He thought about the spring when the light clouds would fly to the gulf, when he would plant primrose and hyacinths on the ancient balcony. Propping himself on an elbow, he looked out of the window, where the fine snow clouded the horizon of the first day of the war.
Nelly Shulman lives and writes in Berlin.
Selling the old apartment where everything reminded him of the happier times, he moved to the sad outskirts of the town where he stood now in the ailing flower shop, unable to decide between the pink hyacinth and a lilac hydrangea, both in dire need of some tender loving care.
Nelly Shulman is a writer currently based in Berlin. Her work has appeared on JewishFiction.net, in the Vine Leaves Press Anthology of the Best 2021 Flash Fiction and in Sky Island Journal.
“You should be proud,” he said. “Few can take such a decision.”
His superior held an antique folder. She replied, “Pride is a canceled word.”
He hung his head.
She ordered, “Destroy this.”
Accepting the manuscript, he whispered, “Pride, which not a world could bow.”
He went to the incinerator.
Nelly Shulman lives and writes in Saint Petersburg and Berlin. See more at nellyshulman.com.
“As always?” asked the barista.
The wicker tables outside were soaked. The wind flopped the grey tarpaulin on the boats piteously huddling together in the harbor. The bright postcard swam in the puddle. He sneezed into a napkin.
“Could you make me hot coffee, please?”
The low season started today.
Nelly Shulman lives in Saint Petersburg and Berlin. She is an author of five novels and a collection of short stories. See more at nellyshulman.com.
Watering a plant on the balcony, he glanced across the street, comparing his withering creature with a lush garden opposite. His neighbor’s eyes were green, her fingers were emerald. Taking a leaflet from his mailbox, “Plant care for busy professionals”, he smiled for the first time since losing his job.
Nelly Shulman is an author of four popular historical novels in the Russian language. She is working on the fifth novel in this series and on the non-fiction book about the Russian revolution. She is a recepient of three literary awards. nellyshulman.com