Shortage

Everyone had gathered on the wave breaker wall, squabbling over space whilst the sea rushed across sand and shells in the background.

‘Quiet! Quiet!’ Storm screeched.

With some gibbering, the gulls hushed.

‘Right, we all know the problem; lack of food!’

‘Aye! Aye! Cor! Cor!’ the gulls cried.

‘So,’ Storm hollered, ‘we need to move inland!’

‘Aye! Cor! Cor! Aye!’

There was a squall as the gulls all spoke at once, ‘Chips, ice cream, fish! Bread, meat! Sweet fluff cloud, sticky things, chocolate!’

Storm flapped his large grey and black tipped wings and let out a massive scream to silence the chatting.

‘Right troops,’ he spoke once they were quiet enough, ‘let’s go find the humans!’

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Uroboros #AtoZChallenge

Uroboros – a circular symbol depicting a snake or dragon swallowing its tail, intended as an emblem of wholeness or infinity.

The strange bracelet flashed in the sunlight behind the charity shop’s window display. It was a worn bronze coloured snake with a detailed pattern on the scales eating it’s own tail. There was a little prize tag attached but it was turned over to tactically hide the price.

I went in and asked to see the snake bracelet. The old woman nodded and moved like molasses down a wall. Forever later, the bracelet was in my hand then on my wrist. I looked at the price tag and paid a crisp five pound note to the woman.

With the weight against my skin, I went back to gathering my shopping from the high street. There was a new supermarket at the end of the road but I loathed all the noise and people. Plus, I knew each owner of the shops I visited and enjoyed my weekly chats with them.

Back home, I had gotten use to the bracelet so I partly forgot about it. The rest of my day was normal gardening and selling a few of my plants and ornaments. I give my birds that lived in large cages outside more food and water, sometimes I sold some of them but it was hard to part with them.

In the evening glow, I had a light dinner then read until it grew cold. Back inside and getting ready for bed, I felt a heat on my wrist. I looked and saw the bronze snake bracelet. The black eye was staring up at me and I felt as if I was being judged. I took the thing off and left it by the bathroom sink.

That night I dreamt of snakes. They were curling around and around, trying to catch their tails. When their tails got into their mouths they began eating themselves.

I awoke in a warm sweat, slightly panicked in the darkness. I turned on the light, got up and went to have a drink of water. I looked on the edge of the sink but the bracelet wasn’t there. I looked on the floor and wandered around the bathroom and then I spotted the snake on my wrist.

How had that happened?

I tried to take the bracelet off again but couldn’t. The thing was stuck fast to my skin. I got soap and hot water and tried to get the snake off that way. But the old trick didn’t work. Drying my hands, I want back to bed and decided not to think about it.

The dreams didn’t stop and came to me night after night. The snakes chased their tails and once caught ate themselves. The bracelet stayed stuck to my wrist and wouldn’t budge no matter what I did.

(Inspired by; http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com)

Read

I opened my book, slipped the leather marker out of the pages and looked at the chapter heading. Straight away I remembered where I was up to and eagerly began reading.

The phone rang. I looked up and listened to the shrill tone. Abandoned my book with a sign, I got up to answer it.

‘Hello?’ a man’s voice with an Indian accent asked, ‘I’m calling from your internet provider. We are going to cut your internet off.’

‘I don’t have the internet,’ I answered.

‘You don’t?’

‘I’m eighty-eight! I’ve no interested in such things!’

He hung up.

I put the phone down and went back to my favourite armchair. I curled up again and picked up my book. Where was I? Even without my bookmark jammed in between the pages, I could easily tell.

I begin reading again. I got through a few pages but then the door bell rang.

I rolled my eyes and got up. It was a delivery man asking me to take a parcel in for next door. That all sorted, I got back to my book.

I only had a few chapters to go and I really wanted to know if the soon to be married young lovers would discover they were actually brother and sister!

The sound of crows crying loudly, brought my head up. I looked out the window and saw two crows fighting over the bird food I had put out yesterday. They were having a right go at each other.

I wasn’t a fan of big birds, so I went out and scared them off. I waved one of the walking sticks at them and the crows got the message. Black wings beat loudly and flew over the fence. I looked at the darkening sky. It was going to rain soon and it was getting colder.

I went back in, heard the clock chime and realised it was almost time for something to eat. I put one of the frozen ready meals in the oven and whilst it cooked I made and lit the fire.

The crackling of the flames on the logs and the smell of fragrant smoke were comforting.

I eased back into the armchair and began reading again.

The timer went off and I had my meal. After I got a cup of tea and tried once again to finish my book.

The door bell went – next door come to get their parcel.

The phone rang – my daughter checking up on me. Reminding me about the trip to the garden centre tomorrow.

The fire needed other few logs.

I drank my tea, read my book and finally relaxed as it was night now and nobody would disturb me. I could finally finish!

Or not….two chapter to go and lulled by the fire, I fell sleep.

Autumn Stores

The squirrels were stealing nuts I’d put out for birds then burying them around my garden as a winter storage.

Robirds #TwitteringTales

Opening my window, I smoked my first cig of the morning. The cages strung between apartment blocks were filled with brightly colored, noisy birds. As a child, I’d thought them real and tried to set them free but there were no animals and those birds are robots.

 

(Inspired by; https://katmyrman.com/2019/03/26/twittering-tales-129-26-march-2019/ with thanks).

Bobbin’ Robin #3LineTales

When snow fell, Davy put out extra food for the birds, he felt sorry they had to search bare tree branches and frozen ground. Today, the robin came and Davy enjoyed watching him hopping about and chasing other birds away. Davy thought; it’s the simple things in life that make it all worthwhile.    

(Inspired by; https://only100words.xyz/2019/01/31/three-line-tales-week-157/ with thanks).

 

 

The Bird House #TwittingTales

The birds were flocking around the house like they had done every morning now. I stopped my delivery bike, newspaper still in hand and wondered what was going on. Walking into the back garden, clouds of birds wheeling, I saw why. There was a dead body on the lawn.

(Inspired by; https://katmyrman.com/2018/10/23/twittering-tales-107-23-october-2018/ with thanks).

 

 

Crow Song #FirstLineFriday

It sounded like birds were being murdered, the noise of their cries was that loud. I opened the blinds on the kitchen window which looked out onto the back garden. There on the lawn were four large crows fighting each other.

I had no idea what to make of it, other then they were fighting over food. It was too late in autumn for them to be mating. I knew nothing of birds though, nor put any food out for them. I was aware my neighbours did though, so perhaps that’s why they were attracted to my garden?

A half reminded, old poem came into my mind; one for sorrow, two for mirth or joy, three for a boy and four for a girl. Wasn’t that how it went? I couldn’t remember, it was something grandma sung. It didn’t matter.

I didn’t like the birds fighting out there and making all that noise. I went to the back door, calling my cat as I did so. He was old and lazy now but the sight of him might spook the birds into flight. I unlocked and opened the door, the cat came slowly towards me.

We stepped out almost together and the birds saw us both. Their horrible calling screeched upwards as if they were unhappy to be disturbed from their argument. One of them took flight, large black wings beating and the others quickly followed.

‘Make sure they don’t come back,’ I told the cat, ‘damn birds.’

I hobbled back inside, my knees aching and my chest heaving. It had been worth the pain to stop that racket. I settled into my arm chair, relaxing into the peace. I shut my eyes and began to drift off, exhausted all ready.

A tap tap on the window, stirred me. I didn’t want to awake but it could be important. The nurse coming to check up on me or my daughter visiting. I opened my eyes, moved my almost ninety year old body and looked towards the front window where the tapping sound was continuing.

A large crow was sat on the window sill outside, tapping it’s sharp beck against the glass.

 

 

(Inspired by; https://mindlovemiserysmenagerie.wordpress.com/2018/10/12/first-line-friday-october-11th-2018/ with thanks).

Wings #WritePhoto

It was too hot to do anything but Rose had to stay out of the way. She sighed and flopped down in the wild meadow that ended the decorative hedged gardens. After Rose’s morning lessons and lunch, her maid had sent her outside to ‘play’, giving her a strict warning about not coming back until supper time.

Rose looked back in the direction of home but she couldn’t even see the chimneys from here as the tall trees hide them away. Everyone at the manor house was busy preparing for the ball this evening which she wasn’t invited to being ‘just a child’.

Rose knew when she got back she would have a simple supper in her day room then her maid would put her to bed. The sounds of the musicians playing, the guests’ voices, the cars and horse drawn carriages at the front door would drift into her room and keep her up all night.  She would try and sneak down as people started arriving, Rose decided. She liked to see the ladies in their huge ball gowns and the men in their black suits.

The flapping of loud wings and a large bird rising in the air, broke Rose’s line of thought. It looked like a hawk or some other bird of prey but she wasn’t sure. The bird flew over the meadow then towards the house. Rose wonder what it was like to be a bird as she dozed off.

Rose dreamed she was at the ball, wearing a dress made of bird feathers. She was dancing and drinking from the pretty wine glasses. The french doors were open, she went out, the dress transforming around her so that wings grew from her back. She took off and flew up to the starry sky and moon, the guests below gasping at her. Then she was falling, the sky seeming to move higher away and the ground rising to meet her.

Rose’s eyes snapped open and she rose up from the tall grass, looking around confused. The warm breeze on her face, the smell of flowers, the buzzing of the honey bees and singing of the birds, caused her to remember where she was. She rubbed her face, wondering what time it was.

Getting up, she walked back into the gardens and into the one where a proud bronze sun dial sat. The head garden’s boy had taught her how to tell the time from were the shadow lay. It seemed to be close enough to supper time to start walking back to the house. Still, sleepy and shook up from the dream, Rose wandered way back, thinking that maybe she wouldn’t sneak into the ball.

 

(Inspired by; https://scvincent.com/2018/06/24/new-photo-prompt-wings-and-last-weeks-beginnings-round-up-writephoto/ with thanks).

Egg #TwitteringTales

The egg shell lay abandoned on the grass. I wondered if the baby bird had survived. I hoped it was and safe in a nest somewhere. The likelihood was that some animal had snatched the egg and eaten it. I walked away, never knowing the answer.

(Inspired by; https://katmyrman.com/2018/06/19/twittering-tales-89-19-june-2018/ with thanks).