STORIES BY MOONLIGHT

It is at the spinning wheel that I spin a story, round and round, like a ball of yarn ready to be unravelled. Thread by thread, a moment is woven – words that pass by and linger without ever letting themselves be held fast. I was born in Évora on a Sunday and, perhaps for that reason, I am given to wandering. I lived on the street where Florbela Espanca once lived. I love the crust of freshly baked bread. My house was above my first school. Down the street, up the street, I went, learning about the world. I learnt maths at Mr Ângelo’s grocery shop. I realised that the path can be painful when Mr Moreira would put half-soles in my shoes, worn out from playing. I learnt to listen by hearing the neighbourhood stories told by Mrs Vicência and Mrs Victória. I had a cricket and two canaries. I learnt to care for others and to say goodbye. The smell of coffee takes me back home. It’s the birds that wake the morning at my window. I wanted to be a teacher.
At 18, Lisbon was far too noisy for me. I graduated from the University of Évora. I still send handwritten postcards. In a kitchen, I learnt to count grains. To count time. To count life. I cherish every memory. I cannot live without books. I’m a reading mentor. I tell stories. I travel a great deal within myself on the journeys I take around the world. I have restless hands. I make cloth-bound books and pastéis de nata. I’m addicted to old books. The open fire keeps me company, where the Word is an encounter with the world and with others. Words unite, untangle and embrace. ‘Contos ao Luar’ invites all those who still enjoy listening to the world through words to sit down, listen and let their imagination wander with the stories.