Éric Gauthier

This short story, available for free (link of the PDF) either via the author's website (click here) or via the magazine's website (click here for the specific edition) was first published in the winter of 2003 in the magazine XYZ.

It's only seven pages long and tells the tale of a man whose life needs a turnaround. His job has become a daily routine, no more excitement. His marriage is still ok, but he has two very different children: his daughter suffers from ADHD, one way or another, while his son is of the quiet type.

Gilles, our main character, meets an older man, while waiting for the traffic light to be green. They have a little chat and the old man decides to help Gilles. And yes, his life will have changed a lot, all right, after the deal. Even the day itself, with the sun not really knowing if it should shine or not, and people behaving like cardboard versions, makes Gilles question his life.

A very quick read with room for an entire novel. Nothing fancy, but that's typical for such little stories.… (mehr)