You lived right beside the gigantic ficus at La Misericòrdia, in a tiny flat that you had bought after working for forty years as a shop assistant. The living-dining room had a glass conservatory that looked into a corridor with a staircase and landings commanding a view of the gardens with the three palm trees at Can Birtallonga. It is a week today since you saw them. He was tall and always dressed in black. She wore her hair loose and was dressed with big printed flowers. That first afternoon you were gazing at some very white clouds behind the red bougainvillea when you noticed that he was walking down the street at a leisurely pace. She was walking up briskly. When they met, he looked at her intently and she lowered her head and walked up even more quickly. He turned round and saw her disappear round the corner into Concepció Street without looking back.

Acrollam, 2008

Translated by Núria Cohen.

(Castelló, 1947). Biel Mesquida is a writer, biologist and journalist. At a young age he attended poem recitals at Josep M. Llompart´s house and he became imbued with the work of the great poets of the time. He is currently involved and in charge of numerous cultural initiatives and events. Especially noteworthy are his novels L´adolescent de sal (1975), Vertígens (1999) or Llefre de tu (2012). His poetry works include Notes de temps i viceversa (1981) or Som l´altre (1999). He has also written short stories under the title Doi (1990), Els detalls del món (2005)   or Trèmolo (2015)  among others.