Our phenomenal short story by Ana Paula

Post your short story under your Class.

aplrocha — 2021-11-25 14:10:05 UTC

Do not forget to identify each group member name and class number.

aplrocha — 2021-11-25 14:14:52 UTC

Each post should start with a picture of the memory box items.

aplrocha — 2021-11-25 14:15:04 UTC

Give your story a title and possibly a subtitle, too.

aplrocha — 2021-11-25 14:15:18 UTC

Leaving it behind

2022-01-18 11:42:50 UTC

Another day in this small cell and I will go crazy! It is gray, dark, has tiny windows with grids and we aren’t able to go to the bathroom without everyone looking at us. Everyone knows everything about each other and we are never safe. Take for example my cellmate, he didn’t do anything wrong and got beat down until he couldn’t get up anymore. I just want to get out…

If my last crime hadn’t gone wrong, I wouldn’t be here. Just remembering the money, the people, the adrenaline… I shouldn’t admit this but I want to get back. It is probably an addition but listening to people scream warms my heart.

It all began when I decided to rob the royal family jewels in the Islamic Art Museum. I walked in with a crowd that was going to take a tour and hid until everyone was gone. It was already night and no one had noticed my presence. At that moment I took the risk. I went to the pedestal and observed the beautiful diamonds that were there, defenseless, without any security, and I put my hand to them. The next thing I knew, the alarm was going off, the room flooded with people, and I realized I made the biggest mistake of all: I got caught. Now I find myself here, where my goal is to get out of this misery.

I noticed that the guard, Tyler, has a habit of looking at his watch every time he walks through the back door. But why? What’s so special about the watch? I want to and I have to find out. The more I talked to him, the weirder the situation became... the clock was always pointing at the same time, and the guard watched the playground on Mondays. I waited, watched, and planned the perfect escape. My cellmate, though rough, was my inspiration. When he got into the fight I was talking about at the beginning, he was taken by one guard, Tyler, to a solitary cell. If I got into a fight too, would I have the opportunity that Gabe had? Let’s find out…

It was a Monday and I put my plan into action. I didn’t want the gang boss to play basketball with my team, I objected and, as expected, I got my 🤬 kicked. Better than my black eye, Tyler picked me up and took me to solitary. I waited for the right moment, and as he was about to close the door, I pulled him in and beat him in cold blood, until he was unconscious. I switched my clothes with his, took his watch, took his keys out of his pocket, and kept my head down so no one would recognize me. In his lunch hour, which I also knew when it was, I went to the back door and looked at the clock. I was terrified! How does this work? How is this junk supposed to open such an important door? If I wanted to escape, I had to hurry or they would get suspicious.

Effectively, the security system needed 4 numbers to open, and the clock, with the hour and minute hand, pointed to 11:34 a.m.. I tried my luck... and it opened? Who knew... the code was right in front of me.

I slipped through the door and... ah 🤬! There's one more... now what? I quickly started to try all the keys that the guard had left in his uniform pocket and, when I was close to the last one, finally one opened my freedom. I breathed the air as if it was different... it was a more refreshing, more calming smell. I took the first step with my right foot, as if I believed in the prejudice that it is luck, and I started my life as a free man, but still with the weight on my conscience of the past that I did not let go and did not mend.

I headed for the road and walked along in the hope that a car would approach and stop, but, to my misfortune, none did. I noticed a red caravan, with a heartwarming family, that pulled up beside me. Very concerned about the security of the country, they offered me a lift and I got in and tried to be as considerate as possible.

-Where do you want to go, officer?

-I would like to know where you are going first.- I called out curiously.

-We are on a family trip to the capital of Israel, Jerusalem.

-How nice! I needed to go to the outskirts. I would appreciate it if you could drop me off somewhere near the town of Bethlehem. I'm very religious and would like to visit the place.

-You'll be there, don't worry!

After ages of singing those annoying and rhythmic travel songs, the caravan stopped at my exit. I was enchanted by that landscape that gives me nostalgia. I walked for a few hours towards a desert nearby. It was impossible to forget that path, the number of times I'd walked it and the need to find the destination. The more I walked, the more I thought I was getting away from the goal, but finally I found the cross of Christ that I put up where I buried my past. I dug through the sand until I found something hard, and there it was, the coffin, intact, as I had left it. I prayed, opened it and thanked God that everything was still there.

-AH! -I screamed with relief.

My life goal was not in vain. I have everything I need here. My robberies, the Israeli coin that I keep as a souvenir of my first robbery, even though it is worthless, the money, the diamonds! I am going to start my life again and I have everything here for that. Praise God!

History made by:
Francisco França, nr.10
Sara Rosa, nr.19
Sara Nascimento, nr.20
Tânia Martins, nr.22
Sara Melo, nr.24

Puzzle pieces

2022-01-18 11:54:04 UTC

Four months have passed since our lives changed. Since the accident our family has never been the same. My mother used to almost never leave the house to such a point that I started to suspect she had lost her job and that wasn't good, it wasn't good at all. But that wasn't quite the problem, she always looked very dizzy, and she stunk like alcohol. I was worried... Since then, my sister was in charge, out of obligation, to guide the house and take care of everything. I only helped in what I could, but I always felt difficulty in doing what reminded me of him. Sis stayed as energetic and cheerful as ever, but deep down within her something had changed, she was not the same, but our relationship hadn’t changed a bit. I wasn't the kind of person to have many friends, I´ve never been, but she was, without a doubt, the only person that had the merit to be considered one. She was my sister after all. The video-games continued to be a big part of my day, in fact I didn't do anything else but play or listen to all those adults dictating things that were supposed to be for my future. I wondered if they even knew what I wanted for my future. I didn't understand school at all. But even so, not even the games could cheer me up. I felt the same with my sister, she continued to play the piano but it wasn't the same anymore. The melodies that I heard said anything but joy. Sadness, I think that was undoubtedly the language of those musical notes that began to fill the back of the room whenever she played that piano. I missed him, we all missed him. I know it wasn’t right, but it was impossible for me to ignore that night of terror on the highway. It was impossible to ignore the day we lost our father. It didn't take long before the financial problems started to appear, after all, with my mother shutted in her room it was the least we could expect. But the day that saved us from that disaster was about to arrive. It was really just another normal, boring, routine day, but for some reason I decided to try a different path when I was getting home from school. I always carry a red piece of cloth that my father gave me. It was his mother's, my grandmother who I never got to know before. That day was no exception and I carried the piece of cloth in my backpack. When I opened it to take out my water bottle, the piece of cloth flew away and ended up in the backyard of a random house that looked old and abandoned that was quite large. Of course, I went looking for my piece of cloth because the house looked uninhabited, I certainly wouldn't be invading anyone's property after all. As soon as I entered the backyard I came across a giant and super elegant entrance. Suddenly I had a flashback of when I was little, where, for moments, I remembered that I had already seen that house. What was strange because I didn't remember ever being there before, but what I did know is that it had given me an immense urge to go in and investigate. As a boy, I obviously entered and the surprise I felt was huge when I saw that the house was super well cared on the inside. More importantly, it was covered in paintings of my father and a woman that, even though I had no memory of her whatsoever, her face wasn’t strange at all to me. Quickly I realized that the woman I was staring at was probably the mother of my father, the grandmother that I had never met. Of course, assuming that the place I was in was her house hit me at the same time. I remember hearing some noises and suddenly a deep voice behind me says:
Pardon my rudeness, but may I know to whom I owe this pleasure?
White, that was the tone of my skin when I heard the strange voice. I didn't even look back and from there I ran as fast as I could, only stopping when I realized I was already back at my home. Once my sister saw the state I was in she didn't let go of me until I came back to my senses and was able to talk properly again. I told her everything I had witnessed and, after a few tries, she was able to convince me to go back there again on the next day. I hadn't seen her so intrigued and animated since the day our father gifted her piano, that being the reason why I went with her. Eventually the time arrived and the both of us went searching for answers. We entered and as soon as I didn't hear any noise my heart did not accelerate. But it didn't take long until we started hearing the footsteps of someone getting closer. I wanted to run away but my sister grabbed me and we finally were able to see the figure of the person who was in that, apparently, abandoned house. Gray-haired, dressed as elegant as they come, and glasses resting on the bridge of his nose, this was what the mystery man looked like. And, in a tone of astonishment, he shouted:
-I can not believe it! It's impossible!
He came towards us and grabbed my sister's hands.
-Just like your grandmother. So young, so elegant! How old are you now, my dear?
She was 17. To this day I still recall the confused tone in her voice when responding to that man who, strangely enough, knew us. He noticed our confusion and then apologized for the weird introduction. He explained that he had been our grandmother's butler when she was still alive, and that since her death he had lived in that house because of the affection she had for her. He wasn’t lying, but it wasn't quite like that, we'll get there soon. He showed us around the whole house, room by room, picture by picture. But there was one room that particularly caught my attention. It was dark and filled with statues. I didn't even need to say anything because that gentleman, whose name was still a mystery, noticed right away and started the explanation without me even asking. According to what he said, that was a room where our grandmother had created a secret passage, that was accessed through solving a riddle, to a place where an object of great value rested. He told us that the piece needed to solve the first part of that riddle lied with our father and asked if we knew anything about it. Obviously nothing came to mind to me at first but, after thinking about it for a bit, I remembered something my father had that belonged to my grandmother. At my parents' wedding, the groom's suit my father carried had a single unique button that was different from the rest, one that, he said, was important because it was something my grandmother had given him and asked him to keep and never lose because he could, using her words, "open a very valuable door”. My father used that white mother-of-pearl button on his suit because it symbolized the opening of a very valuable door, a very valuable step in his life, his wedding and, in honor of his deceased mother, he decided to wear that precious little button. Immediately a smile of pure but eerie happiness appeared on the face of the aged butler, who asked if we still had that button. Fortunately, my sister always wore it around her neck as a good luck charm and so at that moment we only needed to know one more thing. What were we supposed to do with that button? It was actually very simple. And that mystery had already been solved by the butler who, after so many years of cleaning the house, had time to go over all the many details of that room from corner to corner and noticed that one of the statues was missing a button that was part of the dress carved into it. As soon as we put it in its place, the statue moved, taking us to another room where three different bottles of what looked like perfumes were displayed, a large and beautiful statue of my grandmother, who had an outstretched arm and an open hand, and a keyhole around her neck that looked like it was locking something. I didn't hesitate and went in the direction of the vials. All were different sizes and scents, but one of them triggered a memory for the butler who claimed to know that scent from the past. It was probably one of the fragrances used by my grandmother when she was alive which made us assume that the next step in unraveling the enigma would have to do with that. It would seem like a lie or even ridiculous to say how we discovered the answer to the riddle if it hadn't really happened. But it was just like that, by mere chance. When I went to put the perfume down, I still don't know why, but I put it on the statue's hand and, by mere chance, it had triggered some mechanism that made her stretch her other arm and when she opened her hand, to the astonishment of everyone, it carried a small key. With a surprised look, we all looked at each other and realized that without realizing it, we had solved the riddle. I took the key and it matched perfectly with the keyhole that was on the statue. As was to be expected, when I took the keyhole out, a drawer opened and when I peeked inside I noticed a black box. Carefully, we took the box out of the drawer and when we opened it, wide-eyed and surprised, we all saw lots and lots of bills and a ream of paper that looked like a deed. As I had already mentioned, until then, the kind and loyal gentleman was nothing more than a facade.
His goal had been the same from the very beginning, he wanted to take the opportunity to get to know us so he could get what he wanted to have for years now. The treasure kept by our grandmother. So much money, and the possession of a mansion like that. Who could resist? It only took a distracted second with my sister for the butler to disappear with the treasure. We started to run towards the exit but the door had already been closed. I remember we spent hours thinking of a way to get out of there, always looking for an alternative exit that could be in that room, until we saw a small ventilation grille right behind the statue. We kicked and kicked it until it shot out of the wall and opened an entrance to another room in the house. We still went to look for the butler but there was no sign of him and so we decided to call the police and tell them what had happened. After describing the old man we were told that in fact that gentleman was a criminal, accused of theft, wanted all over the country for decades. Which was not surprising since he lived in an “abandoned” house that didn’t even belong to him to begin with. We decided together with the police to tell them if we ever saw him again and that we would also be told if he was caught. The investigation didn’t take long to begin as it was now known that the criminal had left his shelter and it would be much easier to find him. Days, weeks, even months passed, and there was no sign of the butler or the treasure at all. Our economic situation was getting worse and the only salvation was that wealth that our grandmother had left to her family. The cell phone rang and without any hope I went to see who it was. Private number. Finally I answered and it was from the police, the news came at the right time. A giant smile from ear to ear described what I felt. Pure excitement and joy, those were the feelings that ran through my veins when I was told that the now almost forgotten thief of the inheritance that belonged to us had been finally caught. The process of recovery from that point on was very easy, we just had to prove our identity and family relationship with the owner of the house so that it belonged to us legally. The same with the money that, luckily enough, hadn't been used by the butler by the time he had it. Like a miracle, we had solved our economic problems. Our mother came to her senses again and realized that she had not been present until then, just like that, our life had stabilized again and despite not being present, we managed to overcome the trauma of having lost our father. And here we are now, I became a successful video-game developer and my sister, a world-renowned pianist, in honor and out of love for our dear father.

Angel Costa N°4
Rafael Lemos N°16
Ricardo João N°17
Tomás Martins N°23

January 19

2022-01-18 11:55:45 UTC

Is it always in the littles towns that the most mysterious and strange things appear, isn’t true?

In this case was a murderer, a murder of Amy Brown,me,a normal 16 years old girl living a normal life with my family and friends in Hope Island. Unfortunately there was no hope for me, I was found dead, mutilated on the beach and found by a group of strangers that called the FBI. They selected the detective Scott Williams to investigate, he immediately chose three suspects, Kevin Jones, my ex boyfriend, April Hunter, my “best friend” and my older brother, Peter Brown.

You might be wondering why my brother is one of the suspects, so I'll tell you a little bit about my family history. Before I was born my parents weren't marry, but my mother already had a son, Peter, with another man, who abandoned them at birth. However, my brother didn't know this secret. He suspected that something was going on because of my father's behavior towards him, showing more concern for me.

April Hunter, my best friend. Before I died, we had a big fight. I was starting a big dream, an environmental project that was succeeding and could come to realize. Since I was so busy and recognized because of this work, she began to feel isolated and also wanting popularity.

Last but not least, Kevin, my ex. A week before my death I broke up with him, because I needed more time to invest in my project, but he didn't interpret me in the right way. Even...even it seemed that he didn't love me anymore!

On January 21st the interrogations began, Kevin enters the interrogation room

Kevin’s Interrogation :(stressed)

- Please take a seat. - Scott - With the autopsy it turned out that the body had been on the beach for two days! Where were you on the day of Amy's death?

- Kevin: I was studying at home!

- I spoke to your relatives and they mentioned that you haven't been home for a week. Tell me the truth, where were you really?

- Hmm... actually, I was at some friends' house.

- And where is that house?

- it's... it's... near the beach.

- (points to the address in the notebook and sends it away)

(Kevin leaves the room and Peter enters for interrogation) estalar os dedos e paralisamos)

Peter’s Interrogation:( angry)

- So... - Scott

- I'm her brother!!! Why the hell are you interrogating me?- Peter

- Because you live in the same place where Amy lived. - Scott

- Just because I live with her doesn't make me one of the culprits! - Peter

- We have spoken to your parents and they confirm that you haven't been at your best lately, where were you on the day of the incident? -Scott

- I was partying in a disco like all young people my age do. - Peter

(Scott writes down all the information in his notebook)

April’s Interrogation:(sad)

-Agent Scott I swear I would never do anything like that to my best friend…- April

-But I heard you had an argument a few days before the incident.- Scott

-Like all friends we had our arguments but nothing justified me killing her.- April

-Then tell me where were you?- Scott

-I was at home thinking of an apology, but I ended up texting!- April

(Scott asks for her phone and confirms that it's true, but Amy hadn't read the message)

- That's all,you can go for now.- Scott

Narrator-So who do you think is the murderer?

The next day they sent a search warrant to each of the suspects' homes.

In April's house, inside her bedroom, Amy's book was found with traces of blood.

At Kevin's house, the search parties found some evidence in a drawer where he kept the letters he exchanged with Amy, there they found a pin with a diamond that belonged to her. In Peter and Amy's house,under a ledge in the wooden floor, they found a pair of scissors with little drops of blood. Everything that was collected went to the laboratory to be studied both for fingerprints and the blood detected. Meanwhile, the three suspects were called again to the FBI station, but Peter didn't show up.

The first to be called was Kevin:

Scott-We examined what we found in your house and saw that the diamond was Amy's, what do you have to say about it?

Kevin-One of the times she came to my house she dropped it off and then we broke up and I didn't get a chance to give it back to her.

(scott nodded his head)

Scott-Fortunately my team has already investigated and you are not guilty, neither did you have the necessary reasons to kill her or evidence. You can leave!

(Kevin takes a deep breath and leaves, Scott calls April)

(April enters the room)

Scott-In your room a suspicious object was found, Amy's book, which had traces of blood but after all the tests were done and we concluded that it is your blood, so you can go because you aren’t the guilty.

April-I'm so relieved, thank you detective really, so who killed her?Was it kevin?Was it peter?He didn't even come today...

Scott- I can't give you that information, you may go for now.

April- I'm sorry, thank you for everything.

(Scott called his assistant and the two suspects head home)

Scott-Peter isn’t here,gives more proof that he is the guilty,search his house,call his parents,and cut the roads now!We have a fugitive!

(Scott goes to Peter's house)

And it was actually my own brother who killed me on February 20 with a pair of scissors they found in his room.

He had just found out that he was my half brother and the whole story of our family and slapped my mother and my father hit him with his belt until he didn't make a sound anymore. I was just crying. After that, Peter was grounded and went to his room with pure evil eyes towards me, but I never treated him any differently?He is my brother and will always be!

(Past)

It was past midnight and I heard footsteps. It was my brother, he knocked on my bedroom door and asked if we could go for a walk on the beach so we could talk, I obviously said yes. So we went, but he was absent, thinking about something, my murder, he always had his hand in his pocket, hiding the murder weapon, the pair of scissors. We get to the end of the beach, he pushes me to the ground, and starts blaming me for everything,for the miserable life he had. I said it wasn't my fault and that I never treated him differently, but it was too late. He was already taking the scissors out and started hitting me with them,I screamed but nothing, and after a few seconds I died, there, by my own brother.

In the meanwhile…

Scott arrived at Peter's house but his parents said that he wasn't there and they didn't know where he was. Until the phone rang it was a voice message from Peter:

Peter: Hello mother, my beloved mother, and my hideous stepfather, I am so sorry for what I did,Amy didn't deserve it, she didn't deserve that. She never treated me any differently and was the one who had to pay in the cruelest and most tragic way ,killed by her own family. I have caused too much damage, my birth was just one, what I did was unacceptable, a real sin so my only place is in hell and burning. I am on the beach where my sister was found. I love you so much mom, I am sorry for everything. I hope that one day you can forgive me and with this I say goodbye to you and the world.(stabbing himself)

Mom-Another of my children nooo (desperate crying, dad stands firm hugging her)

Scott-I don't think there's anything else to do, the case is over, I'm so sorry, we're going to the beach do you wanna come with us?

(nods no)

Scott was right, there was nothing more to be done, my brother was dead, so the case was closed, Kevin and April knew what happened, my parents moved away, honestly they needed it after everything that happened, my mother lost her two children. Everything went back to normal, but that island was never the same again.

END
Made by:
Alice Robalo n°2
Ana Peixoto n°3
Sofia Malheiro n°21

And there was Anna...

2022-01-19 16:51:06 UTC

It was the first of october of 1950, a normal work day at the library. I had just started my shift and she was the first and last customer of the day.

Her Lavender scent quickly filled the room. She picked up a romance book and sat on the corner table where I could see her from the counter. It was so silent that the only thing that could be heard were our own thoughts and the only thing passing through mine was her. The sun went down and she was still there. I love reading but not that much and I am the one who is working at the library… She's weird. I was wondering "Why didn't she just buy the book and go home?” It’s against the rules to read the whole book without paying for the book’s rental so I had to confront her about it. I headed over to her table and asked her to pay for the book. She didn’t have any money so I paid for her with the condition that, after my shift, in the café, she would tell me what her favorite book was. It was quite dark so we went to the nearest shop and ordered two coffees and an ice cream.

We stayed for about two hours talking about our most liked books until I asked why she spent the whole day at the library. She just avoided the question and left! I was upset so the next time she visited the library I just ignored her as payback! Things got awkward and after a few days she stopped coming. I was afraid so I went looking for her, I remembered she told me where her house was so I paid a visit and was greeted with two disgusted faces before getting the door shut in my face, not having the chance to even say a word! "Maybe her parents don't like visits..."

I went looking for Anna, just to find her swaying in the local garden's swing. I wanted to get an answer so I approached her and asked without hesitation: “Why don't you rent the book and go home?”. She looked at me, surprised, and started crying. I didn't know what to do so I hugged her, everything that tormented her suddenly came out of her mouth, I barely kept up, just listening was the best I could do. She told me that she often went to the library to escape the reality she was going through at home. Whenever her parents argued, the atmosphere got heavy so she took refuge in books. As her speech continued she eventually told me she was growing an affection for me, my company, my presence. It, unfortunately, was mutual…

Everything felt like heaven, we hung out every day and developed an actual relationship although we kept it a secret.

I received an invitation for a writer’s contest in Paris, France. I had to accept, it was one of my life goals! Since I had never travelled alone it was scary to me so I offered Anna to come with me as my right arm. When I told her my plan excitement was all over her face, she obviously accepted.

"In two weeks we'll be in Paris enjoying the city!!"

That’s how it went! We arrived on the 5th of November, two weeks prior to the event. As the days went by we visited many monuments like the Eiffel Tower, Louvre, Notre Dame and our favourite: Oradour-sur-Glane. We even got a souvenir from there, a coin to mark our first journey together. The actual event didn’t turn out so welI. We didn’t win but it was a good experience nonetheless.

In the hotel we were staying in, the atmosphere between us wasn’t the best for a reason unknown to me… She started acting weird but soon began talking "I'm leaving for the military" she said. My world fell apart. I couldn’t believe it, as soon as I connected with someone, someone...I actually loved, it had to go wrong… I should’ve known it was too good to be true. I wondered why she didn’t tell me earlier… The truth was she would be gone in a week and I couldn’t stop her. She wanted to do something for herself, for the world! I couldn’t tell whether I was hurt or proud of her strength. What I did know was she needed my support even if It destroyed me to let her go...

Our last moments in Paris were spent enjoying the little time we had left. The moment I avoided the most came... Seeing her go was like being shot. But I was happy for her... Anyway, I would be with her again and while separated we would exchange letters to not feel alone during these never-ending six months.

The next months were the toughest, her letters were the only thing keeping me up. After some time her replies became slower. Maybe it was due to a delay in the arrival of the letters… But it kept happening. What I didn’t know was she would stop answering after that one letter… And worse, I could tell it wasn’t her’s. At first I thought it was a joke, there’s no way it wasn’t. The letter said, and I quote: “We know Anna’s love interest is a female, which we do not tolerate. If you keep exchanging letters, there will be consequences.”

Anna didn’t warn me about this, maybe she didn’t know. I looked at the shipping date and quickly realized… It was too late.

When the mission was over, they returned the dead people’s possessions to their families… Since her parents didn’t care I offered to take her belongings. In the items they gave me, I found all my letters… All our emotions preserved in little sheets of paper. I decided to make a book with all the letters combined. This way, whenever I felt lonely and nostalgic, I could just read the book and remember every single moment we shared, the moments of our lovely crime.

And there was Anna…smiling in a picture that I keep in the locket I wear everyday, so clueless on what the future had planned for us. Maybe someday we’ll meet again, in a parallel universe where our love is not forbidden.

The end!
Débora Antunes, nº9
Joana Romão, nº11
João Godinho, nº12
Lara Paulo, nº13
Maria Clara, nº14

01.04.1997 16:31

2022-01-19 17:09:20 UTC

It was the day. I woke up with Husse licking my face, he seemed more anxious than me. It's been a complicated week with all the necessary shopkeeping to move out of the house. I couldn't stand the smell of petrol and the infernal noise of the central London traffic any longer. My wife was still in bed because she had stayed up all night talking to the consultant who was going to sell us our future house.

I heard Noah playing video games, even though it was already 7 am. I guess he didn’t even go to sleep.

-Good morning, Noah. Did you sleep well?

-Morning.

-The men will pick up your computer in a few moments. Have you packed everything already?

-What, Dad? Already?! I don't want to go!

-Son, pack your bags now!

Noah storms out of the room and slams the door in my face.

Meanwhile, we're already on the plane. I look out the window and see my beloved city being left behind.

Three hours later, we arrive in Portugal. We're already in the taxi and Noah still doesn't say a word to me. My wife is pregnant and I don't want to stress her out. I let her sleep.

We arrive home and I already find Mr. Albert inside. He hands us the key. The beginning of a new life.

In the first days, we unboxed all the luggage that we brought from our old house. Noah kept being childish, because his computer didn´t arrive in time, so he spent most of his time with Husse. However, he´s always forgetting to feed him, therefore, I do it for him, hoping that we can bond again.

As I’m heading to the kitchen, I find Husse’s collar and his charm on the ground. I find it quite intriguing, so I go upstairs to his room. As soon as I knock on the door, I realize that it was opened. Noah never leaves his door open. I walk into the room and no one is there, no sign of life. I remembered what day it was, April 1st, Noah's favourite day where he used to play a lot of pranks, so I thought this would be one of them, in which he would simulate his and Husse's disappearance.

As the hours go by, I begin to lose my patience. This prank has gone way too far, for way too long. Me and my wife start to look for him around the neighbourhood and, after a while, we call the police. They say that they can only help after 24 hours, otherwise, the person can´t be reported as missing. But this doesn´t comfort two desperate parents. I run to his room, once again, to search for any hints that he might have left behind. My eyes cross the room and I look over the bed, finding the book “Sherlock Holmes: Two complete adventures”, that I used to read to my son, wide open. At first, I assumed that it fell off due to the strong wind, but I soon realized that I was wrong. I start reading it and I quickly noticed that the book story was pretty similar to what was happening. “Missing son on April Fools”. Even though it´s sounds like a dumb idea, the only solution is to follow the hidden hints inside this mysterious book.

So that's what I do, I follow all the clues, starting with an UV light. The book is telling me to find a lantern in the attic, so I go get it. I climb down and turn it on. I walk around the 1st floor, hoping to find some footsteps. As I go upstairs, I come across some paw prints. They lead me to Noah’s room, so I start searching again. I’m losing my mind, but I can’t give up. I look closely to a picture of him and, suddenly, I find a coin.

A single coin is separating me from finding my son. There isn’t much to say about it, other than the fact that it’s from Switzerland. And that's when I start putting the pieces of this unfinished puzzle together. Behind a painting that represents the Swedish nation in my office, there is a vault, and I think that is the only place where he can be. I slowly open the safe and Noah’s not there, and I feel completely helpless.

There is a handwritten note that says "I miss you". Next to it, there’s a childhood book with a receipt "01-04-1997 16h31", the date and time of the day of disappearance. I took the book and quickly went to the last pages in order to finish this once and for all, but they were torn apart. I put my hands to my head trying to find the words to explain to my wife that I was not able to find our son. In the silence of my mind I hear a scream coming from the room, my wife is having the baby. It’s the worst and best day of my life. Next time, I'll think twice about moving.

Made by:
Bárbara Araújo no5
Daniela Morais no6
Daniela Sanches no7
Marta Simões no15
Rúben Afonso no18

The other side of Sherlock Holmes

2022-01-21 17:48:40 UTC

It's 5 in the morning, my clock starts ringing and it's time to start the day as a Forensic Psychology student. As I close the door I feel proud of myself. Finally I have the key of my own house. I moved recently so I only have a bed, my books and a frame of my parents and Roughs, their dog.
Today it's such an exciting day! Sherlock Holmes is about to give a speach in my criminal class. He is my idol since I remember and by the time I read his books I decided to follow this career.
The speach begins when Sherlock presents an investigation case for us to solve. It's about a kidnapped girl in America. The only information we know is that she had her smartphone, a Franc coin and gums in her wallet. He asked us how could we solve the crime with this evidences. My all class stayed in silence, wondering how would we figure that out with just 3 objects. But for me it was obvious. If this happened in America, why would she have a Franc coin? I knew this had to be the answer so I said:
- The crime happened in Wallstreet. It's the only way she could. have the Franc coin with her.
When I said that he revealed his smirk smile. I think he knew I solve the crime because of the books I read of his mysteries.
When the speach ended he asked to talk to me and I was starstruck. He is very nice, caring and professional at the same time. When I said that I already had read his whole books series, he gave me a book and said:
- I realized you have a lot of potential in this area so I want to give you a book that I never published.
I was shocked. But not because of the offer. When he took the book out of the pocket, a dog collar pendent fell. I knew I already have seen it.
I couldn't believe this was true but I knew this couldn't be just a coincidence. I ran back home and immediately entered to the living room. My breath stopped when I looked at my parents' frame I saw that Roughs' collar pendent was the same as the one that fell of Sherlock's pocket.
I stayed up all night thinking about this.
When I have insomnia I usually read a book, so I decided ro read the book which Sherlock gave me. When I opened it I saw the bookmarker. It had a lot of numbers but the combination of them made my heart stop.
01-04-97
My birth date.
I instantly turned on my investigation instict so I opened the book on page 104, read the nineth line and the seventh word was "Roughs".
(2 hours later...)
I went ro college completely messed up. I saw Sherlock at the other side of the hallway and I walked up to him.
- Did you know? - I asked
- I know everything!
- Don't play games with me.
- Ok, ok! When you were 2, I was being threatened, so I moved to Switzerland. I had to change my name, my identity and even made some plastics to change my face. So it's normal if you don't recognize me in photos. I want you to know that I didn't have a choice. I'm sending an anual amount of money to your mom's account, anonymously. I didn't want to leave both of you without any cerement. I hope you understand.
- This is a lot of information to process but thank you for telling me. It will take me a while to love you as a father, but I have always loved you as an idol.

Group members:
Inês Ribeiro, n° 11
Marta Machado, n°19
Patrícia Moreira, n°20
Eliedson Sousa, n°10
Beatriz Costa, n°3
Bianca Silva, n°6

Apperances can be deceiving

2022-01-23 21:31:25 UTC

Right now, I have a gun pointed to my head.
You are probably wondering how I ended up in this situation.

This Tuesday, I was packing all my stuff to start a new life with my love, Scarlett. Actually, our relationship had kinda of a funny start. We met at a Hotel in Manchester, she was a cleaning lady and she forgot her phone when she was cleaning my room. Eventually, we started talking and we felt in love with each other.

As I was packing my things, I found a little box that belonged to my first wife, Katherine. She was my first true love and unfortunately she died in a car crash twenty five years ago. I hadn’t seen that box in awhile, I had never opened it because I never had the courage to. I found the strenght to open it and inside there was a TWO FRANC COIN and a DOG PENDANT. I was very confused about the reason why those objects were in there and then I remembered that me and Katherine used to change little notes in the pendant secret spot. I discovered a piece of paper saying “I miss you”. I was even more confused.

Later that day, as I was going to the bed, it hit me. She was trying to make me remember our place, a restaurant called I miss you. Of course I had to went there. I arrived and the first thing I saw was a very old music machine that only accepted franc coins. I realised that it wasn’t a coincidence. I inserted the two franc coin in the machine and instead of playing a song, it opened up a secret division with a RECEIPT from April 1^st of 1997 in it.

I was very intrigued and then I came to the conclusion that the receipt belonged to a book that Katherine at the time made me purchase. I went straight to home searching for the book. I finally discovered it and when I open it I was amazed to see an OLD KEY perfectly inserted inside the shaped papers of the book.

This is the moment I realise the last five years of my life were a completly lie. My own wife is pointing a gun at me.

- Give me the key, Tom!

- Relax, Scarlett. Put the gun down and let’s talk.

- I have nothing to talk with you! I finally have the chance to get rid of you. You are really stupid if you really thought that I would ever love you. You really felt for the hotel trick. You were only a means to an end.

- What are you saying?

- You really think that Katherine had a car crash? I was the one who cut the brakes of her car. She deserved to die after what she did to me. She was planing to keep the money all to herself.

- What are you talking about?

- It doesn’t matter. Just give me the key or I will shut you!

I hear a gun shot but I feel completly fine. Am I dead?
I turn my head around.

- Katherine?!

- Hi, Tom.

We are running towards each other, feeling our inner flame.

- What... what... what happened to you? I thought you were dead!

- I know and I am sorry. It was the only way to keep us safe. Do you have the key?

- Why? What is it for?

- Come with me. Let me show you.

We get in the car and Katherine is driving. We arrive at an old farm locked up. Katherine uses the key to open it.

- What is all this?

- That’s our future, Tom. We are rich!

- What about Scarlett?

- We call the 911 when we cross the border and then we run. The world is waiting for us!

END!

Group members:
Diogo Caetano nº6
Eduardo Almeida nº7
Inês Subtil nº11
Íris Ferreira nº12
Lara Teles nº14
Laura Relha nº15
Mónica Afonso nº22

A crime in the darkness

1706365 — 2022-01-24 00:46:47 UTC

September 1st 1920, London.

Dear diary,

I don’t know how to say this, but today is my last day at the FBI.

Also, on this same day, the craziest thing happened:

I was going to work by train, and there was a very sweet couple in front of me (named Peter and Jane Anderson), who were kissing, laughing at each other’s jokes and were clearly in love. I wonder if I’ll ever get to experience that. But anyways. As usual, a member of the train crew warned us that we would underrun a tunnel, and consequently, the power was going to be off for a short time.

After the blackout, everyone in the train carriage saw the same thing: A pair of sewing scissors, with initials JA (Jane Anderson), sticking out of a man's neck. Peter was killed. Next thing Jane starts running away. And with all the rushes, she left a shiny earring behind. All the evidence was pointing at her and were very clear. She killed her husband, Peter. When she was found, she got arrested.

Something was wrong, I had that feeling, and I knew it. When I arrived at the FBI headquarter, I went right to the file room “London citizens”, and after a long research, I found out that Jane is a volunteer and her file was the definition of an innocent woman. So, I went down to the prison, talked to her, and she said that it was not her fault and that she needed help to prove her innocence. Jane only started running because got terrified of the body of her husband dead in front of her.

Still, how is anyone supposed to believe in Jane? She ran from her murdered husband. The murder weapon has the initials of her name and she left her hearing behind. No one, in a decent mind is going to believe her, and yes, Diary, I’m in my decent mind. She’s going to need a very good lawyer.

I needed to do something, so I went back to the FBI to find any evidence that could leave the case to the real suspect, so secretly got to the room of evidence. I had nothing to lose. It was my last day there anyway. There it was, the box of Peter's case and his jacket full of blood. Many of my coworkers said it would be impossible, but I found a pocket dictionary. It is cute, but who carries a pocket dictionary around? Probably, you´re thinking it has no meaning, but it always has.

So I brought the pocket dictionary with me and went home to analyse it. I ended up talking to myself: “Very typical… There are underlined words: hall and white. Think Emily, think… What could this mean? Oh. my. god. This is clearly that street not so far from my house, Whitehall, of course! But this is a shot in the dark, there has to be more, I know there's more, diary.” And that´s when I found a code in the back of the dictionary, 38.6607-9.0852, this has to be a coordinate.

And it was indeed. I searched the coordinates on GPS and drove down there. It was a fifteen-minute drive until I finally found a house in the middle of Whitehall street. It was there, the answers to everything were right behind a door. I took one of my hair clips to open the lock, a classical move that never fails when needed. And with that, I entered the house. There was not even one piece of furniture, it was completely empty, but I felt a bad vibe, and my instinct is always right. I went upstairs and there were four rooms, all empty, so I was about to give up and be very disappointed with myself, and that´s when,...

I went downstairs, heading to the door. However, I stepped on a piece of the wooden floor that made a hollow sound. And guess what I found… an entrance to a basement. I have never seen something similar before. It was a room full of mortal remains of Peter Anderson´s victims. Who is Peter after all? Who keeps teeths, hands, eyes and so much more horrible things in a basement? There is no way Jane knew about this, so I needed to tell her one truth, in her life full of lies, she deserved to know the real Petter.

When I finally left that traumatizing basement and house, I got in the car, still a little nauseous, and drove to the prison right away. There she was, Jane Anderson, the pure and innocent lady that had no idea what was coming in her way. I sat down and explained to her everything that happened, step by step. And you're probably thinking that she started crying right? Well, she didn't… she said:
- I can't believe it,... I´m sorry but that man that you just described isn't my husband. How could I have been so blind? How could he do this to me? I spent all my days with him, I thought I knew every single thing about him but, clearly, I didn't. I didn’t see the signs. But I should have,... the murderers he committed are my fault too. I was so naive that I married this man, gosh, how dumb can a person be? I could have stopped this only if I had paid enough attention. I could have prevented so many deaths but I didn't. I deserve to be here, in this horrible prison and being punished for the rest of my life. I was in love with the idea of him and now that I truly know him, I wish that I had killed him myself.

I was shocked by this reaction, Jane really is an innocent woman. She is willing to be punished as a way to deal with all the guilt she feels for marrying a murderer. She really does not deserve to be stuck in that hole, probably for the rest of her life, but nothing would change her decision. So, she thanked me and walked away, just like that. Probably this was the last time I will ever see that woman again, but I will never forget her.

And now, diary, you are probably wondering: Who killed Peter after all? Well… It was me… I killed Peter Anderson. It was me who perforated his neck with his wife's pair of scissors in the darkness, till he could no longer breathe. Why? Let me go back,...

It was the year 1916, I was at the top of my career in the FBI, solving murderers every day successfully. Until this one day,... My boss came to my office and gave me a case of a serial killer who kept killing people in cold blood but always removing something from their corpses: nails, hair, fingers or even eyes. How could anyone be this sick and cruel? So I became obsessed and couldn't sleep for days trying to figure out who this person was, and where he was. But I couldn't get out of the maze, and that drove me crazy. So, my boss made me sign a contract to have only 4 more years in the FBI, and after that get fired. I got so frustrated.

Here we are, four years later. He attacked another innocent victim. But this time, he let one little detail slip. A hair. A single hair of his in the corpse of a victim, and I was the only one who noticed. I took it carefully without anyone seeing it, put it in the bag and went to do DNA exams myself. Couldn't handle such important information for me to the FBI. And there it was, my prey, Peter Anderson, who was finally going to get what he deserved, not a prison but death like he did to so many people. He took wives from their husbands and children from their parents. I found out where he lived, where he worked, his family, everything. Studied him and his wife, Jane, for months, and that´s how I knew that we would cross on that train. Also, I already knew how innocent Jane was. I needed someone to take my fault, so I created fake evidence against her. And just like that, I made the perfect crime in the darkness. Do you still think what I did was wrong? I saved innocent people like I did all my life in this company. So here I am, leaving my career in the best way, by solving the case of my life and finally being at peace. Or not…

Group members: 
  Diogo Andrade nº5  
  João Fonseca nº13
  Madalena Bordadágua nº17
  Maria Rocha nº18
  Marta Franca nº19
  Sara Pinheiro nº25

Twenty Nations

2022-01-25 20:23:00 UTC

A start. A little everything full of nothing but the empty promise of a new life.

That's how I ended up here, in a new country, looking at a big house inhabited by a rich old man who I intend to steal - by following that promise, by running after better opportunities. My life in England was only the product of the alienation of dignity and proper living conditions. My family and I didn't have food, nor money to afford any. That was the reason I ever started stealing. At first, it was food, little coins, and objects in pockets, simple things. But then I started to enjoy it. I began to feel that, for once in my life, something was fair and I allowed the feelings of greed and avarice to start consuming my soul, forcing me to give in to the sentiment of belonging to a life where rules are meant to be broken.

When my father died, I realised life is short and I started thinking bigger. So I moved to America, where new rich people were beginning their lives of luxury and, therefore, I could start planning more elaborate robberies.

But well. Back to the old man. He's sick. He has been like that for some time, which is going to make my job even easier. He lives with a maid, who is off today, and a granddaughter - his only family, I suppose - but she always leaves the house after lunch and comes back after a few hours. That's when I'm going to strike. Get in and out in the blink of an eye.

When I see the granddaughter turn the corner, I take an alley to the back of the house and climb up a pipe, putting my feet on the bricks halfway out the wall, to the balcony. It's likely that the door is unlocked or even open - people are absurdly predictable and usually leave the doors like that on hot days like today - but I verify that the granddaughter is smarter than that. Luckily, I have had time to perfect the art of picking locks.

First, I search the girl's room and take a considerable amount of useless jewelry. Then, I take a look at the living and the dining rooms and choose a silver-fringed white cloth that covers a chest of drawers.

Last but not least, I decide to take a shot in the old man's room. I can't really tell if he's asleep, but at least his eyes are more closed than open. I couldn't leave without searching his room. It's widely known that old people like to hide money under their mattresses or among their socks in a drawer.

I look for something in the mattress, but unfortunately, it has nothing to offer me. However, the drawers reveal themselves as promising: a chubby wad of 100 dollar bills, a silver ring with a tiny gemstone, and a gold pocket watch with some weird inscriptions. Out of all the possibilities, it's the pocket watch that catches my attention. For some reason, it calls for my fingertip to swipe through the strange characters, but my concentration is broken by a harsh voice.

- Leslie… and, oh! My dear Harmony, be careful! The birds fly south, remember… birds of a feather... - the old man, Peter Charleston, seems to have woken up from a nightmare, but he doesn't have the strength to raise his head from the pillow. His eyes turn in my direction, but they see through me. - Don't... - he says, for some ghost he seems to be staring at. - The message… no! The place must not be found, the place… the copper key has the fault, it's all its fault, it's all its fault...!

It must be a delusion. Nothing he says makes sense, and yet the seriousness and despair in his voice make me think if there's not some truth in all these words. He continues his delusion, with his expression gradually changing from desperation to true horror.

- The golden watch! - he suddenly exclaims. - The Pristan Language!

And I realise he's talking about the watch I'm holding. His clear, almost transparent, eyes lock onto mine, while he emits incomprehensible murmurs, and a strange chill runs down my spine. Then, without a warning, he turns his face to the ceiling. Mr. Charleston keeps up with the noises for a few more seconds and then, all of a sudden, stops. Dead silence in the room. And I'm not really sure if the silence is the only thing dead here.

I approach him slowly, as I notice he doesn't move. I put two fingers on his neck. Nothing. I don't feel his breath either.

- Grandpa - a new voice breaks the silence. As soon as the granddaughter sees me, she freezes at the doorstep. - Who are you?

I back off slowly as she notices the old man.

- Oh my… Get away from him! What have you done?! - she runs towards her grandfather, tears forming in her eyes. Then, she looks at the watch in my hand and realises it. - Thief! - she shouts. - Somebody, help! Help!

But she's clearly more worried about the old man than about me, so I decide it's my cue to leave.

I slide down the same pipe I climbed, but there are already good neighbours who have heard the screaming waiting to grab me. I've always regretted not being very tall like my brother or as stout as my father, but at least that assures me I'm the fastest of the three of us, fast enough to dodge the neighbours and escape.

Fortunately, it's darkening and the chase doesn't last long. I hide under an abandoned tarp and wait until they get tired. Then, I go back to my small bedroom at the inn, put the bag under the bed, and let myself fall into the hard mattress.

My sleep is disturbed by some visions of the old man and his words. That has never happened before. But my dreams have been captivated by the mysterious pocket watch. Still, I wake up normally, perhaps just a little more confused than usual. My first instinct is to check for my bag under the bed. It's there.

My second instinct - maybe I should call it an impulse - is to grab the watch and analyze it. What did the old man say? "Cristian Language"? No, not that. "Priston… Pristan Language"? Yeah, that's it. But what the hell happens to be Pristan Language? I should probably let this go. I should, indeed. But I can't. Curiosity is one of my weaknesses. And you know what they say: curiosity killed the cat. But who cares?

My mind is too absorbed by its own thoughts to pay attention to the way I take to the library.

- Good morning, could you please tell me where the dictionaries are? Or the weird languages' books? - I immediately realise how dumb that question sounds.

The small lady at the counter points to my right and indicates corridor number 32.

My quest for a book that has the word Pristan on it lasts a couple of hours and involves a few… bouts of impatience. Despite that, I end up finding a tiny little book, so old and degraded that it no longer has a cover, called Ancient languages: the Pristanian - IX Century.

I sit on the floor and quickly flip through the pages until I find the translation of the Pristan Language to English. I put the watch next to the letters and take a pencil and a piece of paper from my bag. Surprisingly, I become even more confused after I decrypt the message. I read it again:

"Where the hands of Dionysus touch the elixir of life

It is commonly said it's by the mouth the fish dies.

If the words are not clear, you must look behind

The copper will lead the way for the Twenty Nations to find."

Is it possible that nothing regarding that old man makes sense? I read it again, but it adds nothing to my knowledge.

- Excuse me, you can't sit there - the lady previously at the counter interrupts my thoughts. - You should try the study room.

- I'm sorry - I answer. - Where is it, the study room?

- Right over there, behind those shelves.

- Right, thank you. Oh, by the way, do you know anything about a… Dionysus?

- Dionysus? Do you mean the Greek God?

- Yeah, I guess so.

- Well, I believe Dionysus was the god of wine and one of the most important gods in Greek mythology, in fact. Son of Zeus and some mortal princess, if I'm not mistaken. Why do you ask? Oh, are you a scholar?

- Hum… yeah, something like that.

Nothing like that actually. I've never even been near a college, to be honest. College implies money and patience to learn and I don't have either of those things. I've spent 4 years at a local school near my first house and that's more than enough for me. Besides, we are in 1889; studying is for the priests who have nothing to do, not young people who need to get a job as soon as they can.

I thank the lady once more and pretend to head to the study room, but instead, I go around it and leave the library, with the Pristanian book hidden in my bag.

The town is busy as usual, so there's a permanent noise in the air - something that has always “delighted” me about Boston. The grocer I've stolen once comes out of his shop, forcing me to cover my face with my beret. I seriously need to work on my stealth, or else everyone in this town will know my face soon.

I turn a corner to a less busy street, and suddenly my intuition alerts me. Someone is watching me. A subtle look around and then I notice it. I noticed her. Wrapped in a dark-green cloak and with the hood covering her head, there she is: the poor granddaughter. Or should I say the rich? She has now inherited the fortune of her grandfather, after all. But I never thought she would dare to follow me just to recover the watch.

- Silly little girl - I whisper to myself. Shortcutting my way through a few narrow streets at a faster pace is enough to make her lose sight of me.

Finally free of her, I go sit in an isolated corner of Bourbon Avenue, so I can analyze the message once more and try to understand what the hell these words mean and also why people insist on writing secret messages in verse. Eventually, I get hungry and go buy a sandwich and steal an apple, going back to my bench after that. It exasperates me when there's something I can't understand, so I become incredibly focused on what I'm doing. That's why I don't realise the sun starts setting.

- You should be more careful. You have drawn way too many eyes to yourself - a mysterious silhouette advises, ghastly.

- Jesus Christ! Do I have a sign on my back saying "please, spy on me"?

The figure giggles.

- No, you're just not the most discreet person, and that theft at Charleston’s house was the proof. Perhaps, you should consider a few precautions - it carries on, as I slowly turn around in an attempt to capture a glimpse of their features. - Have you figured it out? - he emerges from the shadows he was in, pulling out his hand to me - The inscriptions, what do they say after all?

- Who are you? What do you want? And how do you know abou- I mean, I don't know what you're talking about.

Playing pretend is not one of my strengths and that surely is noticeable now. My eyebrows wiggle as I still can't see his face. He chuckles and comes to the light, taking my hand in his, shaking it.

- Hi. My name is Jacob Carver. You know bluffing is not really your thing, right? - the bloke comments.

He appears to be eighteen, like me, but his posture makes him look older.

- Well, I don't need your help. Some girl can't harm me, especially considering she's in it for the wrong reasons.

- And just how would you know what her reasons are?

- The same way you thought it was a good idea to, let’s say, take a closer look into my personal affairs. Instinct.

- Come on, let me assist you. I won't be able to sleep tonight if I don't discover what that message says. I can't control my curiosity, it's one of my flaws. And subtleness, as we already concluded, is not running through your veins, so I could help you with that as well. You really haven't noticed me until I spoke up, even though I was at the library with you - he declares.

This guy gives me the creeps. But he's not wrong. I could use some discretion.

- Fine. In that case, I'm Zack. Zack Crawford. The expression inscribed in the pocket watch is in a strange Language called the Pristian language. Here, read it.

I wait until he finishes and then I continue:

- One of the parts I've already figured out: "the elixir of life" has to be water. But the part of Dionysus is really getting on my nerves because I know as much about Greek mythology as a dog knows how to fly.

We both laugh.

- However, it's the line "It is commonly said it's by the mouth the fish dies" that intrigues me the most.

- Well, now I will stay up all night trying to find out what that means! - Jacob exclaims, with a playful smile decorating his face.

At this point, we’re walking together to the place I’ve been living in, and, as odd as it sounds, I feel some kind of empathy for him. I feel I can trust him. My gut feeling always tells me when something is off; thus, it saying absolutely nothing remarkable is quite comforting.

- Well, this is where we should part our ways - I say, for we have arrived at a pub, a couple of blocks from the inn. - I’ll see you around, I suppose.

- On weekdays, I spend my time near Langone Park. So find me there tomorrow, at 6 pm - he suggests, a coy smile still on his face while he marches off. I do the same; in a different direction though.

As I walk to the entrance of the inn, I see a familiar face. She doesn't seem very friendly, just like the last time we met. She pushes me against the wall and starts yelling.

- Why did you kill him!? - she is angrier than ever. If she had a knife I would say she could kill me at the moment.

- Are you insane? What are you talking about?

I’m truly lost.

- My grandfather is… - she has difficulties spelling the word - dead. So explain to me why you would kill him. Hadn’t you got enough of him already?

- I didn’t kill him! Why would you think that?

- You were right next to him. He wasn't breathing! You could have choked him, I don't know!

- I did nothing to him - I assure her. - He was already sick, remember? He probably died from that disease, since he was completely delirious when I went to his room.

- What do you mean he was delirious? - her expression shows perplexion. I realise she hadn't understood how serious his condition was.

- I mean he was saying nonsense things. I can’t verbalize it very well.

- What was he saying, do you remember?

- Something about you having to recall that the birds fly south, birds of a feather. And something about a place that shouldn’t be found, and that the copper key has the fault.

Her facial features soften for a little while. She seems to be deep in thought but quickly comes back to reality.

- It doesn't matter now. But I want the watch back. Now! - as she says this, she rips the piece of gold out of my hands.

- Hey, be careful with that!

- I know what I’m doing. And this is not even yours, so don’t tell me what to do!

She's pretty fierce for a girl.

- I said you should be careful with that for a reason…

- What do you mean by that? What do you know?

- Nevermind. It’s not like you would care anyway.

She turns the watch.

- Wait a minute. You’ve figured this out. What does it say?

- I can tell you but only if you promise to help me find it.

- Find what? What are you talking about?

- Do you promise to do what I just said?

She purses her lips and frowns.

- Like I have a choice.

After listening to this answer, I hand her the paper with the translation.

- That seems to be a clue to that place that your grandpa said should not be found. Either it is a big treasure or something just worthless. But everyone knew he was filthy rich, so I like to believe it is something good. I also met this guy, Jacob. He’s helping me figure out what this message means exactly. But - I take the watch from her hands - I will most certainly destroy this watch if you don't collaborate. So you choose!

- You're a despicable person, do you know that? - she gives me the paper back. - I’ll help you both. It’s not like I have anything to lose, anyway. But only if you promise me that I’ll get something with this. He was my grandfather. Whatever we find, it should be mine by right.

- Sure, we decide that later.

She backs off and I put the watch in my bag.

- I never thought you would really accept this, I’m surprised.

- Look, I can change my mind at any minute if you continue with that talk.

- No, no, there’s no need for that. You can be a valuable help - I smile, but she doesn’t smile back. - We meet up at 6 pm, tomorrow, at Langone Park. Don't be late, we can't lose time.

- It's a deal - she turns around. - I will see if that Jacob you talked about is trustable.

- I'm sure he is. Oh, by the way, will you be so kind as to tell me your name?

She only turns her head.

- Harmony.

- Zack Crawford, at your service - I try to be elegant and raise my hand for her, but she doesn't shake it.

- See you tomorrow - says Harmony.

The next day, at the appointed time, I find my way to Langone Park. I’m early, also because I still intend to let Jacob know who decided to help us out. The conversation does not run so smoothly and it ends up turning out very ugly, because she shows up.

- Harmony. My name is Harmony - she introduces herself in a quite distrusting way. - I assume you’re Jacob. Let’s hurry up, I have got better things to do than go on some treasure hunting adventure with a thief and an unknown boy.

- Wow, calm down, miss - he interrupts. - You don’t make the rules here, get it? So, first, let’s think about the riddle. I have been think-- Ah! Of course! I just remembered: there is the Dionysus Fountain on Salem Street. I believe that is where we should head.

- Well, well, clever boy, why don't you show us the way? I have never heard of that street - Harmony snorts, making him seem extremely pathetic.

- Neither do I, sorry - I mouth slowly, in an attempt to lighten the tension created between the two of them.

We head to the Dionysus Fountain on Salem Street at nightfall. We find it is a small corroded statue, in the middle of a circle of stone, with water running out of Dionysus's hands.

- I thought about the riddle along the way - informs Harmony. - By the mouth the fish dies - she repeats, while taking off her glove and putting her fingers on the statue's mouth. - There's something here.

She searches a little more and then takes a copper key from the statue.

- I believe this is what we are looking for.

- You're a genius, did you know that, Harmony? - I whisper to her, and she blushes a little.

- But now comes the hardest part - remembers Jacob. - If the words are not clear, you must look behind. Behind what?

We think for a moment, and suddenly it dawns on me.

- Behind the words! - I exclaim. - Of course! So obvious.

I crouch and start moving the metal board with the name of the fountain, already half loose. I turn to Jacob.

- Are you going to help me, or will you just stand there?

Jacob crouches too and we begin to pull the board. At some point, it comes off the stone and reveals an opening behind. I take a piece of paper tied with a string and untie it. They stand beside me to see.

- You have to be joking! - I grumble when I see it's another secret message.

Jacob hastens to decode it with the help of the book.

“With all you have already learned

You must fly to the End of the World

And behind the one that is not right,

You'll find what you've had in sight."

- This is even harder than the first - says Jacob.

- No, it isn't - Harmony has that look on her face like when someone realises the answer has always been in front of her nose. - I know where the End of the World is. It's my old house, where I was born. We moved out when I was three, and my grandpa always referred to it as "The End of the World", because it's isolated, almost in the middle of nowhere.

- Well, let's go then. We can’t afford to misemploy our time - I communicate, sensing tension building up inside Jacob. His and Harmony’s eyes turn to me as I say:

- Or perhaps not. Maybe we should all go and rest tonight. Tomorrow is a new day, we’ll meet here at 8 am and think this through better.

They nod, demonstrating their agreement.

The next morning, I am woken up by loud thumps on my door. “What!?” I groan out, opening the door.

- Hurry up - says Jacob. - We have one hour to be there and I am panicking. What if one hour is not enough? I don’t want to ruin my reputation as a reckless fool to her.

- One hour is enough to go and come back three times, relax - I chuckle. - For real now, though, why do you act so cocky around her? It won’t benefit either one of us, you can figure that out, right?

- You won't like to hear this, but I don't trust her.

I roll my eyes and start walking with him.

We meet Harmony in the Park and we go to the End of the World from there. We enter the house and I must admit: it is stunning. Why did they move out? It's all so nice, you could have a good family here, in such a quiet location. For a moment, this leads me to Harmony and...

My thoughts get cut out by Jacob asking me if I have any tool that could be used to open up a wall.

- Hum? What do you want a hammer for?

- Have you not heard us or are you playing dumb now? - Harmony says, sounding bitter. Way too bitter for my likings. - "Behind the one that is not right, you'll find what you've had in sight" is talking about this portrait of my parents. All the portraits in this place have the people in it showing their right profile, not the left one, like this.

- Oh, right. I don't have anything like a hammer, but… - I glanced around, trying to find something solid - maybe a candlestick will do.

Jacob and I pull the portrait out and begin to break the tiles that decorate the wall. After removing some of them, we find one with a hollow chamber behind it and we all lean slightly to take a better glimpse of the collection box that is there. Harmony inserts the key and turns it carefully, speeding up all of our heartbeats. It contains a huge amount of original silver coins from several countries. Twenty, to be precise. The Twenty Nations.

- This is worth millions, we just found the box that will change our lives forever! - Jacob exclaims, getting emotional.

We figure we had to get out of there as quickly as possible. Yet, on the way out, Jacob blocks the exit and closes the door of the room.

- Jacob! Come on, we don't have time for joking.

He doesn't make a sound.

- Jacob?

When I'm starting to think he left, I hear his sick laughter and understand everything.

- It was a thief stealing from a thief… that is now being stolen himself - he replies, with pride in his voice.

- What are you saying? - the rage makes it difficult for me to speak.

- I bet the little granddaughter doesn't know about it either. What did your beloved grandfather tell you to explain the amount of money you have?

She looks down.

- Petrol investments. And businesses. He didn't… he didn't like to talk to me about it.

- Oh - again the delighted giggle - petrol, of course. No one ever doubts when it comes to petrol. I mean, I believe now he makes investments and businesses, but in the beginning… In the beginning, he didn't have a penny for a blind man's song. You are smart enough to understand you need actual money to invest and earn more money. And Mr. Charleston wasn't a man to settle for a job as a bricklayer or a baker where he would earn only the minimum to survive. It's almost impossible to save money for investments that way. Besides, he had dreams and expectations, and, most important of all, he wanted better for his future family. So, he did what any ambitious young boy in his condition would do: he became a thief. And I have to say, the theft of these coins was legendary, even though it was just for fun and not for money. Your grandfather's gang really fooled those guys from the museum. They never knew what hit them.

Jacob sounds pretty proud of his little moment, as if he was some kind of genius explaining a brilliant theory.

- You're lying - Harmony accuses him. - My grandfather was a decent man.

I can tell she's holding her tears.

- I didn't say the contrary - answers Jacob. - But believe in what you want, I don't really care. Now, you two, be good children and stay right there until the police arrive.

My blood freezes in my veins.

- You called the police!?

That amuses him.

- I couldn't call them, but someone warned them you are here. I needed to make sure you don't come after me. But relax, I'm sure the officers love you. They even have a sketch of your face in the police station.

His sick laughter ignites a fire in my stomach and I dig my nails hard into my skin. I'd be capable of choking him at this moment if I had the chance.

- Why? Why are you doing this? - it's the only thing I manage to say. If I'm going down, at least I want to know why.

- The same reason as you: money. Don't take it personally, I just used you, but I don't hate you.

- Well, the feeling is not mutual - I growl.

- Oh, you break my heart, Zack - Jacob jokes.

- But how did you know about the treasure? - asks Harmony.

- Let's say that a descendant of one of the men that participated in the robbery told me and hired me to recover it. With the promise of a great reward, of course. Mr. Charleston was the chosen one from the gang to hide the coins, but that descendant didn't know where he kept the pocket watch with the clues to find them.

- But why didn't you break into the house before I did?

- I preferred to let you do the dirty work. I had been watching you for some time and knew you were planning that robbery, so I took the opportunity. Why would I risk my skin if you could do it for me?

He's making me feel like the most stupid person in the world. I am the most stupid person in the world. I always think I'm smarter than everyone, but then I let myself be fooled like this. Jesus, I'm so bloody dumb!

I kick the door and Harmony backs off. She's scared and angry and lost like me.

- Well, it was nice to talk to you, guys, but I got to go - Jacob's voice becomes further. - Take care!

I try to turn the knob, but he must have put a chair blocking the door. We stop hearing his steps a few seconds later.

- Please tell me you have a hairpin - I beg, and Harmony pulls one out from her hair.

I manage to unlock the door, but it still doesn't open due to the chair.

- Walk away - I warn.

I start trying to break down the door. My shoulder screams of pain, but finally the chair falls down and the door opens. I start running, following the sound of his steps, which echoes in this silent mansion. Eventually, I end up cornering him in another room. As I catch my breath, I see Jacob pulling out an old-fashioned six bullet revolver from his waist. He walks and makes me retreat to a corner.

- Hey, hey, what are you going to do? You’re a thief, you’re not a killer - I put my hands up and try to calm him down.

- You know nothing about me - he responds.

My heart is beating like crazy right now.

- Calm down. You can take the box, but do not do anything you might regret later.

His sick smile shows up as he continues to invest towards me.

- Remember when I said this wasn’t personal? Well, now it is.

I know he’s going to press that trigger. Don’t ask me why, I simply know. But suddenly, Harmony appears behind him and hits him with a candlestick on his head. Jacob falls down and drops the weapon. I dive towards it, grab it from the ground and point it to him. However, my heart stops when I get up and see him grabbing Harmony by her waist and pointing a knife to her neck. The box with the coins seems to be inside his coat. It’s hard not to notice it.

And here we are. Just the three of us. Once more, I have a presentiment. Someone is about to die. My hands are trembling. The situation seems to tease him a bit.

- Go on! - he incites. - Shoot me! I die. She also dies. You don't really care, do you?

I didn't, but that changed.

Jacob squeezes Harmony harder. She is in shock. No words come out of her mouth. She can hardly breathe. All she can do is plead for her life.

My finger is ready to pull the trigger, but I remain quiet, pointing the gun right to his front.

- You are aware this isn't the first time I wield a gun right? - I say. - I won't hesitate to shoot and you know it.

He laughs ironically.

- Go on, then - says Jacob. - The world is full of people dying. The world is full of criminals. What am I to the world? Nothing. So go on. Shoot me. And live with it.

He moves a little, changing Harmony’s position, and I see my breach. And I take it. BANG!

Harmony jumps out from his hands at that moment, as blood covers the ground. She hugs me and breaks down in tears. I see a cut bleeding on her neck. Nothing too serious, I conclude, but I give her my handkerchief for her to press the wound.

Jacob looks at me in the eye as he sees his existence fade away. But he also smiles, until his eyes turn vain.

The room goes silent for a brief moment.

I feel anger, guilt, sadness… everything. But I still manage to take the box from his coat.

- We have to go - I whispered to Harmony, and she agrees.

We walk outside, but she stops at the main entrance.

- Let me just… take a look at the house. And… take a breath.

I leave her and keep walking until I reach the main gate. It's wide open. I step outside and slowly close it. She runs towards me as soon as she hears the gate locking. Seeing the disbelief on her face is just lovely.

- I can't believe it! - she grumbles, shaking her head.

I smile slightly. I can tell she's not entirely surprised by my act, or maybe she’s just a little apathetic due to what she has just witnessed. I look her in the eye, those smart brown eyes. And suddenly, a strange feeling of compassion runs through me, making me do something I could swear I would never do: I take one of the coins - the silver Israeli coin -, and give her the box with the rest. Even she doesn't want to believe in what just happened.

- Just a little souvenir - I toss the coin in the air and catch it.

She grabs the gate with both hands, while I play with the silver coin. She can leave by the back exit of the house, but I will already be dar away by then.

- You realise I'll try to get that coin back, right? - she warns me.

- I know - I answer, with a shy smile, making the coin disappear between my fingers while turning back. - I hope you do.

Then, I leave, squeezing the coin in my pocket. I don't look back, but I know she's staring at me, trying to figure out what that sentence means. And so am I.

Group members:
Amir Ajij, nº1
Inês Prazeres, nº10
Laura Sidea, nº16
Martina Castanheira, nº20
Patrícia Galvão, nº23
Ricardo Rocha, nº24

2022-01-26 12:23:04 UTC

The Cameron’s Mystery

“Right place, right time.”

The Cameron’s had just moved to New Zealand because of a job offer for Mrs. Cameron, who was a police officer. She had two children, the twins Sarah and Lucas, who were seventeen years old. Seven years ago, a tragedy happened that shocked the family, the disappearance of Mr. Cameron. Mrs. Cameron worked on her husband's case but ended up accepting his death because there were not enough clues and the case was closed. They wanted to remake their lives and the job offer really came at just the right time. Together, they were going to start a new life, moving to the heritage house they had in New Zealand, accepting what happened and leaving the past behind.

After twenty hours of travel, they arrived in the city of Wellington, a simple city, full of light and life, green spaces and sea. The house was located in the suburbs of the city. It was an old, modest house, located in a cosy neighbourhood. They came in and it was as if they were home. It was made of wood, full of relics, old paintings and a mouldy smell. Lucas and Sarah started running upstairs to choose the best room, and once the room was chosen, they quickly settled in.

Suddenly, their mother called them:

Mom- Sarah! Lucas! Come down here! We have some neighbours here to welcome us!

Sarah and Lucas- We’re coming, Mom!

They went downstairs and the new neighbours were at the door.

Emily- Hi, we are here to welcome you! I'm Emily. This is my cousin Justin.

Justin- Hello!

Emily- And we just wanted to make you feel welcome and whenever you need anything don't hesitate to ask. Don't you want any help?

Mom- How sweet of you! Thank you so much! In fact, we could really use two more pairs of hands, we need to unpack the bags from the car and clean the house! Sarah, Lucas go show Emily and Justin the house.

Sarah and Lucas- Yes mom.

With introductions already made, the four of them went to explore the house. Emily and Sarah were already talking as if they had known each other forever. Justin, a little more shy, soon lost his shyness with Lucas who was more silly and extrovert. The four of them picked up the boxes and took them down to the basement. Emily was running to get to the boxes faster when she ended up falling down the stairs. Lucas ran to help her.

Lucas- Are you ok? Are you hurt?

Emily- Yeah, I'm fine. Sorry, I dropped the boxes...

Lucas- Oh, don't worry about that. You're not hurt, that’s what matters. Come on, I'll help you up.

With Lucas's help, Emily gets up and thanks him. The two stare at each other longer than usual and Emily ends up smiling embarrassedly, picking up what she had dropped. Lucas smiles back and follows behind her.

In the basement, Sarah and Justin had already packed up when Lucas and Emily arrived.Out of curiosity, they began to explore the basement and all the antiques that were stored there until they came across a sturdy looking old trunk. The curiosity of the four led them to open the trunk to see what was inside. Maybe something valuable, something they had never seen before, who knows? But no... Inside the trunk was just a key,a photo,a different coin from the ones they usually have (an Israeli coin),old letters with handwriting that is rather difficult to understand, a clock and a phrase "right place, right time, ps: with this coin you will find me".

As if that wasn't enough, the letter was signed by the father, Mr. Cameron, and the photo had the date of his disappearance.

(Sarah and Lucas were in shock.)

Emily- What’s going on? What's wrong?

Sarah- It's our father! He disappeared seven years ago and they never found enough clues

to give us an explanation. And now we found this. What do we do?

Lucas- I don't know, but we have to tell mom!

At the exact moment that Lucas says this, something mysterious begins to happen. They look around and everything seems to be changing shape.

Justin-Sorry guys, I think it was me, I was just fiddling with the watch and it barely gave 11:11 (eleven hours and eleven minutes), everything stopped and this started .

They were all amazed and at the same time terrified, since they couldn't understand what was happening, because after a few seconds they were being teleported to another dimension, together with the watch, the key and the coin.

From one moment to the next, they were in 1995, in Israel, all lost, not knowing where they were.

Sarah- Where are we?

Lucas- I have no idea! What the hell just happened?

Justin - We're in Israel! Look at the flag and the sign! We are in front of the parliament!

Emily- "Parliament of Israel" (reads emily)

Therefore they were very confused and not knowing why they were there and not knowing what to do.

Lucas - Justin, what did you do? What did you touch? Let me see that!

Justin- No, careful! Don't touch it!

Lucas starts trying to grab the watch from Justin’s hands and, with all the euphoria, they drop the watch to the floor, the clock changes hands to 10:10 PM and what happened a few moments ago starts happening again.

Emily- No! Not again!

Out of nowhere, they are teleported into the parliament, into a rather enigmatic and mysterious room.

Lucas- From now on, nobody moves the clock anymore.

Emily, Sarah and Justin- Okay!

Sarah- Think with me. Lucas, pay attention! If we came here, it was for a reason. I’m more and more sure that this has everything to do with Dad's disappearance! So, let's find clues and discover the truth.

Meanwhile, a voice comes out of nowhere as if someone was calling for help. They couldn't figure out where it was coming from, but Sarah and Lucas realized right away that the voice was familiar. It was their father's voice! They hurriedly started to look for clues that could lead them to that voice, to Mr. Cameron. They didn't know what was waiting for them. Until they stumbled upon a very old and peculiar door. Something you don't see everywhere. That was it! It couldn't be anything else. They had already seen everything they had to see and nothing relevant, despite that door. It was right in front of their eyes. They remembered the key they had found, which was as peculiar as the lock on that door, so they decided to try it. Lucas took the key and put it in the lock.

Lucas- Are you ready? Sarah- Yes. Open the door. Let's find out the truth.

They put the key on the lock and turned it. Nothing happened. Literally nothing. There was nothing but a tape with a paper saying "listen to me" and a radio. They looked at each other, as if hope was gone, as if they had gone through all that to find a simple tape and a simple radio.

Emily- Really? Just this? What about your father? What about that voice we heard? I thought there was going to be some kind of magic and all, but that's it? Well, let's hear it.

They put the tape on the radio and listened carefully.

"Sarah and Lucas, if you are listening to this, then you have found the watch, the key and the coin. And you are about to find out something very important and confidential. "

Sarah and Lucas - Dad! It's him! It's our father!

"I don't know if you will ever hear this or not, it’s an incognita that will forever be in my head, I will forever be unsure if you have found out the truth or not, but the truth is dangerous. That's why I had these things kept in the heritage house in New Zealand, hoping that no one would find anything. For some reason, you went to the house and found it in the trunk. And you're now in Israel, lost, not understanding what's going on.

Let me explain: I was not what you thought I was. I was not a mere businessman who left home early and always came late. I was working on something bigger than me and that I could not just give up. I was a time traveler and I worked with time traveling. Yes, it's true, it exists and I worked with it every single day without stopping, always wanting to find out more and more. It was something fascinating, how was it possible? I couldn't tell anyone, not even you, not even your mother because I wanted to protect you and the best protection I could give was the silence. It was top secret, no one could ever find out a tiny little thing, because everyone would want to travel and become obsessed with it, always wanting to go back to the past to fix what they did and go to the future to know what was waiting for them.That’s what happened to me.

Every day I was getting more and more obsessed, travelling to the past, to the future, it was already a routine for me. I was overdoing it and of course everything has a price. Messing with time is dangerous and not right. All time travelers had a coin and a watch that they always needed to have with them, the watch defined the time, the dimension and the place where they wanted to go and the coin was their guarantee to come back. One day, when I went on a trip to the north of Europe, the “time cops”, (let's call them that), to punish me, took away my coin and sent me away to Israel because my coin belonged there and left me in another dimension.

There was no way to come back. And once you stay in another dimension, where you don’t belong to for a long time, you end up disappearing. And that is what happened to me. That’s it. There you go. That's why I didn’t want you to find out, because it’s dangerous and I don’t want to happen to you what happened to me. I made a mistake and there’s no way to fix it, but you can learn from my mistake. Don’t mess with time, don’t venture like I did, I was too ambitious and just wanted more and more and look where it got me.

I’ve lost you and I’ve lost myself. So, for the good of all, keep this to you and don’t tell anyone. Don’t lose the coin and the watch, they’re the only ways to get back. So, as soon as you come back home, don’t touch them anymore. The secret is in your hands and I trust you guys to keep it. I love you and I miss you. And I’m sorry. I’m sorry for everything. Take care of each other for me. Goodbye.”

Lucas, Sarah, Emily and Justin were stunned, unable to move, unable to say a word. They had just discovered the truth and this was the last thing they expected. Sarah and Lucas were sad for what happened but, at the same time, happy to have discovered the truth. But now, they couldn’t tell anyone. Not even to their mom.

Sarah- I know it’s a lot to take in but guys, we can’t tell anyone, we heard what happened to my father and I don’t want to put ourselves or anyone else at risk. Let’s promise this secret stays between us. 1- No telling parents. 2- no telling friends and, most importantly, no touching the coin or the watch ever again!!! It’s like it never happened. Do you promise?

Lucas, Emily and justin- Yes!!

The four put their pinkies together and swore that what they discovered would stay between them. And they would never talk about it again. After the pinky promises were made, they took each other’s hands, squeezed the coin and, in a flash, they were back home in New Zealand.

When they reached the basement again they heard their mother's voice:

Mrs Cameron- Guys where are you? Can you hear me?" Mrs Cameron sounded worried.

The group was still dizzy from the journey and trying to take in everything they had discovered during the day.

Sarah- Yes mum everything's fine, we're just packing up the boxes- shouted Sarah to try and calm her mother down.

They looked at each other with uncertainty but security at the same time because they knew that everyone would keep their promise and that a beautiful friendship would be discovered.

After six months....

Emily and Lucas were dating, they were the sensation couple of the neighborhood. School had started and the Cameron twins were already completely settled into their new lives. Besides Justin and Emily, they had already made many more friends and everything was good.

Every day they remembered their father but they felt more comfortable knowing that even though he was far away he was okay. They were happy and ready for anything!

Ana Beatriz Gonçalves, n°1
André Andradr, n°2
Liliana Silva, n°15
Maria Inês Lamas, n°16
Marisa Marques, n°18
Rafaela Rodrigues, n° 21

1577810 — 2022-01-26 20:52:45 UTC

The Templar Treasure

On a quiet autumn afternoon, on October 1936, while the leaves were falling softly on the floor, João Paulo Silva was working in the pawnbroker that he inherited from his grandfather. João was a quite vigorous young man, who had given up his studies to pursue a writing career, but unfortunately got nowhere. So he had to carry on with the family business, the pawnbroker.Suddenly, an old man comes in and with a scared voice said:

-This is cursed. Take it away from me…

The batch seemed familiar. Firstly, João thought the man must have been trying to sell old things to earn a few bucks. But then, while he was inspecting it, he turned it around… João couldn’t believe his eyes, could it be real? Or was it just a fantasy?! He immediately recognized his grandfather’s drawing on the back of the batch. Confused and stirrer voice João said:

-Here is your money, have a good day sir.

He immediately closed the store and ran home.

In the basement of his house, João found the box that he was looking for.

- I can’t believe it’s the same drawing… the red eye cat

He carefully opened the box and found an old and dirty journal. Instantly his eyes fixed on the name “Francisco Silva”. João started leafing through the diary and found a lot of information about the “Templar treasure”. Suddenly, he stopped leafing on one specific page, page 49 and there was an old piece of newspaper saying “A famous history teacher in Coimbra’s University dies in a car crash in Oradour-sur-Glane, France ''. The next page, he found a lot more information about the “Templar treasure”. He felt like he'd been run over, his head was spinning, his parents told him that his grandfather died because of his age, they lied to him? But why? Why did they lie about his beloved grandfather? He took a deep breath, calmed down and after said:

-That’s it! This is destiny! I’m going to give sense to my life, find this treasure and make my grandfather's dream come true.

…

There wasn’t any time to waste, he analysed the box and his grandfather's diary very carefully, from dates to names, everything. It all led to … South France, to a village named Oradour-sur-Glane.

…

The next morning, he packed his bags, phoned to his parents and told them that he would make a little trip to France, to get inspiration for a book. He bought a train ticket to Limoges, a city near the village of Oradour -sur-Glane.He arrived to Limoges three days later, it was a very uncomfortable trip, always changing of transport and barely knowing the French language. He had barely slept for the last three days, just thinking about what the village that his grandfather talked about in his diary would be like.But the important thing is that he finally arrived. “Finally” he said to his buttons as he got off the bus that had taken him from Limoges to Oradour-sur-Glane. It was a sunny day in Oradour.

He was staying in the house of Miss and Mister Laurant, an influential family in the village with seven blond children, five of them in school age, four girls and three boys: Chloé, Julliette and Mathis (twins); Camille; Louis; Antoine and Elise (the prettiest among all her brothers and sisters).

João, called Jean by the Laurant family, did essentially repair work, such as repairing broken roof tiles, damaged doors, dealing with the flat tyre of Mr Laurant's car, sweeping up leaves from the large garden, among many other activities. He just needed to earn enough money to rent a room, or buy a small house. Days passed, weeks perhaps. And João hadn't found anything about the “Templar treasure”. By now, with the help of the Laurant family, he had become fluent in French (still making some mistakes, but much better than his initial condition of speaking such a refined language as French). And more importantly, he was already a member of the family. All the kids (one year older now) loved to play and talk with him, they loved when João spoke in Portuguese. It was on January 1938 when João, now Jean, was promoted to teacher of Portuguese and writing of the Laurant’s children.

…

It was a windy morning, when João was peacefully reading his new acquisition “Les trois Mousquetaires” or “The Three Musketeers” by Alexandre Dumas in the town square. He was feeling the cold morning wind hitting him in the face. It was a relief, a sense, he had been through so much already, but that little time reading in the street cheered him up.

-I'm the only one who hasn't found a lady or a treasure yet...

And as an answer to his prayers a girl who had just left the village library (a little further on) had just stumbled and dropped all the books she had been holding. João, not even thinking before acting, immediately jumped up from the bench and went to the rescue of the lady who had just fallen, picking up the books lying on the floor.
- Did you hurt yourself?!
- Thank you for your help sir. I'm fine.
- You're hurt, lady! You're bleeding and your dress is all covered in mud! Let me help you and take you to my masters' house. I'm sure they won't mind.
- Thank you so much, sir…
- Jean, call me Jean.
- Thank you Jean. I am Marie. Marie Durant.

João accompanied Marie home, and the Laurant family were very helpful, helping her with everything and even offering her a new dress. João accompanied Marie home a few hours later.

During that night, João could only think of Marie. She was 23 years old. She had an oval and delicate face, two large, crystal blue eyes that showed her kindness; long curly brown hair that was reminiscent of the waves of the sea; thin but beautiful lips; and two large rosettes that made her even more beautiful. She looked like a piece by Michaelangelo, he had never seen anyone so beautiful (except the little Elise, with 3 years old now).

- How beautiful and graceful! - he thought- An authentic lady…

One month later, he and Marie were truly best friends, it seemed that they had known each other since ages. And one Friday afternoon, when they were walking in the flowered fields of Oradour (it was already May of 1938) João told Marie all about the “Templar treasure” and his adventure to find it.
- You told me all the story. But you forgot to explain to me, one thing Jean. What is the Templar treasure?” - said Marie in her gentle voice.
- You are right sweetie! Silly me. So… it is better to sit here, this is going to take a little time. The Knights Templar were knights of the religious order of the Temple. Countless stories and adventures have been created around these knights and the treasures they have hidden throughout the ages. The Templars had several treasures sacred to some religions, treasures full of relics with incalculable value. At a certain point they already had a high prestige in France (both economically and militarily). Thus, the French king and the Pope were against them. Many Templars were killed, but many myths and stories arose about the fact that the precious templar treasure remains lost, still intact covered by a cloth of time but which has never let it fall into oblivion. Like many historians, researchers and others, I discovered about 3 years ago that my dear grandfather Francisco also embarked on the search for the Templar treasure. Fruit of his decades-long research, he discovered that among all the possible places they claimed to be, two were more likely, somewhere in Tomar (a land in Portugal) or here, in Oradour- sur- Glane. His latest research pointed to this small village, and so three years ago I came here to realize my grandfather's last wish. To find the Templar treasure.
- What have you found so far?
- Absolutely nothing. But, truth be told, I've been so busy with the kids... and after the day I met you, I totally forgot about it.
- So what reminded you of such a thing?
- This morning, I woke up with a bad feeling, not with my parents, but with everything in general, with the village, with this country, with the kids, with us, with everything! Like you feel time is running out like the sand in an hourglass and you can't stop it. Then I started thinking about Portugal, how I miss my country and remembered why I came to France.
- I will help you.
- On what?!
- Finding the treasure, isn't that one of your goals? Didn't you have a bad feeling? Didn't you teach me some Portuguese expressions a while ago?... I don't remember very well... Ah! Don't put off until tomorrow what you can do today.
- You are absolutely right my Marie! My love!

They started the search for the Templar treasure. Five years later, the search still goes on. However they didn’t find anything relevant. Furthermore, on 1st September 1939 started The Second World War, fortunately, Oradour was a small and far away village from everything, so they continued with their life. It was in 1940 when João married Marie and they went to live with each other in Marie’s parents’ house (her dad passed away a few months later, and her mom two years later), Marie told him before their wedding that she was Jewish (Durant was a common surname among the Jewish community in South France), however João didn’t mind with that. She was the love of his life!

…

It was a quiet day. Everything seemed normal. João just came back from his new pawnbroker.

-Hey Marie! How was your day?

Before she could answer, they started to hear screams. Something was wrong. João and Marie went outside.

-What’s going on?!- shouted Marie.

But nobody answered. Everyone was hiding or trying to go to the wagons. That’s when she saw it… a bunch of nazis we’re coming. Her heart felt like it was cutting through her throat. She immediately looked and João:

-We need to leave! Now!

That’s when they heard an explosion and got thrown away by the grenade. They could only hear a hum just buzzing in their ears, while lying on the floor. João couldn't get up. In a confused moment, both saw hundreds of bodies in blood. A few metres in the distance, a child was crawling in pain towards a lady who was clearly unresponsive. Quickly Marie struggled to her feet and walked over to the young man. Footsteps could already be heard from several coordinated men approaching. João, devastated without being able to move, tried to talk to Marie, but she was already with the child. He saw her muttering to him. But he didn't let go of the lady. Was it her mother? João couldn't get up... his head fell. He passed out.

A few hours later he woke up. He couldn’t hear a bip. It was so quiet. Too quiet. The sky looked grey. Everything started getting at him. He got up with Marie on his mind.

-AH!- he shouted

His leg was hurting badly however he didn’t care. He looked for her lover. He found her… and the kid. With a bullet in both chests.

João just started looking at the sky, crying so loud. It was like the water was coming out of his body. He felt empty. The man took her body and went to the graveyard in Mr. and Mrs Laurent house. He buried her and stayed there for the rest of the day.

…

It had been days, weeks, months… but João never overcame Marie’s death. He would go back to the village everyday, sit there and remember the life he once had with her. He would question himself if things could have been different, and if they could, how would their life be? Would they be happy? Would they have kids? Would they still live in France? There were so many questions but unfortunately no answer. There wasn't a single day that he didn't feel guilty about what happened. “I should have protected her better.” he would say to himself. Even though he knew there was nothing he could have done to save her. And while thinking about that he would write love letters to his dead lover, saying how much he was missing her, how miserable he was, but also dedicating her poems and describing a possible life scenario for them if things didn't end up the way they did.

One day, while he was sitting in the village and drawing with his finger on the floor, João sees something shiny showing under the place he is drawing in. He starts digging, and when he realises what it is he doesn't believe his eyes.
-There is no way…- he says while taking a piece of paper and a pen from his backpack.

He starts writing…

“Dear Marie,

I finally found the treasure. It was here the whole time.

You know what? I'm not as excited as I thought I would be. Probably because in the process of finding it I lost something that was way more important to me … You.

Thanks for allowing me the chance of experiencing real happiness. Thank you for loving me unconditionally. Thank you for supporting me no matter what. Thanks for everything, but especially, thank you for being you! I’ll never forget the first time I saw you, the way that your eyes sparkled when you looked at me and how I immediately realised that you were the one.

I don’t think I’ll ever find someone that makes me feel the way you did, and I know, for sure, that I’ll never love someone the way I loved you. You were the love of my life, but unfortunately things didn't work out as we planned.

Now is the time to move on. The search has come to an end. It’s time to start a new chapter.

I’ll never forget you my love,

João Paulo Silva”

He looks at the sky.

-I’m sorry grandpa, I really thought that I was meant to find and keep this treasure. I really wanted to make you proud. However, I’ve lost the most important person in my life. What is the point of having something this valuable and no one to share it with?

And with that being said, he buried the treasure where he found it and walked away.

THE END!

Group members:

André Ribeironº2

Bruna Saieghnº3

Constança Ferreira nº4

Henrique Ferreira nº9

Frederico Marques nº8

Words of Love

2022-01-26 22:40:21 UTC

And it was when I saw her for the first time, that I found out that my life would never be the same without her…

I was born in a small village in Viana do Castelo in Portugal, always accompanied by my twin brother Raimundo. Raimundo and I never had a very good relationship, because he was always jealous of all my achievements. Whenever someone showed interest in getting to know me, Raimundo tried to ruin that relationship.

When I was eighteen I was sent into the army. At first, I hated being in the military and was always upset. But then, I realized that I was helping my country and protecting my people. Five years later, my companions and I were sent to France to fight a war, and that was when I saw the love of my life for the first time.

— Hi! - I said, with my arm covered in blood – I just got shot, do you think you can help me?

— Yes of course, I'm the doctor Marie who is here to help the military, sit down. What is your name ? - she said in her French accent as she disinfected my arm.

— Ouch! I’m Bartolomeu.

From that day on, Marie and I met every day and we fell in love every day more and more… Until the day we had to say goodbye because I had to return to Portugal.

So the day before my departure, Marie and I went for a walk in the Eiffel Tower at night. And so that we would always have something from each other, I gave her my military badge and she gave me a coin of her city, Paris, which I have kept in my wallet ever since.

We always knew that being away from each other was not going to be easy, but we always did everything to make our love last.

For two years we sent each other letters, and every month I couldn't wait to go to my mailbox and find the letter from Marie. These letters made it not so difficult to be apart, and whenever I missed my love, I went back to read the letters.

Until there was a month when no letter arrived, I thought it was strange, but it could be the mail that was late, so I sent her another one. But another month passed, two months passed, three months passed and nothing, no letter arrived. So, I started to get worried and realized that something was going on, so I decided to buy a train ticket to go to Paris next week. Before taking the train, I went back to check my mail and there was a letter from Marie, and I climbed the stairs to get into my house as quickly as possible to read the letter.

“Dear Bartolomeu,
I hope you're fine.
I thought for a long time if I should send you this letter, and I came to the conclusion that it was the best thing for us.
I can't take this distance any longer and I think it's best that we end our relationship and never see each other again.
I really hope you are very happy and that you find someone who loves you and treats you the way you deserve.
Thank you for everything.
You will always be in my heart.
Kiss from your Marie.”

I couldn't believe what I was reading! This couldn't be happening!

I looked at the time and realized that if I went straight to the train station, I would still be able to catch the train to Paris. So I took a taxi and went as fast as possible. When I arrived at the station, the train was about to leave, but I still managed to get on.

When I arrived in Paris I called my brother Raimundo to explain to him what was happening, because he had gone to Africa to help in a war for 1 year, but he didn't answer.

So I left the airport and went to Marie's house, which was right in the center of the city. When I knocked on the door, her mother opened it. Marie lived only with her mother because her father abandoned her when she was little.

I've always really liked Mrs. Leblanc, she was always very dear and kind to me, but as soon as I saw her face I saw that something serious was going on. She had very swollen eyes from crying, and she didn't look like the same Mrs. Leblanc that I knew.

And it was at that moment that my world came crashing down, Mrs. Leblanc told me that the love of my life had taken her own life…

It was devastating, I couldn't believe it, I couldn't understand why, it didn't make sense, it couldn't be true!

The days after knowing what had happened were horrible, I felt like a part of me had died too.

I stayed in France because I didn't have the strength for anything, I couldn't do anything, and in France I felt that I was closer to her.

Two weeks after Marie's mother told me everything, I decided to go to a library down the street from her house. We used to go there every Friday afternoon when we were both in France, because Marie loved to read and spent hours sitting and reading. When I was looking at some books I came across a small book with the title “Love Letters”, it didn't seem to be for sale, it seemed to have been left there by accident. I picked up the book and started reading and I recognized those handwriting and those texts, that was Marie's handwriting and those were the letters that we sent to each other!

It was so sad to read those letters knowing that I would never see Marie again, or receive a letter from her...

When I was reading a letter she had sent me from when she was at her vacation home, I decided that I would go to that house, I wanted to remember the moments we spent there together.

The house was in Amiens, a very pretty town north of Paris. When I got there everything was locked, but I heard some screams. A few screams from a voice I knew, it was Marie's voice!!

I tried to break down the door but I couldn't, so I broke a window and went in. As soon as I walked in, I saw Marie tied to a chair with a tape over her mouth and I immediately went to help her and hugged her and that was the best moment of my life because I thought I would never see her again but after all she was there in my arms and I would never let her go.

— It was a man who did this to me! - She said – He told me that he was always in love with me and that I couldn't be happy with anyone else but him! But I don't know him, I don't know where he knows me from, but we have to get out of here quickly, if he finds you he will kill you!

But when we were reaching the door to leave, this man came in, and I couldn't believe it, that man was Raimundo, my brother!

— Raimundo? What are you doing here? You weren't in Africa? - I said - Did you do this to Marie? Why ?

— I love Marie, I always have - said Raimundo - You always have everything but this time I'm the one who's going to stay with Marie, so either you leave here and don't tell anyone anything or I'll kill you both! If Marie won't be with me, then she won't be with anyone else!

I took an empty bottle that was behind me and threw it at Raimundo and he fell full of blood. Marie was screaming and crying, and I took her hand and we ran out of that house.

Five years after that happened, here I am in France, living with the woman of my life and our one-year-old son, Pierre.

It was very difficult for us to get over everything that happened at that time. Marie was very unsettled and traumatized by everything that happened. My brother was admitted to a clinic to be cured, and he is still there. We went to visit him once with Pierre and I feel like he is doing better, of course it still hurts me to think about what he did to us but he was sick and despite everything he is my brother.

And finally, like the words written in a letter, our love will prevail!

Beatriz Monteiro nº4
Carlota Freire nº7
Carolina Romeiro nº8
Leonor Martins nº14
Maria Leonor Prim nº17
Rita Carrega nº22
Taissa Fernandes nº23

Savior? I think not

2022-01-27 00:32:04 UTC

Well, it all started 2 years ago when... Let me show you instead:

2 Years Ago

Ring Ring

“Hi! Excuse me, we are calling from Vorwerk company, we have a new vacuum cleaner and we would like to do a demonstration for you. Am I talking to Virág Eros?”

“Hello! Yes, this is Virág Eros.”

“Can I ask a few questions Mrs. Eros?”

“Sure.”

“How many people live with you?”

“I live alone but my granddaughter comes to visit sometimes.”

“Is she with you right now?”

“No, but she is coming to visit me this weekend.”

“Very well, thanks for the information we get in touch with you. Goodbye, Mrs. Eros.”

Time skip to the present

Heavy breathing

Ilka shoots off the bed breathing heavily... ´´It was just a dream´´ she says as she lays back down´´ Now I'm all sweaty uuuhgg´´ she says as she gets out of bed and gets ready for the day ´´ Hunny you awake?´´ someone says on the other end of the apartment ´´yeah, I'm just going to take a quick shower..wanna join?´´,she says entering the bathroom and putting on the shower ´´thought you'd never ask they say as they enter the bathroom with her.

Somewhere nearby

´Dang it this guy is starting to become a problem..I'll have to get rid of him soon… soon you'll be all mine´ he says as he kisses the photo and puts it back in a box that he proceeds to lock and put away the key... (A very specific lock and key specially made in Germany)

Back to Ilka at the bakery

” Order for Mr Marx". "Thank you “…. ” One caramel espresso” someone says from the counter” coming right up", she says going to make the order and so the morning went on in the cafe

After the Morning rush came a more calm and peaceful setting, nothing like it was just moments ago.

Entrance Bell chimes

” Hi welcome to Frankfurt Hometown Bakery my names Ilka, how may I help you today sir??” She says not looking at the counter “Ilka how many times have I told you to stop being so formal with me? we're friends now aren't we......or at least I hope so since I come here every day and I'm your best customer "he says making her look up at him “Oh hi Hadrian “she says looking up at him smiling brightly ´so cute ´he thinks I could look at her all day. I can´t wait till we can get married and have 2 kids and a dog and live on a house on top of the hill and....´he thinks as he zones out staring at Ilka. A dopey smile appearing on his face

“Harian....Hadrian....” he heard as he snapped out of the daze “huh? What did you say?" he says sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck ““I asked if you were okay” she says looking at him worried “I´m fine no need to worry... Just need to get my morning dose of you- your amazing Coffee” “Luckly for you I have your usual ready here ya go” she says leaning over the counter to hand him his coffee “You're an Angel in disguise I swear” he says putting down the coffee and giving her an uncomfortable but soft hug. (At least that´s what I thought he was doing) ´She smells so good like Cinamon and vanilla 'he thinks letting go of her” anyways gotta get running before my breaks over” he says waving as he leaves the store

And so, it goes to say that every day's the exact same maybe with one or two changes like Ilka misplacing her coats buttons but knowing her she probably lost it or when she lost red paprika bag.

Her losing things has become daily and even an inside joke in the café …

Somewhere
Somewhere not very far someone watches Ilka´s every move.

“I have all this and yet you won't even look at me but no worries you'll be mine soon we just need to get rid of the distractions that are in my way and you'll be mine just like you wanted to be in my dreams...not just like in our dreams. I'll save you from them my love Just wait a bit longer and I'll save you from those people that are holding you captive.....