Stop Dragon Her Heart Around

September 28, 2014 / Steve Lakey / 20 Comments

Photo: © Al Forbes 2014

Take a good look at this picture: the sad face of austerity in Medieval England! Is this how we treat our dragons in the late 12th Century?

It’s sad to see young down-and-out dragons such as Doris here, with their hopes turned to stone. Officially classified as a Beggar – to reduce the unemployment figures – Doris had recently been advised to apply to Nottingham Forest as a mascot. But instead they gave the job to one of seventeen men claiming to be Robin Hood.

Doris briefly had her hopes raised when she heard they were casting for a play about the Loch Ness Monster. Despite her obvious acting ability, she was sadly rejected, in favour of a scale model.

Previously working as a ‘Sparky’, Doris unknowingly fell foul of new legislation. The Elf and Safety Laws demanded all employees refrain from smoking during work hours. Her employer bought himself a tinder box, and she was soon fired.

Luckily, her tale has a happy ending. Doris’ day finally arrived.

She was spotted by flamboyant entrepreneur Sir Richard Brand (the owner of the Verge Inn chain of gastro-taverns) as he was flying past on one of his high-speed catapult services. She started working as a Trainee Chef on the Flame-Grill Burgher Bar. But after impressing Sir Richard with her novel idea of transporting customers to his taverns, she was soon a rising star in the company.

Sir Richard took a chance by expanding the flight operation up the West coast. Thanks to Doris’s pilot scheme, they were now proudly flying customers on a regular basis on Verge Inn Atlantic flights.

For Doris now, the sky’s the limit.

This story was prompted by Sunday Photo Fiction, September 28th 2014, hosted by Al Forbes. Click on the logo for more details.

To view the other entries in this challenge, click the blue frog.

Sign of the Times

September 28, 2014 / Steve Lakey / 2 Comments

Photo and Fiction: © Steve Lakey 2014

Jean and Hillary always look forward to their regular visits to exclusive contemporary art galleries. They’ve been to fifteen so far this year. Here they go again!

Alain, their uniformed French chauffeur, helped them out of the silver Rolls Royce Corniche, and passed them their respective walking frames and white laced gloves. He stood back as they ‘raced’ for the entrance. Everything between these two appeared to be a competition. Alain followed behind them at a safe distance, discreetly carrying the bags. There was never a dull moment with the ‘Spinster Sisters’.

Naturally, they walked around the gallery in opposite directions. Alain tactfully sat down midway between them and opened his sandwiches. He wouldn’t be needed just yet.

At the far end of the room, the sisters met, coming from opposite directions. Alain noticed them both staring at the same exhibit. After they’d studied it for twenty minutes, he knew he would soon be required. He smiled to himself, wondering how anybody would pay good money for contemporary art. Much of it looked like junk!

Jean slowly shook her head and spoke at the nearest person, who happened to be the security guard. “Caution – Wet paint! The inherent message is a sad indictment of today’s authoritarian style of government. The Nanny state in action. A crude attempt to modify behaviour using subliminal messaging.”

Hillary typically saw life differently to her older sibling. “Oh, no. Clearly, it’s representative of the caring society, designed to protect the welfare of the most vulnerable. A throwback, to a gentler, kinder age.”

The guard tried to hide a smirk, and said nothing.

The one thing the sisters both agreed on, was that this exhibit wasn’t worth two million of their English pounds. How could they ever afford it? At this point, both ladies burst into tears, and attempted to console each other.

Alain quickly appeared and presented the ladies with their handbags. They both dabbed each others eyes with tissues. But the sobbing turned to wails, as Jean dropped her bag, scattering the contents far and wide.

The nearby security guard was only happy to help, and had all the contents back inside within a minute. Unfortunately, this was more than enough time (52 seconds would have been enough) for Alain (actually Alan, from Manchester) to un-attach the exhibit, slide it into a large holdall, and leg-it out of the entrance.

Jean and Hillary weren’t far behind him, ditching their gloves and stolen walking frames at the door.

The Spinster Sisters had struck again!

The photo and story were prompted by Pixel Prose Challenge, September 27th 2014, hosted by Amanda Lakey at UniqueArtChic.com.

For more details, click the logo.

To view the other entries in this challenge, click the blue frog.

Bubble Trouble

September 21, 2014 / Steve Lakey / 12 Comments

Photo: © Al Forbes 2014

Mike’s grainy camera-phone footage, with voice-over, became an viral Internet sensation. He briefly made it into the tabloids, before disappearing into oblivion – being known variously as ‘Space Cadet’ or ‘Michael Bubble’, depending on the publication.

All because one day he noticed a little bubble floating outside his window. Nobody ever disputed that. But from then on, the story took on a life of its own.

Mike claimed that he had received an audio broadcast from the bubble, actually a spaceship from Pleiades (a star cluster in the Taurus constellation). Unfortunately for Mike, most thought his story was pure bull.

The Pleiadians, as Mike called them, apparently came in peace and were happy to learn about our culture, and share their advanced technology for the betterment of humanity.

It was when Mike filmed himself trying to turn a bus lane into an extra-terrestrial landing strip, that things started to get out of hand. Poor Mike didn’t help his cause by not being able to explain why a bubble needed a landing strip. He was given a Mental Health assessment, which he scraped through, by the skin of his teeth.

After a couple of weeks, the story was quickly forgotten. And Mike literally dropped off the face of the earth.

He’d secretly joined the Pleiadians when they left of our solar system, in search of a more deserving culture.

This story was prompted by two challenges:

1) Sunday Photo Fiction, September 21st 2014, hosted by Al Forbes.

Click the logo for more details.

To view other entries in this challenge, click this blue frog.

2) Pixel Prose Challenge, hosted by Amanda Lakey at www.Uniqueartchic.com

To view the other entries in this challenge, click this blue frog.

Good Bye-ee

September 14, 2014September 16, 2014 / Steve Lakey / 15 Comments

Photo: © Al Forbes 2014

As the train slowly gathered speed from the platform, our friends and families disappeared from view. It was then we finally realised that our journey to the British front line trenches in Belgium had begun. Like many of us, I was carrying a photo of a family member close to my heart. To remind me what this expedition was all about.

The excited babble before we pulled away quickly fell into silence, each one of us lost in our own private thoughts. A small group started singing “It’s a Long Way to Tipperary”, but it soon fizzled out. This was more a time for reflection. None of us really knew what to expect. Even though we’d all seen photos and some jerky movie footage from the front. We knew that brave lads giving the thumbs up, before going over-the-top, wasn’t the whole story. Not even close.

As we pulled into other stations, more groups joined the train. The noise level rose as we greeted our new comrades. But as the platforms disappeared from view, the mood always dipped. It was as if we were all playing some great game, for the benefit of those we were leaving behind. Some of them would never understand what we were doing. Some said we should stay well out of it, that it wasn’t our war.

But if not for us, then who did those men die for? Many never got the send-off they deserved. I take out the the small photo of my Granddad, taken just weeks before he was killed in Mons, a hundred years ago. Doesn’t he deserve a few days of my time to take a Battlefield Tour in 2014, and place flowers on his grave? I look at the diverse group of people on this train, and I’m proud that they feel the same way I do.

For the first time, I’m using one story to enter two challenges. The first challenge is inspired by a specific photo, while the other has a completely open theme. Feel free to visit both!

1) Sunday Photo Fiction, September 14th 2014, hosted by Al Forbes.

Click the logo for more details.

To view other entries in this challenge, click this blue frog!

2) Pixel Prose Challenge, September 14th 2014, hosted by Amanda Lakey at www.UniqueArt Chic.com.

Click the logo for more details.

To view other entries in this challenge, click this blue frog.

Staring Into Space: Sunday Photo Fiction

September 7, 2014 / Steve Lakey / 11 Comments

Back in the day, Station Master Mike Harris used to find that running his branch line was so much fun, it wasn’t like work at all. He always had a spring in his step as he climbed the stairs to his control room. Under his arm was a pack-up lunch and a thermos flask of sweet, milky tea to last him for the shift.

People said he had the railways in his blood. His dad had been Station Master before him, and he’d helped Mike get established in the early days.

But Mike was keen to do things his own way. He realised that for his railway to survive, he had to integrate with other services. He had made improvements and efficiencies, and the little branch line developed into a thriving community transport hub. He had overseen the construction of a connected bus station, and even the road links had been improved.

All that seems long ago now. The branch line lies deserted and mothballed. No one comes here any more. Mike no longer climbs those stairs. It seems like he’s retired from a life on the railways.

After his dad bought him that telescope, Mike lost interest in his model train set in the attic. Now, like many twelve year olds, he spends much of his time just staring into space.

This story was prompted by Sunday Photo Fiction, September 7th 2014, hosted by Al Forbes.

Click the logo for more details.

To view the other entries in this challenge, click the blue frog.