The Procrastinating Minister – by Stephen Hands
The faces around the table were all looking at him, waiting for the decision to be made. They all owed their jobs to him, yet he knew few regarded him in much esteem. A lucky politician was how he had been labelled. What nonsense, as if luck alone wins an election, luck alone makes you Prime Minister. He looked at them one by one. About half met his look, half looked elsewhere. Junior ministers terrified of making a mistake at this first cabinet meeting since his election, old hats like the Foreign Secretary sitting there thinking they should be in his seat instead. The room remained silent while he remained undecided.
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Night at the Carnival – by Håvard Loeng
I was twenty-one that night in Archer Park. It was a Friday in late September, a travelling carnival had come to town and rested on the otherwise mute and deserted spot. A joyous collage of shrieks and laughs, loops of waltzes and mechanic sounds ensembled with the sweet smell coming from the candy booths spread around the park. The ground was wet from an afternoon shower and sparkled with the reflections of the carousel lights, wrapping the entire park in a colorful blanket.Read more
Afrodite – by Maro Filippopoulou
Afrodite looked across the living room, as evening light entered through the small window.
Her suitcases were fully packed and waiting by the door.
The old clock on the wall showed 5.45, and in the silence of the room, its gentle tik-tak sound had a huge impact in her worrying mind.
She had less than 30 minutes to leave her apartment and grab a taxi to the airport.
Afrodite stood up with a sigh and opened the drawer of the big wooden furniture that was part of the house she was living all her adult life, god bless her grandma.
Her hands touched the small package wrapped around in a brown paper. She felt the weight of it in her sweaty palm. 1 kilo, more or less, she thought.
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