The short story contest was active from April 10 to May 10. These are the two winning stories.
Thank you very much to all for participating
The winning story chosen by the CLARA magazine jury
Over 40
It was the first interview he had had in the last two years. It was conscientiously arranged for the occasion. Clean, straight and shiny hair, natural makeup and her best suit. She took one last look in the mirror to check that it was perfect, got out and went to her car thinking about what she was going to say, what she thought they might ask, what gestures she should avoid. I wasn't going to screw it up. I wanted that job above all else. She had left home well in advance, so she arrived early at the building where the interview was to take place. They had parking, she parked on the first floor, and took the elevator up to the fourth, where she was expected in twenty minutes. When she got out of the elevator, she was in awe.Minimalist decor led her down a long glass corridor to a room with a counter and a very pretty young woman behind it. The girl, after locating her name on a list, led her to another room where more candidates were waiting. She walked in and greeted with a simple good morning! Some of the women present responded. Others were still looking at their cell phone or with their headphones on. She sat down in a free chair and felt uncomfortable. With a quick glance she could see that she was more than ten years older than all of them. They were under thirty and she was over forty. She felt older. Her old-fashioned outfit, her hair and makeup, too. But she tried to calm down. If they had called her to do the interview, they would have seen something in her, or in her resume. She had experience for that position. I was readyas much or more than those in that room. So he took a breath, saved his insecurities for another day, and waited patiently for his turn. Two hours later, back in his car, he looked at himself for a few seconds in the rearview mirror. A tear of pride rolled down his cheek. He had succeeded.
By Susana Vázquez
The most voted story
His knees hurt: they are tired, they bear the weight of 87 years of experiences and memories. But, the joy of seeing your granddaughter, after 6 months, is greater than any fatigue. Like other young people, she has to train outside the home, away from their families and she loses the smile with which her granddaughter always approaches to give her an affectionate kiss. Today it is time to correspond to that affection with the effort of making her some French toast, which she has liked so much since she was little. Calmly, prepare on the counter the products you need and have used so many times: milk, sugar, cinnamon, egg and bread. And she is about to start her little show of love. First, the milk over low heat with the cinnamon. The smell of the spice fills the kitchen and takes her back to those years when her mother taught her to stir milk with patience.His hands are tight from arthritis and he has a hard time slicing the stale bread. She sits down to do it calmly and not cut herself. She is soaking the bread in the milk. The frying pan and the oil are a little scary, it is not the first time that it burns and the wounds now take time to heal. Grandma! You made French toast! And that face, that smile … they bring him back to life and take away his fatigue.
By Andrea Duran
