Moments is a work in progress. The idea was to publish a new short story every Friday in 2021, starting on 8 January. This is a large and demanding task, and half a year has gone by succesfully. At the end of June 2021, it was decided to take a break for exactly a year. This has to do with work, life’s obligations and a novel that is as good as ready, but can’t be finished while this project is active. To get that done, and prevent stagnation of this project, the second half will be worked on exactly a year later than originally planned.
If successful,the stories will be collected into a book in late 2022.
See links to the stories below, as they are published.
Moments 26 to be published before the end of June 2021, and will then continue in July 2022.
The Performer – Published 25 June 2021
The audience was still stomping and clapping, calling his name. It annoyed him slightly. What did they want from him? The same old songs he’d played for years on end? The same banter between the songs? I wrote this one after… blah, blah, blah.
Summer Solstice – Published 20 June 2021
According to Icelandic tradition, on the night of Summer Solstice, cows can speak, seals turn into humans and rolling in the morning dew will bring good fortune. And the sun doesn’t set.
Jón is a farmer and after he retires to bed, he is visited by a stranger. This story was also published in Icelandic as Jónsmessa.
The House of the Living – Published 11 June 2021
We did not turn on the lights at night, as you probably expect of our sort. Neither did we slam doors or look through the windows from the outside. Never did we rearrange jars in the kitchen or throw furniture around. We are not like that.
Spectre – Published 4 June 2021
Waking up to a thundering headache, it took a while for my eyes to adjust, yet I couldn’t place where I was. Never been here before. Music played somewhere.
Spectre is defined as a a ghost; phantom; apparition. Most of the stories so far have been flash fiction, 1000 words or less. This one is so short, you could print it on a napkin in a fancy café.
A New Eden – Published 28 May 2021
Six astronauts land on an earth-like planet in the 24th century. Will they create a new world of peace or are humans the same, wherever they go?
He turned and looked at the spaceship behind him. A relic of their old world. The last great achievement before civilisation turned inwards and was forced to react to the climate catastrophe of the late twenty-first century.
Afternoon – Published 21 May 2021
Where are my bedsheets, he asked? You will all be sleeping with us, she replied. They asked why, and she just smiled. Didn’t want to tell them that if they died, they would die together so that no one would have to mourn the others. They would live together or die together.
Foyer de la Danse – Published 14 May 2021
It was business. He would get what he wanted, she would get her money, her family would go another day without starving, and Eloise would be closer to her goal of becoming the best ballerina in Paris.
In the late 1800s, ballerinas in Paris were expected to entertain well paying members after the show. This is for them, and all women that have had to tolerate being exploited by men.
Candles – Published 7 May 2021
Ben kissed her on the cheek, slipped past her and into the kitchen. He returned with a large cake with candles lit. Francisca gestured him to quickly put the cake on the table and inhaled
Hesitated.
This wasn’t right.
White Roses – Published 30 April 2021
The gate was open, and she entered the cemetery. New graves, old and overgrown. Names of couples that had insisted on being buried next to each other, children. People she didn’t know and would never get to know. Vera walked up a path towards a grave.
This story is based on the 2011 short film by the same name.
The Sun that Shone like Eating Horses – Published 23 April 2021
Recently, AI has been used to write music and stories, so I thought I’d try and see how it works. This is the result. You be the judge who is a better writer, me or the computer.
Jim Darn was thinking about Jackie Doran again. Jackie was a cold-blooded angel with red hands and pretty fingernails. Jim walked over to the window and reflected on his glorious surroundings.
Lucifer’s Boredom – Published 16 April 2021
He stroked the benches with his fingers as he walked up the aisle. There were colourful leaflets with selected Bible stories, fairy tales for kids. It never seized to amaze him how God managed to sell his past as noble and cute. Salvatore smiled. How many times had he offered an easier way out, a little less dramatic? But no, God always needed to show off, to demonstrate his power, always needed unconditional love of the very people that feared him.
The Kiss – Published 9 April 2021
It was the night before Julie’s wedding, and she was having doubts. A lifetime with the same person, however nice, felt like a trap. The moonlight glistened on the leaves and the path looked like a silver-coloured road that would take her away to freedom. She came to a patio and noticed a silhouette of a man.
The Woman by the Road – Published 2 April 2021
A woman was standing alone by the side of the road. It was dark, but the headlights made her almost glow in the dark. It was too late to stop. The car sped past her, but I pressed the brakes and looked in the rear-view mirror. Couldn’t see her.
Escape – Published 26 March 2021
It wasn’t about her, he thought as he buttoned his trousers. Wasn’t about the woman, still lying in the bed he had just got out of. Wasn’t about his wife, who was completely oblivious to this affair. Until she would find a careless message, detect a smell she didn’t recognise, or see a behaviour that was out of character.
The Shadow in the Hallway – Published 19 March 2021
I’m not sure when I started seeing him. I just know that I did, frequently. You could see him from the corner of your eye, but the moment you looked, he was gone. Neither did I see his feet. I presume they were there, but he didn’t walk in the usual sense. He floated from one side of the hall to the other. It’s hard to explain. It wasn’t like he was flying, more the absence of walking.
A Traitor Lay Dying – Published 12 March 2021
They never stopped her, never checked. The baker’s daughter was just doing the rounds. Reaching the outskirts of the village, she followed a path to the windmill. She laid the bike against the fence, took the basket off and walked around to the back, lifted an old wooden hatch and put the weapons down.
This story was also published in Dutch.
Queen of Hearts – Published 5 March 2021
The executioner raised his axe, and the queen walked away from her window. She could not be seen to be weaker than a king would. She turned to look into the large mirror on the wall. The dark hair flowing from under her crown, almost merging with her black velvet dress. Black, the colour of mourning.
Cinema – Published 26 February 2021
Set in Berlin, Ulrich struggles to find love. When a gang of criminals attack a woman, he grabs the opportunity. But will he get the girl?
They walked towards the city, holding hands. As they stood under the Brandenburger Tor in the evening light, she turned and thanked him. He looked into her eyes and they kissed.
19 February 1916, 8:07 A.M. – Published 19 February 2021
A soldier puts a bag over my head. I try to refuse, but it is procedures.
During the Great War of 1914-1918, almost a thousand soldiers were executed for desertion and other crimes. Many charges were flimsy and wouldn’t stand up in court. In many countries, still today, the executed soldiers are not given the same respect as others. They are still seen as traitors.
Leaving the Door Ajar – Published 12 February 2021
Unlocking the phone and dialling her number, he heard her voice for the first time in months. She showed him to the living room. Coffee? Thanks. She went to the kitchen, he followed her. His wife, his companion, soulmate, his everything. Imagined everything she should have been. And never would be.
I’ll See You in My Dreams – Published 5 February 2021
He knew it as she put the coffee mug in front of him. She pierced deep into his eyes and stirred a little too slowly. He smiled, trying to look as innocent as possible. How could she know? She couldn’t. It was impossible. The authentication system was fully biometric.
1953 – published 29 January 2021
The waves were crashing against the dike, and sometimes I could taste salt. The storm was getting worse and father had told me to be home quickly. – The 1953 North Sea flood was the worst natural disaster in the Netherlands in the 20th century. This story is fiction and not based on specific people, but it is typical for what would have happened and did happen that night.
This story was also published in Dutch.
The Girl from Nowhere – published 22 January 2021
Frank is a private detective, but business has been slow lately. It’s like nobody has affairs anymore or murders their spouse, loses their dog or gets bribed and needs a discreet way of getting rid of the kidnapper. The greatest problem he faces is the bottom of the bottle. He needs money to buy more whisky.Then the phone rings…
The Confusing Coronation of Karel I – published 15 january 2021
The wars were mostly over, and the battles won. Spring was in the air and the sun shone on the congregation as they slowly marched past a man with a long sword. The day seemed peaceful enough and Karel would be crowned king today. But what does a king name himself?
A New Beginning – published 8 January 2021
Eve wanders the Garden of Eden and wonders why she has to wear a fig leaf and why this snake is talking to her.
The idea to publish a book with those stories at the end of 2021 or beginning of 2022. If you want to be notified, please consider following this page or the author’s Facebook page.