Frozen in place at the end of the board, too scared to jump, too embarrassed to turn back.
In years to come it would feel like this moment encompassed two thirds of Tina’s childhood rather than approximately forty five seconds one Saturday afternoon when she was eight.
___________
Notes:
1. Written on July 7th, 2023
__________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.
__________
Notes:
1. Written on July 5th, 2023
__________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.
__________
Notes:
1. Written between the 11th and the 14th of July, 2023
__________
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
_________
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
“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.
__________
Notes:
1. Written on June 22nd, 2023
2. Previously, in reading news