Flash Texts

There they are. Fresh of the press and ready for duty. They are arrayed up with all their brothers ready for duty. One by one they are shipped out into the wild to help people. Most of them will be used in supermarkets helping people carrying all their groceries. Some are sent out to books stores or hardware shops. Some select ones will store their brothers for future use. But most of them will be discarded. Thrown away to linger. To see time pass. Some will make friends only to see them decay. Others will go for a swim and hitch a ride with one of the many animals, only to be dragged down to the bottom of the ocean. For a few years they stay in the dark. Being ripped apart by the forces that tear at it. Some will end up with their friends, holding on to each other and all their brothers that were made before them and all their cousins, cursed to float the seas for all eternity watching civilization fall and hoping that the next might be able to relief them from their immortal pain. On...

  The sun burned down as we all sat in the clay hut. The host offered us tea and apologized for not having much to eat. We graciously accepted. The hear was almost unbearable, yet the house was still somewhat cool. The translator explained that the hut was built in the traditional style. It allowed for a continuous air flow and kept out the heat as much as possible. After exchanging some pleasantries Tom asked for what we came for. We’ve heard that this man owned some manuscripts from before the fall of the Mali Empire. We didn’t know what these manuscripts are about, because the man never learned how to read. As the translator asked for them the mans face grew stern and his smile vanished in an instant. He looked at us gravely. He explained to us that for generations they have protected these books and scripts. The whole village stood up against assailants to defend them from being stolen. He said that his family has been the keepers of them for a very long time and he would not b...

There she sits on a stage, in a chair too large for her. It towers over her, the back rest reaching out into the darkness above her, as if it wanted to escape the light that focuses solely on her. Her slender arms are almost swallowed by the armrests and whenever she nervously reaches out to fix her hair it just does not want to let go of her. A few steps away stands a podium, on which is lies a small booklet with a colourful cover. But she cannot see it. Her chest quickly rises and drops, and the light blinds her. Only muffled sounds, traveling over from beyond the stage, betray the people in the darkness. Chairs are nudged and coughs and murmuring of the people that just arrived is heard. Slowly she stands up. Straightens her back, puts on a smile and folds her hands. It all looks choreographed. Slowly she steps towards the podium, while the first applause starts, and the people start to quiet down. As the light slowly dims, it reveals a room full of expecting people. Friends and fam...