After studying and analyzing the characteristics of short stories, we wanted to apply this newly gained knowledge by writing our own stories. We created story concepts (with 2 students collaborating on the same concept but then writing individually) and then wrote the stories. It was interesting to see how very different the end results were from one another, even if they share a common concept.
Enjoy!
A fish – the last hope??
It had been months, years, maybe even decades since I began my journey on finding other human beings after the great catastrophe. Being trapped in this cave hadn’t helped a lot completing my quest, but I was determined. I felt thirsty and I hadn ‘t eaten in days, but hope was nutritious enough. Walking in this cave, desperately looking for an exit I found a pond with a fish inside. My stomach told me to eat it but my gut told me that I should keep it alive und take it with me, so I put it in a plastic bag which I had found earlier and filled it with water. Glad that I found a companion, I continued my search. The time felt like an eternity, although it’d only been a couple of hours since I woke up in this damn cave and there was still no exit in sight. It was a fricking maze. “You know what little fish, I’m giving up. “I said, and then suddenly a voice: “Don’t you dare to give up. “Who was that? With no one in sight, it could’ve been only one. The fish. It was talking to me. “Wait, you can talk? “, l asked – No answer. Hello? Mister Fish? “– still no answer.
Although it didn’t answer the fact that a fish was talking to me bolstered my energy, so I forced myself to start moving again. The cave stretched endlessly in every direction. A maze of suffocating darkness, but then I noticed the glow. At first, I thought it was the reflection of the water, but no. The fish itself was glowing. “Beautiful“I said to myself and kept walking to the next intersection, where I realized that the fish was brightening when I held it into the right turn und was dimming when I held it into the left turn. „No way “-my heart was racing. Due to the lack of options, I decided to follow the fish. The fish’s glow became my guide, leading me through the maze of tunnels. As I pushed deeper into the cave, each step felt heavier than the last. But then I heard them – voices or some kind of talking. I started running, the fish glowing brighter und brighter. Then I saw them, hundreds of them.
Skeletons tangled together. Their jaws frozen in silent screams. My stomach turned inside out. The whispers were coming from every direction. They were all around me, no they were inside me. The fish’s glow flickering wildly. The whispers turned into a single voice:
“You’ve found us “. The fish ‘s bag slipped out of my hands, falling hundreds of meters. And then suddenly, I was falling too.
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I’ve lost track of time. Months, years, maybe even decades have passed since I began my search for other human beings. The solitude is gnawing at me, a relentless suffering, yet the memory of the signal I once received keeps me moving. Someone else is out there. I know it. And as long as that possibility exists, I can’t allow myself to give up. This cave has become both my home and my prison. Each passing moment spent in its all-encompassing darkness tempts me to surrender, to simply lie down and let myself rot away. But to do so would mean that everything I’ve endured, every step I took and every sacrifice I made, would’ve been for nothing. I can’t allow myself to let that happen. If there is even the faintest chance of survival, I have to take it.
Wandering blindly, I stumble upon a pond. The sight of fish swimming in the water sends a growl to my stomach. I can’t remember the last time I ate. But I have no tools, no weapons. Just a plastic bag. And I’ve never caught a fish before. I’ve never swum either. Then, something strange happens. A fish rises to the surface and doesn’t flinch as I reach for it. It lets me pick it up effortlessly, as if it wants to be caught. I hesitate. It would be so easy to eat it. But something stops me. Society once kept animals as companions, didn’t they? Perhaps I should do the same. The idea of having someone, or something by my side outweighs even my desperation. Who knows? It could be poisonous anyway. I grab the fish tightly, feeling its small body rest on my palm. My vision blurs. Exhaustion hits me, pressing me onto the ground. I’m on the verge of collapsing, but at least I’m not alone. Then, a whisper, a thought, not my own. “The pond is connected to the outside, to civilization.” Could it be true? Is this the way out? If there’s even the slightest chance, I can’t afford to hesitate. I have to go. I have to. I plunge into the water. The moment my body hits the water; I realize my mistake. How could I have forgotten? I don’t know how to swim.
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« Amira, come and help me with the dishes when you have finished your schoolwork » her mom shouts from next door. Amira is a 13-year-old girl from Mosul in Iraq. Even though her parents are both working hard in sweatshops she has to work there on weekends as well, otherwise they wouldn’t be able to feed the family of seven. But Amira is full of hope, she’s working hard for school and loves going there because she wants to become a doctor one day. In her family everyone is always in a hurry, her parents are working all day, so she has to take care of her four younger siblings after coming home from school. But tomorrow isn’t a day like every other, tomorrow is her great day. Her parents took the day off and her mom is still sewing on the dress Amira will wear tomorrow. Amira should be happy, because this is her chance for a better life but somehow, she’s not. She feels like there’s something that makes her feel frightful. Her father has finished cooking, so everyone is called in the living room for their last dinner together.
“I don’t want Amira to go why can’t she stay with us?” asks her little sister Nora while holding back her tears. Her father sighs, he knows the consequences Amira will face but he knows this is Stil the best option for her. He tries to explain calmly that where Amira goes, she’ll have better chances in life, more money and will be treated kindly. « But I don’t get it, in the movies girls always marry someone their age they love. Why does Amira have to marry Dads old disgusting friend? » « Thats enough, shut up Nora » her Dad shouts now, while his face turns completely red. Amira feels how her vision blurs from tears that are streaming down her face, while she stands up and runs to the room she shares with her four siblings. Her hands shake as she begins to stuff her most important clothes and other valuables into a backpack. Voices rise in the living room- her father is shouting and her mom pleading. After a while it’s quiet. Her mom decides to go and look after her oldest daughter. But when she got there, she began to scream. The window is wide open, and Amira and her personal stuff are nowhere to be found.
The lost Son
Since Mr. Porterfield was brought to the hospital, he had been thinking. Thinking about his long, soon to be ending life. The main thought he thought about was his son George. They had been arguing for years. In fear of dying with such a terrible relation to his only remaining family member, he wrote a letter. Drops of tears drew wet dots onto the paper, while he was writing about his situation and asking George to visit him one last time.
Despite severe differences of opinion lately, it was a shock for George to hear about his father in hospital. Considering all the years they had happily lived together and the beautiful moments they had witnessed together in his childhood, he felt sorry for what he had sometimes said to his father recently. And so he sat down to respond immediately. “I’m sorry, Dad. I want to reconcile with you. I’ll be with you before this letter arrives.”
When Mr. Porterfield read this, his son hadn’t arrived yet, but he felt a big relief. The sun was shining and beautiful like the thoughts in his head.
He apologized. And he wants to see me and get along with me…
And so he started waiting for George, who didn’t arrive that day.
He’s late, as usual, like me…
And he didn’t arrive the next day.
What happened to him?
And not the day after. Dark clouds started appearing in the sky. And a terrorizing thought started growing in his mind.
What if he lied? Does he even want to see me? He’s not sorry at all. He lied.
When pouring rain was falling the next day, he was told, that his son George had died in an accident on the way to the hospital. Mr Porterfield just sat there watching the raindrops falling onto the ground for some time.
George was dead. He died. My only remaining family member. And on top of that, it’s my fault. I told him to come here. At least, he did want to come and see me. He wanted to reconcile with me. And he was sorry. He was a good son.
A tiny bit of sunlight touched his face.
And then he lay down and died with a smile.
The key to nowhere
Nothing. No sound, no smell, no soul in sight. Madison is alone. She turns around, only to see another part of the empty city. It looks like a ghost town. No one is outside, not even the friendly grandma who always greets her on her way to school. Or the cat that usually chases her to the end of the block. Thinking she overslept, Madison glances up at the giant church clock. 7:30. The same time as yesterday. And the day before. Basically, every day for the past seven years. A strange feeling settles deep in her stomach, but she continues on her way to school. Yet still, not a single person in sight. The moment she steps into the building, she notices the cold aura surrounding her. As if no one has been inside the school for years—maybe even centuries. She strolls through the empty hallways, searching for someone. But deep down, she doesn’t even have hope. Just as she decides to go back home to check if her mother is still there, she spots an old, rusty key on the floor. Madison knows it doesn’t belong to any of the classrooms since the locks were changed at the beginning of the school year. She decides to take the key and starts her way back home. As she walks down the street, a cold wind moves some leaves. The first movement Madison has seen since leaving her house this morning. To her surprise, her mom is not home. “That’s unusual,” Madison thinks out loud. Her mom never leaves the house before nine. On the kitchen counter, she finds a note written in her mother’s handwriting: “Use the key. „Nothing more. Madison searches for other clues or a lock that could fit. But there is nothing. For what seems like hours, she sits at the kitchen table, frustrated and confused. What could her mother mean? And why didn’t she say more? Then, suddenly, an idea strikes like lightning. Her father owns an antique shop on the other side of town. Madison has been there a few times and remembers a lot of old items just sitting around. Maybe one of them has a lock. With excitement, she jumps up to get her old bike from the garage. If she had walked, it would’ve been nightfall before she arrived. Shortly after, Madison is on the road, pedalling at an enormous speed. But as she glances at the big clock on the church, she suddenly stops. Her brakes make a weird noise, but Madison doesn’t care. „How is it still 7:30?” she yells out. „Not only is everybody gone—now even time is out of control. What did I do to deserve this nightmare? „With much less enthusiasm, she continues on her way to her dad’s shop. When she arrives, she pauses for a moment to catch her breath before trying to get in. But the door won’t open. And no, Madison hadn’t thought of this before. If her father was gone, who was supposed to open the shop door? That’s when Madison notices the lock. It’s old and rusty, just like the key. She pulls it out, and to her surprise, it fits perfectly. Inside, everything seems normal—except for the lack of people. She makes her way to the back, where her dad keeps the special pieces. One immediately catches Madison’s eye. It’s not as glamorous as the other pieces. A simple wooden jewelry box with hand-painted floral motifs that are already fading away. But even if it’s not as fancy as the others, it is still the most beautiful thing. It even has a lock to protect valuable jewelry. Madison follows her instinct and tries to unlock it with the key. That’s when she hears a familiar voice: „Madison, get up now, you’re gonna be late for school. And don’t fall asleep again!
Waltraud Hartwich