• A meal for the rats by Marius Beuth
  

It was just 2 or 3 hundred years ago, when a great ship man left the harbour of a small town in England. He sailed all over the world trading many goods. After just another trip, he returned home with an enormous load of iron. And every time he came back with a big load, he gave his load to his friend, a very good and famous dealer in the town. The dealer should not sell it, he only should store it.
After the ship man sailed away again, the dealer asked himself: “Why shouldn’t I take all the iron and sell it? Iron is very, very precious at the moment. It’ll be a good trade.” And so he did. After the ship man returned home, he looked for his iron, didn’t find it and asked for it. “Well,” said his friend, the dealer “I’m sorry. The rats have eaten it all.”

A few years later, when the son of the dealer was old enough to work, the dealer sent him to his friend, the shipman, who should teach him to sail all over the world. After an instructive trip they were on their way back to the small town in England. Usually they passed a small and lonely island, but this time the ship man stopped there. He sent the son of the dealer out and left. Back home, the dealer asked for his son. “I’m sorry.” said the ship man. “The rats have eaten him.”

• Disappointment by Alina Rest
  

He has been my boyfriend. For 2 years. I really love him and we always have a great time together.
His passion is football. Every weekend, he spends his time on the football ground.
Then I have time to meet friends, go shopping or do other things I like.
My boyfriend, called Ben, is a nice and loving man. Sometimes if I come home from work he surprises me with a dinner or flowers.
I really treasure that.
My friends like Ben, too. Because of his sense of humor and his character. Some of them are even a bit jealous.
Sometimes I have the impression that he could be the man, I want to spend the rest of my life with.
Now, there are only 9 days until my 21st birthday and Ben promised me to give me the best day of the year.
9 days later – my birthday. I woke up and was excited because of what Ben said to me.
When I came into the kitchen, a little bit dozy, no one was there. I sat on a chair and waited. But nothing happened. I called his name – but still nothing happened.
When I realized that no one was at home, I was really disappointed.
From one moment to the other one, I was so angry with Ben, that I didn´t want to see him anymore.
When I went to the coffee machine to drink a coffee, I found a little piece of paper: “I'm on the football ground – back this evening very late. Don´t wait for me. Have a great day, honey. Ben“
I took the paper, read it once again and I couldn´t believe it. He is on the football ground and forgot my birthday! I put the note into the rubbish and began to cry. How could he forget my birthday? Why did he promise me the best day of the year? I couldn´t believe that he was capable of doing bad things like that.
The following day and night, I spent at my best friend Kathy’s.
We talked about the situation and arrived at the decision that I wouldn´t return to our apartment until he would have excused for his behaviour and explained the situation to me.
But only if he had a good explanation, I would return.
Now, it´s the morning after my birthday.
My mobile phone rings. It´s Ben.
I´m pretty curious.

• Friday night by Aurelia Müller
  

She’s watching TV and it’s the same situation like every Friday evening.
She’s alone at home while her husband is having fun with his friends at a pub.
It’s almost midnight when he finally arrives. He gives her a kiss. But today something is different. She smells a new perfume on him when he kisses her. She’s really amazed because he doesn’t give her a real kiss and normally he doesn’t use perfume.
”I didn’t know that you’ve decided to use perfume, you’ve always told me that you didn’t like it” she says.
”Are you serious? Of course I like it! Why not? Well, I have to take a shower now, I will be back in 10 minutes” he answers.
”Something can’t be right with him. I’m sure he wouldn’t use perfume just for a meeting with his friends” she thinks and decides to take a look at his mobile phone. There she sees a number of a girl called Yasmin. She’s sceptical and calls that girl with hidden caller-ID.
”What do you have to do with Dean?” she asks her.
”That’s my new boyfriend. But who are you and what do you want anyhow?” Yasmin asks.
”Are you serious? Dean is my husband and loves me. That can’t be true!”
“What? Is that a joke? I don’t believe you!” Yasmin shouts angrily and hangs up the phone.
When Dean comes back to the living room she notices how she flies more and more into a rage. She tries to keep calm and asks him if he knows a girl called Yasmin. He answers that he doesn’t and she asks him why he has the name Yasmin saved in his mobile phone.
He becomes very angry and tells her that she is just a new workmate and that he’s disappointed that his own wife doesn’t trust him.
”But you have to admit that it’s really strange that you suddenly use perfume and don’t kiss me right!”
“Hell, you think that I’m capable of cheating you? You know that I love only you. I just can’t believe it! Who do you think I am? You are the only one for me!” But she knows for definite that he’s lying and feels more and more pain.

• Wedding Night by Katharina Bacher
  

They open the door to the bedroom and lots of balloons fill the whole room. They look at each other surprised and start to smile. It’s their wedding night and they are very happy, because the wedding planner organized a wonderful party. They celebrated with all the guests and it was a lot of fun.
They carefully walk into the middle of the room and they notice that their waterbed is covered with red roses. The woman pulls the man to the bed and starts to kiss him. But suddenly the man pushes her away, which puzzles the woman. He says: “Please don’t touch me. Now it’s the time to be honest.” The woman looks insecure and alarmed. “Sorry, but now the game is over. I have what I wanted to have.” The woman is shocked, but she doesn’t know exactly what’s going on. The man says: “My father told me to marry a respectable woman, otherwise I wouldn’t get the inheritance. Now my family think that I’m married and so I will receive the inheritance.” The woman looks at the man she loves. He only played with her and exploited her. Now she isn’t sure if she still loves him…

• Midnight by Jens Wilke
  

It was midnight.
Silence.
I was lying on my bed, fully awake.
I stared at the ceiling.
It wasn't really unusual for me to wake up in the middle of the night, thinking about everything that comes to my mind and not being able to sleep.
After two hours of senseless thinking about whatever, I heard a noise in the kitchen downstairs.
It was my mum. In five minutes she will drive away with a man I thought.
I didn't get it, what she liked about him.
Perhaps it was his car or maybe his build, I didn't know.
It was quiet, but anyway I knew that at this moment my mum was closing the door to our apartment.
I stood up from my bed and looked out of the window. There was a red car, standing right before the door, and my mother was in there.
Both of them drove away.
Silence.
I thought about it again, but I couldn't imagine a reason, why my mother was cheating on her family with this guy.
Because of the fact, that the situation didn’t surprise me, I went to bed again.
I didn't know if I had slept for a second, but it was definitely not enough, when my father stood right beside my bed.
“Do you know where your mother is?” he asked.
I thought about it a very short moment, but I couldn't hide it in front of my father.
“Tell me, where is your mum?” he asked again.
I didn't want my father to be cheated on by my mum and so I told him that she drove away with a man in a red car.
He didn't answer, but I had the feeling that it was the right decision, telling my father the truth.
I went to bed again, hoping that I could sleep this time, but with a loud noise my mother came back.
Not even one minute later my father came into my room, staring out the window.
When he saw my incomprehensible face, he started laughing.
“There are some things in this world, you really have to stay out of with your imagination!”
And with a smile, he left my room.
Silence.