In a Small Compass: Vol. 2

By Karen Oberlaender

Fourteen contemporary short fiction and three micro-fiction stories with paranormal streaks take you on a journey to Oakville, York, Germany, Norway, Ireland, USA, and other places.
Find out more about:
- Ben and the wood.
- Cara and an eerie afternoon.
- Danny's youth.
- A witty grandfather..
- Kenneth and the lake.
- Jonah and the chest.
- Valentina and the spring.
- Justin and the scent of cinnamon.
- Francesca and her dream.
- The hawk at the harbour.
- Michael at the museum.
- Gwendolyn's call of duty.
- Sheriff Jim and the unpaid bill.
- Rose's hardship.
- Lydia's bliss.
- Martin and a tricky case.
- A teenage boy and a king.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Karen Oberlaender
• Release date: Nov 22, 2019
• ISBN: 9781370723584

Karen Oberlaender

My name is Karen. I am a linguist, translator, and technical author. I spend my time mainly in Germany and Ireland and collect my inspirations on the go. My stories will certainly comprise some hobbies, favourite locations, animals, topics, beverages, etc. Locations do exist; pubs and/or shops might be gone; people are fictional unless stated otherwise. +++ November 2019 publication: In a Small Compass, Vol. 2 +++ My personal motto: Don’t look back in anger! 10 statements A typical work day begins with... black coffee and my schedule. I lose track of time... when I am reading. I have always... wanted to live in Ireland. I have never... been bored. Home means to me... being with the ones I love. I am inspired by... almost everything. I would like to meet... (and discuss with) the Dalai Lama. My worst character trait... impatience. My best character trait... open-mindedness. The best advice I was given... keep an open mind. Best regards, Karen

Book preview

In a Small Compass

Vol. 2

a short story collection

Karen Oberlaender

Cover design by Rosa Viridis

Published by Karen Oberlaender at Smashwords

Copyright 2019 Karen Oberlaender

Smashwords Edition

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

Thank you for downloading this eBook. This book remains the copyrighted property of the author and may not be redistributed to others for commercial or non-commercial purposes. If you enjoyed this book, please encourage your friends to download their own copy from their favourite authorized retailer. Thank you for your support.

Dedication

I dedicate this book to some strong young women and teenagers. You are determined to reach your goals while always returning to the straight and narrow. You are witty and kind, fresh and determined, unbiased, and – unique.

Lisa S.

Yúlika LB.

Ruth G.

Ummahan S.

Rebekka M.

Francesca G.

Valentina LB.

Mara S.

Contents

1 The Wood

2 Eerie Afternoon

3 Only You

4 Mischief is Up and Away

5 Saelevatnet

6 The Chest

7 Valentina

8 The Scent of Cinnamon

9 Francesca’s Birthday Dream

10 The Hawk at the Harbour

11 Potatoes at the Museum

12 Three Flash Fiction Stories

12.1 Call of Duty (flash fiction)

12.2 Neighbors! (flash fiction)

12.3 Rose and I (flash fiction)

13. Golden Bliss

14 In the Dark

15 The King of the Lake

Acknowledgements

About the Author

Other titles by Karen Oberlaender

1 The Wood

Ben stood way back in the garden and peeked over the fence. There it was: No more than 200 metres away with trees seemingly towering high toward the sky was the edge of the wood. THE wood! Despite being new to the village, Ben had heard the kids talking about this wood on the rides to school. Never leave the bike-park without company. And when you are on the road to the other village, do not leave the road, don't ever stop! they used to say. Ben couldn't believe that an official road between two villages was not tarred all through the wood.

He still felt lost in Osternohe, right in the middle of nowhere. He grew up in Frankfurt/Main, was used to living in the city. So far, he knew forests only from TV. Living in a big city had been quite different. Life had been great until his parents did not survive a car accident; the other driver seemed to have vanished into thin air.

His uncle Martin, and his wife Diana took him in. He liked them, could not yet get used to living in this picturesque and peaceful environment, though. Ben's parents had been successful stockbrokers, owning a 240 square metre flat directly in the city. Ben had one of the bathrooms to himself, his own TV set, a fridge for his preferred beverages. A cleaning woman was there, six days a week, a caterer delivered food and beverages daily.

Living with Diana and Martin was different. Diana worked at a travel agency; Martin was an accountant in a company in Nuremberg. They had built their house themselves, were still paying for it. There was just one real bathroom that Ben had now to share with them. His TV set did not fit in any room - he had to sit in the living room and could only watch what Diana or Martin chose. He still had his laptop, was not allowed to use it endlessly as there was no flat-rate. There was no cleaning person, either; Ben also had to take part in keeping the house clean. As a highlight of the week, he had seen a cute girl at the edge of the wood.

It was still early. Diana and Martin had left the house shortly after six, for their usual Saturday 'shopping' routine. Ben peeked again towards the wood. The sun was coming out; it was still cooler and misty, though. He went inside, grabbed his jacket and the key. He locked the front door from the inside and sneaked out back. Ben left the garden behind and ran to the wood. The trees seemed enormous; some shy sun rays seeped through the heavy clouds and cast the area around him in an eerie glow. Ben slowly turned around. A movement in his peripheral vision made him gasp. He had the fleeting impression of a girl walking further into the wood. He took a step in that direction; there did not seem to be anyone. He turned around again, glimpsed something white, then - nothing.

Ben closed his eyes, silently counting from ten to zero. He took a deep breath and - saw a girl vanishing between some trees. He hurried over there and saw her rounding a corner in the distance. When he reached the strangely formed tree, the girl was gone. He was disappointed. Circling the tree, he saw something glittering below a broken twig on the ground. There was a silver bracelet, partially covered in mud, with an engraved name on it. Ben wiped the tag with his thumb. The bracelet must have been there a while, yet he could decipher the name ‘Judith’. He shrugged and let the bracelet slide in his jacket pocket, then he got back up and looked around, he was alone. His rumbling stomach reminded him of having skipped breakfast. He went back to the house.

+++

Ben couldn't sleep that night. After tossing and turning for two hours, he silently dressed and slipped out the back door. He had taken his torch from his backpack as it might come in handy in the wood. The moon was shining brightly, yet it didn't reach the paths. Bringing the torch had been a wise decision as its light lessened the misty moonlight's eeriness. Ben tried to retrace this morning's steps. As he looked up, he saw a girl - THE girl - moving in the distance. He carefully approached a giant tree trunk and peeked around the corner - nobody there. He waved the torch another time and detected a shimmer to the right of a stone. Another bracelet! This one did not seem that old. He could see the name ‘Denise’ engraved on it. He slid the bracelet in his pocket and turned to go, wondering if this girl was playing tricks on him.

Back at the house - Ben couldn't call it 'home', yet - he helped himself to a bottle of coke from the fridge and sneaked to his room. The next morning's wake-up call came far too early for his taste. Sunday mornings in this