What Would You Like to Read on Substack?
Short Stories for the Inner Child - 10th February 2025
A short story of stories to ignite your imagination and take you with me to distant places, real or imaginary.
Have you ever wondered what you would like to read on your preferred platform?
I would like to read stories about an India that no longer exists. Tales of people and places that I consider “exotic” in my mind, much like the film “A Passage to India”. They should be stories steeped in the light of the late Raj, where the dust-laden air is stirred by large paddle fans and ancient palaces whisper stories of maharajas and forgotten dynasties. Tales that reveal the mysticism of a land where princesses dressed in silk made princes covered in glittering robes fall in love.
I would like to read accounts of life in Siberia. Stories that commence with: “I rose early today. As with every day, I must wake at dawn to light the stove and warm the three rooms where I live and spend my days contemplating and writing my first novel — a young woman meets a young man and falls in love with him because he stammers, plays the cello and his eyes are like a wintery mountain lake.”
I would also be keen to read narratives about tea: its production methods, and the worldwide journeys undertaken by experts and enthusiasts in search of the finest varieties, from the delicate fragrance of Darjeeling to the earthy notes of Assam. Tales of aromas and toil, of verdant hillsides and Japanese tea ceremonies.
I would also like to read about a child born and raised in a family whose primary occupation was slaughtering pigs, and how he dreamt of becoming sufficiently wealthy to purchase a small flat in the heart of Edinburgh, Scotland. Each morning, he envisioned having breakfast in a café with a bookshop, settling by a window, and whilst watching snow blanket the rooftops, imagining writing a book of poetry dedicated to goldfinches, blue tits, and the small birds that would seek shelter in his modest garden, where he would leave sunflower seeds during the cold days.
Then, I’d love to read about an elderly lady who lives alone in a small cottage overlooking the ocean surrounding the Azores, where she chose to reside after her children emigrated to New Zealand. She rarely sees them as they have built their lives there and are content. It is the tale of a literature teacher who decided to spend her retirement years surrounded by nature, the ocean’s scent carried by powerful winds, and her beloved books — stories of wars and empires in feudal Japan, written in Japanese, which her late husband taught her during their time in Tokyo, where he served as the embassy’s press attaché.
I would also like to read a story titled “A Fair Exchange” about a fishmonger named Horace and a cat who, each day around lunchtime, would wait for the man to open the shop door and place a fine fresh fish near the shop window. Late in the afternoon, after a tiresome day’s work, the fishmonger would close his shop and walk homeward to his modest flat, merely a stone’s throw from work. The cat would await him outside the front door, a book tucked under its arm. The two companions customarily took their tea in the sitting room before a crackling fireplace, and whilst the fishmonger allowed himself to be embraced by the comfort of his soft armchair, the cat would read the man’s favourite stories, which invariably commenced with: “Once upon a time, in a land far away…”
© Martin Heiland-Sperling 2025. All Rights Reserved.
Originally published at https://medium.com/@MartinHeiland-Sperling on February 10, 2025.