short-story
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Clean Up Your Windows
Conversations with Virgin Mary I saw a chicken trying to cross the road, just like in the videogame. There were no cars, only mine, slowing down. I think it was a chicken, the window was so dirty from the melted snow on the roads. What was a chicken doing there? I live on the rural…
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The Drawer of the Forgotten Objects
Conversations with Virgin Mary Fourteen days after sending the bill proposal, the reply arrived. Not from the Member of Parliament himself, but from the system surrounding him. Good day, Thank you for reaching out to MP Jacob Mantle with your concerns. This message confirms that our office has received your correspondence. Due to the high…
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Waxing a wooden floor is a simple task
In a conversation about proposals, a character expresses disappointment over a rejection from the David Suzuki Foundation, while remaining hopeful about alternatives. They explore the complexities of advocacy, drawing parallels between life and waxing floors. Through connection and persistence, they emphasize the importance of understanding one’s path, leading to unexpected opportunities.
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Slowness
The conversation between Jorge and the narrator explores the contrasting modes of thinking: fast, automatic responses versus slower, analytical reasoning. Jorge emphasizes the importance of taking time to slow down and appreciate complexity, cautioning against the dangers of quick, superficial answers. The journey itself, rather than swift arrivals, holds true meaning and depth.
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Water Takes Many Forms
Conversations with Virgin Mary Thursday, April 27 Water takes many forms. Frozen—waiting for someone else to free it.Still—green, thick, breeding sickness.Whirlpool—moving but going nowhere, swirling with its own debris.Waterfall—leaping into the void, surrendering to gravity and consequence. Which one are you? You know the answer. You’ve been circling for months, mistaking motion for progress. The…
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The Missing Record
It’s curious how our minds work — how some desires are repressed, curtailed by social convention, or what we might call social suppression. But before we dig deeper into that, let me tell you a story. Our story begins in the early 1980s with Heidi Berg, a young singer navigating New York’s folk scene. She…
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You’ll Need to Break Your Habits
The following pages are the first of a series of fragments I received under circumstances I can’t fully explain. I’ve resisted the urge to “fix” them—only a few phrases were clarified where the handwriting dissolved into smudge. What remains is not a finished story, but the beginning of a dialogue already in motion.
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Remaining Seated, I Stood Up. Reflections on Authority, Censorship, and the Rules We Follow
Sometimes I think about the absurdity of customs. We follow them like lambs—not because they make sense, but because someone once told us to. Why sit at the back when the front is empty? Why turkey every Thanksgiving when I don’t even like it? Why drag a tree indoors every December and cover it with…
Carlos Fentanes 