Pina Bastos

“Caught in the Act” by Pina Bastos

Ana was caught by surprise. It was an amazing drawing but it was not hers. The teacher saw the exact moment when she was making a copy of her colleague's drawing. Ana did not expect the arrival of the teacher from behind. She expected her to be ahead of the easels, as usual. But, this time, there was a suspicion in the air. Helen, the new girl was a brilliant fine arts student and she worked very quickly rendering the model`s sketch in whichever pose she was as sharp as a Japanese artist. Although Ana was not a bad drawer, compared to Helen,...

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“My mother told me so” by Pina Bastos

Submitted to Contest #98

Yes, it is true, my mother saw him turning his back on us at a train station. I did not bother to ask her how she saw such things because I was used to them. Her dreams, her contacts with the spiritual world, all so usual no one cared much about. This time, it has been strange, though. Seven days after this vision, I received a letter from him telling me he was going to another city in Switzerland to live with a friend. She was a great friend of his, they grew up together and now they realized they loved each other. There was no space for an...

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“Just because you said I would not make it” by Pina Bastos

Submitted to Contest #94

I hear him laughing at me when I told him I would make it. He had already had his lot. And he complained about it all the time. His work was not properly exposed, he said. Of course, it had not. He donated his worse work to the museum. He wanted them to buy it. If they don't buy even great works, why should they buy his? Doesn't he see he is being vain? " "It is always the same story. You believe you are the most. Nobody is as good as you. As for me, how dare I compare to you? I am a bissextile artist, you say. And you know this is neither ...

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“Dancing Shadows” by Pina Bastos

Submitted to Contest #92

Whenever the wind blows to the curtains, she gets scared. She is not accustomed to these images. This is a new experience for her in these pandemics times. She should have known better before accepting her friend's invitation to come to this old house in the countryside for some days. As a matter of fact, she needed to escape her apartment imprisoning sensation for such a long time. She felt like a bird in a cage and she was having psychological issues like nightmares and anxiety crisis. That is why she accepted this kind invitation. She was...

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“The shadows of your eyes” by Pina Bastos

Submitted to Contest #92

You kept saying "open your eyes, look at me and see the sun coming from this old window". Yes, it is an old window for a very long time, but still, the sun comes through it. It is amazing how we cherish those known places where we have been so happy, even though they look so damaged and crying in need of repair. As a matter of fact, they are older than we are. We had not made the needed renewals and we have to deal with its bad functioning issues. Just like ourselves. Only, the soul does not get old. I am still the same person, just like thi...

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“What a day!” by Pina Bastos

Submitted to Contest #91

Mary woke up that morning resolved to set up things that were pending for some time. She went to a deep cleaning of her workplace and found a book that she forgot to return to the public library of her neighborhood. It was a book from one of her favorite authors, Jack Higgins, a writer capable of great synthesis and deep dive at the same time. She enjoyed his way to create action and introspection to footage and she wanted to see the films of those books, The Eagle has Landed and Lucky Luciano, this one with Gian Maria Volonté, one of her fa...

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“Our lovely Mango Tree” by Pina Bastos

Submitted to Contest #90

Feeling the air in the shadow of that mango tree brought me back to my early days. The perfume of the fruits began in December. So Christmas had this particular fragrance in the house. It was an American colonial-style house, like the one in Gone with the Win, in a small size. My mother had seen a picture in a magazine and told my father she wanted something like that. She was not an architect but she made not only the design of the facade lest the plan inside, with a dining room on one side, a living room on the other, and a hall in black a...

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“I believe in love” by Pina Bastos

Submitted to Contest #89

Whenever Mary got upset with something she remembered that scene from The Last Crusade when Indiana Jones takes a step in the void, and a path appears under his feet. That is what she must do now. She needs to make a hard decision. To continue where she is living and working is the easy thing to do. But she does not want to take the easy way. She wants to take the right way. So, she keeps thinking about this matter all day long and she doesn't find an answer. Her friends don't want to compromise with a solution she does not want to face. So,...

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“The Magic Square” by Pina Bastos

Submitted to Contest #88

Mary was alone in the living room late at night, her favorite series on tv had just finished. She saw all the seasons of it and she felt lonesome without those characters now. Mary was thinking of a new series, but not now. It was like saying goodbye to a friend and making new friends instantly. No, she must feel the loss of these characters, she must get accustomed to their absence before getting to know others. Some characters live with her forever, like the ones from Madmen, some of Game of Thrones, Spiral, Bloodline, and others. Some wer...

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“The Awakening” by Pina Bastos

Submitted to Contest #86

Walking by the beach, on a sidewalk that she knew so well, she sees few people staring at her. Why? Has she forgotten to put on her mask? It seems a nightmare but she is not sleeping. What is it, then? She passes by a car and sees her image reflected on its glass window. Suddenly she realizes her hair is a mess. She has just forgotten to comb it. Is this what people are so upset about, even in those days when "everything goes", as the music says? Perhaps it is. She picks up a comb in her purse and combs her hair. She looks much better now. S...

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