Dreamscape (part 2 of 3)

 Dreamscape (part 2 of 3) 

By Len Morgan

“Is there anything you would add to improve the amenities here Kevin?”

“I’m into crafts, woodwork, painting, playing music, and I haven’t yet found the library…”

“Actually, all of our books are now on computer, you can access any books, newspapers, music, quizzes, all on your consul over there in the corner. Turn it on and ask the AI librarian for what you want. You are already signed in. If you prefer paper books the AI will print them for you.”

“I’ve never been much of a sports man, but would love to learn to play golf.  With all this money I’m earning I could afford to take it up…”

“We will arrange an instructor for you.”

“Amazing!” I said ‘Am I dreaming?’ “Guess it’s dream time, I’d best get ready to dream…”

“Ah, that’s the surprise, they’ve completed the new observation dome, from it you will  be able to view a greater area of sky, and can be rotated to centre our area of interest.  Follow me to your new sleeping quarters,” she explained.

From a prone position I would be able to view the sky magnified many times… “Will you be able to centre the circle as the earth moves?” I said.

“That’s the clever part, the dome revolves to keep the target centralized.” She said.

“So what is our next target?”

“Uh, no pressure on you tonight, we are planning to test your limitations, by targeting a nearby star system 4.2 lightyears. It’s ‘Proxima Centori b’, we want to view a rocky planet within its Goldilocks zone…”

“What is a light year anyway?”

“light always travels 5.88 trillion miles in a year. You can do it in one night?”

“No pressure then,” I said.

.-…-. 

Next morning I went to the gymn to workout and splash around in the pool for half an hour. Then went for breakfast; porridge then a full English, and three glasses of milk, I’d never felt so hungry in my life.

Three men in white coats entered, and approached my table.

“Good morning Gents, have you ordered?” I asked.

“Mr Monaghan…”

“Call me Kevin please,” I said.

“We’ve been observing you since you first arrived. You engaged in a much heavier exercise routine and you have consumed twice your normal calorie intake. How do you feel now?”

“Well, to be honest I still feel hungry, I was about to order a second breakfast, Do I have to pay for extra’s?”

The spokesman smiled, “Of course not Kevin after the trip you’ve just taken it’s quite understandable, 4.2 light years in a day?”

“Where’s Milli?” I asked.

“She has been reassigned…”

“Why is everybody being reassigned?”  I sniffed my armpit, “Is it me?”

“I’m afraid that is above my pay grade Kevin,” he said.

“Is there any point in me asking your name, or will you be reassigned?”

“My name is Jak, as to reassignment, I don’t know…”

“Don’t tell me, it above your pay grade Jak?”

“Quite!”

So I ordered A SECOND English breakfast. “I would like to check my bank balance so would you get me to a terminal. I’d like to check that the money I’ve been promised has actually gone in.” At which point my breakfast arrived.

“There is a terminal available to you just as soon as you have eaten your breakfast.”

“Thank you Jak.” I was famished so I tucked into and quaffed two cups of coffee. “Tell me Jak are you a man or a cybertron?”

He smiled neither confirming nor denying his status. “Milli as well?” I asked.

“What alerted you.” He asked.

 

Since retiring I had not imagined receiving £1000 a day free of tax.  I’d spent nothing, the balance was beyond my expectation then I saw the date on the statement. “What is the date Jak?”

He answered immediately “28^th August 2056.”

“Then I’ve lost a day,” I said.

“No, you slept for 56 hours continuously, but the dreamscape only recorded the last 36hours; that is its upper limit. We thought to wake you in case you were in difficulties.”

“Why?”

“Your our only asset, and we love you...”

“A joke?  Ha ha, so you do have a sense of humour Jak.”

‘So, Dreamscape is subject to the passage of time, that’s interesting,’ I thought.

Jak cocked his head slightly left, “The director wishes to speak with you, it seems quite urgent!”

I closed down the portal and stood up, “lead the way Jak.”

“Please sit Kevin. I’ve received sad new concerning your wife, Linda …”

“She has Alzheimer’s and stage 4 cancer…” I said

“She passed away yesterday evening; please accept our condolences. Arrangements have been made for her burial in two days time, and travel has been arranged for you, a car will be waiting at the front gate when you’re ready. Your flight will take off in two hours.  Take as long as you need to grieve.” 

.-…-. 

We took three days to mourn and settle Linda’s affairs. My life had been turned upside down.  We had shared some good memories, and some bad; very bad; since my retirement. The dogs welcomed me home, they were comforting. 

.-…-. 

On my return to Scotland, I felt guilty that I was not contributing enough to the workings of the community.  Since retiring I have become a pretty good cook, or I could be a cleaner, even a filing clerk, any roll that would justify my existence in the project anything rather than being a sponger which is how I currently feel. I requested a meeting with the director to let him know how I felt.

“I don’t want to be a spare part, I want to work in some capacity sir!”

“Let me assure you that you are contributing.  You are the only one so far that is giving our work meaning.  We have tested thousands of dreamscape gamers so far, and you are our only success to date.  You are providing us a window into the future of humanity. The search is worldwide but so far no other country has discovered an asset like you Kevin.”

“So how can I help with the day to day running?” I asked.

“I would suggest you look around and offer your services wherever you think it’s needed.”

“Will that be enough?”

“Honestly I don’t know Kevin, just give it a go and let me know how you are progressing.” He said.

“I’ll do it!” I said.

“The doctor feels that a weekly insulin patch is advisable, your other medication can also be extended to last a week…”

“Is there a new target for me sir?”

“Yes, but it would be a voluntary task; given that ‘Teegarten’s Star b’ is 12.5 light years away but, it is potentially the nearest habitable exoplanet.  It’s 3 times the distance to Proxima Centauri; that took you 2 days. This journey might take you 5-6 days.”

“I understand that at my age it could be a risk, but there is nobody else available,” I said.

“It’s your choice Kevin, I’ll not try to influence your choice. I’ll just say that you would be acting in the interest of all humanity.  The UK is not alone in this search. There are scientists the world over sharing in the knowledge we gleen from this search…”

“I’ll do it!”

At the hospital wing Dr Hussein explained the plan they had devised to ensure my safety, while placing a canular in my arm, “This will be used to feed nutrients to your body when necessary.”

That night in the dome, I was orientated towards ‘Teegartens b’.

“Good luck Kevin,” said Jak.”

“I smiled, “Thanks Jak.  Will you be here on my return, or will you be reassigned,” I asked.

“Who can say?” he said.

.-…-.

Three days later I resurfaced…

“It’s Milli, how are you feeling Kevin?”

“Would you believe tired?”

She laughed, “hold still while doctor Hussein removes your canular and checks you over.”

“Well Doc, am I still alive?”

He removed his stethoscope & said, “You’re as fit as an 80 year old,” he smiled.

“But I’m only 70 Doc,” I said alarmed at the implication.

“Heh heh! You must allow me my small wimsey. Your as fit as you were when you took your long sleep. Your body has responded well to medication so I’m happy to pronounce you fit for all normal activities.”

“I thought I would be starving hungry, but I’m Not!?  Si I intend to exercise, swim, and eat breakfast in the canteen with my friend Mili! Any objections to that doc?”

“Go for it Kevin! You’ll live to be a hundred,” he laughed.

“Where’s Milli, where are my clothes?”

.-…-.

I was tucking into a delightful Fettuccini Alfredo, best I’ve ever had. Milli sat beside me.

“We’ve got one Kevin! Come view what you found on ‘Teegartens b’ it’s incredible…”

The Dreamscape recording was in colour; “Never realized I dream in colour. Water was flowing over rocks stained with green and brown. That’s life Kevin that’s water and there’s an atmosphere. We don’t know what the gases are but the water is H20, which means the exoplanet id definitely Earthlike, and ready for exploitation, It’s so wonderful!” She kissed me, and I kissed her back...

“So what comes next?” I asked.

“We go to your old accommodation…”

At which point Jak joined us. “What news!” He said.

“The Director wants to see you,” he added.

I wiped my plate with a pulled slice of Pugliese bread, and we all headed for the directors office.

“They’ve told you the news!”

“Yes, so I guess you you wont need me around any more?”

“Are you resigning Kevin, you want a rise? I can justify doubling your

salary on the strength of this discovery,” He said.

“No! An increase would be very welcome but I’m quite happy…

“Doctor Hussein wants to run a full program of tests to ensure you will be able to keep up with the pace of our schedule.”

.-…-.

“I’m ready Doc do your worst…”

“The thing is, you are our only reliable subject, so we have to keep you fit and healthy, we don’t want to overtax you.”

“I’ve been thinking about that problem. It seems to me that all the people you have been testing are Gamers, and under the age of 35. We olduns don’t have much interest in gaming.”

“What are you implying Kevin?”

“Well, I wasn’t a Gamer so you only found me by accident. My age group have a different mind set. Maybe widening your search would show results Doc?”

“I think we should run it by the director…”

(To be Continued)

 

Copyright Len Morgan

Nonsense Poem

 Homework 01 (Nonsense Poem)

Jane Goodhew

Sat in the garden

Late at night

The silence was deafening

As I waited in the darkness

And looked into a kaleidoscope

Which I had mistaken for a telescope

And I had to balance on a log

To avoid standing on a prickly hedgehog

Or perhaps roasting it for an Epicurean feast

But that would have made me no better than a beast

THE FREEZER

 THE FREEZER

by Bob French

A week before Christmas, all Billy could think about was the Galaxy 500. Not just any skateboard. The Galaxy 500. It had soft rubber wheels that hardly made a sound, shiny silver trucks, and the best suspension you could imagine. Gary said you could jump kerbs without rattling your teeth loose and Jemma swore she'd seen one fly down Miller's Hill faster than a bicycle.

          Billy wanted one so badly it hurt. Every evening, after school, he would stop outside Mr. Collin’s sports shop and stare through the window at the bright blue board perched on its stand. Sometimes he imagined it was already his. He could almost feel the grip tape beneath his trainers. But dreams didn't cost anything, the skateboard did.

          His mum worked long hours, and her boyfriend, Alf, seemed to spend more time sitting in the kitchen with a can of lager than doing anything useful. When Alf had been drinking, everyone learned to keep out of his way, that included Pongo.

Pongo was Billy’s scruffy brown dog with floppy ears, muddy paws, and a tail that never stopped wagging. Billy loved him more than anything. Pongo loved Billy too. Unfortunately, Pongo also loved chasing cats, stealing socks, chewing shoes and, every now and then, knocking over the living room coffee table while racing around after an imaginary squirrel.

          "That dog's going to be the death of me," Alf would growl whenever he found another cushion ripped open.  Billy would hug Pongo tightly and whisper, "You don't mean it, do you?" Pongo would lick his face as if to apologize.

          Whenever Alf’s temper started to rise, Billy disappeared. He hid in the cellar. Not against the back wall, never there. The back wall was always in partial darkness and belonged to the enormous white chest freezer. It sat beneath the tiny window like some sleeping monster, humming quietly to itself. His mum kept all the meat inside it. Every payday she'd fill it with packets wrapped in paper and plastic before carefully locking the lid.

          The cellar only had one weak light bulb that buzzed overhead.  What made the room scary was that when people walked past his house in the evening, street lamps outside created shadows that drifted through the tiny window, stretching into long black shapes that slid silently over the walls and the cold floor.

          To Billy, they looked like ghosts. He would sit in the darkest corner with Pongo curled beside him until the shouting upstairs stopped.

          As Christmas grew closer, the house grew noisier. Money was tight and Alf drank more. His mum looked more tired every day. Billy stopped asking Father Christmas for the Galaxy 500 because he could see the worry in her face whenever she counted coins at the kitchen table; Still...Every night he whispered the same wish before falling asleep.

          “Please. Just this once.”  Three nights before Christmas everything exploded. Pongo had pulled the Christmas turkey off the kitchen table. The bird landed on the floor. At that moment, Alf came home already drunk. When he saw the ruined dinner, he exploded with rage.

           "You useless mutt!" Pongo ran behind Billy. Alf grabbed for him. "I'll kill the stupid dog!"

Billy threw himself in front of Alf. "No!" Alf shoved him aside.

His mum rushed between them, pushing Billy behind her.

          "You leave him alone!"

Alf was shaking with anger. "I'll dump the stupid dog in the freezer!"

Billy felt every word like ice inside his chest. The freezer, the place where his mum always put all the dead meats in. The humming white box in the dark cold cellar.

          His mum stood firm. "For the last time... get out!"

Alf shouted for another minute before slamming the front door so hard the windows rattled. Billy sat on the stairs holding Pongo for what felt like hours.

          Christmas morning arrived cold and silent. Billy woke before sunrise. For one magical second, he forgot everything.

          Christmas. He raced downstairs in his pyjamas. His stocking hung over the fireplace. His heart pounded. He reached inside. An orange. A pair of socks. A chocolate coin. Nothing else.

          His stomach sank. He tried not to cry. He really did. But the tears came anyway. He carried the stocking upstairs and buried his face in his pillow. Maybe Father Christmas hadn't been able to find his house. Maybe the Galaxy 500 had always been impossible. Nearly an hour later there was a gentle knock on his bedroom door.

          "Billy?" It was his Mum. "Can we talk?" He wiped his eyes and followed her downstairs. The house felt different. Quiet, too quiet. Alf’s jacket was gone. His boots had disappeared from beside the back door.

          "Where's Alf?"

          "I asked him to leave," Mum said softly. "For good." Billy stared. Then another thought struck him. "Where's Pongo?"

His mum turned away, avoiding eye contact. His heart began racing. "Where is he?"

His Mum reached for his hand. "Come with me." She led him slowly down the stairs toward the cellar.

          Billy tried to resist.  "No..." The stairs creaked beneath their feet. The weak bulb buzzed overhead. The familiar humming filled the cold room. The freezer waited in the shadows.

          Billy couldn't breathe. His fingers tightened around his Mum's hand. She stopped beside the huge white lid.

          "I need you to be brave," she whispered. His eyes filled with tears.

“Pongo. My Poor Pongo.”

He buried his face against her skirt. "I don't want to see him Mum..."

          She stroked his hair gently, then She lifted the lid. Tommy looked.

For one terrible heartbeat he felt his legs give way as he screamed.

The sound echoed around the cellar. He stumbled backwards and landed hard on the concrete floor and began to sob. His Mum hurried to him.

          "It's all right love. It's all right."

          She helped him to his feet and gently eased him towards the open freezer. "Look again."

          Slowly...Very slowly, Billy peered into the freezer. There was no dog. No horrible secret.

Only a huge cardboard box wrapped in bright Christmas paper. Across the top was a silver label. GALAXY 500, Complete with soft rubber tyres. Super suspension. Exactly like the one from Mr. Collins' shop.

          Billy stared. He couldn't speak. He looked around wildly. Suddenly Pongo came charging from behind a stack of old boxes, barking happily before jumping up and licking his face.

Billy laughed through his tears. He hugged Pongo, then he hugged his mum even tighter.

Copyright Bob French

 

Dreamscape ~ (1 of 3)

 Dreamscape ~ (1 of 3)

By Len Morgan 

In the 2050s the ‘Dreamscape Company’ began producing their mind recording headsets. Created as a medical tool for diagnosing brain dysfunction’s but, was quickly purloined by youngsters for the purposes of entertainment. They began recording their dreams and sharing them with friends. At 81 I had little interest, I’d seen fads come and go. Dreamscape was yet another new fangled fad but, my grandkids insisted that I try it!  The headset itself was similar to the swimming hats used by women back in the 1960~80s.  It was a snug fit with holes for ears. To be honest It felt claustrophobic. But, they plied me with my favourite tipple, Whiskey Mac’s, and suddenly I became more amenable. 

The headset was a little uncomfortable but like all aches and pains, at my age, I got used to it and slept soundly. Apparently the recorder picked up my dreams and sent them to the ‘cloud’.  I wasn’t even aware that I had been dreaming.  The kids’ reactions were disappointing, whatever the headset recorded was ‘boring’ to them; and they said as much. So, I returned to my TV and forgot about the event, knowing the kids wouldn’t be asking for a repeat performance. 

A few days went by and I’d almost wiped it from my mind, getting on with life. I lay on the bed with Linda, my wife, watching reruns of oldies on her ‘wall screen’ TV.  I thought I heard the phone or the door bell.

My old ‘Alexa box’ informed me “There somebody at the front door.”  The dogs were barking, I must have been dozing, because they woke Linda up. “Are you going to answer that Kev?” she said.

I peeped through the spy hole. It was a young woman and an older man in a suit and tie; ‘Jehova’s Witnesses’ I thought, and opened the door… “We’re Muslims,” I said.

“Isn’t everybody?” The young woman replied.

“Whatever you’re selling we’re not buying,” I said.

“We are not sales persons Kevin,” the man said.

 “So what do you want?  I’m in the middle of preparing lunch for my wife and the Rotweillers…”

The young woman smiled, “you appear to be under a misapprehension…”

“Thank goodness, It thought it was a roof…”

“I gather you are both retired,” she continued unfazed, “can we come in and speak?  It’s a little cold out here…”

“At your own risk, the dogs are mighty hungry, as you can hear.”

“I’ll open the side gate and let you through into the back yard, but keep your eyes peeled for messages; I’ll just close the door.”

 I opened the gate and led them down to the summer house. “Now how can I help you?”

“We are a consortium of planetologists, astrophysicists, and cosmologists.  We are all Astronomers, keen to find a planet that could in the future provide a second home for humanity…” she said.

“So, what is wrong with Earth?”

“We are trying to find a second home if needed.”

“There is a danger in continuing as a one planet race. If a catastrophic event, should happen we would all be wipe out,” the man said.

“But what about the cities in space, the moon colony, they would survive,” I said.

“Maybe not!  They all need resources that can only come from Earth.”

“Mars?”

“We just don’t know if it could be ‘self sufficient’ in the long term, without support from Earth,” she said.

“Well, I’m no scientist, what can I do about it?” I asked.

“That remains to be seen Kevin, My name is Clive and my associate is Alesia.  We have AI programs constantly trawling the ‘cloud’ for likely leads, and our attention has been drawn to a recording of your dreamscape. It may prove to be nothing but, we have to investigate all avenues you understand…?”

“To be honest, No!”

“Then let me explain, our research AI’s are looking for dreamscapes with certain parameters.  They are bookmarked for follow-ups,” Clive explained.

 “So how am I involved?  Whatever I dream is my own affair. As far as I know there is no such thing as ‘the mind police’, so I can’t be charged for my thoughts; YET!”

“It’s not like that Kevin, we’ve told you what we do. It isn’t just a job to us, it’s our vocation,” Alesia explained.

“So, I’m at a loss; what do you want from me Alesia?”

“Tell us what you were thinking about before you fell asleep?”

I looked at her, then up at the ceiling. “Mmm.”  My eyes lit up and I smiled. “Yes, I laid back on my left side because that way the headset was more confortable.  I was looking out of the window, at the sky.  The clouds cleared and I could see the stars, a red star was twinkling, as I drifted off I thought it could be Mars…”

She nodded encouragingly.

“Then nothing until I woke up.  Oh, the kids brought me tea and toast but they were disappointed, they said it was just blurry grey mist nothing exciting.”

Clive and Alesia were now looking excited. Clive said “our equipment is a little more sophisticated, we were able to bring those blurry pictures into focus…”

Alesia interrupted him in her excitement, “we were able to see Mars station 1 with familiar rocky cliffs in the background.”

“Ah!  But I’ve seen Mars base 1 on TV…”

“That would not have been a live-stream, what we saw in your dreamscape included a recently arrive rocket from Earth. It was no memory you conjured up from your subconscious, it was the real thing, we weren’t even aware the rocket had reached Base 1 until the morning after your dream was recorded.”

“But, there has to be an explanation!  It must have been a coincidence what can I do to prove it?” 

“There is a simple answer Kevin, we want you to come to our lab for one week, we can try to recreate the same circumstances.  As a test we can start by repeating your Mars dreamscape, then we’ll know if it is or isn’t a coincidence.  If it works we can proceed with Dreamscapes of the moon, Venus & Saturn, all will be in the sky over the next week,” Clive explained.”

“To be honest, I think you’re wasting your time and mine, but I must ask, what’s in it for me?”

“Well, we could pay £500?” said Alisia.

“Make it £1,000 and I’ll do it!”

“Okay it’s £1,000 a day for as long as you stay…”

‘A day?’ I recovered my senses, “That sounds acceptable.”

“If we can repeat the experiment, we will need a month of your time…” she said.

“But there is one problem, my wife Linda is bed ridden, and I’m her carer.  She needs regular attention and the dogs…” as if prearranged a bell rang… “She needs me, I won’t be a moment.” I saw to her needs. I explained to Linda that I had visitors. 

“What’s her name Kevin!”

“Alesia and Clive…”

“Which one is she!” Linda yelled.

“I’ll explain later love, right now I just need to get rid of them.”

I returned to the summer house.  “Sorry about that,” I smiled.

“We can arrange for a 24 hour care nurse while you’re with us, and a handler to care for your dogs?” 

The nurse arrived within two hours, and the dog handler soon after.

I packed a bag with clothing for a week’s stay, plus a week’s supply of meds, just in case.  To my surprise they had arrived in a chauffer driven hire car.

“I’m not impressed by flash cars,” I said.

Clive smiled, “We are heading to Stansted airport.  Our unit is in Scotland. The flight will take about an hour.”

It wasn’t business class either, a private jet with seating for seven passengers.  We were accompanied by two teenagers, a boy and a girl; they ignored us.

“We will be stopping off briefly at Ringway to pick up another gamer,” he explained. 

The pickup was a man in his mid 30s.  We had lunch & drinks; I alone had Pepsi.

“So, what games do you play?” Jason asked conversationally.

“Space Invaders, and Chess” I said, which ended our conversation.

.-…-. 

Their Lab was like a Hospital ward.  White walls and floors, a glass ceiling looking out into the open sky. A clear, dark, cloudless sky, with no reflected light. White gowned nurses, quiet and efficient, knew exactly what had to be done. Each bed was encased in a cube of non reflective smokey glass.  The Headsets were so lightweight, when worn, they could barely be felt; so different from those the kids had.

I lay on my bed aligned so that Mars was clearly visible.  I drifted off to sleep after half an hour, remembering nothing until I woke up.  We were served breakfast, a great variety was available, but I’ve always preferred two soft boiled eggs with toast soldiers, followed by porridge with freshly squeezed orange juice. As I tucked in, Alesia sat down beside me. 

“Was there anything that you did prior to sleeping when you did your first dreamscape?”

“Yes, the kids oiled me with ‘whiskey mac’s.”

“Thank you,” she said.

That night she plied me with several whiskey mac’s.  Once again Mars was prominent in the sky.  Next morning Clive and Alesia joined me at breakfast. 

“We’ve viewed the dreamscape recording from last night, and the whiskey mac’s worked Kevin!” She smiled, “We got detail we would never have dreamed of (excuse the pun).” 

“You are an incredible resource Kevin,” Clive enthused. 

“We need your bank details for your salary, we will also pay your Tax,” Alesia assured me.

That evening I was to look at Venus, but clouds intervened so instead I turned my attention to the moon. Both were delighted with the results.

On the fourth day Saturn was in my sky view. Again I remembered nothing, but Clive and Alisia were delighted with the results.

On the fifth day I again looked at Venus, on the sixth my target was to be the ‘asteroid belt’.  I couldn’t imagine what use that would be but hey, at £1,000 a day, why would I complain?

“We need to establish the limits of your talent,” Alesia said, “can you imagine what an asteroid is made of?”

“To be honest, no…”

“Thank you, good.  So, when you cast your mind out there you will have no preconceptions.” 

.-…-. 

Day seven, at breakfast, I thought I might sample kidneys and coddled eggs for a change.

“Very clear records of several asteroids and some smaller rocks, interesting colours.  How did you manage to light them up in your dream?”

“To be honest I don’t have a clue.”

“Mmm, maybe we could get you to view the other side of the moon. If we aim you at it, you could survey the visible side then skirt round to the reverse.”

“That’s not a bad plan, planting the suggestion in my mind might jog my subconscious. We shall see; or rather you will see, In the morning.”

Day 8, “Alesia how did it go?”

“Quite good. But, you didn’t illuminate the dark side, I think your mind is beginning to deviate.”

“Meaning?”

“It’s not unusual for a subject to wander into other area’s, when divorced from their normal everyday routine, It isn’t uncommon, for their thoughts to wander away from the astral plane. In short, you’re outside life is encroaching.”

“What can I do to correct it?”

“You need to take a couple of days off.  Go home, take Linda out for a meal, take her to a show or the cinema, catch up on local news and family life in general.”

“What should I tell my friends and family about this place; and where is Clive haven’t seen him since we arrived?”

“Clive is on another project, we are building a new Dreamscape viewing dome for stage 2 of our project.  So, go home, spend some time with Linda & the family.  Return refreshed for stage 2.

.-…-.

I returned a week later, refreshed an ready for anything they might throw at me.  I headed to my dorm unpacked and fifteen minutes passed before a new young woman knocked and entered, “are you decent?”

“Well, as you can see I’m totally naked!  Just kidding.  I was expecting Alesia,” I said.

“She’s on another project, I’m Marigold, I’ll be your handler until she returns,” she offered her hand and I shook it.

“Well me flower, I’m sure we’ll get on just fine.”

“Well I’ve never heard that one before; but Marigold is a little formal, most people call me Mari…”

“Okay Mari, so why the change?”

“Horses for courses, we all have our own specialities.” She smiled, “I have a questionnaire for you…”

“Fire away,” I said.

“How is your accommodation?”

“No complaints, the food is excellent, but I do miss a few regulars…”

“If you list them I’ll ensure they are added to your menu Kevin.”

“How do you find the facilities, gym, pool, & games rooms?”

“They are excellent, I use the gym & pool daily, helps me unwind after a hard nights sleep.  I’m not much of a gamer, but the bar is excellent.”

(To be Continued)

Copyright Len Morgan

As through a child’s eyes

 As through a child’s eyes

 

If cows are sewn from a patchwork hide,

and sheep they knit from wool,

and ducks are stuffed with eiderdown, then what about the moon?

The moon is made from rich cream cheese,

it hangs from a silken thread,

but it rocks the earth and drives the seas deep down into its bed.

 

Where sleeps the silent hermit crab in his stolen cell,

dining on the bones of men who never ever tell,          

what lies beyond this vail of tears where none but one returned, who gave his life for worthless men, the ransom of their souls.

                

How many salty tears he shed to fill such a brackish sea,

though oceans roar with those bitter tears, he shed them all for thee.

 

  

They say the gates of heaven are carved from a single pearl. So pure, so bright they shine with light from his celestial throne.

 

He beckons us to enter in, the gates are open wide, but few are those who pass that way, the rest too full of pride.

 

 

  

Have you read the stories from the octopus’s ink, of the violence of the crayfish twins who terrorise the briny brink.

 

Beware the gangs of loan sharks, who smile with hungry eyes

But all the while are watching you and whispering their lies.

Or the solitary lives of monkfish whose days are spent in prayer.

“Come share my light of comfort” in the depths of deep despair

 

Come ride the spiny seahorse among the wild seagrass, or see the sea cows grazing, as they slowly amble past.

 

 

  

 

Barnacles wink by moonlight as the tide retreats, and dash across the craggy rocks when the seabirds sleep

 

The eyes of a child are open and see such other worlds, but to us they are hidden, like a flag tightly furled.

I long to see through childlike eyes, as once I could clearly see, but time has made us weary like flotsam on the sea.

No use talking to me.

 

2 min 8 sec

Copyright Peter/Christopher Mathews 2011