Twilight's Flash Fiction / Relatos cortos crepusculares

The transdutron It took me a lot of time and effort but in the end I did it. I have in my hands a transducer with which you can see the magnetic lines of the planet. The studies on birds discovered that by means of a protein in their eyes allows them to see magnetic terrestrial fields, with which they are guided in their migrations of thousands of kilometers. These discoveries encouraged me to design an equipment that would allow us to see the magnetic field as birds see it. The surprising thing about this equipment is that it has allowed me, besides being able to visualize the distribution of the terrestrial magnetic field, to discover the existence of a light codification, which when decoding it reveals an electromagnetic world in which auras with human form are observed that move, pass through objects and walls and in some cases seem to communicate with each other. El transductrón Me ha costado mucho tiempo y esfuerzo pero al final lo he conseguido. Tengo en m...

Uncertainty Since my madness, I know I'm completely sane. Today I saw two elephants having a few beers at a bar. One of them said to the other: "I have to change jobs. I can't make ends meet with the salary I'm getting now." "Try to enter the Ministry of High Flights. They pay very well there. I know because a crane, friend of mine, secretary of the hippopotamus responsible for equality policies, has managed to buy a luxurious chalet in the most expensive neighborhood of the city." When I approached them, they looked at me strangely and said: "Mr. Owl, how are you?" I jumped. When I look in the mirror, I always see a man with a boring face, but I've never seen an owl. When I wanted to answer them, my throat began to hoot, which left me even more confused. I went back home and I don't dare go out anymore. Inseguridades Desde mi locura, sé que estoy completamente cuerdo. Hoy he visto a dos elefantes tomand...

The Camerlengo We help immigrants find employment. Many factors have to be taken into account: their country of origin, education, age, and family situation. Today I am handling the case of an elderly man who cannot read or write. He speaks a language I do not recognize, and I cannot even identify what part of the world it comes from. The old man gestures toward a sheet of paper and a pencil, then begins to draw a dome. Suddenly, the Swiss Guard arrives at the office. They explain that the old man is the Camerlengo in disguise. He has devoted himself so completely to helping immigrants that, in the end, he has lost his grip on reality and has come to believe that he is one of them. Suddenly, the Swiss Guard arrives. They explained to me that it was the camerlengo in disguise. He has dedicated himself so completely to helping immigrants that, in the end, he has lost his grip on reality and has come to believe that he is one of them. El camarlengo Nos dedicamos a en...

The Moon She imagined herself snacking on the Moon. There the restaurants have as background the turquoise image of the Earth. Or so she had been told by the schoolchildren that they had been lucky enough to be there. She grew up thinking about that adventure. Her boyfriend surprised her by buying tickets to spend a weekend on Earth's satellite. When the spaceship landed, a mobile surface engulfed her and became part of the armored structure of the hotel. Then they were able to get rid of their space suits and breathe freely, just like on Earth. The immense black background of the sky contributed to highlight even more the brightness of the terrestrial pearl. They felt lighter and knew they were living a special moment. What they could not expect to happen was the fall of the multicolored meteorite that flew over their heads and broke the reinforced glass surface of the structure, leaving escaping the air and destroying everything in its path. Many years later, she r...

Squeezing The Soul The morning ate his mood. She was defeated. The afternoon was more condescending but even so she did not make foot, she did not was finding anything to lean on to propel herself and get out of that hell. The doctor who visited her in the hospital was kind enough to tell her that for the rest of her life she would have to use a wheelchair. She had always been alone. She had not needed anyone. Now, she didn't know what her life could become. That's what I was thinking about when the door to the room opened and someone came in with a dog. That someone was her brother and the dog was a German shepherd's puppy. After fifteen years with that dog, it was time to say goodbye to him. He had taught him to love, to take care of him and to talk to him every day. He was accompany her when she was going out with her wheelchair and defended her from any intruder. He had given her life, and now he was leaving. Then she got up from the chair and hugged him, t...

InSight. The Chromatograph The InSight spacecraft landed softly on Martian soil in the area called Elysium Planitia. After exactly three hours, one of the gates opened, a ramp was extended, and then a motorized robot appeared, sliding down the ramp to touch the Martian surface. The robot moved for a few minutes around the spacecraft, and moments later something unexpected happened. The communication systems were muted for a few minutes. When the communication was recovered, the images sent by one of the cameras installed in the ship showed that the spectrograph and one of the cameras of the robot, located on top of it, had disappeared. On the other hand, the chromatograph, which had initiated the analysis of samples taken from the ground, showing traces of unknown elements, ceased to function. Something or someone was interested in the fact that certain images were not emitted and that the composition of the Martian soil was not known either. InSight. El cromatógrafo...

The Gambler He loved playing poker. He was one of the best. That night the game dragged on well into the early hours of the morning. Four players, alcohol, and a good dose of adrenaline. As always, he was winning. The first to leave was the boldest player—he had run out of money. Hours later, the second player left as well. Now he faced the only opponent courageous enough to challenge him. They were alone in the room. The tension was unbearable. A great deal of money was at stake. Sure of himself, he made his final move... and lost. His opponent smiled. "Until tonight, no one had ever defeated you..." "I have travelled thousands of miles to play this game with you. Now you know what it feels like to lose. But let me tell you a secret. I have spent years training for this moment. You never had a chance. I have spent years preparing for this game. You cannot defeat an intelligence a thousand times greater than your own.   Not even the man who created me could. ...

Walpurgis His face is fire. Great, living eyes. Thick eyebrows. A long white beard. A thick mane. Whenever he is summoned, he appears before his faithful in the forest, where bonfires welcome him from the treetops. Winged beings call upon him. Spirits of the night. White souls waiting to be born into life. Together they gather to bid farewell to winter and welcome spring. Before Walpurgis, they leap across the bonfires in a ritual of purification. Then they choose the destiny of every human being. For an entire lifetime. The ceremony lasts only a few moments. Then they vanish into the darkness... Until, one year later, the Night of Walpurgis returns. Walpurgis Su rostro es el fuego. Ojos enormes y vivos. Cejas pobladas. Una larga barba blanca. Espesa melena. Cuando es invocado, se presenta ante sus fieles en el bosque, donde las hogueras lo reciben desde las copas de los árboles. Lo convocan seres alados. Espíritus de la noche. Blancas almas que esperan nacer...

Transfusion He began to feel bad after having a heated argument with his wife. So bad they had to call an ambulance. When he woke up in a hospital bed, he faced his wife's guilty eyes. However, he felt something strange. It was as if after what had happened he had transformed. Now he understood his wife, now he realized that she had always been right. He understood why he changed when he was told he had had a blood transfusion. The donor? His wife. Now he understood the change. His wife's blood circulated through his veins and he would never be him again. La transfusión Empezó a sentirse mal después de tener una fuerte discusión con su mujer. Tan mal que tuvieron que llamar a una ambulancia. Cuando se despertó en una cama de hospital, se enfrentó a los ojos culpables de su mujer. Sin embargo, sentía algo extraño. Era como si después de lo sucedido se hubiera transformado. Ahora comprendía a su mujer, ahora se daba cuenta de que ella siempre había tenido razón...

The Pigeon He set out to get out of his voluntary confinement. He had been for several days without a telephone, without a television, isolated from the outside world. It would be something unusual, but as far as possible it would be inside the possible, if not outside because it was three thousand meters from the ground. He opened the door to his room and headed for the living room. And a white dove came in his path, and landed on his shoulder. She had been missing him all those days, because he was the one who fed her, he was the one who caressed her, he was the one who told her every day that he loved her. And the pigeon drew his beak and caressed his face. La paloma Se dispuso a salir de su encierro voluntario. Había estado durante varios días sin teléfono, sin televisión, aislado del mundo exterior. Sería algo inusual, pero dentro de lo que cabe estaría dentro de lo posible, si no fuera porque estaba a tres mil metros del suelo. Abrió la puerta de su habitació...