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Wisps of Memory
The end doesn't always come with a bang.
Ian is a loner middle-aged man who lives with the memories of his daughters and grandson, rather than with them. He hopes that they will remember him during the holiday. In the meantime, his nearly paralysed arm starts twitching uncontrollably. A couple of weeks before Christmas, his last friend leaves the country, and Ian finds himself with no one in his life. Day by day, he feels life is ebbing away from him.
A short story.
Ian is a loner middle-aged man who lives with the memories of his daughters and grandson, rather than with them. He hopes that they will remember him during the holiday. In the meantime, his nearly paralysed arm starts twitching uncontrollably. A couple of weeks before Christmas, his last friend leaves the country, and Ian finds himself with no one in his life. Day by day, he feels life is ebbing away from him.
A short story.
22 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 4, 2017
6 people want to read
About the author
Chris Sarantopoulos
12 books29 followersChris Sarantopoulos is a Greek writer who seamlessly embraced both English and his native language in his literary journey. He has a passion for crafting compelling stories in the realms of science fiction, post-apocalyptic fiction, cyberpunk, dystopia, fantasy, and horror.
Sarantopoulos is the author of the critically acclaimed post-apocalyptic horror novel, “The Darkening” and the “Matriarchs – Silicon Gods” series, a cyberpunk thriller series that blends elements of noir, nanopunk, and biopunk.
Currently residing in Greece, Chris Sarantopoulos is diligently working on his latest literary endeavour, an epic space opera series.
His work has appeared on Beyond Imagination, Voluted Tales, and Eternal Haunted Summer among other literary magazines.
Keep track of Chris’ newest published work by subscribing to his mailing list http://eepurl.com/cUX9hr
If you would like to know more about him, please visit his web page https://csarantopoulos.eu or follow him on Amazon, Twitter (@c_sarantopoulos), Pinterest, and Facebook.
Sarantopoulos is the author of the critically acclaimed post-apocalyptic horror novel, “The Darkening” and the “Matriarchs – Silicon Gods” series, a cyberpunk thriller series that blends elements of noir, nanopunk, and biopunk.
Currently residing in Greece, Chris Sarantopoulos is diligently working on his latest literary endeavour, an epic space opera series.
His work has appeared on Beyond Imagination, Voluted Tales, and Eternal Haunted Summer among other literary magazines.
Keep track of Chris’ newest published work by subscribing to his mailing list http://eepurl.com/cUX9hr
If you would like to know more about him, please visit his web page https://csarantopoulos.eu or follow him on Amazon, Twitter (@c_sarantopoulos), Pinterest, and Facebook.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
December 16, 2017
*** Note: I received ARC of this book from the author, in exchange for an honest review. I’m glad I got chance to read this story. ***
Stars: 3.75 that sums 4/5
The blurb says lot about the story. It revolved around 52 year old Ian who missed his daughters and grandson terribly. It was story about old age, loneliness, and a fear of death. The book had sad opening that started all fear in Ian. I immediately wanted to hear the story of this old man.
Ian constantly feared that if he died no one would remember him. He feared that just like last year his daughters would not send letter and he would not be able to see his grandson this year as well. He was so engulfed in his grief and hope of getting letter that when life was escaping little by little from his body, he couldn’t realize it.
This book was very short and touching. I could feel the emotions of Ian. It was like his life was hanging on the just one weak hope and remembrance from the friends and family. As soon as his friend left for studies, his life started ebbing and poor guy hardly could stand till Christmas. The end of the book was terribly sad.
I had only one concern. I felt like something was missing. I wished there was more in the story. I wanted to know why his daughters couldn’t visit him or call him or why not at least send a letter! So I was wondering what went wrong. I wanted that bit of the story in this too.
Overall, story and concept was great and emotional. It was very quick read that you can take in between books. Those who love to read short stories I would recommend this one.
Stars: 3.75 that sums 4/5
The blurb says lot about the story. It revolved around 52 year old Ian who missed his daughters and grandson terribly. It was story about old age, loneliness, and a fear of death. The book had sad opening that started all fear in Ian. I immediately wanted to hear the story of this old man.
Ian constantly feared that if he died no one would remember him. He feared that just like last year his daughters would not send letter and he would not be able to see his grandson this year as well. He was so engulfed in his grief and hope of getting letter that when life was escaping little by little from his body, he couldn’t realize it.
This book was very short and touching. I could feel the emotions of Ian. It was like his life was hanging on the just one weak hope and remembrance from the friends and family. As soon as his friend left for studies, his life started ebbing and poor guy hardly could stand till Christmas. The end of the book was terribly sad.
I had only one concern. I felt like something was missing. I wished there was more in the story. I wanted to know why his daughters couldn’t visit him or call him or why not at least send a letter! So I was wondering what went wrong. I wanted that bit of the story in this too.
Overall, story and concept was great and emotional. It was very quick read that you can take in between books. Those who love to read short stories I would recommend this one.
April 8, 2018
I’d like to thank the author Chris Sarantopoulos for a complimentary copy of his short story Wisps of Memory in exchange for an honest review.
Chris Sarantopoulos's Wisps of Memory is a sad, haunting short story about loneliness and isolation. The main character Ian lives alone and forgotten by his daughters and grandson who's Christmas cards he hopes will arrive but knows never will. Sarantopoulos writes with a unique voice and paints a frightfully realistic picture of a life filled with involuntary solitude. In only a few short pages he puts the reader in the shoes of Ian who seems to exist between our world and a world populated only by himself. A certain anxiety is inflicted on the reader who may question if they will one day be in Ian's shoes themselves.
A haunting and disturbing read and one I recommend to anyone looking for a quick, well-written story from a talented writer of speculative fiction.
This review was originally published on my blog Ashley in Wonderland
Chris Sarantopoulos's Wisps of Memory is a sad, haunting short story about loneliness and isolation. The main character Ian lives alone and forgotten by his daughters and grandson who's Christmas cards he hopes will arrive but knows never will. Sarantopoulos writes with a unique voice and paints a frightfully realistic picture of a life filled with involuntary solitude. In only a few short pages he puts the reader in the shoes of Ian who seems to exist between our world and a world populated only by himself. A certain anxiety is inflicted on the reader who may question if they will one day be in Ian's shoes themselves.
A haunting and disturbing read and one I recommend to anyone looking for a quick, well-written story from a talented writer of speculative fiction.
This review was originally published on my blog Ashley in Wonderland
December 9, 2017
A very short, haunting tale about isolation and loneliness.
Great but sad reading.
Great but sad reading.
April 15, 2018
“Wisps of Memory” is a short horror story about Ian, a middle-aged man and former toymaker with a paralyzed arm.
Being a short story, “Wisps of Memory” has obvious length limitations. Sarantopoulos handles that obstacle well by presenting the reader with a snapshot of Ian’s everyday life. I really enjoyed seeing a glimpse of the character like this and it adds an eeriness to the story, especially knowing that something horrible is going to happen eventually.
The ending is poetic and sad, coming full circle with the rest of the piece. The author make it easy to be sympathetic towards Ian and knows how to use that sympathy to draw a great conclusion!
I did find the timeline a little confusing at times. I didn’t expect the sudden time skip halfway through. There’s also a scene where the narrator says the Christmas celebration has “come and gone” (Sarantopoulos 12) and says “it was Christmas after all” (13) a few paragraphs later, so I’m not really sure when some of the events take place. Other than that, the story had a nice flow. 🙂 🙂
Thank you to Chris Sarantopoulos for reaching out to me!
Being a short story, “Wisps of Memory” has obvious length limitations. Sarantopoulos handles that obstacle well by presenting the reader with a snapshot of Ian’s everyday life. I really enjoyed seeing a glimpse of the character like this and it adds an eeriness to the story, especially knowing that something horrible is going to happen eventually.
The ending is poetic and sad, coming full circle with the rest of the piece. The author make it easy to be sympathetic towards Ian and knows how to use that sympathy to draw a great conclusion!
I did find the timeline a little confusing at times. I didn’t expect the sudden time skip halfway through. There’s also a scene where the narrator says the Christmas celebration has “come and gone” (Sarantopoulos 12) and says “it was Christmas after all” (13) a few paragraphs later, so I’m not really sure when some of the events take place. Other than that, the story had a nice flow. 🙂 🙂
Thank you to Chris Sarantopoulos for reaching out to me!
July 4, 2018
Again a descriptive tale!
So much depth and emotion in a short tale. This one left me feeling sorry for the forgotten man. How true is this tale for many of us!
So much depth and emotion in a short tale. This one left me feeling sorry for the forgotten man. How true is this tale for many of us!
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews