Carib Islands 1778 The plague had transformed the routine of the plantation from one of hard work, beatings and sweat to a silent and weary charnel house. The few who could move shuffled to the creek to fetch tepid water that they would mix with meal flour to make a dull grey porridge; that was…
The window in Lake Como
The window in the bedroom overlooked the town of Varenna and when the mist lifted off the lake she could see Menaggio and from there she would take the train to Dongo. This is where the war had ended and she wanted to see the fascists hanging, they who had taken away her youth, her…
A better interpretation of Art!
Colonel and Mrs A. H Kelly, Egypt 1938 with my father James I never knew my paternal grandfather. A professional soldier and Colonel of his Regiment, he died in 1960 following complications from injuries sustained when he was shot by a machine gun storming a position in Fallujah, Iraq in 1943. So nothing changes in…
Art
The metal door on the dirty white villa in Al Tafardi Street was sun beaten, any paint had long since faded and only rust seemed to be keeping it on its hinges. A bolt with a large brass padlock ensured that the inquisitive would keep away and not try to explore into what lay behind.…
Packing up
Tea was served every afternoon at four-thirty. This was when the Gezira Club garden never seemed to be crowded and the tables free as members drifted into the bar. The bul-bul birds with their black purple feathers skirmished through the palm leaves, snapping and twirling in the warm air. Cats, thin and skinny, exhausted by…
River Congo, Yalla Sullah Camp, 1888
Play this sound track with the story. July 10th 1888 Dearest Lady Julia, I am not sure that I can stand much more of this country. You wouldn't recogonise me at all. I am as brown as the mahogany trees that encircle this small landing and my clothes, well, they are worn thin…
Space
Jacob pressed himself into the space deep hewn into the granite cliffs beneath the castle walls, he was panting and heavy with tiredness. The stone corridor was clammy, loose sharp stones unbalanced his step. Dank moss hung onto life in every crevice breathing in the damp winds that blew in from the moor. He ducked…
The Colonel (part 8)
Diana let herself in by the front door, picked up the letters and without a care skipped down to the kitchen where Miss Simms was clucking and fussing as she normally did. The chopping board was red with chicken blood and feathers were strewn around the floor. Aga Jhan had become useful in the…
The Colonel (part 7)
Diana was agitated and confused. Her plans for teaching had been abandoned. Coming home from India, she had returned empty handed as it was described for those of the fishing fleet looking for husbands. She had spent a few months in dull company, in hill stations with ruddy faced planters with grabbing hands. Some had…
The Colonel (part 6)
This follows from The Colonel (part 5) Diana 1944 Henry awoke feeling stiff and cold. The fire was just grey embers and there was a red heart of a dying log that waited for a kick that would spread sparks into a life of flame again. He was thinking of India, the early mist…
