Tales From The Town #127: Projection

It was the greatest story ever told. Love, death, heroism, villainy, selflessness, satisfaction. Even a joke now and then, and some dancing too. Everything was up there on the screen, depths and layers you could stare into and see whatever it was you wanted to, needed to, hoped to, dared to, like a magic mirror, or a wishing pool, or an old album full of photos redolent of things greater than were ever really true at the time.

The projector caught fire half an hour in and no one ever saw the end.

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Notes:

1. Written on July 5th, 2023

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Tales From The Town #126: The Circus (An Ethel A To Z)

A Day Out – The others said it was cheating to use this for A but I don’t care what they say.

Big Wheel – It went round and around until we got on and then it stopped. Everyone blamed Claire except Claire, who blamed everyone except Claire.

Candy Floss – Mum said we wouldn’t like this and she was right!

Dagger Throwing – We are NEVER allowed to do this at home.

Eggs (Pickled) – “It’s not a picnic without pickled eggs” says Mum (and no one else).

Fortune Teller – Apparently Tina’s going to get married! To a boy!

Gargantuan – What an amazing word. “The circus was gargantuan!”

Horror (House Of) – Daniel had a nose bleed in here.

Idiots (AKA Clowns) – They grow their faces in jars. Maybe they should keep them there.

Jugglers – Mum hates jugglers but will never tell us why. She wouldn’t let them teach us anything. We weren’t even allowed to watch.

King – Tina said he wasn’t the real King but then why was he wearing a crown?

Lady Luck – She told us we’d win but we didn’t win a thing (except for Daniel but he was cheating). Never trust Lady Luck!

Mirrors (Hall Of) – This made Claire absolutely furious!

Night – It was day when we went in, but night when we came out. I said this was magical and Mum agreed but then Claire said it was just the passing of time and she stamped in a puddle to prove it. (I still thought it was magical!)

Oracle – Apparently Tina’s going to get married! To a different boy!

Pennies – I found four and Tina found three but Claire and Daniel found EIGHT! But then I found a pound so who won really? (Claire and Daniel did it was a draw).

Queen – Tina said she wasn’t the real Queen but then why was she drinking all that tea?

Robots – Supposedly these aren’t “traditional”. But they were the best bit!

Selkie – Basically a mermaid. It’s a good thing Dad wasn’t here or he’d have gone all weird again.

Taffy – Mum said we wouldn’t like this and she was wrong!

Unicyclists – (see Jugglers)

Vampire – Mum said he wasn’t a vampire he was the ringmaster but he was definitely a vampire you could tell it was obvious.

Water – £5

Xtremely Unfunny – We didn’t laugh once (not even Daniel).

Y – Good question!

Zebras – There were some horses and that was as close as we ever got to a Z.

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Notes:

1. Written between the 11th and the 14th of July, 2023

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Tales From Beyond The Town: Pocket Editions #16-#21

I had six different colours of card. So I made six different tiny tales.

*****

Pocket Tales #16: Tales From The Sea

Carousel

The circus was washed away in a storm. Now the horses only turn with the tides.

Clowns

But at least the clowns no longer laugh.

Vents

Everyone liked the word ‘vents’

*****

Pocket Tales #17: Tales From The Beach

Instead of buckets, paper bags, But the spades were still plastic.

View From Above

You cannot escape the watchful drones

Beak

The gulls were not amused

*****

Pocket Tales #18: Tales From The Fields

In the long grass
the cat
dreams it was a lion

Barrows

Waves of earth
two thousand years old
full of bones older still

Dandelions

They float
They are lighter than air

Slow Worm

It snakes, despite itself

*****

Pocket Tales #19: Tales From The Woods

From above everything looks green.
But when you’re in it, it’s brown in every direction

The Walls In The Woods

Everyone loves the walls in the woods
Old boundaries between forgotten kingdoms
Identities and purposes no longer known

Bole

A beautiful word for a beautiful a thing

Above/Below

There is no difference
between the above and below

*****

Pocket Tales #20: Tales From Mars

*****

Pocket Tales #21: Tales From The Candle Flame

Look into me
and think
and wish
and wait

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Notes:

1. Tales From The Sea was written between the 16th and the 19th of June, 2023 (mainly due to drawing all those jellyfish)
2. Tales From The Beach was written on August 3rd, 2023
3. And the other four were written on September 4th, 2023
4. Previous Pocket Tales can be found here: #1-#4, #5-#9, #10-#12, #13-#15
5. If you want to chart their steady decline

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If you like the things you've read here please consider subscribing to my patreon or my ko-fi.

Patreon subscribers get not just early access to content and also the occasional gift, but also my eternal gratitude. Which I'm not sure is very useful, but is certainly very real.

(Ko-fi contributors probably only get the gratitude I'm afraid, but please get in touch if you want more).

Thank you!


Tales From The Town #125: A Reading (or, Resilience Training)

“The sun shone sleekly through a silver sky,” Tina said, as she stood steadily on the stage (a chair).

“Booooooo!” Claire shouted out from the back of the room. “BOOOOOOOOOOO!”

“The moon mellowed meekly above a murmuring meadow,” Tina muttered, immovably.

“Awful,” Ethel heckled. “Just awful! You’re awful, Tina! You should be ashamed!”

“The rocket reflected repetitively as it rotated around the revolving rarity,” Tina roared, resolutely resilient to the rising reproval from the rowdy rabble.

“Rarity is another word for anomaly,” she added belatedly when there was silence from below.

“Best poem ever,” Daniel swooned. He clapped enthusiastically and then continued clapping enthusiastically for quite some time. “I love it! More! More!”

Tina ran crying from the stage.

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Notes:

1. Written on June 22nd, 2023
2. Previously, in reading news

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Patreon subscribers get not just early access to content and also the occasional gift, but also my eternal gratitude. Which I'm not sure is very useful, but is certainly very real.

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Thank you!


Tales From The Town #124: Jellyfish

Have you ever wondered what a jellyfish thinks? Because a jellyfish hasn’t

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Notes:

1. Written on July 4th, 2023

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Support An Accumulation Of Things

If you like the things you've read here please consider subscribing to my patreon or my ko-fi.

Patreon subscribers get not just early access to content and also the occasional gift, but also my eternal gratitude. Which I'm not sure is very useful, but is certainly very real.

(Ko-fi contributors probably only get the gratitude I'm afraid, but please get in touch if you want more).

Thank you!