Hiding Places of the Past: contos, #1

By jessica diogo

Intrigued by a chance encounter, Veronica finds herself drawn into a mesmerizing web of mystery and coincidence. As she meticulously conceals a tattoo on her wrist, she never expects to encounter someone bearing the exact same ink. But fate has other plans as she crosses paths with Sophia, an enigmatic elderly lady with a striking resemblance to Veronica's own tattoo.

From the confines of a bustling airplane cabin to the quiet corners of a quaint cafe, Veronica's journey unfolds against a backdrop of unexpected twists and turns. As she grapples with the unsettling revelation of shared symbolism, Veronica is propelled into a realm where past and present intertwine, blurring the lines between reality and imagination.

Join Veronica on a captivating voyage as she navigates through the complexities of friendship, memory, and identity. With each encounter, she delves deeper into a labyrinth of secrets, questioning the very fabric of her existence. Will she unravel the truth behind the mysterious tattoo, or will she be forever entangled in its enigmatic allure?

Embark on a riveting odyssey of self-discovery and intrigue, where every revelation unveils a new layer of intrigue. Prepare to be spellbound by Veronica's journey as she confronts the echoes of the past and embraces the uncertain promise of the future.

• Language: English
• Publisher: jessica diogo
• Release date: Apr 15, 2024
• ISBN: 9798224462490

jessica diogo

Ricardo Almeida is a writer and journalist, graduated in the Brazilian city of João Pessoa in 2007. He specializes in investigative journalism. In addition to his journalistic work, he is a speaker and writer. It shares its knowledge at conferences, workshops and publications, with the aim of disseminating information about society. Your commitment is to help others achieve a balanced and meaningful life.

Book preview

Table of Contents

HIDEAWAYS FROM THE PAST

HIDEAWAYS FROM THE PAST

Veronica meticulously covered up a small tattoo on her wrist with foundation, bearing

the inscription as sea.

She was soon to embark on a flight and needed to hide the imperfections of her youth.

Doing so was not difficult.

The foundation easily concealed the delicate font as if written with a black gel pen.

The young stewardess dabbed away inch by inch with a sponge, erasing each letter in turn.

The last letter had an elongated tail resembling a cardiogram, which ultimately turned into

a thin thread.

It was as if it were waves merging into a beach, or perhaps someone's truncated life.

Veronica had designed the tattoo herself, and it carried a deep meaning known only to

her.

The flight attendant would recount why, and when she got the tattoo, but apparently,

it meant a lot to her, as despite the prohibition of tattoos and aviation, she preferred to

conceal the inscription with foundation rather than remove it in a tattoo removal salon.

Her friend Nicholas, a detective from the regional police department, once asked about

the tattoo.

He wondered why the stewardess had a tattoo with the word see rather than a sky.

But Veronica evaded the answer, and the man, who was seven years older than his beloved,

based on the stereotypes of life, concluded that the tattoo was made in honor of a first

and undoubtedly unhappy love that, evidently, had happened at sea.

So, he didn't want to probe the girl's soul, well, she had a harmless inscription on her

hand, and that was fine.

Now if she had a Austin, or a Ralph, tattooed on her knuckles, for example, then it would

be worth considering.

Veronica cherished her job greatly because she had dreamed of aviation since childhood

and had struggled greatly to become a stewardess.

She had passed all the competitions and training, shed so many tears, overcome so many disappointments

that her character was forged for years to come.

But now she stood firmly on her slender, long legs, clicking her counter behind her back,

counting all the passengers, confident in herself and enjoying every flight.

Of course, the job was not easy.

At the end of the flight, the flight attendant often collapsed onto the bed and fell asleep,

especially if they were flying to the other side of the world.

But Veronica was very young, she had plenty of strength.

Moreover, when you do what you love, everything becomes much easier.

Putting the foundation back in her makeup bag, Veronica looked at her reflection once more,

reassured of her irisis stability, and hurried to work.

Usually, she looked forward to every flight eagerly.

But this time, she didn't want to go out.

We had a foreboding feeling.

And the weather forecast was bad too.

Generally, people in aviation are often superstitious, so Veronica, although she was a skeptic at

first, began to observe rituals before takeoff.

For example, she never sowed before a flight and always put on an item that had already

been on the plane during the flight.

But this time, everything was not going according to plan.

Just before the trip, Veronica lost a button on her skirt.

It was very noticeable.

Without the button, it was impossible to do, so she had to sew it back on.

After the unwanted sewing, the girl threw salt over her shoulder, spat on the left side,

trying to neutralize the effect of the bad omen.

But the unpleasant feeling still lingered.

The level of anxiety increased when the stewardess discovered that she was missing an earring

on her left ear.

If she had lost it on the plane, it wouldn't have meant anything bad, but losing jewelry

on the ground was a bad sign.

And when the first woman boarded the plane, Veronica was even more upset.

So, we'll end up in turbulence again, and the babies will cry the whole flight, thought

the girl, not allowing the thought that there might be even more serious troubles awaiting

her during the flight.

Deciding not to dwell on anxious thoughts, the flight attendant got to work.

As usual, the stewardesses conducted safety briefings for the passengers, checked the

presence of all registered passengers, and prepared for takeoff.

And so their airliner lurched forward, accelerating, traversed the runway, and, retracting its

landing gear, soared into the air.

Contrary to expectations, the flight proceeded as usual, not without minor adventures in

the form of capricious children and their disgruntled neighbors, who requested to be

relocated or the noisy children.

With a trademark broad smile on her face, the stewardess resolved conflicts and offered

drinks to the affected parties.

The stewardess hoped dearly that these minor mishaps would be the extent of her bad omens.

Suddenly, Veronica was called to the business class.

Go, there's someone in business class, seems like your old lady isn't feeling well.

Veronica hurriedly made her way through the airplane cabin.

Her old lady sat pale, clutching her hand to her heart.

This elderly lady was incredibly beautiful and elegant, despite her venerable age, a sharply

defined profile, a taut chin, a slender, sharp nose.

And though her face was adorned with fine wrinkles, they added an extra charm to the

silver-haired and proud woman, rather than disfiguring her.

Colleagues assigned the old lady to Veronica, because as soon as the girl saw this passenger,

other flight attendants immediately began to pay attention to her.

Have you seen the elderly lady in business class?

Isn't she beautiful?

I wish I could age as gracefully as her, the girl shared her impressions with admiration.