Written by CELE students in‌
Stories from the depths of the imagination‌
Gerardo Najera (2012) The whisper "She closed the book, placed it on the table, and finally, decided to walk through the door."
She walked for several minutes by a long dark corridor before she can get into her room. The old wooden windows creaked with the wind; it was certainly a very old house full of memories stored in every inch of his moth-eaten walls. Her grandfather had begun its construction in the middle of the last century, after having returned from the war. Her hands were shaking and her eyes began to fill with tears as her vision became slowly blurred; she could still remember the weight of the yellowed pages that had shaken her whole being. Those fragments written by his grandfather still echoed in her head. “…and there she was. I could see her face that loomed motionless behind the train window. This had begun to move but the image of her pale face seemed to be stuck in the same place where I saw her for the first time before the train departed. She had been staring at me since I arrived to the train station to pick up my wife that had visited her mother in the neighboring village. “Who is she?” I asked myself. She was really beautiful for her age, though her face was transmitting much suffering and pain. There was a time when we crossed the look and argued for a moment and then I started to hear a distant whisper. I seemed to hear her voice. “Come with me, I'm waiting for you" I listened. Thirty-two years have passed since that chilling day when I started hearing in dreams the same scary whisper that I listened in the train
station. I never saw her face again until this morning when there she was, standing at the shade of the tree next to the barn with her beautiful blue eyes staring at me once again. It seems that the years had not gone through it. Suddenly, she disappeared in the blink of an eye and the morning mist began to dissipate as the sun rises. The whisper has started to escalate in me; I must admit I'm scared and afraid for my life.” A lightning lit up the room while a terrible storm began. She was holding in her hand the last page written by his grandfather, the man who inspired her to be an artist and follow her dreams. The book she found while she was searching at the basement her grandfather's old sketches changed her life. She had been the closest person to him after his grandmother and she never knew about it, she couldn't help him to get over it. She could not bear the thought that his grandfather had died the same day he wrote those last few words. Something had been killing him for years and she didn’t know it. “It was not a single heart attack that killed him” She thought. “Why he never told me about this?” She asked herself. He walked slowly to the room's window; from there she could see the tree next to the barn where his grandfather had seen the mysterious woman. This time with a loud thunder another lightning lit up the room when she was staring at the tree and for a moment she could see her grandfather's silhouette hanging from the tree, there was a thick rope around his neck while his body was a couple feet off the ground.
His grandfather had committed suicide!
Alex (2012) The book “She closed the book, placed it on the table, and finally decided to walk through the door…” It was the first mistake; I found that little book when I was arriving home from school, I wouldn´t have done that. At the beginning I thought that it was one of my mother´s book that she use to receive each month of her literature club, but then I saw that it was for me, on the back was my name… That was really weird because I don´t use to receive nothing, well just in my birthdays. I run to my room and started to read of what it was about. It didn´t have a tittle, and I started to read:
“She found that little book when she was arriving home from school, she wouldn´t have done that. At the beginning she thought that it was one of her mother´s book that she use to receive each month of her literature club but then she saw that it was for her, on the back was her name…” I remember that at the beginning I said: “WHAT´S GOING ON?”. I launched the book and go out my room. It was describing what I was doing few minutes ago! I wanted to destroy it, and at the same time grown up inside me the curiosity, I wanted to read more about. I hadn´t done so much since that, so maybe I would be able to read what will happen in the future…. What stupid I was! “After recover of the impression she decided to read more, after an hour she closed the book, placed it on the table, and finally decided to walk through the door, she go out of her house and walk alone the street many hours, then she saw a person, she couldn´t do anything else, she couldn´t stop her impulse and started to follow that person, she was very careful to be secretive that the followed didn´t notice the presence of her. She followed that person till where the person lives… She knew where to start again… She returned home, it was very late so she decided to go to sleep” I didn´t believed it, I didn´t have sense, how I will be obsessive on a person, I needed to stop reading, I left the book on the table and go out my home trying to think in another things. After some time I saw a person, I don´t know why but I couldn´t stop to see him, maybe the
attitude, maybe the way of walk… The point was that I needed to follow him, I did it and that person didn´t notice me, it was very exciting, finally I knew where the person lives. I went back to my home, and I started to feel fear, I was spying someone… and the worst of all was that I was doing everything that the book says. I tried to stop it but I couldn´t. The last thing that I read was: “Yes, she couldn´t stop to follow and spying that person, every place, every day, she is looking that person”. Now, I´m seeing you… And do you know something? You look so nice reading at this moment…
santoslad's Space (April 17, 2012) When one door closes, another door opens. She closed the book, placed it on the table, and finally decided to walk through the door‌ to start living again after all that time of passivity and comfort. The book makes her realize that it is the waste of time what she more regrets. Outside everything seems to be normal, nobody notice her change, and that was exactly what she had expected and wanted, in that way
everything will be easier, because giving explanations is last thing she want to do, and even either she knows what had happened, the fact is that now she is single and wants to enjoy the experience, meet new people, rediscover old friends, and why not go abroad and learn. Opposite to what everybody thought she accepts the job offer, sure be the nanny of three kids was not on her mine a month ago, but it is a really good chance to travel to Canada, earn money, learn French, improve her English and of course be forgotten. Her aunt was ready to receive her, after two months with the triplets she was desperate for help. By the end of that week Sophia was arriving to the Montréal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport it was middle June so the weather was great to go out and know the place, but instead of that Sophia was taking care of the babies almost the whole day, the first days she wonder why Lucy, her aunt, had wanted to be single mom, it was so much work with two parents and a baby, so triplets and one parent it is a chaos. When Friday came Sophia was so tired that all she wants was sleep without being disturbed by the baby cries. Marvelously it happened everybody could sleep until seven o’clock, four more fantastic hours. Sophia was waiting for that Saturday because they were going to meet the new babysitter (a new friend and probably her French teacher) because on the next week Lucy have to return to the office, the appointment time arrived, and so big was the surprise of Sophie, who was wearing pants and a pajama shirt, when she saw Janvier the handsome and masculine babysitter. She felt on heaven when he said to her “Bonjour madame… Hi my name is Janvier; I will be your partner in caring for these children”
She actually forgot her 10 years relationship and could not stop smiling to Janvier who was suddenly entering to her life, a life that seems to be very promising and full of good surprises.
Rosario (2012) She closed the book, placed it on the table, and finally decided to walk through the door. It was the first book Rose ever writes and finally it was printed she just wanted to go to the nearest coffee library and sit there all day. Therefore she ran out, but outside she noticed that it was cloudy so she returned for her coat and an umbrella. She thought that it was very unusual that in those days the weather was like that, but she was so excited, didn´t care and started walking to the library. On the way there she noticed something strange but she was convinced it was her nerves. When she got into the coffee library she sat at the nearest coffee table from the book zone. A waitress asked her if she wanted anything –
Just tea, please - Rose said without seeing who asked. She couldn´t stop watching the bookshelf that she knew was about suspense books. After a while she got bored and when she looked up she saw her waitress dressed with a funny huge dress and a corset. “It might be the new uniform” she thought because when she looked around every woman was the same and men were all in an elegant suit. “But everybody is dress the same way! If they are all library employee´s of the library, where are all the clients? How someone is going to buy my book if there´re no clients?” She wondered. She decided to ask someone why there weren´t any clients, the cashier saw her from toes to head made a weird face and said – They are all around us! – She exclaim. Rose didn´t said anything and she got out. Rose almost crashed with a horse. “A horse?, At the middle of the street? Here we never see things like that” But that wasn´t all the horse was pulling a carriage. There was when Rose realized what was happening. - I´m in my book! But, how is that possible! - She just shouted confused. The people around her saw her and started whispering. – But if I´m in my book, and this is my story… Oh oh!!- Rose just panic and started running so fast. She was so scared that didn´t even had a direction; she just was running wherever her foot takes her. In the
corner of a street she crashed with that thing she wanted the less and lost consciousness. When she woke up she was just sitting on her room´s table with the same blank page and the brand new pen she never used.
Edgar (2012) She closed the book, placed it on the table; and finally decided to walk through the door. Everyday she walked to the market, during the morning. The first time I saw her, happend when I was buying vegetables, fruits, meat, bread and milk. She sat across the street eating on a bag full of peanuts. She gets a small plastic bag to throw away the garbage. I liked that she was considerate not to be nasty ;). Well, she just sat, watching all of us. I saw her every day. She comes in the morning to the coffee shop, sometimes with a red book, but I don’t know the name of the book that she has been reading for long time, Could it be the red book of Mao? Sometimes she comes with a laptop. She sits in front of me, waiting for none. She occupies a different place everyday in the coffee shop, never repeating the same table the following day. She always sits on one of the tables on the outside. She sits, orders her coffee or tea and starts to reading the newspaper, while I enjoy my glass of milk with
chocolate (Mmm!! It tastes good). She takes a break sometimes to eat her fruits and wandering by the coffee shop, as if she were a fly on a cake. She hardly talks to anyone. Maybe she is a dumb person or she likes silent. I believed that she was working on a tale or something, because she is always laughing while she is working on writing or I wonder if she is chatting on facebook, I don’t know. I have never asked about her, I liked the simple glances and smiles that we exchange every day =P. What she does after she leaves the coffee shop or where she comes from, is something that I really don’t know. I really don’t care. One day not to long time ago she didn’t come. It made me annoyed. I had some kind of intuition about her being in troubles or something like that. But I guess I was wrong. I hoped she would be all right. I was glad when she returned to her routine a week later, She looked thin and a little bit different. I could notice. She had spent the last week at camp (a waiter told me), and came back looking quit skinny. As she entered the coffee shop, the waitress turned around and smiled, "I haven't seen you in forever!" She suddenly widen her eyes and started to laugh noisily. "Girl, where are your pants?" the waitress inquired.
She looked down, no pants. It seems that she was in alcohol the day before. For the first time I could see her long-haired legs. Oh my god! I felt so disturbed that I couldn’t sleep for several days. Then, she screamed, cover her long-haired legs with a tablecloth. Then, she started to run away faster from the coffee shop, as if she were a cheetah, and from that time on I have never looked her again. Oh boy! :)
Ariel (2012) A sudden departure. In a common night of April, there was a man who was coming back his home after a normal working day. At home, there were his wife and his two children waiting for his arrival as usual. He was sitting in the middle of a bus. The road they were was of only two lines. The town where he leaved was not really far from his workplace. Anyway, he always takes the bus to arrive early and be able to see his family. The bus was about to arrive, when he saw a huge white light approaching in front. He noted it was a truck, which wasn´t led in its own line. It was been driven in the middle of the way. The bus driver tried to evade it, but couldn´t handle very good and got out the road. The man woke up after little time. He just didn´t know what had happened. He stilled been sit in his place, but across the window he could see red and blue lights in the dark. There were cop cars and ambulances. Finally he got up and got out the bus. There were
paramedics attending other people and he thought it was weird no one approached him and offered him help. He just said to himself: “I´m ok… don´t worry, everything is going to be alright”. He saw the bus had impacted in a tree. It was totally destroyed and thought: “how fortunate I am because I can still walk. He realized he was near his town, about five minutes walking. And so, he decided to do it. After five minutes and a bit, he finally arrived his town. He took a long breath and started to walk again. In the first house of the unpaved way, he saw a marriage and three children outside it. They seemed to be sad. The man knew them. The oldest brother of that family worked at the same place he did. He got a bit nearer and realized the reason they were sad. There was his partner, lying, with a white blanked. He walked back some steps. He felt really sad about his partner, but on the other hand, he felt lucky. Without saying a word, he stilled walking his way home, when a police car passed in his right side. He was completely sure they were going to give a terrible new to other family, hoping to be wrong. Finally he arrived home. He noted the police car that had passed one moment ago was in front of a neighbor house. The man just wanted to know nothing about anything, and he hurried to get in his house. He found himself alone in the darkness. He deduced that his wife had sent the children to sleep, because of his delaying. He went quickly upstairs. And there they were, his both children were sleeping. He kissed them. Suddenly, he heard the door knocking. In his way downstairs he finally saw his wife. He tried to greet and hug her, but she just ignored
him while she opened the door. Two policemen were standing outside. He asked them what had happened. They said, looking to the wife at her eyes: “I´m sorry”. They showed a body inside the car, covered with a white blanked. She approached the body, discovered his face and started crying right away, hugging his head. The man was totally astonished. He had no idea who was the body of. Even so, he tried to comfort his wife. After a moment, she moved away from the body. The man was curious to know who the body is. He approached to the police car. To his surprise, he saw his face cleaned and with the eyes closed. He got totally scared. He started shouting: “It´s not possible… It´s not possible…”. Finally, he knew why everybody had ignored him. He began to feel a very cold sensation that ran from his feet upward in his body. He saw himself fading in the wind blowing. And so it was how he left the town forever.
Maribel Story context. The nurse left work at five o’clock. She went home when suddenly she saw a old woman trying to cross the street, and she walked quickly to helped her. The old woman gave her thanks, and then the nurse asked her, Why do you stay alone? because I have got anybody to accompany me, the old woman said. Do you live near here? yes 4 blocks down, well I’ll accompany you, said the nurse. Thank you are very kind. When they arrived at old woman house, she opened the door, the house had a lot of plants, they came in a dark room. Come in and sit-down please, the old woman said. Excuse me but I’m in a hurry, if I saw you again maybe I would accept thanks. After 5 days, the nurse saw the old woman again and so they began a friendship. The nurse felt compassion on her, one day she stayed set
down in the dark room, when suddenly a photograph fell down she talked and gozed it, she felt had seen in other place and she asked to old woman, who was the man in the photograph. He is my husband the old woman answered, he is dead; Oh I’m sorry! said the nurse. She got back her home and thought about the photograph, she was sure, known the man of the photograph , and she wondered where she had seen him. The next day the nurse got back whit the old woman and she told her that, I must visit my family, they live around here and I’ll take a flight to night, but I got back soon, the old woman wept and say that, I"ll miss you, don"t forget me. I’ll see you again, the nurse told her and she gone. The nurse arrived to the airport on the button. 2 Weeks later, the nurse come back and she visited the old woman, but when she saw the house, she thought it was in very bad condition and the plants were withered, the house was empty, she couldn’t believe what happened, where was the old woman, the nurse started to find her and also asked the neighbours swore that, the house was haunted, and didn’t live anybody in this house since 50 years ago, it said that a long, long time, a marriage lived in this house and they had 2 children, but they never got back to see them. A few years after the marriage dead of sadness and loneliness. My memory must be playing tricks on me, she said herself. She got back to old woman house and when she stayed inside she saw a book on the floor and in the middle of the book it was a photograph of the same man who was the old woman husband. Somebody made me a joke the nurse said. She was confused and decided leave town. But at the same time her brother came to town,
because he wants buy a old house who had 50 years, and it was in bad condition. She closed the book placed on the table, and finally decided to walk through the door