mini saga competition - abendgymnasium köln · mini saga competition • abendgymnasium koeln •...

Mini Saga Competition • Abendgymnasium Koeln • January 2011

50 mini sagas

inspired by Hopper‘s paintings

Mini Saga Competition


What is a mini saga?

A mini saga is a piece of writing which has exactly fifty words (not 49 or 51 but exactly 50 words), not including the title, which can have up to fifteen words.

A mini saga has to tell a story with a beginning, middle and ending. It cannot just be a description of something but should be a real story, considering the main elements of good storytelling and writing: character, setting, plot, conflict and theme.

The first mini sagas appeared in 1982 in ‘The Sunday Telegraph’, an English newspaper. ‘The Sunday Telegraph’ announced the idea of the mini saga and held a competition for the best ones.


Who is Edward Hopper?

Edward Hopper (1882 – 1967) was a prominent American realist painter.

In the urban and rural scenes he painted he paid particular attention to geometrical design and the careful placement of human figures in proper balance with their environment.

His primary emotional themes are solitude, loneliness, regret, boredom, and resignation.

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Edward_Hopper

Edward Hopper, Self-Portrait (1906)


Lonely Sunday

Every Sunday the old man is

sitting in front of his house

smoking a cigar. He hopes

that his wife will come back

one day. She disappeared

without leaving a trace. He’s

still desperately in love with

her. Will she come back to

him one day? Who’s got the

answer?

Menderes Bagci (1oa)


I remember… but they don’t even know what Christmas is all about!

The kids in Africa wondered

about the bearded, red-

coated old man with the

furred hat and the strangely

decorated tree that they’d

never seen before. They

happily received the presents

and thankful dark eyes stared

at me. I recognized that I

wasn’t the donor anymore, I

was the donee.

Lutz Burkardt (1oa)


Hotel Room

A young woman was going to

meet her lover in New York.

She went there by train. Her

trip was very long. Now she

was sitting on the hotel bed

reading the letter he had left

at the reception desk. He

wouldn’t come to see her, he

was too busy.

Claudia Christophel (1oa)


Life Unwound

She is sitting by the window

at her sewing machine,

listening to the noise of the

turning wheel and watching

the spool unwind. She asks

herself, ’Isn’t the wheel like

the turning earth and the

spool like myself? The earth

will go on turning but my life

has already unwound.’

Susanne Dinger (1oa)


Alone Again

I can hear my mother calling

me down for breakfast. The

smell of fresh bread is in the

air. We’re all sitting around

the table having breakfast,

my parents, my siblings and

I. We’re laughing and I’m

happy. Suddenly my alarm

bell rings, it was just a

dream. Alone again.

Claudia Eddari (1oa)


God Only Knows Why

A young woman is sitting

alone in ‘Rod’s Bar’ at night.

She’s waiting for a guy from

the neighbourhood. She

always waits for him. She’s

nuts about that guy but it

seems that he’s not coming

tonight. She asks herself,

‘How long will I be able to

bear this waiting?’

Nadja Elsing (1oa)


Sitting, Waiting and Sometimes Losing

He is sitting in his favourite

bar. Seemingly like every

evening. For the people

around him this evening is

going to be the same. But

not for the man who left his

home, wife and child for

ever. What for? He is aware

that nobody will give him the

answer.

Natalia Fahnenstich (1oa)


Failed Relationship

‘I’ll quit’, he said but didn’t

move. She kept staring at her

finger nails. Tom, the

barkeeper, looked up, very

appalled. He knew them for

four years. The man opposite

him laughed quietly. He was

sure she would be walking

home alone. He finished his

drink and left the diner.

Alexander Fuhs (1oa)


Friends Share Everything

In the early evening, two

women are sitting in a

London café. They are talking

about everything. Suddenly,

one of the women says, ‘I

have an affair with your

husband.’ The other woman

smiles and answers, ‘Well,

and I have an affair with

yours but friends share

everything, don’t they?’

Nadine Hess (1oa)


Without Him

I was living my life when he

suddenly came into it. He

said, ‘I will always be with

you’ and ‘you are the only

one for me’. I wanted to

believe him and went with

him. We spent some days

and nights together. I was

happy. And now? He’s

gone…

Holger Kersting (1oa)


Tea Time at Night

Every night the lady with the

yellow hat and green jacket

sits at the same table and

orders the same thing. She

drinks a cup of black tea with

milk and sugar. Never does

she look up or smile or seem

happy. After one hour, she

gets up and leaves.

Stephanie Koch (1oa)


The Stranger

It’s Sunday evening. I’m sitting on the sofa. I’m lost in my book when I suddenly hear the stairs creak and steps approach my apartment door. This happens at the same time every evening. Then silence, nothing, just a mysterious sigh. And the strange steps disappear without leaving a message.

Paulina Machleit (1oa)


Girl at Sewing Machine

Sue was sewing a wedding-

dress for her friend Denise

who was going to get

married but was broke. Sue

knew that Denise was sad

about the situation, and had

decided to help her. ’What is

this?’ Denise asked. ’This is

your wedding-dress’’, Sue

answered. ‘I won’t need it

any more.’

Tanja Martini (1oa)


The Stranger

She was sitting at a table, her

jacket hanging behind her.

She had to go to the Ladies’.

When she came back,

another woman was sitting

at her table, opposite her.

She got angry but the woman

apologized and told her an

interesting story which made

her forget her anger.

Verena Mumm (1oa)


When Grandfather Died

Once I saw a picture with a

lady standing on a veranda.

She seemed to be looking at

me. That day my grandfather

died. When I saw the picture

again, the lady had

disappeared. My mother told

me it was my grandmother

who had died long before I

was born.

Jennifer Pils (1oa)


Summer Love

She was sitting on the floor

after making love. She felt

sorry for his wife but she was

too happy to let him go.

‘What are you thinking

about?’ he asked. ‘How

wonderful you are’, she

answered with a smile and

blushed. He returned to

make love to her again.

Nadine Reiners (1oa)


Chocolate Can Work Wonders

On a summer evening Jason

came to see Sarah. They

were standing on the

veranda. As Sarah was very

thoughtful, Jason dug into

his pocket, fetched out a bar

of chocolate and said, ‘Keep

smiling, honey. The way to a

woman’s heart is through her

stomach”. ‘How tempting’,

she said.

Tanja Riyahi (1oa)


Meaning of Life

Each night at the Marilyn

Monroe Cinema, Mary, the

usherette, leans against the

cinema wall during the film

show. She thinks about her

life and asks herself whether

this is really what she wanted

to achieve. Then she decides

to change her life, she would

begin on the next morning.

René Schley (1oa)


A Small Piece of Heaven

When she woke up, she

could look right into the blue

sky. It was a beautiful day,

and she felt ready for

anything. On a day like this,

she could make plans for the

future. She was still

daydreaming when she heard

the jailer’s voice saying,

‘Come on, it’s time.’

Kirsten Bell (1ob)


The Office

She looked at her boss

sitting at his desk, and

thought, ‘What a swine!’

Their affair was six months

old but he wouldn’t ask his

wife for a divorce. What if

she showed his wife the

nude pictures he had taken

of her? It wouldn’t last

another six months, then.

Roberto Gadaleta (1ob)


The Last Sunny Day

It was a sunny day. He was

sitting on the sidewalk in

front of his home. He was

old and he was soon going to

leave this place. He wanted

to sit there for one last time.

He looked into the sky and

smiled. Now he was ready to

leave.

Christopher Judt (1ob)


Soul Mates

Richard was a lonely man

who spent his nights at

‘Phillies’. One Friday night

he was sitting there as usual

when a beautiful woman

came in. Richard decided to

speak to her. They talked

through the night about

everything under the sun.

She promised him to return

the following night.

Bruno Mendes Prado de Sousa (1ob)


George and the Sea

George always wanted to live

by the sea. His first house

was only 150 feet away from

the water. Then he built a

new house, with its front

door on the beach, its back

door in the sea. It was found

with the back door open. He

was never found.

Michael Miketta (1ob)


Eyewitness

Mary was looking out of the

window waiting for her

husband when she heard a

shot. A woman in the street

fell down and there was a lot

of bloodshed. A man dressed

in black ran around the

corner. Was he the one who

had shot her? Mary kept

calm.

Denise Noske (1ob)


The Bed

Sue and Paul had been

relaxing on Sue’s bed after

making love. Then Paul had

told her that he wasn’t going

to come back because he still

loved his wife and couldn’t

leave her. Sue slid from the

bed, their bed, onto the floor

where she kept sitting all

night.

Sonja Rühlke (1ob)


Somewhere Down the Road

She was walking along a

lonesome country lane when

she started wondering what

it would be like to leave her

old life behind and start a

new one. How about

following this lane? ‘Your

time will come…’, she said

to herself, and without

hesitating she turned round

and went home.

Cornelia Sander (1ob)


Principal Only

Like every evening she

locked the filing cabinet. He

neither noticed her tight

dress nor her gaze. ‘Is there

anything else you want me to

do, Mr Winter?’ ‘Thank you,

Ms Hopkins, that’s all.’ He

was lost in his work. Like

every evening they said good

night. She could wait.

Felix-Florian Schulze (1ob)


Lonely without Wanting to

She’s sitting on the bedroom

floor. Now that he’s gone.

She threatened to leave him

if he didn’t stop seeing that

other woman. He wouldn’t

listen. Then he left. It’s not

what she wanted him to do.

She still loves him. But he

didn’t want to take one last

chance.

Anika Servos (1ob)


At the Seaside

They were very glad about

spending their first holidays

together. Just the two

women and their children.

Without their husbands. At

the seaside and in the sun.

The two friends needed to

forget what had happened.

They put on their summer

dresses and let the sea wash

away all sorrows.

Stephanie Wehn (1ob)


Train Ride to Happiness

She was sitting in a train

reading a book. A handsome

man came in and they

started to talk. Soon she had

to get off. The train pulled

away. She turned around,

and the stranger was

standing behind her. She

looked surprised. ‘My

destination has changed’, he

said. She smiled.

Saskia Fischer (1oc)


At the Station

A man is standing in the hall

of the train station, waiting

for a train to come. Another

man walks in. They share a

cigarette and have some

small talk. ‘I gave up smoking

yesterday’, says the first man.

‘Me too’, responds the

second. They both laugh and

inhale deeply.

Simon Hoffmann (1oc)


Every Year in Summer

Always on hot summer days

she steps out of her house,

stands on the stairs and

stares at the sky. She always

looks sad, and I wonder who

this beautiful young lady is

waiting for. She waits for me,

but I can't make up my mind

to cross the street.

Sindy Klecha (1oc)


The Letter

Mary and Richard were newly

wed. One day, Richard went

to the army. While Mary was

waiting for a sign of life, a

letter arrived. It was a letter

of condolence. Mary cried,

left the house and went to a

hotel. She re-read the letter,

but she couldn’t believe it.

Sarah Kratz (1oc)


First Kiss

It is late at night. The sky is

black. The only light is given

by the stars up high. He

looks at her. He smiles. He is

so happy with her. ‘Do you

remember our first kiss in

front of the white motel?’ he

asks. ‘I do. I love you.’

Walter-Valentin Markeli (1oc)


The End of Love

It was a warm summer

evening and Jane and Tom

were standing on the

veranda. They were talking

about the party, and Jane

was jealous of another girl.

Tom tried to calm her but

she ran away. Tom went into

the house. That was the last

day of their relationship.

Nadine Meurer (1oc)


Trapped in the Dark

She looks out of her

bedroom window, thinking

about her life. Why has all

this happened to her? She

prays to God, ‘Please, make it

stop! It needs to be over!’

She gets up, goes to the

window and jumps. During

the fall she thinks, ‘Now I am

finally free!’

Stefanie Müller (1oc)


I Am a Butcher

I am sure; I saw him coming

into the house. When he left,

he stretched and lit a

cigarette, smiling. He

screamed when he saw the

knife. What will my wife say

if she finds out what has

happened? She looked at me

and washed my filthy clothes

– as usual.

Julia Reich (1oc)


Flowers for a Stranger

I came to her door with

flowers. But she said that she

didn't need me and sent me

away. When I wanted to

throw away the flowers, I

saw a sad girl on the other

side of the street. I gave her

the flowers. She smiled, and I

went on.

Ina Schwarz (1oc)


The Man with the Cigar

He was sitting and waiting

on the sidewalk in front of

the green house. It was

Sunday. He was very tired.

There were no people,.

There was nothing to do. But

he was not alone. His friend

was a cigar he was smoking.

He had bought it the day

before.

Julia Seepold (1oc)


One Day in the Café

They were sitting in the café.

It had been a good year for

Diana. Her hard work had

paid off but with sacrifices

on the family side. She told

her friend she had so many

reasons to be happy. Sandra

asked, ‘Why do you need a

reason to be happy?’

Paul Wilczek (1oc)


Summertime

‘It’s done’, she told herself

when she went outside the

house to take a breath. Last

night’s rain was gone and it

seemed as if sunlight finally

rewarded her for her

patience. She hid the kitchen

knife behind her because she

didn’t want people to

become suspicious before

she left.

Angelos Antoniadis (1c)


Morning Sun

It was a nearly perfect

sunrise in autumn. While she

was sitting almost naked on

the bed of her upper-class

apartment, she was looking

out of the open window,

down on the ordinary

people. She was thinking

about her life, drugs, alcohol,

promiscuity… ‘Should I jump

to become normal?’

Ron Boettner (1c)


The Chance of Health

He asked for fire for his

cigarette. 'Sorry, I do not

smoke, so I have no fire', she

said. The man did not want

to ask any longer, he sat

down on the sidewalk and

put the cigarette into his

mouth. It was on that day

when he stopped smoking.

Osman Dogan (1c)


Waiting

Her head sank to her

shoulder while she sighed

deeply. She was waiting for

more than five hours now. 'I

will be back in an instant‘,

was all he said when his

phone rang and he suddenly

left the room. 'Something

might have happened to

him', she thought,

'something unexpected'.

Bianca Gossen (1c)


Abandoned

He will come. He said he

would. 'I‘ll tell my wife,

abandon her. We'll meet at

six. We‘ll start a new life.

You, me and the baby.' That's

what he said. That's what he

wants. He proposed. She's

waiting. Her life in three big

bags. In vain. He won't come.

Julia Grass (1c)


A Generous Tip

A man shuts down his

business which wasn’t

profitable and becomes a

taxi driver. One day a

customer forgets his suitcase

in his taxi. He shouts after

the customer but he

disappeared. Suddenly a

voice from nowhere shouts,

‘Keep it!’ He opens the

suitcase and finds a lot of

money.

Ismail Haciömeroglu (1c)


Losing

She came home, but too late

for him and he knew where

she had been the whole time.

There was a brawl about it,

he asked her, ‘Why did you

do it? I do not understand it.’

Then he ran down the stairs,

opened the door, and never

came back.

Fong La (1c)


Another Day

I am waiting for my time.

Yesterday I did not do

anything but sitting here,

watching the day passing by.

Today I could change the

world, begin a new life, take

a new challenge, or realize

my dreams. No, not today,

again it is not the right time.

Another day.

Hans Ruschinski (1c)


Office at Night

They were talking to each

other about what would

happen if someone came in

through the window. The

woman said, ‘Why should

anyone come in?’ The man

answered, ‘Maybe to break

into the office and search for

some valuables.’ Suddenly a

cat came in – wow, we were

lucky this time.

Lamine Seid (1c)


Nighthawks

After five years I am back

here where I met her for the

first time. ‘Why are you

alone, Jack? Where is Alice?’

asked the owner. ‘Alice left

me, Jim!’ ‘Why?’ ‘Because I

showed how much I love

her.’ They both nodded, then

looked at the couple at the

bar.

Georgios Sidiropoulos (1c)


Mini Saga Competition

The students of class 1oa,

1ob, 1oc and 1c and their

English teachers Gabi Kempf-

Allié, Klaus Baumgarten and

Monika Jaeger thank you

very much for your attention.

The names of the three

winners will be published at

the end of January 2011.

mini saga competition - abendgymnasium köln · mini saga competition • abendgymnasium koeln •...

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