Jamie ~ 4

 Jamie ~ 4 Leaving Home 

By Len Morgan

Next morning Waldo introduced Jamie to his partner Triss, she too would be going with them on the adventure.  There were tearful goodbyes at the rear of the house as they filed out, one by one, into the long grass.  For most, this was their first foray into the big wide world. Others knew the track alongside the trellis well.  They travelled under cover of currant bushes and elder, heavy with unpicked fruit.  They made a game of shaking the canes and showering each other with ripe red and black globes of fruit that in the days to come would supplement their diet.  They couldn’t see the coughing & gasping, cartoon mice painted on the side of the black van or read the words ‘for EXTERMINATION SPECIALISTS call Hertz & Walsh'…

But, they did witness the large bell-like canvas being hauled over the roof of the house; and they knew at once what it meant.

“We have to warn them!” Barnabus wailed.

“Even our swiftest scouts couldn’t get back in time.” Said Waldo shaking his tail.

“But, they heard Barnies story and so must know what is happening.  By morning they will catch up with us you’ll see.” Said Jamie.  

By morning three who’d lingered outside the house arrived with a dreadful tale.  Many of their kin had indeed escaped, but only to run into electrified netting that had been erected around the house, it burned those who touched it to a crisp, and many who avoided the fence were sprayed by strange creatures with glass heads and silver bodies that looked vaguely human.  They all died. 

A pall of gloom hung over the camp that night, none more anguished than Jamie, who felt he should have done more to persuade the others to leave…

Later in the evening, two more survivors arrived bringing their numbers to 28.  The morning of the second day the terrible truth was evident in all 24 had been killed. 

“I should have prevented it; I should have been more forceful and ordered them to leave!” Jamie moaned.

“You can stop that stupid noise,” said Waldo “It might make you feel better but it does nothing to improve our situation.  You’re our leader.  Organise parties to search for food and clean water.  If it hadn’t been for you we would all have died.  Now, what has happened to those field mice?”

“You’re right Waldo, I know you are but, I just can’t shake off the guilt…” 

“It’s the humans who are to blame, not you!  What have we done to them to deserve this?  If only we were their size.” Waldo was angry and there were tears in his eyes, “my sister and parents are dead, murdered by that evil race.” 

“ They act as if everything is theirs by right, they refuse to coexist!  If only there was a way…” 

“Aaaah!” a piercing scream brought his tirade to an abrupt end.  “The fieldmice are all dead!” Triss cried.  “Outside,” they followed her horror stricken gaze.  Others were gathered outside gazing at a dozen part mummified corpses tied by their tails in bunches of six hanging from nails.

“Eat nothing you find on the ground.” Jamie yelled, “this looks like poisoning!” 

“Cut them down,” Triss cried in revulsion.  “Humans!”

(To be continued) 

Copyright Len Morgan

A political Haibun

 A Political Saga it is. 

 

By Robert Kingston

 

This morning I woke with a headache. No not the sort where your head bangs from having overindulged. No, this sort is the type that festers at the back of the mind until the trigger is pulled. That trigger this time came in the form of my yearly dose of Scrooge. Not though the Charles Dickens version, but a version established by watching from beginning to the end “The Medici” series. A Netflix offering; Set in, circa 1400’s. This coupled with a recent press release mentioning that a large portion of the current UK government, including the PM, have their foundations established in the classics.

 

 It is said that very little is invented.

 

vintage bicycle 

hard to remove patches

on the spokes

 

 

Robert Kingston ~ 12.12.21

 

Cheilin Saga ~ 30

 Cheilin Saga ~ 30  Efelel’s Failure

By Len Morgan

  Efelel watched from the crowd. She cursed under her breath, she knew he was coming she knew the signs, nausea, itching, and numbness she had to get back to the room or he would punish her.   She ran to their base which was close by.   She slammed the door and sat trembling in the corner of the darkened room; he was coming.   Slowly, the fluorescence began to grow, the feeling of nausea grew with the green light.   His figure was indistinct, at first, growing rapidly more tangible with each passing moment.

‘What news.’  He demanded, even before he had fully materialised. 

Before she could formulate her reply he was inside her mind, railing with anger.

‘You failed me and squandered valuable resources in the process.   What others can you count on.’    He demanded.

‘The girl the prince and, of course, myself are all that remains.’

‘You have not excelled in this den of unbelievers if you cannot accomplish this simple task.   I am disappointed.   When this is over you will yet feel the measure of my dissatisfaction.   But, your purpose here still has to be accomplished.’

‘The prince is closest,’ she began, ‘it would be a simple matter for me to…’

‘No-No!   He will be our very last resort, he must be above reproach, you understand?   Only after you and the girl have failed’ he said.

‘Then it must be the girl I will take her over, and accomplish the task, right in front of the accursed Tylywoch’ she said.

‘Now you're thinking. Your mission was to discredit them and cast confusion into the minds of our enemies.’

.-…-. 

Zophira was distinctly agitated, she knew instinctively that something was about to happen.   Constance being a sensitive picked up on it, immediately, moving closer to Zophira to lend her support.  

“Put your hand on my shoulder,” she said.   Zophira did as she was asked; it had an immediate calming effect on her, and she began to relax.   Several minutes passed and she began to think she had allowed her imagination to take over.

“Uh!”   she gasped, experiencing a full gamut of emotions, her features twisted and contorted as she turned to face Daidan III.   “No oh no,” she cried.

Constance removed a small clear glass globe from beneath her robe and touched it to Zophira’s forehead.   There was a brief crackle of red sparks then Zophira slumped into Gavein’s arms.

“What have you done to her,” he demanded.

“Don’t worry, she will recover in a moment,” Constance replied.   One look at her face and he knew she wouldn’t lie. 

   As the procession moved on, the eyes of the crowd followed its passage.   The crowd had thinned out and moved on towards C20.   As they went Gavein took Zophira’s hand and she slowly recovered. “She tried to force me to act but I lost consciousness, did I do him harm?”

“you are both still living, I believe Constance saw your change and acted accordingly.  I wonder if I might be next on Efelel’s list…”

(to be Continued)

 

By Len Morgan

Jamie ~ 3

 Jamies ~ 3  Crisis Point

By Len Morgan

Jamie was concerned.  The young ones were getting restless, wanting to do things their own way.  There were so many now they outnumbered their elders four to one and were growing more belligerent by the day.

Yesterday, Frizzy Whiskers had three of them for breakfast, and two for supper the night before.  He’d totally lost interest in chasing Jamie.  Not surprising when fresh young mice walked up to him and whispered in his ear “Eat Me!” 

It was way past the time when the older group should have moved out to find new premises but, they steadfastly refused to budge.

Barnabus the eldest of the Elders told Jamie of a similar thing happening in his youth.

 “That must have been oh… four years ago?”

.-…-. 

“The humans all left the house.  They took their little ones and pets with them.  They removed all the food.  Then, a large black van appeared out front, and a canopy was draped over the house.  Then a thick yellow smoke began to fill the house.  I got scared and ran up a disused water pipe but I was too fat and got stuck halfway up…

Two days later I was considerably thinner and overcome with hunger.  Then I was able to back down the pipe.  The air inside was awful, and there were dead bodies everywhere.  My whole family and all our friends…”  He gazed fixedly at the ceiling a haunted look in his eyes.

“There there Barnabus, there’s no need to worry, it wouldn’t – couldn’t happen here in our world.  Look at it, a land of plenty…”

“You don’t see!” said Barnabus, “it did happen here; It happened four years ago, just four years ago!”

 .-…-. 

“Just four years ago, I watched men sweep and shovel the bodies into a sack and burn them in the garden on a bonfire.”

Jamie fell silent; he had a lump in his throat.  “We must call a meeting…”

.-…-.

“Guards, keep an eye open in case Frizzy Whiskers returns.  This meeting was called to tell you all that we have to leave this house as quickly as possible!” Jamie began. 

“Yea yea!  We’ve heard it all before, Rules Rules Rules…” a voice piped out from the crowd.

“But you don’t understand…” Jamie yelled above the laughter.  “Barnabus has told me what happened in his youth, and he only survived by accident…”

“That was a shame!” yelled the heckler, accompanied by more laughter.

“Just listen to the story!  Then you can make up your own minds.” Shouted a large intelligent-looking youngster.

“What’s your name?” Jamie asked.

“Waldo.”

“As Waldo says, you can make up your own minds.”   They all fell silent so he retold Barnabus’s story.  They listened politely until he’d finished. 

“So, what does it have to do with us?  That was then,” somebody yelled.

“Good point,” said Jamie, “But, have you noticed the humans haven’t been around for several days, the food is gone…”

“Holidays,” said a voice from the crowd.

“Do they usually take their pets and food with them?” Waldo said.

Silence, was the reply.

“We need to leave the house for two to three days then we can return…”

“It’s just a story Barnabus is rambling he’s nearly six; getting feeble-minded.  You believe what he says?” asked the Heckler.

Just then one of the guards called out “A big black van just stopped outside, it’s reversing up the drive.” 

“Call it a Holiday,” Waldo chipped in. “We can take our stored food, and camp outback, visit our cousins the field mice, we may even enjoy the adventure.” 

They took a vote, half wanted to stay, the others wanted to go.  Surprisingly most who voted to go were the young ones. 

(to be continued)

 

Copyright Len Morgan

Jamie ~ 2

 Jamies ~ 2 Golden Rules

By Len Morgan 

Jamie was small in stature, but as mice go, he was very much an adult at two years of age.  He’d long since learned the rules for survival.  The do’s and don'ts that mean the difference between living & dieing.

 

He’d seen family and friends come to sticky ends, because they failed to observe those rules.  He was determined that neither he nor his siblings would ignore them.

Rule 1:  They all knew they had the run of the house when old Frizzy Whiskers went outside, but Jamie insisted that one of their number should be constantly on guard duty to warn of his return so they could all be safely below floor when he re-entered the house.

Jamie nibbled contentedly on nuts, ham, cheese, and bread left on the kitchen table.

Rule 2:  Always eat from the same place where humans eat or prepare their meals; never from the floor.  Slow painful death from poisoning resulted from ignoring this rule.

All things considered, life was good, if a little crowded, at 17 Cedarwood Terrace.  The rodent population had grown and flourished under his watchful gaze.

Rule 3:  Warned that when the population reached a certain level, the adults should move out and populate other nearby buildings.

But, life was easy, just a little too comfortable for those expected to move out.  Why should they leave a haven of plenty, for a meagre existence half a mile down the road?  

Time passed and their numbers continued to increase… 

.-…-. 

“No!” Jamie yelled at a svelte young female named Natasha.  She was scurrying towards a large smelly ball of cheese, standing on a wooden plinth on the floor.  She hesitated, and looked in his direction, allowing a rival to get to the cheese first.  He jumped on the plinth and buried his face in the soft delicious smelling cheese.  

Snap!  A screech of pain, then silence. 

“Your hesitation saved your life!” said Jamie coming up beside Natasha.  “That could have been you!”  Taking two paws full of cheese he handed one to her.  “You ignore the Elders rules at your peril, never eat from the floor.”

She stifled a yawn and mouthed ‘never eat from the floor’ as he spoke the words.  In her mind, Elders like Jamie were unnecessarily restrictive on the young ones; they fear competition and new ideas.

You stick to your silly old rules and I’ll find my own…” she said.  He left her not knowing it would be the last time he would see her. 

There are good reasons behind the Golden Rules, they are not simply there to spoil the fun for the young.  Some would learn them the hard way, others like Natasha, would pay dearly for not learning from the experience of others.  They had gotten out of the habit of asking why?

(To be Continued)

Copyright Len Morgan

 

Personal Well-Being ~ 19

 Personal Well-Being ~ 19  Constipation

By Barefoot Medic 

There are numerous quaint and amusing old wives tales and remedies for curing minor/common ailments.

Constipation is a case in point.  One would have us believe chocolate works (excuse the pun).  It’s true there was a small bar of chocolate sold in the 1950s, specifically for the purpose, known as Xlax (brand name). It carried an effective medicated chocolate in small half-inch squares. 

Other suggestions that spring to mind are:

 

• Going for a half-mile run.
• Eating raw vegetables Celery, carrots, etc.
• Fresh fruit, always favourite, Pineapple, grapes, oranges, plums.
• Some swear by dried fruit ~ raisins, figs & prunes.

 

But, I have always found that eating an apple while drinking a cup of hot tea at the same time…  Works for me (excuse the pun).

 

None of the above are injurious so give them all a try

Wait long enough & you may GO anyway (not another pun…)

Haiga 4

Picture Haiku In Action

by Robert Kingston