Just Dialogue

By Len Morgan

"You're so gonna get it David!"
"Huh?"
"You know what I'm talking about..."
 "It never happened, don't know who it was, but it wasn't me!"
"You don't say."
"What proof is there woman?   Have you seen it?"
"Seen it, as on TV, on the news?   Was I standing next to you?   No, but you did it for sure."
"Then how do you know, where is your proof, you could never know unless..."
"Yes?"
"No, no, no, it's a lie."
"Why would she lie!"
"Why would she lie?   Shit.   It's my brain you’re messing with and I won't stand for it; not for another minute.   What did she say, what am I being accused of anyway?"
"You know very well David."
"I do not."
"Then you darn well should, for heaven's sake."
Whatever she said happened is a lie because it never happened.   I distinctly remember not doing anything anywhere at any time.   Listen to me woman I'm innocent!"
"Are you sure?"
"Yes!   If I'd done something I should be ashamed of, that I didn't want you to find out about, I would definitely know it.   So, if I say nothing happened I am the world’s authority."
"I don't believe you."
"Jesus woman, get it into your big beautiful head that I have nothing to explain or apologize for.   My conscience is clear and I refuse to discuss this any further!   But, I'll allow you to have the last word if you just tell me what I'm being accused of.   Put me out of my misery please?"
"Now think very carefully before answering this.   Would you bet your life on your innocence?"
"Of course I would sweetheart."
"Katie says you stole three of her jelly babies a red, a yellow, and a green one.   You bit off their heads and swallowed them whole!"
"Katie?   Our granddaughter Katie?   Ugh!"
"Guilty as charged!   Send him down..."

The challenge was to tell a story with dialogue only; no description or narrative tags.   Does it read true?

 

Cheilin Saga ~ 05

 Cheilin Saga ~ 05 Mobilization

By Len Morgan

"I think some of those refugees are trying to take over the farms in this region," said Aldor.   "How many farms are there, nearby, that could accommodate them in such numbers?"

"How many similar farming communities, villages, and towns are there within a days travel?" Lomax asked.

"Mmm," Eldred considered, "a hundred or so if you're talking about twelve miles in any direction.   There are five, no six Villages and two towns worthy of the name" he added.

 

"How many men would there be at each farm," Aldor asked.

"Between ten and fifteen" said Eldred.

"And in a Village?"

"Three to four hundred," Eldred answered after due consideration.

"What about the towns?"

"That could be quite a lot, could be thousands…"

"From my experience, it would be anything from five to ten thousand," Lomax said.

 

"So, two thousand on the farms, two thousand or more in the villages, and let us say sixteen thousand in the towns.   That would make over twenty thousand men in this area alone.   If one in five were to be conscripted for training as militiamen you could have two thousand under arms almost immediately.   This region could easily support that number without hardship.   Then every two years another unit could be trained" said Aldor.

"In ten years they would all be trained warriors" said Lomax.

"We could then protect ourselves from marauders such as these," said Eldred.

 

"A local defense militia would have routed them long before they reached here" Aldor assured him.  

"This would provide us with some real security, for the first time in living memory," Eldred replied.

"But, first we have to deal with the current problem," said Aldor.

 

They bedded down in the outbuildings for the night, and close to dawn, Aldor was given the news that one of the wolves had returned with a message.

"There are between forty and fifty men camped two miles up the road with as many women and children, not what you would call a war party" Said Lomax.

"Then it is time for me to confront them," said Aldor.    A second messenger arrived.

"There is a gang of twenty determined-looking men no more than two minutes behind me" he announced.

Aldor turned to Eldred, "see that your people remain out of sight until I indicate that your presence is required.   Leave any action to Lomax and his men, and I will talk with them alone."   He whispered briefly to Lomax and the Carnivores dispersed into the tall grass, at either side of the track, leaving Aldor to confront the group alone.   His weapon remained firmly in its holster, as he smiled disarmingly at the man who appeared to be their leader.

 

"Gentlemen, have you come to attack these poor defenseless people as your colleagues did, or do you come peaceably to discuss your situation calmly and sensibly?" he asked.

"We want the animals that killed a dozen of our number.   We want revenge and reparation!"

"You are?" asked Aldor.

"My name is Pellan, who asks?   I like to know who I am killing and why."

"Well Pellan, eleven were killed.   But, we allowed one to go free to bring you here."

"That you have accomplished, now you have seconds to live," he said stepping forward sword in hand.

"You continue to choose the way of the sword, knowing you are outnumbered a thousand to one?" said Aldor.

"You seem to have something wrong with your eyes, I count twenty to one" said Pellan taking another step towards Aldor who stood his ground, hands-on-hips, with just the ghost of a smile on his lips.

"Looks can be deceptive; you discount the Cheilin defense force."

"The what?"

 

Aldor ignored the question.   "There is another way.   You do not need to behave in this fashion," he raised his voice so it would carry and all could hear.   "Most of you have families, what will happen to them when you die?   You are farmers, not soldiers.   You are dispossessing your own kind.   It is not their fault you have lost your homes, they have done you no harm.   Did you speak to them?   Did they refuse you food to your face?   They seem pretty charitable to me.   When I arrived there were a dozen armed men in the process of slaughtering the occupants of this farm.   They were intent on rape, murder, and pillage, like common brigands.   Is that what you are?" Aldor asked.

Pellan's face registered surprise, hurt, and confusion.   "That was not what they came here for.   Karrel, you were there, step forward and answer this man's accusation, tell him how it happened." 

Aldor recognized the shamefaced young man, struggling with his emotions.

 

"Tell him what you told us," Pellan demanded.

"I… Can't…" he stammered, shaking his head, "what he says is true!"

"One of the new men who brought us the weapons, Magell I think, told Quamaal the farmer had refused to help us.   'So', he said, 'I think we should do something about it,’ he said drawing his sword.   His two friends also drew their swords, 'come on then' they said to us and charged down towards the farm.  'Kill the bastards' they yelled, and we all followed them down.   Two of them went into the house and forced everybody out, mostly women and children, and lined them up against the house.   'Set fire to the buildings Magell commanded.'    This is not right I thought, three of the farm hands were on the ground the others defending themselves with pitchforks and rakes.   I heard a shout behind me, I turned and this man clubbed me with the flat of his sword..."

An angry wild-eyed man pushed himself forward, sword raised, towards Aldor.

 

"That cannot be so!   My brother Quamaal was a peace-loving man; he would not be a party to such an act.   He even refused to shoot crows, back home, he said 'they have as much right to live as we do' take back those deceitful words or I'll beat the truth out of you," he yelled at Karrel.

"What if he refuses, do you take his life?   Then you will be no better than the others" said Aldor.

"I want my brother, but he's dead and somebody must pay."   He aimed a blow at Aldor, who hardly seemed to move but the sword flew harmlessly past his head, Aldor stood his ground and slipped a second clumsy half-hearted blow.   The distraught man threw the weapon from him and crumpled into Aldor's arms overcome with grief.   Had Aldor killed the man, none would have taken issue with him.   Instead, he held the man until his tears subsided, and won the hearts of all but a few who were not farmers at all.

"Do you not see?" he said, "Hate breeds hate.   It's a kind of madness that eats us up and turns good men into monsters.   Who is to blame for our plight?   Let the guilty man step forward."

They looked around with unease, but nobody moved.

"If we talk, we can find a solution.   Avoid hate, like a plague, it is virulent and will destroy us all if it is not stopped at source."

During this exchange Eldred and his family came out of their house and stood timidly by, ready to run at the slightest hint of real trouble.   Aldor beckoned them to join the gathering.   Tilla knelt beside the grieving man to comfort him.

 

"We were ordered from our house and told we were going to be sold as slaves," she said, "I was dragged out by my hair, and when my husband Earik ran to my aid they cut him down like a dog."   She wiped away a tear, "the same man said my mother was too old and not worth the transporting, 'kill her' he said 'and the old man,’ my father Eldred.   I went crazy, attacking him with my nails and teeth.   He knocked me down, and as I scrambled to my feet, he fell dead beside me.   I turned on another nearby, but he was already mortally wounded."   Her lips trembled briefly, and she squeezed her eyes tight shut in an abortive attempt to stem a flood, but her narration continued unabated like spring melt, "the yard was suddenly filled with small warriors and this man," she pointed towards Aldor.  

"What manner of creatures do you bring down upon us?"  Pellan asked.

"None you should fear, whilst we are talking," said Aldor "I met them in the mountains and they guided me here…"

"Tylywoch!"   Pellan whispered his eyes everywhere, his fear evident.

 

"There is nothing to fear, my word on it," said Aldor.   "Let us sit and talk, and contrive a sensible solution to our problem.   Can we at least agree on this?”

Eldred and Pellan both nodded and sat on either side of the track.   Aldor looked at Pellan encouraging him to speak.

"We need food, somewhere to live, land, tools;" Pellan shook his head hopelessly, "the list is endless.   We don't want charity, we have a little money, but the season is very advanced for planting.   We don’t know this land or its seasons; one wrong choice could destroy us."

"Your list is not endless, neither is your situation hopeless.   Asking for help on your arrival would have been a good way to start.   This region is large, we farm only what we know we can manage," said Eldred.

"So how much land do you manage, and where are your boundaries?"

 

Eldred smiled, "you are on the fringes now, and there is more land than anybody could possibly farm.   There are no deeds, when a family dies out or moves on to a better location, which happens from time to time, their old property becomes available for any other enterprising family to take up.   Just so long as they are not affeard of hard graft and the occasional knock.   Sometimes a family moves on leaving a crop in the ground that they consider is not worth the trouble of harvesting.   Then there are wild foods to be gathered.   Roots, berries, nuts, as well as fish, fowl, and hares, we can show you where to look.   As to the rest of it we could loan you tools and well-seasoned lumber, for building, even provide you with some of our excess food & seed crop, we had expected to be able to sell it to the clans anyway.   You could repay us over two or three seasons.   Because of our location, close to the foothills, the summers are milder but longer.   If you had killed us now, it woulda took you a generation to painfully learn all we can teach you in a matter of hours."

 

"There are still a few newcomers with us who came with the three, responsible for all the deaths we have seen over the last few days," said Pellan.

"You could be right," Aldor said. "Those men are not seeking refuge, they are slavers.   Opportunists, seeking to profit by the misfortune of others.   If you are in contact with other groups in a similar situation to your own, I would suggest you, spread the word to be suspicious of well-armed strangers with foreign accents.   Tell them also what has transpired here.   Let all your deserving friends benefit from this mutual misfortune," he said.   "How you deal with those strangers is up to you.   Now I must leave you but I will return to pursue the matter we spoke on earlier, Eldred.   I suspect the wagon is already well on its way."

"Indeed," he confirmed.

"Would you stay and take tea and cakes with us?" Tilla asked shyly.

"Thank you, another time when I am passing this way, I have to catch my guides and they move swiftly even with wagons," Aldor said. 

.-…-. 

"You did well back there," said Lomax.

"That is why I came here," Aldor smiled, "I am a controller," and for the first time, he really understood what that meant, "I make things happen," he said.

"You know it is not Tylywoch policy to interfere or become involved in such matters, it was not our concern.   Only matters exclusively in the interests of the Emperor, or involving the wellbeing of the Tylywoch are our concern.   If you were Tylywoch, you would be put to death for your actions on this encounter.   As it is, my own life may well be forfeit just for supporting you.   You are not after all one of us."

 

"That is monstrous!   No, it could never happen" said Aldor, "surely your people would realize that the interests of the people of Cheilin are the interests of the Emperor, so the interests of the inhabitants of the fringes are also the interests of the Tylywoch!"

Lomax shrugged, "We shall see…"

 

(To Be Continued)

 

Copyright Len Morgan

 JANE

By Rosemary Clarke

You opened up the garden
You opened up my life
Things that are oppressing me
Cut sharper than a knife.
I cannot take adversity
I've had so much you see
But you have helped me understand
There is a life for me.
You sorted out the doorstep
Which was making me so blue.
So, when you need some help the most
I'll be there for you.

Copyright Rosemary Clarke

  A TRIBUTE

By Peter Woodgate 

This person I have never met

Nor ever will, he’s dead, and yet,

He leaves a legacy within my heart.

 

He painted pictures with his words,

Whilst reading them, they pierce like swords

To agitate the depths of my imagination.

 

Should I take heed of such advice?

It’s said he wasn’t very nice,

But who am I to judge a brilliant mind.

 

He sang of holy pebbled streams,

Of magic days within our dreams

And loss of innocence stolen by time.

 

He raged against the dying light,

Did not go gentle into that good night

Seeking solace in the bottom of a bottle.

 

Despite his anger at the world,

He left his works to be unfurled,

His troubled mind the reason he,

Would sing, in chains, just like the sea.

 

Copyright Peter Woodgate

Cheilin Saga ~ 04

 Cheilin Saga ~ 04 The Controllers' work begins… 

 By Len Morgan

 The days passed swiftly, following the same set routine.   Aldor diligently followed their example, proving to be a quick learner.   As best he could, he adopted their methods of mind control, how they regulated their body functions - breathing - temperature - and more advanced techniques slowing their respiration until to the uninitiated they might appear to be dead.   They could also speed the flow of blood to increase the quantity of oxygen reaching their lungs, enabling them to produce incredible bursts of speed, for both action and reaction, over short periods of time.  He knew that he might come to emulate them in time, but it was early days.  Orden was silent, aware that his presence might be detected by Lomax. 

  Nearing the end of the second week they came down, from the mountains, onto a broad open plain covered in wide swathes of waist-high grassland that stretched out in all directions as far as the eye could see.  Only the foothills stubbornly resisted their spread; that and the patchwork of hard-won land farmed by the local inhabitants.  For most of that first day, they followed the path of the sun, until they came upon a well-used farm track.   Contrary to previous practice, they turned onto it.

"We will be visiting several local farms to collect winter supplies, "Meillo explained.

They had been on the road for a quarter-hour when they heard the sound of approaching horses.   They melted into the grasslands on either side of the track.   A dozen armed horsemen passed at a gallop also traveling toward the sun.   When they had passed, the Carnivores turned in the opposite direction, with the sun at their backs.

"Are we not following them, to give aid to your friends if it proves necessary?" Aldor asked in amazement.

"It is not our concern," Lomax replied.

"That is ridiculous!" Aldor exploded, "the Tylywoch are small in numbers, so you will need all the friends you can muster.   Who are the people you are most likely to attract as friends?   The people who inhabit these plains," he said no more but ran towards the sun, in pursuit. 

The Bears looked askance of Lomax, he was their charge, if anything happened to him…   Lomax gave a curt nod and the Bears were off in pursuit.   By the time Aldor approached the farm, Lomax and the Carnivores were right there beside him.   Three farm workers were steadfastly defending themselves with farm implements.   Two had already been struck down.   Women and children were being herded from the farmhouse and buildings, and lined up against the plain side of the lapboard barn.

"Aaargh!" Aldor yelled as he ran into the fray to distract the attackers.   The farmworkers, he could see, stood little chance against swordsmen.   Even as they turned to assess the threat, Aldor cut one down, cutting another almost in two.   Three men ran at him, swords raised.   As he engaged them he heard the clash of steel over to his right, 'that would be Lomax' he thought.   A quick glance showed him Lomax forcing two men onto the back foot.   Then arrows flew past him like angry insects and two of his three opponents fell.   Looking around, he realized the fight was almost over.   He clubbed his remaining opponent over the head with the flat of his sword, and all the others were dead or dying.   The farmhands ran to the women and children, creating a protective cordon around them.   Aldor and Lomax sheathed their swords and the others relaxed.

"We are here to collect a wagon of grain and beans," said Lomax fixing the farmer with a smile.  "Hopefully our associates will have left a wagon with you when they paid for the goods, possibly two or three days ago," he extended the smile and his hand towards the farmer.   Seeing the man glance nervously towards the corpses, he added "Wolves tidy up this mess."   They borrowed several hand carts and began loading bodies.

"No no, that one was my son in law," the farmer said.   A young woman roused from her shock by her father's words ran to the body of her husband, and they carried him into the house.

"This one is not dead;" Aldor said “I think we might interrogate him or, follow him back to his lair."

"Ah, I thought you had become a little squeamish," said Lomax.   "Leave him with the bodies, and we will do just that.   Follow him home Wolves let us know where and how many."

The farmer seemed to come alive at the suggestion that there might be others; suddenly his extended family became very anxious.   "They will return and kill us all when you are gone," he wailed.

"Had we not intervened, do you think they would have allowed you to live?" Aldor said.   "They would have killed the very young and the very old, yourself included, the women would have been abused and the survivors shackled and driven off like cattle to the slave markets of Kettar.   But, they will not do so if we kill them first!   This we will do if you swear allegiance to the 13^th Clan, and request its protection."

"We will do anything you ask, the clans have always refused us protection but, I have not heard of this 13^th Clan," said the farmer.

"What is your name," Aldor asked.

"Eldred sir," the farmer replied.

"Eldred, all those not of the twelve are invited to join the 13^th Clan.   In time, we will be the most powerful force in the Empire.   Take the weapons we have liberated today and hide them, they will be required to arm the Cheilin defence force."

"What will this defence force want from us in return," Eldred asked, ever mindful that nothing is free.

"You will release one man in five, from your workforce, to be trained and to fight with the force for two years, then when he returns you will send others in their place, and so on until all your men are trained," said Aldor.

"Is that all?" Eldred's surprise was evident.

"In addition, you will feed your candidate and provide a further 1/10^th share of food to pay for his training.   When your men return, they will be responsible for the defence of your lands and people.   They will be responsible for summoning the Force in case of emergency, and if needed, would be expected to rally at the muster point to defend the Empire against interlopers.   The Force will be responsible for the defence of an area of twenty-five miles in diameter, for as long as you abide by our agreement."

"It is almost time for supper, won't you join us?" a young woman asked.

"Tilla is my youngest daughter, an excellent cook," Eldred explained invitingly.

Lomax was on the point of declining.   It had always been Tylywoch policy not to fraternize with the common people.

"That is most gracious of you, we would be delighted" said Aldor, "Might we be allowed to contribute a little something from our supplies?"

Tilla looked at her father, then spoke out.  "We are very low on salt," she said hesitantly, a shy smile dimpling her cheeks.

Both Aldor and Lomax produced their small pouches of salt, pouring half their contents into a bowl that was hastily produced from nowhere.    The Tigers and the Bears followed suit.

"You are too generous," Eldred protested, "since these animals have been blocking the roads we have not been able to obtain supplies or send our produce to the Clan cities within the jurisdiction of the 10^th 11^th & 12^th Clans."

"There are marauding bands of a hundred or more preying on the local rural population.   They usually take our produce, but leave us sufficient to live on," said Tilla.

"They have never before threatened our women and children, or our lives," said Eldred, "but, recently they have become more angry and aggressive…"

"Do you know where they are from and the cause of their discontent?" Aldor asked. 

"I know they were evicted from the fringes of the 9^th and 10^th Clans for nonpayment of Tithes.   It has been a very hard year, very dry.   The rivers dried up early and their rice crops failed," Eldred explained.

"They were certainly not swordsmen," said Lomax "they must be getting desperate if they are attacking the farms that have been sustaining them."

 

Copyright Len Morgan

 THE PRICE

By Rosemary Clarke

Many of us want the FAME
There's no doubt about it
But the stuff that comes with it
You WON'T shout about it
We all think that they should lead
Can't WE lead US today?
Some on social media
Have to have their say.
So without ANY knowledge
Of famous people's lives
They SMEAR all of the internet
And on this point, they thrive
These people's rare existence
They liken to their own
Why don't they really just shut up
And leave their thoughts at home.

Copyright Rosemary Clarke

 Flying

By Jane Scoggins 

Colin had wanted to have flying lessons but his Dad had said

 ‘No, you are too young.'

 Colin had kept on asking until finally, his Dad said

 ‘OK, I will take you out with me on a fine day.’

Colin was overjoyed and could hardly wait. He instinctively knew he would love it and felt confident. He waited patiently watching the sky every day to see what was up there and what the weather looked like. At last, the day came when Dad said he would give him a flying lesson. His Dad, Ray, had been flying a long time. He was both competent and confident, but it had taken many hours of flying, sometimes the weather had taken an unexpected turn for the worse and he had had to make emergency landings. There had been other scary times and incidents, but he wasn't going to tell Colin about them. He felt that Colin was overconfident, cocky in fact, and he would have to learn that he must keep his wits about him in the air if he wasn't to come a cropper early on. That would never do and may knock his confidence badly. Ray didn't want that of course. He himself loved flying, it was his life, and he wanted his son to enjoy it the same as him. So it was a fine balance in teaching him the pros as well as the cons. To be aware of hazards, and manage the upward, as well as the downward currents, was important. Colin couldn't expect to be like Tom Cruise in Top Gun no, he had to be slow and steady till he got his wings and expected to go solo.

 The day of the first lesson was a bit chilly, but a clear day and blue enough sky. Vision would be good and hazards easily spotted. Ray took Colin up in the air, not too high, just high enough so the wind wouldn't buffet them, but high enough to get a clear view of the houses and gardens beneath them and be above the telephone wires. Colin was more nervous than he thought he would be at first, but he followed his Dad’s instructions and soon he became more confident and could start looking around, and then down.

 ‘Wow, the view is amazing up here Dad’ I knew it would be good, but it is better than I thought. Can we go a bit further? I can see blue over there that looks like water, what is it?’

 ‘That'll be the river son. We won't go that far today. We’ll save that for another time.'

 After flying around for a while Ray said it was enough for Colin’s first lesson and it was time to land and have lunch.

They came into land without any trouble and Colin was pleased as he knew landing could be as tricky as taking off. They had a choice of where to go to dine. Ray decided on one of the new places on the London Road. He had been to check them out last week and knew what was generally on the menu at each. At number 8 it would be bread and cake, at number 12 it would be mealy worms or sunflower seeds and at 14 it would most likely be a generous quantity of multigrain on their large bird table platform. It was big enough for both of them. The added advantage was that there was no cat or dog in the garden. So that was where they decided to go for lunch.

Copyright Jane Scoggins