day he had a terrible accident so he had to go to the hospital. Later the doctor told me that he wouldn't have any chance to survive, this became the worst day in my life. The situation was horrible, for each of us, so I visited him every day because I wanted to spent his last days with him. At first I couldn't believe that he was breathing the last times because he still had the force to remind me about the stolen CD. Anyway, I could not look into his sad eyes and tell him that he got only a few days left. That is why I decided to tell him that he would come to a better place, where everybody loves each other and everything is perfect. That was my first lie but, of course, he believed me. After that he felt better, eventhough he died soon.

Then I noticed that Mike was not the only one who heard the story and believed me. I mean, no one ever lied so how could they know, it would be a lie? There were nurses and other patients and all of them wanted to know more about the life after death. And because I did not wanted to disappoint Mike I invented more and more. Some days later the whole world heard my stories and they added more and more, like 72 virgins who would wait for you or that there only flows milk and water. That was the first and biggest lie: Some people call it Christinity, others call it Islam, some call it....

It all started with two suitcases. And it all started at 8 o‘clock in the evening – Sicilia, Italy: Bjørn and Silvie, a young couple from Malmö in Sweden finally arrived at Punta Raisi, the airport of Palermo. They took their suitcase with them – a silver grey hard-top case – and went to their hotel room and were ready to start their honey moon. “Darling“, said Bjørn, “Let’s have dinner in the city!” “Wait a minute; I’ll take a bath before. Can you bring me my evening dress, please?” answered Silvie, but in the meantime, Bjørn went onto the balcony and enjoyed the sight. “Bjørn!” shouted Silvie once again, but as he did not hear her, she went to the case and opened it, but there was not the expected dress.

“Min Gud! What is that?”

A mobile phone rings, while he is standing in front of the luggage carousel: It is the boss.

A man with dark sun glasses answers: “Everything is ok.” He walks nervously through the customs check, but no one inspected him. “I’m lucky”, thought Steve, as he is welcomed by his friends outside the airport. A white limousine drives them to an old wine cellar, where the boss is already expecting them. ”Buonasera, signori”, he said. “Do you have everything, you were supposed to bring? So let us check the contents!” With a certain tense, Steve Blackjack opens the silver grey hard-top case. What he sees is a bad surprise: the case is full of clothes. The boss walks up to Steve and shouts forcefully: “Is this a joke?” “But the case looked the same as yours!” “I don’t need the case, I need the chips and the dice. You have got 24 hours to get my things. ” “Thank God”, went through Steve’s mind, “the suitcase got a GPS receiver, so I only have to look for the place, where the case is now”. It finally lead him to the couple’s room, which he entered by climbing upon the balcony and forcing open the window. But to Steve’s surprise, the case on the bed was empty and Bjørn and Silvie had already left.

By Helga Stockmeier and Dennis Seiler, Ernst-Sigle-Gymnasium Kornwestheim

Galina & Laura.

Ernst-Sigle-Gymnasium Kornwestheim

European Literature: A mirror of European Identity?

European Literature: A mirror of European Identity?

Hello! I'm Luke I observe people in their daily occupations, to see if I can find in other people what is missing in everything I do: the certainty that they understand what they do.

Hello, I'm Luke. I'm sixteen and I attend school near lake Como. Here I live with my family and life is simple and quiet as it was many years ago. Days go by in a flowery meadow by playing ball or, as I do, by reading a book or waiting for sunset over the lake.

I do not feel like my peers, I feel different from them, and this difference shows especially when I am at school. I notice the way they look at one another, the way they greet each other, the way they look after their business or whims. But then I stop and look at them a bit more carefully, and I see how dull and lifeless their life is. I realize that they are chasing an empty happiness. This makes me proud .

It all started with two suitcases It all started with two suitcases. I was on vacation in the Netherlands and went back to New York by plane. I soon found out that my suitcase was changed with another suitcase.

I did some research and found out that my suitcase was landed in Australia. I really needed my stuff and the people at the airport said it will take two weeks before the suitcase will be sent back. So I decided to go to Australia. When I got to Australia, I soon found out that someone else has taken my suitcase. I got the address and went looking for him.

It was really hard walking through the jungle with my high heels. Then I fell in the mud right before his house. He came out the house and i fell in love. he helped me come up and he invited me to come in his house. After two weeks having a lot of fun with each other, I decided to stay with him in Australia.

Monieh Vos and Rianne Boeninh

Lately, though, I feel troubled: I feel that I'm missing something, that I am wasting my time staying under a tree with a book as a shield to protect myself from the world outside .

After another boring day at school , while going home I notice a white van with a sign "Removals" in front of my house. I dislike new neighbours' arrival and , my parents having a welcome party at our house. But I start wondering if they have any children, if they are a young or an elderly couple.

After a week of removals, the new family sets next door to mine. It is made up of four people: the mother, who is the same age as my mother, the father who is the same age as my father, a child of one year old and a boy of sixteen , like me. I could more easily become his friend, but all depends on me.

My mother has organized the welcome dinner for Saturday, I'm nervous, and I have a desperate desire to avoid this situation. But Saturday arrives , it is eight o'clock, the bell announces their arrival, I run to open the door and I see before me the little girl in her mother's arms; she greets me with a smile. For the first time I feel happy: her pure and sincere smile gives me a new sensation...

So I start staring at Gabriel and Deborah, my neighbours' children, playing in the garden.

I'd really like to join them, but I'm afraid of not being accepted. I spend my days at the window hoping that sooner or later, Gabriel would invite me to play football with him.

I wonder why he hasn't done it yet. For my behaviour? probably because he doesn't see me behind the window glass? I don't know what to do: here at home I feel lonely and sad. I am worried about being unable of making friends.

Ulenhofcollege The Netherlands

Long ago in a place called La Mancha Long ago in a place called La Mancha, there lived a knight of those who still had swords and shields.there also was a princess who was locked up in a castle. this castle was defended by a dragon.it was a dangerous blue dragon which spit balls of fire. the knight was called don Corleone, and he was infamous for his cruel deeds. but like everybody, he fell in love. he fell in love with Elisabeth, our captured princess. Unfortunately,in order to save the princess and make her his lover, he had to defeat the blue dragon first.

So he want on a quest to save the princess. the fight was short, for our knight was strong and a badass. So the dragon had no chance. the minute after he slayed the dragon he said "There is no price, for pure awesomeness!". On his way to the castle he met a queen. he figured she had more money than the princess.

So he took off with the quenn, and left our poor Elisabeth to die , alone, in the castle.

The knight and the queen lived happily ever after.

Jess Koender and Sychinta Leine

But all of a sudden I realize what is missing in my life, I understand my sense of emptiness: I need a friend. Now I know what to do....I go down. And once outside the house , safer and more determined than ever , I approach them and say : "Hello! I'm Luke..."

by Francisco Ochoa – Giorgio Potena Liceo Scientifico “M.Pagano�

European Literature: A mirror of European Identity?

European Literature: A mirror of European Identity?

A new version of Mama Tandoori by E.Van de Kwast

It all started with two suitcases, that September 18th, 2011 at the airport Barajas (Madrid). In that place there 5rcwere two guys with strange clothes, nobody knew who they were, they were next to their large and wide suitcases. One boy was tall, blond and with dark eyes, the other boy was short, with dark hair and light eyes. Their clothes were very strange as I said before, the blond boy was wearing shorts with a print of a lion and a t- shirt with many stripes, this guy's name was Antonio, the other boy,John, wore a purple circles and yellow t-shirt, long and floral trousers. The two boys seemed very different but they had something similar, their shoes, they were yellow shoes.

It was 10:00 am and the plane would leave for New Zealand in 5 minutes. When Anthony and John saw the time, they began to run not to miss their flight. Finally they made it to their seats on time. After a long journey they reached their destination, New Zealand. Once they were there they went for their bags but they remembered that they had left them in Spain. The two boys were very nervous. A family member tried to contact them and after a few calls got in contact with one of Anthony's cousins, Jose.

As Joseph worked at Barajas airport, he succeeded in sending the bags on the next flight to New Zealand. After having waited for a long time waiting, John and Anthony got them. When his bags were already there, they caught a taxi to go to Anthony's mother's place. Antonio's mother was called Tandoori, when Antonio saw his mother gave him great joy because he hadn't seen her for three years. After the greeting Antonio introduced his partner John who was with him for nine months and started to study in New Zealand.

After spending a ten days holiday in New Zealand, they had to come back and start their studies routine. They started to go to the university and although they studied a lot they had also great fun. After nine months studying and having fun they came back to Spain but Antonio and John didn麓t come back alone because in New Zealand they had fallen in love with two nice girls. These girls were thrilled to know Spain. When they left for Barajas airport they took their suitcases and waited for the first taxi to go to Madrid. Anthony and John were there, in the same place of the beginning but not with two suitcases but four.

I still remember the day my father took me to the cemetery of Forgotten Books I still remember the day my father took me to the cemetery of Forgotten Books for the first time. it was the early summer of 1945, and we walked through the streets of a barcelona trapped beneath ashen skies as dawn poured over Rambla de Santa M贸nica in a wreath of liquid copper. daniel , you mustn't tell anyone what you're about to see today, "my father warned. 2Not even your friend Tomas. No one.

Not even mummy?

My father sighed, hiding behind the sad smile that followed him like a shadow all through his life.

"This is it", my father said and looked at me. we walked down a pair of stairs, and througha huge , old door of stone. "Look around and find a book you feel attracted to". my father said and walked away. I stood in the middle of a huge room with many bookshelves. i looked around for a while, and then in the corner of my right eay, i saw a book that I felt drowned to. I had to check it out.

I laid my hand at the book. It was cold, unusually. i sat down at a table, and opened it. I felt a rush of feelings going through my body. There was something with this book.

Somthing strange. Then I noticed, the pages were blank, no pictures and no letters. "What is this?" I asked myself. Suddenly a line of letters tuned up. This is a book where you can get the answers to all of your questions, your past and your family's past. I was totally shocked! How could and old, dusty book answer my question? Let me take you back in time, to somthing that happened 30 years ago" it stood. Then there was a big light, the pages flapped, I got drowned in the book. Aaah, my head hurts" I said. I opened my eyes, and looked around. There right in front of me, I saw a young man, a man who looked a lot like my father

By Norwegian students

Marina Salas Carri贸n y Lola Torrecillas Tudela IES Pedro Jim茅nez Montoya Spain

European Literature: A mirror of European Identity?

European Literature: A mirror of European Identity?

A new version of The Trial

by Franz Kafka (1915) A new version of Titaantjes by Nescio

Somebody must have made a false accusation against Josef K., for he was arrested one morning without having done anything wrong.

Everything pointed to a trap by someone helped by the corrupted inspector Fleischer, who for a few dimes would lock up his own mother. Josef was charged with a burglary that never happened. Augustus R, who was probably bribed to give false testimony and false evidence was the person eligibly robbed.

The village was part of Josef, he was not the only victim of police corruption, so when they tried to take him to the police station, many residents fought the police to free the innocent man, but to no avail. In that time, these false accusations became very abundant.

Josef was sentenced to death by hanging the next day, so that night his relatives and neighbors came to say goodbye before being lost forever.

The next morning the death would take the innocent soul of the victim of a cowardly trap worthy of a pass straight to Hell.

By Maria Garcia and Georgina Reid IES Pedro Jiménez Montoya Spain

We were boys, but nice boys; we lived in Jamaica in a calm neighborhood in Portmore, where there were very colorful houses with a lot of windows to save energy and to avail the sun light, but every house had a dark cellar, cause people who lived there thought that the end of the island was close. They put in the cellar food and necessary things to live during a large period of time while catastrophes were occurring outside.

One day, Esteban and Vicente bought a crystal ball to play with it, and as they had the ball, they were curious about seeing the future through the ball, as they had seen on the movies. So they looked on the internet for the instruction to see the future in the crystal ball and they did that process, so the ball revealed the future and it said that there was just one more month, so the 17th November the island will disappear.

The news spread all over the island in a few days and people thought that the boys have said that to scare people. The children fled to Miami where anybody knew them, cause they were wanted in the island to be punished.

The 17th November arrived, and although people thought that that was just a hoax, they didn't go outside, and they stayed in their dark cellars to be protected for any catastrophe that could happened outside.

At 1 pm, as the boys had said, a big earthquake took place, and minutes later, a huge hurricane reached the island so Jamaica was totally destroyed but anybody got hurt because people were in the cellars.

When everything had gone, the boys came back to Jamaica and they were treated as heroes, and they were called by the people as ‘The Titans’, even the town hall built a street and a statue on their honor.

Since that moment nobody doubt about the predictions of a crystal ball in Jamaica, and when there is an alert everybody go into the cellars.

By Ana Belmonte Pérez and Antonio Rodríguez Polaino IES Pedro Jiménez Montoya Spain

European Literature: A mirror of European Identity?

European Literature: A mirror of European Identity?

A new version of The new life by O. Pamuk One day I read a book and it really changed my life. I lived in Norway. I was a businessman. I wasted all my time working.

My life was always the same; I woke up early, I had a shower, I had breakfast, I took the underground and I started working. Late, in the evening I came back home and I went to bed.

There was only one thing that made my life happier, reading. I usually read books about different cultures because I love traveling but I haven't got enough time.

It was the only thing that changed my routine. I learnt a lot of things of other countries.

My favourite place was Spain, especially the south. All the books said that there, everyday is sunny.

I started to read the book that really changed my life. It was a diary written by an old well-known man.

It described how his life had changed since he moved to Spain, and it was the change that I needed.

On holidays I decided to visit Spain. I chose Andalucia as my destination.

European Literature: A mirror of European Identity?

European Literature: A mirror of European Identity?

I fell in love with the beaches and Lucia, a lovely girl from Malaga.

The life there was very calm.

I had to come back home but Lucia couldn't come with me so one month later I move to Spain to live with Lucia.

And I just thought that the life that the book with Lucia.

described was the life that I wanted

By: Elena Fernández Rubio and Carmen Tudela Arenas IES Pedro Jiménez Montoya Spain .

Designed by Elisa Mª López

European Literature: A mirror of European Identity?