Short Stories

Wednesday, 15th Abril 2020 by  Sue Hall It has been a mixed week of highs and lows. The isolation is getting to me, but there have been pockets of happiness. The lows have entailed anxiety about the numbers who are infected and exactly how long we will have to stay at home. A recent high was the delivery of 30 cauliflower burgers made by a friend at REconomia. Marcelo has a vegetarian restaurant in Tavira and is now offering delivery of certain foods from his menu. He was a founder member of Tavira’s REconomia group. I am in an online …

Tuesday, 14th Abril 2020 by Dina Adão I’ve been at home going on for four weeks now. Perhaps because I’ve been using objects for purposes they weren’t designed for, they have started to clog up, to turn themselves off, to break. My hands – the ultimate extensions of my thoughts – have been my greatest allies. I’ve learned how to connect the ballcock in my flush toilet, how to unblock the sink and bathroom pipes, and how to seal off the leaks from the shower with silicone. But I still lack the proper wall plugs for the premiere of the …

Monday, 13th Abril 2020 by Alexandre Moura “I am from the Algarve and the sea is at the end of my road,” wrote António Pereira, an Algarvian poet, born in Armação de Pera. A poem that expresses the peace and enchantment that the Algarve has and the allure of adventure beyond the ocean. From the city of Faro, where I live, my window has a view over the Ria Formosa and, in the background, the infinite sea. The last few weeks of isolation have allowed me to discover the landscape in more detail: on one side, the hills; on the …

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 …