Autor: Carlos Reeves

I am in a tower where everything is concrete with columns and roofs without details; it is a place that spreads a real melancholy of a dream that began and was abandoned by the dreamer.

This skeleton has the finest view of a horizon of fertile land to be cultivated. It is an emotion that trembles in my chest when I climb the dark steps; I follow the glow that seeps in from the top floor.

The landscape is revealed when I leave behind each level of the structure, I can feel that atmosphere that darkens me and I am adopting.

She surprises me when I see the line that separates paradise and earth; her steps on the stairs make me turn around. She stops and stares at me over her shoulder.

“I promised to wait for you,” I said.

She leans her head looking at the emptiness, then drags her eyes and looks at the floor that awaits her on the next stairs and continues her way.

I follow her until we reach the rooftop, and she stands on the edge of the tower. I kept my distance.

“In every dream you find me,” she said extending her leg out of the edge and holding her slipper with her fingertips.

“Come with me,” I get closer, but she drops the slipper and stops me, “why are you running away when I find you?”

She turns around, stares at me with her expressionless eyes and throws herself off the cliff.

“Please don’t give up.” I said holding her arm.

I help her up, and we sit on the edge. She remains agitated with her gaze on the ground, catches her breath and turns to me.

“Will you ruin it?” She said.

“No,” I replied shaking my head, “and you?”

“Neither,” she smiles.

She walks along the roof of the tower prowling its corners and stands to look at the horizon. The sun illuminates the huge treetops in the forest and her beautiful figure with her hair lifted by the wind.

“Our lives have always been shrouded in sadness,” I said.

“Why do you talk as if you understand what I have lived through?”

“I was there, in all of your dreams I saw you and I’ve also felt it, you know it,” I replied, “I followed you here where everything ends to return to you.”

“This place is yours like mine,” she hesitates and leans her head to find her thoughts, “who are we? Why do we always meet?”

I also have the same questions, but if this is our creation and we always meet, it is because we are together in this.

Please leave your comments if you like to contribute to improve the translation of this story. I’ll be very greatful.

I scream calling someone, but I don’t see who.

“I am alone…”

No one comes to the fox valley.

I walk down the hill dappled with flowers, waves of wind shake them and release their fragrances.

I’m immersed in a mist.

Exhausted and crestfallen I glance up at the avenue. There is a tree with wide branches that cross the street and give shade at the bus stop where I am.

The bus stops with the screeching of the brakes and the vibration of its sheet; compressed air hisses, and the door opens. I pay the fare and walk the path that glows in the light from the windows; each golden line inhales away the brightness of the seats and breathes gently, returning the intensity of its beam. All except the one with the woman in the black swan-neck sweater.

“It’s her!”

She is with her gaze left in the void; I approach her looking for her green eyes, but she refuses to look at me. Sitting next to her I hold his hands.

“I miss you,” she said.

Please leave your comments if you like to contribute to improve the translation of this story. I’ll be very greatful.

[Hey, I tried to call you! On Sunday we are going to Plaza Galerías, the whole class is gonna be there at 5pm. You must come hahaha… Hope to see you]

I got her message on Facebook a day after dreaming about her. It’s been a while since I met with my high school classmates, but the truth is, she the cause of my nerves.

I arrive before the hour and I sit down on a bench far from the meeting point. Although I get along well with people, there are only a few that I can talk to without feeling compromised and endure those annoying silences.

I wait and pretend to text to cast light glances. It is 5:00 in the afternoon and until then there are no signs of her or the others, so I go to the meeting point in full view of everyone. I think is the wrong day or time.

“I’m stranded like a cat in doubt.”

If I was late and they followed the plan, I will have to meet them in the mall or call my friend to find us; or avoid the effort and retire. I look at the crowd, hoping to see a familiar face; I imagine observing myself from that bench, and how absent-minded I look at the entrance as the last chosen player. Anyway, I’m trapped, and I only wish I wasn´t there.

“What the hell is going on where are they?”

It is 5:30 when she leaves the mall to meet me, with her green eyes and a feline smile she hugs me. She is a little smaller so her head reaches my neck and I can smell the minty scent of her hair. Honestly, I don’t remember how much we talked that afternoon, I suppose it was nice for our looks and laughter.

Forty minutes later another one appears, greets my friend but does not recognize me; closes his eyelids halfway as if he expected to give him a proof of being companions years ago. I don’t care and smile.

Her best friend arrives and with a kiss recognizes me. She came with another classmate, and like the other she has forgotten me. I really don’t care.

We stayed until we realized that we were all. I feel sad for her, only few came.

She was one of the most popular girls in high school, not because of the cheapness of being the “Hottest girl.”

“Sorry, it’s true. There is no scam greater than popularity for the beauty of youth.”

Of course, she is pretty with fine, soft features, kitty lips and ears sticking out of her black hair. Her skin is light without being white, thin with a little but firm peach butt; sometimes its big or small, fallen or raised, it all depends on her clothes. The same happens with her tits, they are like a pair of cupcakes; I just need milk to enjoy them.

“She is not perfect, but authentic in its entire being.”

I’m sure the reason for her popularity is her personality; she adapted very well, one day she could talk about video games, board games, comics and the other day I would see her on the basketball or volleyball field.

She was an awful student and more than once I had to get her out of the detention room. I’m don’t remember when we became friends, but I know the day we met.

It was when the volleyball fell onto the grass and rolled towards me, where I was resting.

“Hey! Can you pass me the ball?”

I raise my arms from my eyes, and I look at her standing on the field in her white uniform; behind her everyone awaits my answer.

“You come.”

“Please!” Said with her hands on the waist.

“I’m not your damn ball boy,” I covered my eyes.

I even feel his presence standing there.

“Forget it,” said one player, “he is a loser.”

I see askance and find him on the other side of the field. I get up and pick up the ball.

“Be careful, he’s already mad!” He mocked supported by the laughter of others, even she covers her mouth to laugh.

I throw the ball in front of me and jump hitting it in the air, it shoots over the net, passing the players and it goes down. The guy who screamed throws himself and the ball lands inside the field.

It wasn’t the best of all shots; I was more encouraged to hit the guy than make the play. It was enough to impress them.

We bought coffee at the Flor de Córdoba and wandered around the plaza aimlessly in the stream of people. My friend proposes to go to the billiards, I thought that would get high hopes, but each one makes an excuse to leave.

“Okay, so what are you here for? “

We go alone, we had a great time and a lot of fun; ordered French fries and drinks, and we split the bill.

She beats me two of three games; then we play a shooting arcade, as a team we fight the demons that try to kill us, if they beat us, we will start separated in the game until we meet.

At night we exchanged numbers and said goodbye. We will take the same bus, only in opposite ways from the city. She waits in front of me distanced from the avenue.

Please leave your comments if you like to contribute to improve the translation of this story. I’ll be very greatful.

“I fell into absolute darkness, in the depths where he lives…”

Unconscious I collapse like a feather into the abyss; thin and luminous ribbons descend from the outside. They tie my body and smoothly pull me to the wavy surface. I cross the ocean line into the sky and enter a hole with windows shining in golden lights. On the ascension the vitality of my being declines.

A valley of flowers follows from the tunnel, the sky is clear and the clouds concentrate in a vortex. The ribbons become warmer and transform into a radiant point that spreads flares in the shape of rings. Three angels levitate in paradise and stare at the moon above them, in it is the tower where there is an enormous tree that emerges from the heart of the copper vault. My journey continues along the rock paths to the library and books are dragger away in a sandstorm. Then come the sewers and take me inside the tower. I arrive at the temple where the wind organ sounds, there are candles surrounding the altar and I hear a voice calling me from outside. It is noon and a blue light falls on the town. I blow steam into my hands that I can barely heat. 

The doorbell rings as I come in the cafeteria; it reflects the menu table in the dessert display case, no one is at the counter.

Sprinklers spray the grass and the droplets get trapped in its leaves, two butterflies flutter among the trees and then rise to the tops, a few rays of sunlight escape from the branches and fall to the ground with small dots of light.

The faint bright flickers at the sound of the projector; the film shows the star-filled ocean where a comet traveling in a bright spot.

I look back and a glow appears across the street, it comes from her medallion. She is sitting on the pedestal of the pole and is waiting leaning on it. Her blouse is white and her skirt is gray, her eyes are green and her hair is straight black.

“Where have you been?” I asked.

“I haven’t moved from here,” she pats the concrete and stares at me, “will you go up?”

I sit next to her and from there we observe the town.

“A dream,” she said.

“But who?”

“Me,” she replied, “whenever I am sitting here, I see you going through those places and you disappear into one of them.”

“I don’t remember.”

“Well, it’s the first time you’ve come to my side,” she takes the medal off his collar.

In her hands she extends the chain and wraps her arms in my neck; her lips are close to me and I kiss her, she stays with me until she fastens the chain, then with a smile she jumps away from me.

“I will wait for you!” I yelled behind her before she disappeared around the corner.

Please leave your comments if you like to contribute to improve the translation of this story. I’ll be very greatful.