F.O. Morier

“lamenting lullaby” by F.O. Morier

Submitted to Contest #198

When I was a little child, I asked my grandpa if he ever prayed. He replied: “Only when my feet hurt.” And little did I know, at the time, that I would pray a lot for that reason. But I am running ahead on my story. Forgive me! I am thirteen or fourteen and I hate sports! Gymnastics was more my kind of thing, moreover because I was studying classical ballet. But anyways, I guess I was the kind of girl whose only real gift was daydreaming… There was this image in this classroom, of a woman with red hair standing alone. I imagined she was a no...

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“Convergence and disappearance” by F.O. Morier

Submitted to Contest #197

Not that I'm going to tell you how old I am, but for the sake of putting this story into a timeline, I'm willing to add that I came of age in the nineties. Nineteen hundred nineties. (Sorry, couldn't help myself.) I only put this in to avoid the miserable and endless whining that I never use a date to place the story. If you ask me, that's just a covert form of control - sigh. Is there a date mentioned with Snow White? Do you guys ask Clarice Starling about the dates she went to see Dr. Lecter? Not me. Anyway, my entry into adulthood was acc...

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“No mushrooms needed” by F.O. Morier

Submitted to Contest #196

Half past three. A last check-up on Jerry, who is in isolation for the umpteenth time, and then a long weekend begins. All right then. -"What day is it?" -"Are you lost in time, Jerry?" I ask. He lies bored on his bed, and casually turns around when I enter. -"Maybe. Unstuck me, doc!" he smiles broadly. "A week seems like a month here." -"I believe you, Jerry." I sincerely agree. -"Where has the time gone?" he yawns. -"Don't you think that's a stupid question?" I ask in return. -"You're right doc, it's an absolutely absurd question." he sigh...

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“The sunset” by F.O. Morier

Submitted to Contest #195

No one understood why I wanted to work there. Young people are afraid of old people. Ultimately, that just means fear of death. And to be afraid of death is only to be afraid of life! And yes, it is true, the smell of dying hung in every corner. How did I get there? Honestly, it was the only place that called me back when I applied for a job. Admittedly, there are many valid reasons to see nursing homes as neglected places, where death is constantly looming in the air. But what I would like to pass on here is something I learned there: there...

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“The gift” by F.O. Morier

Submitted to Contest #194

Loneliness in a big city can be a real punishment. That is why he had two friends living with him three months ago. And of course, to share the rent. Will had fought with downheartedness for months because of circumstances he was convinced were not his fault. Despite the company of his friends, he still had to pay the rent alone. His friends would very much like to contribute to the expenses, but so far, they have not been able to do so. There was only one bed and one mattress on the floor. His friends took turns sleeping there. Their food w...

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“Nothing” by F.O. Morier

Submitted to Contest #193

As I get older, honesty becomes increasingly important to my soul. Recently my daughter commented on my "ruthless honesty". That gave me a strange feeling at first, but later I felt surprisingly good about it. I am willing to consider other people's feelings but in a genuine way. Not because it should be, or because people assume it is necessary. I've behaved like this for far too long. Way too long... I turned around, but I don't remember why. I also don't remember what made me turn around. I just did it: I turned around. I saw a woman on f...

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“My tempo” by F.O. Morier

Submitted to Contest #192

It is hard to stop running. It is hard to stop running once you start running. Once upon a time, not too long ago, in a land not too far away, not over the seven mountains or behind seven lush forests or anything, but here. Right here. Someone lived there. I am not exactly sure why I used the past tense here, because that someone is still alive. Allow me to start over: once upon a time, not so long ago and in a land not too far away, there was someone who introduced him or herself as someone else. Like countless others, I had been given (fed...

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“Cherry blossom and the art of waiting” by F.O. Morier

I love the Middle East! Yes, I do! And I am sure many people who know me have secretly thought secretly: why don´t you move there already? Because I talk about it so often. Well, what the heart is full of...I love it so much that one day I will be buried there. But not today. No, I'd rather wait a while. If there is one thing I learned there, it's to wait. If you don't elevate waiting to an art over there: then you suffer. However, there is another country where that art came in handy as a way to preserve my mental health: Japan. The land of...

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“Judge me, or not” by F.O. Morier

Submitted to Contest #190

-"You said you wanted to talk." He beckoned her further: "So, speak!" She was so nervous. She wanted to start at the beginning but mixed everything up. She started about a phone ringing, her tears, how he forced himself on her... -"How do you remember all that?" he said almost in a tone that suggested a suspicious fantasy. Maybe I should start at the beginning as well, although I have to admit that I'm not sure which "beginning" to start with. One fine summer morning she had taken the subway to her sister's house. Her sister was waiting for ...

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“Antidote” by F.O. Morier

Submitted to Contest #189

D.H. Laurence once used chickens to describe women. According to him, there were two kinds of women. A real woman: up-to-date or the modern type. The other: the old-fashioned modest woman, who, according to his principle: is as confident as a chicken. That is, without being aware of it. I must admit I am a bit lost with this statement, but he also used other animals and birds in his references. Usually to describe human urges, especially male desires. He appeared to thrive in the animal mind. The more the forests of his youth gave way to ind...

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“Hidden chamber in the brain.” by F.O. Morier

Submitted to Contest #188

-"How many of you ever watched porn?" the religion teacher asked. There were about twenty boys in the classroom, whose minds were already on their lunch break.  Suddenly everything in the dusty classroom seemed tense. Wary of a trap, the boys looked at each other from the corner of their eyes. Did the teacher expect the boys to answer honestly? And what would be the consequences if they did? Mr. Mars got a little impatient and frowned, "Come on, up in the air with those hands." He was a middle-aged man, with black hair that turned grey ...

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“ Cat's dream” by F.O. Morier

Submitted to Contest #187

You don't choose a cat. A cat chooses you, according to my grandpa.  A persistent cat from the neighborhood decided to adopt me. On a hot summer evening, two huge longing eyes appeared at the kitchen door, accompanied by serenading meows. He did not flinch when I approached him. I started speaking baby talk. I don't know why, but there seems to be a neurological explanation for that. The cat, which I would later call simply Cat, seemed pleased. I gently stroked behind his grey ears. He lay on his back and let me feel the softness of his...

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“Gilles de Ray to Dr. Lecktor” by F.O. Morier

Submitted to Contest #186

Where does a story begin? With the first words written on virgin white paper? There is always a before, and an after: is this still part of the story? Maybe I'm asking the wrong question because countless stories start in the middle of the action. I believe an interesting story begins the moment equilibrium is upset. Can I ask you something now? To say that true crime is having a renaissance, is an understatement, right? Because it is officially hot! And regardless of its elite livery, is true crime fundamentally distasteful? True crime is d...

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“Spic and span...” by F.O. Morier

Submitted to Contest #185

If you look for things you will never find them. Especially if you keep looking. The trick is not to look for them, and then you will find them. Sounds deep, doesn't it? I am always looking for wisdom. And that may sound banal, but at least less banal than saying that everyone must do their bit to save the planet, but that it won't look pretty. I do not understand such a sentence. I spend my days writing stories. Well, what am I saying, days? I mean my free time. And I intend to write children's stories, but I don't think my stories are suit...

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“The blue planet” by F.O. Morier

Submitted to Contest #184

Old Theo watched with fondness as the new telescope was put in place. For as long as he could remember, he had been trying to persuade the elders to build this instrument; a duplicate of the instrument destroyed in the last war. This was the best telescope that could be built on Mars. Theo had done his utmost to convince the elders that it was so much more than luxury, and of the utmost importance. -"This project must succeed!" he said passionately, looking at his students. Like him, they were enthusiastic, but Theo was a little envious of t...

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