Short Tragedies: Short Lives, #1

By Martin Ivanov

Do not seek answers in "Short Tragedies". Here, you will only find even more questions. And while some of the characters deserve their fate, others might be entirely innocent. Unfold the first book of the "Short Lives" series and immerse yourself for a moment in the world of each character. A moment. That's all you'll need for each story. But each will linger long in your consciousness...

• Language: English
• Publisher: Martin Ivanov
• Release date: Feb 17, 2024
• ISBN: 9798224833429

Book preview

Miscellaneous

The old man stands in front of the store. He looks up and reads its name.

Miscellaneous.

He enters.

He feels his pocket. Some old and small coins rattle inside. Enough to buy some bread and a little cheese. Enough for dinner tonight and maybe breakfast tomorrow. Here, he'll just look around. There's nothing for him to do at home. Too old for anyone to pay attention to him and too blind to see anything other than his cat.

The old man is not completely blind. He can see with one eye, but one eye is not enough to read his favorite books. And he loves to read. Loved to. He can't anymore. Even the television doesn't bring him the same joy. He turns it on just to have something sound in his empty house. The old man has two sons who haven't come to see him in a long time. Sometimes they call to hear how he is, but then they hang up. Always rushing somewhere.

He enters the store. The door opens smoothly, and something above him clinks. The shopkeeper looks at him and then looks away. He's seen that he wears a patch over one eye. No one likes to see such people. The old man doesn't either, but he has no choice.

He walks slowly among the shelves and looks. The store has all sorts of junk. For a moment, it reminds him of his home. Well, not as disorganized, but just as full of unnecessary things. Everything is too expensive, and he doesn't have the money. Well, he does, but only enough to buy bread.

The shopkeeper asks if he needs help choosing. He replies that he doesn't. Why would he need someone else hovering over him? And the shopkeeper had asked more out of annoyance than concern. He doesn't need such people.

The old man is ready to leave when he sees a watch. He likes it. It reminds him of his past. He thinks he had one like it when he was young, but he's not sure. He asks the shopkeeper to show it to him. The shopkeeper is initially skeptical, but then agrees. He takes out the watch and hands it to the old man. The old man puts it on his wrist without asking. Meanwhile, he looks at the price. It costs more than he has. It costs as much as the state pays him for a month for having worked over forty years for it.

The shopkeeper looks at him uncertainly. Probably expects him to steal it. The old man has thought about it, but he can't run. If he could run as in the past, he probably would steal it. He used to steal when he was young. Many things. And then he sold them to people like the shopkeeper. They were like accomplices. Probably this one does the same. He looks him in the eye. No. This one is too scared.

Just in case, he asks the shopkeeper how much the watch costs. The shopkeeper tells him the same price that is written on it. The old man says how much he has and sighs heavily. There's some hope that the shopkeeper will pity him, but it doesn't happen. The shopkeeper is fat, short, and has long, greasy hair. People like him used to be shaved bald and then made to do push-ups until they start to whimper and cry. Not anymore. Now everyone does as they please.

He takes off the watch and holds it with his other hand. He looks at it for a long time. He feels the shopkeeper tapping his foot. Let him tap. He wants to annoy him. He wants to see how long he can keep him irritated. The other starts to tremble and sweat. He doesn't like what he's doing. The old man doesn't care.

The old man starts to fiddle with the watch. Turns the hands back, then forward. He tells the shopkeeper that watches weren't