From the book “When the Tokay Calls – Short Stories from Southeast Asia”
This is an edited excerpt from the chapter “Lowella Under Pressure.”
Lowella Under Pressure – A short story about money, time pressure, and digital dependency.
Somewhere in the Philippine countryside…
Lowella’s phone didn’t give its last breath with any warning.
No sound. No flicker. Just a black screen—as if it had chosen this exact moment to abandon her.
And yet, just seconds before, it had vibrated once.
WhatsApp.
Lowella pressed the power button. Once. Then again, harder. Her finger trembled. Nothing. The battery was dead—she knew that already. The phone had been swelling for days, as if slowly saying goodbye. She had ignored it. Until now.
The transaction number!
Her stomach tightened. Without that number, there was no money. Without the money, everything would be over by Monday at noon. The college fees had to be paid before the deadline. Exactly at twelve. No exceptions.
Why hadn’t she asked Marc earlier?
It was Saturday afternoon.
The phone shop was closed. Metal shutters pulled down, heat shimmering above the concrete. A bored security guard leaned back on a plastic chair, his oversized uniform hanging loosely on him. His pump-action shotgun rested beside him.
“Open again on Monday,” he said.
“Monday is too late,” Lowella replied.
“Monday at twelve is the deadline.”
He just grinned. “Deadline? My shift ends at ten. Why don’t you come back later, beautiful?”
Lowella turned without a word and walked away.
At home, she sat down on the bed. Stood up again. Counted hours. Did the math. Over and over. Marc had sent the money. Somewhere. Maybe through WhatsApp. She was sure of it. That brief vibration.
Sunday morning, she went to see Dustin. Her last card to play.
“Can I use your phone for a moment?”
He nodded.
SIM card in. Install WhatsApp. Confirm the number. The loading bar crawled through the network like a snail. Then: empty.
No messages. No money. No transaction number. Just silence.
Lowella felt hot. Then cold. She texted Marc. Short. Careful. Her phone was broken. She needed the number via Facebook Messenger.
No reply.
Marc was offline. A pilot. On the move. Somewhere above the clouds.
She uninstalled WhatsApp again. Deleted contacts. Her hands were shaking.
Then she opened Facebook Messenger. Searched for Marc. Found him. And wrote again.
This time a little more urgently.
And waited…
Find out what happens next—available now on Amazon.com ↗️
Why this book helps you relax
When the Gecko Calls – Short Stories from Southeast Asia invites you to leave everyday life behind for a moment. The stories are calm, observant, and told close to real life.
They take you to warm evenings, narrow alleyways, and encounters that often seem unremarkable – and precisely for that reason, linger in your mind.
These are not loud, hectic narratives, but quiet moments that leave space. Space to breathe, to reflect – or simply to read without rushing.
Perhaps that is exactly what makes this book so special: it demands nothing. It doesn’t push. It simply lets you arrive. And sometimes, that is all it takes to truly relax.
Who is this book for?
This book is for anyone who is not looking for loud stories. For readers who read between the lines, who sense moods, and who like to let themselves drift along. If you enjoy brief moments that linger longer than expected, you will find yourself reflected in these stories.
When is the right time to read this book?
Maybe in the afternoon in the garden, or in the evening when the day slowly winds down. Or while traveling, somewhere between two places. These are stories for quiet hours – when you have time, nothing urgent to do, and simply want to read without rushing.
What mood can you expect?
A calm, gentle atmosphere that feels unhurried and grounded. The stories create a sense of quiet observation, like watching life pass by without needing to intervene in it. There’s warmth in the scenes, a touch of distance, and a lot of space to simply feel rather than analyze.
It’s the kind of mood that slows you down a little – not heavy, not dramatic, but soft and reflective. Like warm air in the evening or the quiet hum of a place that feels far away from noise and urgency.
More Informationen
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© Konstantin von Weberg. All rights reserved. All texts, images, and videos are by Konstantin von Weberg. Some images were created using ChatGPT and Google Gemini.
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