“Her eye falls on a round boulder. She picks him up and throws him with big ones power in the water. A loud splash. Around the place where the stone falls, circles form that become increasingly wider. That's how it goes, one stone falls into the pond and the ripples spread across a large part of the surface.”
As GertJan, the only son of Hendrik and Johanna, during a reunion meets his childhood friend Peter, he can reveal his dormant feelings no longer push him away. His marriage to Eva ends high voltage.
In the strict Reformed environment, in which GertJan plays a role youth leader, this news hits like a bombshell. His parents point him out the door, as soon as he decides to live with Peter.
His friends turn their backs on him. GertJan is becoming increasingly involved isolation. The only one who supports him unconditionally is his grandmother.
Will he be able to follow his heart and leave his environment behind? Is can he withstand persistent feelings of guilt that paralyze him?
The revelation of a secret from the past changes everything. Can he relate to his friend, his parents and the community?
Nel Goudriaan:
Nel wrote stories as a child and poems she read in class. Her stories and poems have been published in various bundles. She won a number of awards, including the second prize in the Ward Ruijslinck Story Contest 2020. She was one of the editors of the short story collection “Short & Beautiful”, published by Ambilicious (2019). She has a big one interest in language and literature interested in everything that drives people.
General
Author
Nel Goudriaan
Editorial
Editor: Frans van der Eem ;
Final editing: Inanna van den Berg
