In this poignant novella spanning 60 pages, we delve into the desolate existence of Mr. Borjan, an aging man residing in a forgotten village known solely for its dental specialist facility. Fed up with a life that seems to have amounted to nothing, Mr. Borjan contemplates suicide within the solitude of his (long-deceased) parents' stand-alone house.
As a janitor in a virtually deserted hotel, he navigates a mundane routine, serving occasional visitors seeking dental care. His monotony shatters when, on the brink of ending his life, a stranger with a polaroid camera crashes through his sunroom ceiling. This unexpected visitor claims to be a time traveller from the future, arriving illegally with a mission: to furtively capture a photograph of Mr. Borjan, revered as a world-famous writer in their time. According to the mysterious stranger, Mr. Borjan's fame extends so widely that even his sole childhood friend – whose tragic demise, crashing into a tree in a drunken stupor, occurred decades ago – has become an iconic figure, inspiring sayings and warnings well-known to all future generations.
Having fallen through the roof and meeting Borjan in person could trigger great jeopardy, the man explains, as there is a potential danger of creating paradoxes that could imperil both his life and the future itself. As an example, he highlights the profound impact of Borjan's work, stating that love connections and subsequent generations born from his influence could dissipate in the blink of an eye.
Convinced the stranger must have escaped a lunatic asylum, Mr. Borjan defies the man’s plea not to involve the police and contacts the authorities anyway.
To his bewilderment, the police arrive only to find the time traveller has vanished without a trace…
In the novella "Without Blood with Wine", Spanish twin sisters seek to escape from a house of abuse, hoping to track down their unknown biological father and to fulfil their dream of establishing a vineyard. At a brothel where they serve drinks, they meet with a man they nickname Don Johnson, who has a boat and offers to sail them to the city where their elusive father was last seen. They are soon to find that their tumultuous journey will bring them a lot more than they bargained for.
Written in the uncommon plural first person, "Without Blood with Wine" is a poignant story of hardship, resilience and solace.