Three Stories
01.05.19
The Surprise
People were out on the streets after the earthquake. The man was surprised he didn’t notice it. He ran through his house looking for a crack, some damage. He went down to the basement and found his body lying in a pool of blood.
Maritime Tragedy
After that oil tanker ran aground, the only amusement in the village was clearing away the dead mermaids that washed up on the beach.
The Final Act
A terrorist boards the subway car and puts a suitcase down on the floor. He gets off at the next station, but he fails to escape – a black hole begins to devour the world.
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Born in 1977 in Mexico City, Alejandro Badillo now lives in Puebla, where he coordinates the creative writing workshops at the Universidad Iberoamericana Puebla and the Universidad Popular Autónoma del Estado de Puebla. His most recent books are El último día de septiembre (2017) and Efectos secundarios (2018).
Translated by Toshiya Kamei.