Short Stories

Sunday, 12th Abril 2020 By Uwe Heitkamp Since the publication of the Club of Rome’s first reports (The Limits of Growth, Meadows et al., 1972), there have been many heated debates about the limits of growth. And rightly so, as our civilisation is reliant upon energy being available. Having energy available requires, in turn, even more energy, which means that suppliers must produce more energy than is initially needed. This excess energy, defined in terms of production capacity, has been decreasing over the last few decades (since 1999) for fossil fuel energy sources, while it has been increasing for renewable …

Saturday, 11th of April 2020 Crisis means the “moment of decision” by Francisco Colaço Pedro “We have won the first battle,” the president proclaims to the country. “The enemy is insidious and unpredictable.” Locked in their homes, just as spring begins to blossom, the country listens to the news without any sense of surprise: the state of emergency has been extended. The coronavirus has become a war target. The media report on it in a soap opera of fear, updated at every moment. They call it a public service. In turn, the daily extinction of the species, climate change and …

Friday, 10th April 2020 Travelling puts us straight into the bloodstream of the collective. On the bus back to Sweden from a wedding in Paris a few years ago, I noticed how the border controls had become much stricter. It was the refugee crisis, and once again I was reminded of what a privilege the Swedish passport is. I felt like I should intervene when the police officers took their time questioning a passenger with an African passport (whilst giving me a dismissive wave as I showed my burgundy document). But I didn’t. What could I do? A friend from …

Thursday, 9th April 2020 Some rollercoaster emotions have run through me over the last few weeks. The ride stopped affecting me so profoundly when I removed Facebook and Twitter from my existence. Peace is what I sought and found amidst the lockdown. My garden has benefitted from staying put. This week I dismantled five dragon fruits (pitaya) that have needed attention for years. They are a cactus, that does not want desert conditions. It prefers humidity and fertile soil. The lack of attention I gave them has been equal to the paltry amount of fruit they have offered. This situation …

Wednesday, 8th April 2020 On 1 March, in Germany, when I was getting on the train, the first patients were being put onto ventilators. On 2 March, the morning I arrived in Lisbon, the Covid-19 new coronavirus was detected for the first time in Portugal. These events had nothing to do with me, but the virus produced one of those moments of global impact that cause us to remember where we were when it all began. I am a writer, and most of the time I live in the Tamera community in the municipality of Odemira. I have been travelling …

Tuesday, 7th April 2020 Time to feel A short story by Dina Adão And time passed. Because it’s like that, time passes. By the side of the footpaths and trails, the asparagus no longer sprouts its spurs, which have aged and transformed into spikes; the almond blossom has given way to green milky fruit; the lupins and the periwinkles have awakened from their slumber, bringing lilac and bright yellow colours to the small short cuts; the nettles have risen up in their resilient way, side by side with thistles, daisies, fumitories… At times, I’m inclined to think that time has …

Monday, 6th April 2020 Will this be my turning point? A reflection by Lucia Ribeiro Kappauf For five weeks now, I’ve been living in a small cottage near Monchique. The marks left by the latest fire are still clearly visible. For me, living here means having little contact with the outside world. It means falling asleep at night to the croaking of mating frogs and waking up when the cock crows. My electricity is generated by the sun, and my water comes from a spring. It’s a completely new world for a young city girl like me. Would you like …

Sunday, 5th April 2020 100 Years of Solitude? Please accept this invitation from ECO123. As from today, each morning at breakfast time, you will receive an opinion piece written by one of our correspondents. Yes, every morning at eight o’clock, there will be a story from ECO123, published in this new format and waiting to be read by you. Every day. Every morning, my colleagues, Dina, Alexandre, Sue, Francisco, Leila, Sonya and I, as well as some of our independent international collaborators, will be offering you a short story: food for the soul in these times of the Covid-19 pandemic. …