Earlier this evening, I listened to “A Thunderstorm In Town”, a short story by Lucy Ribchester, which was inspired by Thomas Hardy’s poem of the same name. Ribchester’s story is an interesting and, for me unexpected take on Hardy’s poem.
You can listen to the poem (and the story) by following this link http://www.bbcmundo.com/programmes/b09pjmjj
Most of you will know me as a poet. I have, however also published a number of short stories, one of which, “Run For Your Life” is reproduced below. Please note that “Run For Your Life” contains strong language. If you are offended by such language you may wish to skip the below.
“Run For Your Life” can be found in “Dalliance; A Collection Of Poetry And Prose”, https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00QQVJC7E.
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Wanker flirting with that barmaid like that. He says that he was just having a laugh but I’m sick of it. Everytime we go out it’s the same
“Oh its just a laugh Lucy. Just chill out, get a life”.
“I’ll get a life without you” I told him as I threw my vodka and coke in his face. He was furious but give him his due he didn’t retaliate. He’s a womanising arsehole but he has never been violent.
Its dark walking home. Still its only 20 minutes from the pub to my flat. He’d better not think of coming back there, tosser! Shit its raining. I’ll be drenched. I new that I should have called a cab but I was so het up, not thinking straight.
That blokes been following me for the past few minutes. Don’t panic Lucy it’s a coincidence. He just happens to be going in the same direction as you.
I can’t see his face. That hat pulled down almost hiding his eyes, I don’t like it. Christ he’s walking fast, almost running. Keep calm he just wants to get home out of the rain the same as you. But he’s running straight at you. Fuck the alley’s empty just this weirdo and me. Scream, call for help. But he hasn’t done anything, he’s only running. Shout anyway it will scare him away.
“Help, help someone please help”.
There are no houses around here. No one can hear me. I shouldn’t have gone down this short cut, It saves 5 minutes but its taken me away from the main street. Oh Christ why didn’t I call a cab. Please, please god help me. He’s running now. I can here him calling for me to stop. You must be fucking joking mate I’m not stopping for you! I can’t run in these heels. Off they come. I haven’t been to the gym for ages. God I’m so out of condition I’m wheezing like an old man. My chest’s killing me and I’ve a stitch in my right side. Must rest. Can’t rest he’ll catch you. Must stop for a moment. I can’t. Oh fuck he’s still gaining on me I wish I’d kept going to the gym with the girls. Please, please no he’s almost on top of me. Run, Run Lucy, must get away. I can see the street lights up ahead. Just one more spurt and your back in civilisation.
He’s waving. What the hell does he expect me to do, I’m not stopping! Oh Christ he’s caught up with me. He’s got something in his hand and he’s pointing it at me. God is it a gun? Why me?
“You left this on the bar. God lady you where in a hurry. I thought I’d never catch up with you. This is your mobile isn’t it?”
Many thanks to Annette Rochelle Aben for the below short story, which is copyright Annette Rochelle Aben.
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I Loved You, Tom
So, like many a love affair, it really had no chance of happening. Oh, I noticed you, but the thought of TRYING to LIKE you was simply abhorrent! There was so much about you I couldn’t accept. You left a bad taste in my mouth and your natural scent, well let’s just say that I’d rather have smelled burnt popcorn. Yet my parents did everything from strongly suggesting to playing the “we know what’s best for you” card as though the guilt alone would get me to love you! They were, after all, completely befuddled that I was the only one in the family to NOT sing your praises. Over the years, I found I could take you in small quantities, and I began to find that I could enjoy you, given the right circumstances. Of course , I still had my issues getting to know the real you, the raw side of you, holding my ground for what seemed like forever, until something inside me shifted.
Can’t explain it, and I will never fully understand how, but one day I found myself out of my comfort zone and gave you an honest-to-goodness second chance. It was as though a whole new world opened for me. I was no longer that family member who rejected you, or tossed you aside. How could I have ever refused to enjoy myself when you were around? Eagerly, I began to include you in my daily life. People who had known me forever were confused. After all, I had been adamant about my feelings. Could it be possible that my tastes had changed? So many people told me this might happen.
This new-found appreciation, dare I say it, L-O-V-E, for you was bringing me great joy! As we are want to do with love, I felt the need to share my excitement. I even found a job where I could have you by my side more often. How proud I was to introduce you to others, putting you up on a pedestal. I was always meeting more people who had already known and loved you for most of their lives. Within the fold of their company, I felt proud and understood!
In the middle of this fun and frolic, something began to go terribly wrong. It wasn’t about the others. I knew I couldn’t keep you all to myself. You commanded world adulation, I accepted that as fact. This was me, not you and I lost sleep trying to come to grips with reality. It shook me to think that this might be the beginning of the end.
My body grew weak and it pained me to have you in my life. Those joy-filled times began to be followed by days of regret. There was something paining me and though I had an inkling, I was too proud to see the signs. It got to the point that I was advised by my doctor, to make a choice. Either pretend to be happy with you or live without you and be healthier! It was for my own good! Still, how could I walk away from that which had brought me such pleasure? To turn my back on the satisfaction, seemed impossible. I had become one of your most devoted fans. I loved you with all my heart!
Oh, the humanity!
I chose to give you up and I cut all ties. It wasn’t easy, for you were so much a part of my life. I cried for the loss, secretly hoping that I might soon waken from this bad dream. What if I did not feel better after this drastic change? Could we make a pact to find each other again? Then we’d slip away, go someplace where no one knew us, start over and live happily ever after!
Strange, but I began to feel better without you around. My body felt a resurgence of energy, my outlook brightened and I managed to find a zest for life. What a cruel joke! If what I felt was real love, how could I possibly be thriving with you gone? I finally had to admit that I couldn’t live on love alone. You were just no good for me and the truth was undeniable. We must have had something good at one time, but it wasn’t meant to last.
Yes, I have become stronger and you still have millions of others who adore you. We lost nothing and we will always have our memories. I see you from time to time. Quite knowingly, I smile but keep walking. See, I know that my life changed because of you, for the better. I no longer use my pet name for you, Tom. These days I refer to you more formally as Tomato!
http://www.annetterochelleaben.wordpress.com
http://www.amazon.com/author/annetterochelleaben
Many thanks to Olivia Emily for taking the time to read and review my book, “Dalliance; A Collection Of Poetry And Prose”. For Olivia’s 5 star review of “Dalliance” please visit the following link, (https://bibliomad.wordpress.com/2015/08/19/dalliance-a-collection-of-poetry-and-prose-by-k-morris-book-review/).
Kevin
Many thanks to Victo Dolore for the below guest post. If you haven’t already checked out Victo’s blog please do so. She writes with humanity and humour about the medical world and so much more, (https://doctorly.wordpress.com/).
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The Guest
The headmaster was standing at the back of the room in his brown suit and brown tie, his arms crossed somberly across his chest. He was a serious man who
never joked, never smiled.
I was nervous just looking at him.
It was my second grade class and it was the end of the school year. My teacher, Ms. White, held a sheaf of those wide ruled tan colored notebook papers
stapled together in her hands, turning each page slowly as she read from the podium at the front of the class.
They were my papers.
It was my story.
I stole another glance around the room. My classmates watched her with rapt attention, eyes growing wider. They were there in the story, I could see it!
There were dwarves and a wizard and a cave filled with treasure and scary monsters that clung to the dark shadows. I knew the secret, though. It was going
to end up with good winning out over evil. Just wait, I smiled to myself.
As she read the last words there was silence. More silence. My heart stood still as the seconds ticked by. Then… everyone clapped, even the somber, frightening
man at the back of the class.
He smiled at me!
I had never been recognized by anyone as being good at anything to that point. My handwriting was always awful. I read aloud too fast. My clothes were
old, worn hand-me-downs. Mathematics was a mystery to me. I was quiet as a mouse, never speaking, always invisible.
And so from that day forward I wrote every chance I could get.
I will never win any literary award. I will never have a huge audience. But when I put pen to paper I find my voice. The magic weaves its way through my
fingers, taking over…
Thus began my love affair with words.
The free promotion of my book, “The Suspect and Other Tales” ends on 8 June 2015. To read reviews or to download “The Suspect” free please visit http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Suspect-other-tales-Morris-ebook/dp/B00PKPTQ0U (for the UK) or http://www.amazon.com/The-Suspect-other-tales-Morris-ebook/dp/B00PKPTQ0U (for the USA and rest of the world).
Kevin
My book, “Samantha” tells the story of a young woman forced into prostitution in the city of Liverpool. Can she survive the brutal treatment of her psychopathic pimp, Barry or will Sam end her tortured existence in the murky waters of Liverpool’s Albert Docks?
On checking for reviews of “Samantha”, I was pleased to see that it has received a 5 star review. In a review entitled “Brilliant Short Book” the reviewer writes as follows:
“The characters in this book were bought to life by the way the author told the story. It was like a true scent of this day and age”.
Thank you to the reviewer for their review of “Samantha”. For the review please visit, (http://www.amazon.co.uk/review/R90UBPUL6H1OU/ref=cm_cr_rdp_perm?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B00BL3CNHI). To download “Samantha please visit http://www.amazon.co.uk/Samantha-K-Morris-ebook/dp/B00BL3CNHI/ref=cm_rdp_product (for the UK) or http://www.amazon.com/Samantha-K-Morris-ebook/dp/B00BL3CNHI (for the rest of the world).
Kevin
I was delighted to receive the following 5 star review of my book, “Dalliance; A Collection Of Poetry And Prose”:
“Each page has a short, often poignant, poem, prose or story that seem to reach inside and grasp the heart”. (For the review please visit http://www.amazon.co.uk/review/R301LNR40266YO/ref=cm_cr_rdp_perm?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B00QQVJC7E).
Thank you to the reviewer, Chris Graham for the above review. To download “Dalliance” please visit http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dalliance-collection-poetry-prose-Morris-ebook/dp/B00QQVJC7E/ref=cm_rdp_product (for the UK) or http://www.amazon.com/Dalliance-collection-poetry-prose-Morris-ebook/dp/B00QQVJC7E/ref=cm_cr_pr_bdcrb_top?ie=UTF8 (for the US and rest of world).
I recently came across The Secret Diary of PorterGirl, (https://portergirl.wordpress.com/), which relates the fictional adventures of Deputy Head Porter. PorterGirl is comfortably ensconced in her position at Old College where she spends her time engaging in various escapades. The blog is humorous and well written. I recommend checking it out.
Kevin
My grandfather used to do this self-same job. Who would have thought that the occupation would still be going strong after all these years. He would be amazed to see how the job has changed. I’m sure he wouldn’t believe what we repairers do these days and, if he did then chances are he wouldn’t like it.
Progress is a funny thing. You can’t stand in the way of progress. I mean society’s so much more stable now, crimes practically vanished. I’m proud that in a small way I’m contributing to a safe society one in which my girlfriend can walk the streets free from the fear of molestation and where our kids can play out without my partner and I constantly worrying about them.
The technology has improved so much. When I was a boy you had big bulky box-like objects standing on legs or in cabinets in the corner. There are still a few of the old tellies around. I wish I haden’t given grandfather’s away. You see the old sets from the 70’s and 80’s going for mega bucks on the web. Those from the 50’s and 60’s go for even more. Of course the old sets don’t work with digital, people just like to have something retro in the corner to look at. It’s a talking point when visitors come around.
The new sets break down fairly regularly. It’s a scandal that they need fixing as often as they do, especially as they cost so much to produce. But then you can’t put a price on security can you?
It tends to be the older generation who are resistant to new technology. Some of them have even been known to obstruct the television or even break them. Why break a perfectly good TV? It beats me.
Of course its not compulsory to have a TV but you get looked at askance if you don’t have one. Anyway there are so many incentives to have a TV that practically no one is without one. Because of advertising most of the channels are free and you get a reduction in your taxes if you have a set. It isn’t a big tax cut but it’s worth having. The girlfriend and I used the money we saved following the installation of our all singing, all dancing set to take the kids abroad.
It was strange being in that foreign hotel room. We had a telly, I can’t imagine being without one but it was odd. I mean it was just a set for watching programmes. Sure you could go online with it (all modern sets have that capability) but it didn’t do the thing everyone (well the majority of people) are used to and accept in my country.
“You know Rob its kind of nice to be alone. Just you, me and the kids” Jenny said.
“Those who have nothing to hide have nothing to fear”, I said.
Who needs privacy. We’ve got a good standard of living. Society is stable and secure now. I’m proud that in a very small way, as the installer of sets which both receive and transmit I’m contributing to the happiness and prosperity of my fellow citizens.
K Morris - Poet 