Nice sunny morning for us to recount our stories although low in numbers. Sue voted the best story.

"The Text" 26/6/17

The text of the sermon was "Love thy neighbour".

"Huh," thought Mary, "In the wider context that may be very well, but when it comes to actual neighbours, then that's a very different kettle of fish." The voice of the minister, Reverend Dave, as he liked to be called, began to fade into her distant consciousness, as she sourly contemplated her immediate neighbours.

Tolldene was a sleepy village at the foot of the Downs and had always been a delightful place to live, with most residents spending the rest of their lives there once they had discovered it.  Sadly, the local youngsters beat a hasty retreat once they were independent enough to do so, but that was natural.  Then everything changed, as far as Mary was concerned, when the Waymans arrived.

They had drawn up on the grass outside the cottage next door and started to spill out, first Mum and Dad, then the children.  Mary, who just happened to be in her front garden, watched open-mouthed.  They came tumbling out, tall and short, chubby and skinny, and she counted six of them, including a very grubby and chubby baby in the arms of its older sister.  To add to the chaos, three dogs followed, a couple of lurcher types with shaggy grey coats and lastly a bundle of energy, a Jack Russell, which ran round and round the whole group barking excitedly.  The most astonishing thing of all, though, was that their mode of transport was an old gypsy caravan pulled by a sturdy grey mare!

Mary rushed out of her gate, waving her arms in the air and calling, " No, no, no, you can't stop there, that's a private house and the new owners are due to arrive any day now!"

The big, shaggy man turned towards her and beamed, "Don't worry about that, love, we ARE the new owners and, as soon as the rest of our stuff has come, we'll put Danny and the rig away off the road.  There's plenty of room for him in the barn and paddock, and the vardo will look grand in the garden.  I'm Bill Wayman, by the way, and this is my wife, Lizzie.  I won't introduce the children as they're a tad difficult to remember at first, but you'll soon get to know them."  He stuck out a large brown hand and pumped Mary's vigorously up and down, beaming all the time.  Lizzie duly did the same and Mary whispered feebly, "How do you do," before retreating hastily to her kitchen.

A period of what could only be described as utter chaos ensued, for as the days passed a procession of vehicles of every shape and size pulled into the drive next door and, amid much shouting, laughing and joking, offloaded their cargo.

Finally they seemed to have assimilated everything into the large rambling cottage and relative peace ensued.  Mary remained very nervous, though, especially when various children knocked at her back door and asked whether she was all right, or whether she would come over for a cup of tea.  She always said she was just going out, politely, and firmly shut the door.

Mary walked slowly back from church, wondering what today would bring, and started preparing her solitary lunch.  Her mind must have been miles away, because suddenly the knife slipped and sliced deeply into her wrist.  Blood spurted out all over her and the work surface.  She slapped her other hand over her wrist and turned too quickly, suddenly felt giddy, and crashed to the floor, hitting her head as she fell.

The next thing she knew was a soothing voice saying, "Rest easy, my love, an ambulance is on its way and I'm just keeping your hand up in the air."  Lizzie knelt beside Mary and reassured her until the ambulance arrived and whisked her away.

After her wrist had been stitched and she had spent a night in hospital, just to make sure she was okay, she prepared to call a taxi.  Before she could even lift the receiver, a cheerful voice behind her said, "Are you ready to go, love, the car's outside," and Bill steered Mary out to Lizzie, who was waiting beside a gleaming Jaguar.  Mary's mouth dropped open in surprise and Bill and Lizzie roared with laughter.  "It's okay, love, we know what you thought, but we are perfectly ordinary people who just love to play gypsy sometimes.  We'll get on famously, don't worry yourself about that."

And they did!

Next month   "Her suggestion"  24th July Chez Nous

Lots of discussion and several good stories but overwhelmingly Pat's was chosen as the best.

Next month at Sue's

The Text

The Spider's Web

It was Lorraine's first day at work. She was sixteen and had managed to get a Saturday job at the local shop, Jenkins. She had also negotiated a Saturday off for her sister's wedding the following month. Being shy, this was a major step for her.

Her supervisor showed her around and introduced her to her workmates. Oh, she felt so grown up. During the lunch breaks they were one short, so they had to be on their toes as Jenkins was well know for its excellent customer service. Lorraine's department sold beautiful costume jewellery and expensive watches.

While paying close attention as a sales lady showed watches to a young man, she saw him pick up two but only return one. Lorraine couldn't believe her eyes. At that moment he looked directly at her with a grin on his face. Then he said he was going to walk around and think about it, She was shaking...had he really stolen it? Going over to the saleslady she asked if everything was alright, but then another customer wanted her attention so they were unable to speak. Turning back, she froze as she came face to face with the young man. He whispered in her ear " If you say anything I will be waiting for you tonight". He had that silly smile on his face which by now, she found terrifying.

At home her mother and sister thought she was rather quiet, but put it down to the new job. Besides they were consumed with the wedding plans. Lorraine said nothing and began to doubt herself. Had it really happened?

The wedding day dawned and it was a lovely soft English summer day. She was happy in her fashionable bridesmaids dress and had perked up considerably. Her sister and new husband looked radiant, the meal was delicious, then the floor was cleared for dancing. It was all so wonderful. Later, extra guests appeared and, to Lorraine's horror, there was the "watchman". He must be a friend of her new broth-in-law. Lorraine shrank into herself, eyeing him with his lady friend from a distance. A little later she noticed the girlfriend go towards the ladies room and quickly followed not quite knowing why. The girl was combing her hair and the light caught the watch on her wrist. Lorraine said " oh, what a lovely watch, we sell those where I work" "Yes isn't it," the girl said " my boyfriend bought it for my birthday". Her hackles were rising as she said " I wonder if he purchased it in Jenkins ". No idea" said the girl as she left.

Back in the hall, Lorraine noticed the couple staring at her. Then the watchman was standing very close in front of her asking her to dance! What a cheek! By now she was angry and stood up,, her full height, looking him straight in the eyes said " no thank you, but I do like your girlfriends watch".He stared at her then slunk back to his seat. The anger she felt had given her new found courage. Then her old doubtful

feeling came over her, she felt as if she was weaving a spider's web..in which she was caught.

Her sister nearby, said "wow, what was that all about?" "Oh, nothing of importance" she replied. She couldn’t spoil her sister's big day with her problems. Then, a feeling of joy overcame her. She felt stronger and , yes, more grown up. Smiling to herself she noticed the two guests had quietly left. The spider's web was broken.

Occasionally, when there was something on her mind keeping her awake she wondered if the "watchman" would be at any future events. After all, he was a friend of her new brother-in-law. The web had not entirely been broken.

Ann Barnes voted best story for the April meeting.

Chucked It

Doug was sitting on the wall of the harbour in the sunshine watching the fishing boats coming in when someone spoke to him as they joined him.

“It sure is a quaint little place here. Are you a visitor or do you live here?” Doug turned and saw a loudly dressed man sitting there.

“I live here, but you must be on holiday.”

“Yes. My wife and I are over from the states. She had relatives who came from this part of the country and we thought it would be nice to pay it a visit. It looks a quiet sort of place, but I gather there must have been some sort of tragedy here some years back as we saw a memorial garden and hall. Do you know anything about it?”

“Oh yes, I’ll never forget it. I was only twelve at the time. It was back in 1952. It rained almost continuously for twenty-four hours. It simply chucked it down and over the night of the 15^th and 16^th August the water surged down from the moor and the two rivers converged in the valley and brought boulders and trees through the town destroying everything in it’s path. They reckon that 9” of rain fell in that period. The following morning my dad and I came down to see what had happened, as the noise during the night was terrible. I remember he had tears in his eyes as he gazed in despair at the sight before us. I could not believe what I was seeing. It was a total and utter disaster. Whole houses had been swept away and in one place where a row of houses once stood, there was just rubble. Nothing remained. More than one hundred buildings were destroyed or seriously damaged, including the chapel that was washed away. This harbour is the replacement for the one that was here then, as that went with all the fishing boats that were in it at the time. There were thirty odd cars washed about a quarter of a mile out to sea, so strong was the surge. It was horrendous. I will never forget the devastation we witnessed in the morning and I can’t describe the feeling of seeing the place I lived in lying in ruins. I think the hardest part was not knowing what had happened to the people living in those houses. We later learnt that thirty-four people lost their lives; most of them were our friends and neighbours. We joined the other men and boys and attempted to start the clear up, then heard that the army were being brought in to coordinate it, so later joined most of the men from the area helping them. It was hard and heartbreaking. I never thought I would ever see this place look like this again. For many years after I had panic attacks every time there was a big storm”. He looked around as he paused and took in the sight before him and sighed. “The memorial garden was built where the row of houses had been and the hall on the site of the old lifeboat station that was washed away. In 2002 on the 50^th anniversary of the flood, a memorial service was held and a wooden cross was erected in memory of the victims. It had been made by one of the survivors who was a boy at my school at the time and made from English oak from a local estate.”

The visitor was silent for a moment, then putting his hand over Doug’s said, “Thank you for telling me your story. I feel very humbled that you shared it with me. This place will be somewhere special in my memory now.”

This place is Lynmouth in Devon. I visited it with my parents the year after the disaster and although a lot of the damage had been repaired there were still scars to be seen, but it was hard to imagine how the East and West Lyn rivers gently running through the beautiful valley could have caused so much utter devastation.

Speculation has raged ever since that this tragedy was caused by secret experiments to artificially create rain. The Ministry of Defence denied this, but RAF servicemen have said they took part in experiments in the years leading up to the Lynmouth floods and there was a report uncovered about “cloud seeding” where salt was sprayed into the atmosphere. Again this was denied. So who knows, maybe in years to come something else will be uncovered and the truth will finally be out.

March 2017

Joan Read got the most votes .

A Total Surprise

Dr Joseph Cochin was a psychiatrist he had been practising in this country for many

years and had many patients but one stood out in his mind. Just recently he thought he might write a paper about some of the experiences he had heard from her changing her name of course, he would call her Hilda. She came in about 6 years ago with her mother at the time she was 8 years old. Her parents were worried because she had taken to having dreams that seemed strange because she would describe in detail places she had never been. He decided after much deliberation that with the mothers agreement he would hypnotise her. When she was asleep she started to talk "I once lived in a cave with my tribe the men used to go out into the forest hunting for wild boar and wolves when they returned with the meat the woman would cook it and then dry it ready for the winter. I was 14 when I was given to Ansgar which our elders said meant Spear of God as my name was Anahati wisdom and fertility they said we would make good strong babies for the tribe. Our first son Hagen (the highest son) was born when I was in my 15th year followed by Tad, Abner, Babak, Gaius and Maleko and one girl Maija this meant rebellious woman and I brought her up to be strong. Her brothers grew and were initiated into the tribe when they reached 10 years of age they were given a spear and sent out into the forest to kill a wild animal to prove that they were worthy of the tribe. Each time one went out I used to live in fear that something would happen and my fear came true when Gaius went they found his body half eaten in a ditch but he had been killed by another tribe before the animals got to him. I took his body and put it beside the prayer stone which stood near our valley. I think I must have died in my 30^th year because I can't remember any children being born to my sons. The second time she recalled living in a small cottage next to a watermill she said she was the youngest of seven her father was a miller the year was 1819 two of her brothers worked in the mines

George was a pusher and Fred a trapper. Three of her sisters were house maids Cyril

would have been eight but he died of cholera when he was two. She was lucky being the youngest she stayed home and helped her mother with the chores. Her father worked in the mill it was a hard life but they always had food on the table her mother used to tell everyone he was a good provider. He asked her if she knew the name of the village it was Great Grandchester. Dr Cochin firmly believed that she had indeed lived these previous lives because she described places that she had never been to. The village she related was now just Chester and the mill was still there. She was due to come in for

another session tomorrow and he was hoping that more information would come about that would help him prove his theory. The next day she arrived for her appointment after a short conversation with her parents when Dr Chochin asked if he could ask questions he hypnotised her. "Tell me where you are today It came as a Total Surprise when she replied" I am in church at the funeral of my father" Dr Chochin continued "What year is it" "2020" she replied. My god she is in the future he thought how can that be. "What is the name of the church" "St Marks in the village of Warrington after the funeral we are meeting at the local pub The Stags Head and you are welcome to join us"

Dr Chochin woke her up he did not know what to tell her parents so he said "Before we continue I would like to go back over my findings and we will make another

appointment" The next day he visited Warrington and The Stags Head both were there just as she had described them as was the church .He did not know what to do what could be say to her parents. He decided that he would omit certain facts from the report he would give them which he did telling them that he firmly believed that as she got older the dreams would stop and he prayed that the last one would not come true

February meeting

Only seven today.
All good stories mine was voted to be the best
Next month "A total surprise"

Staring out.

What is that noise? Emma's shrill voice woke up her sleeping husband George. George wasn't too pleased to be woken up from what had been a quite nice dream where he had been chatting up the new bar maid who had just started working in the local inn. I can't hear anything he said half rising himself up by his elbow. It's stopped now but it was a scuttling noise from the kitchen.

Get back to sleep most likely its from outside. No I'm going down to see what it is as Emma swung her legs over the side of the bed and switched on the bedside light. Oh alright hang on I'll go George struggled to free himself from the heaped blankets. Putting on his trousers and slippers he made his way to the door. I'll come with you Emma whispered.

Silently apart from Emma's teeth chattering with fright they both made their way downstairs.

George slowly opened the kitchen door and emboldened by no reaction he switched on the electric light. As he did so something flew from one side of the room to the other.

Jesus Christ George blasphemed what was that. What did you see Emma asked as she followed him into the room.

I don't know looked like a cat a black one.

Emma shook her head, I've never seen a black cat around here before she replied anyway how did it get in? I don't know perhaps when you put the bin bags out last thing.

Open the back door Emma I'll see if I can chase it out. George grabbed hold of the washing machine and pulled it out as far as he could He then got on his hands and knees and peered under the kitchen cupboards with the torch that was kept in case of a power cut. Now where are you pussy he said encouragingly Jesus he exclaimed and threw himself backwards A pair of malevolent shining eyes stared out at him. It's a rat he cried. As big as any cat. Emma shrieked and rushed out of the kitchen into the garden. George gathered his thoughts what could he do. He didn't fancy poking it with a stick the rat was big, big enough to attack him perhaps .

He could hear Emma talking to their neighbour who had come out on hearing the commotion. perhaps he might have an idea as he was a chap who was very practical and seemed to be able to solve any problem. He thought should he ring the police but no he would wait to see if Salvo his neighbour could come up with a suggestion.

A short while later Salvo turned up looking cheerful carrying a walking stick. George looked unimpressed “What you going to do with that, club it to death? I've already tried to get it out with a broom handle but it just retreats. You'll soon see, said Salvo confidently, bending down in the corner and pushing the walking stick forward. Suddenly George was deafened as the walking stick gun fired. There you are problem solved it's well and truly dead. Salvo triumphantly pulled back the gun and the dead rat. George looked on amazed but also concerned about the possible mess left behind and not only that he saw water was seeping out at the boiler end of the cupboards. Salvo you good at repairing burst pipes?

January meeting

Down in numbers just eight of us on a cold foggy morning in Sue's house. Sheila got the most votes.

Next month "Staring out"

MORE IMPORTANT

Jason was a kind and helpful boy.  He preferred the outdoor world and was very pleased when he, and his parents moved from the town to this village.  They had a lovely cottage overlooking the rolling countryside.  From most of their windows they had beautiful views of the hills covered with wild flowers and trees.  He loved it all from day one and got into a habit of going for walks after school. 

Sometimes his new friends from school showed him the local sights, places to play and walks in the nearby wood, but mostly he liked to explore on his own.  On one such walk he came across an elderly lady sitting on a fallen tree looking at the pretty fungus that was growing on it.  They chattered for a while and it became obvious that they both liked walking and watching the birds and seeing Nature at its best.  They bumped into each other frequently and he found out that her name was Mrs Lacey and since her husband died a couple of years ago she had been doing all the gardening on her own.  It wasn’t a very big garden she said but she really enjoyed the ‘pottering’.  

During the summer that Jason left school he still hadn’t decided what to do for a job.  He thought it was more important to do something out in the open, not being stuck in an office job somewhere.  He was telling Mrs Lacey this and she mentioned that lately arthritis in her hands were making it difficult for her to work in her garden, sooo, while he was deciding about a job would he please consider helping her a little bit in keeping it tidy?  He said yes, but he didn’t know much about gardening.  She said that she would tell him what to do.  He was a quick learner and soon could tell the flowers from the weeds.  He enjoyed planting out the little plants that they both raised from seed.  After a short while  he realized that this is what he wanted to do as a job.  

Mrs Lacey told him that if he was serious then he should do it properly and go to Agriculture College.  So he thought about it, then discussed it with the career officer, applied to the nearest college and was excited when he was accepted.  The college was near enough to stay at home, so at the weekends he was still able to do Mrs Lacey’s  garden.  After he qualified he got a job with the local council working in parks which he enjoyed immensely.  Over the years Mrs Lacey was his confident and knew all about his girlfriends, then one in particular who eventually he married.  Mrs Lacey,by this time, was getting quite frail and shortly after  Jason got married she died.  He was broken hearted.  She had been there for most of his life and he knew he would miss her terribly.  A few days later he received a letter from Mrs Lacey’s solicitor telling him that in her will she had left him her estate.  Not just the beloved garden, but the sweet little cottage that she had had so many happy years in.  When all the official stuff had been sorted out Jason and his bride moved in with the knowledge that hopefully they would have as long and happy a life as she’d had.  

November

Ten of us in J&S's on a sunny cold morning. All good stories and it was hard choosing the best one. Ann got the most votes.
Next month Sues's

More important.

Brought Him

As Paul sat in the car, he wondered what had brought him to this place. He was in one of forest car parks, a place he loved, but he had no recollection of the journey here and assumed he must have been on autopilot. He pondered on the last few months and the events that had brought this feeling about. Being made redundant from his job at the factory had been a blow, as now he and Lisa had Danny they needed every penny they could get. If the truth be known though, he had been quite relieved when it had happened. He was a country boy at heart and had never been comfortable working in the factory environment. He had tried getting another job in the weeks since but had more often than not never had a reply to his application. The tension had increased between him and Lisa and they seemed to spend more time arguing and disagreeing each day. This morning Lisa had informed him that she was taking Danny and going to spend some time with her parents in the next town and after another unsuccessful attempt at getting a job, he had got in the car and just driven. He wondered what was the use of trying to keep on, as things seemed to just go from bad to worse and found himself wondering if everyone would be better off without him. He wondered what would be the best way to end it all. He could take an overdose, but there was no guarantee it would succeed and he could end up a vegetable which would make things even worse. He certainly didn’t feel he had the courage to hang himself, desperate though he was. The only other option he could think of was to gas himself. He could come to one of the isolated car parks and do it, but it would have to be planned as he had no hose in the car today. The more he thought about it, the more convinced he became it was the answer.

Suddenly the knocking on the window brought him out of his reverie and he saw an elderly lady standing beside the car. He wound the window down and asked if there was something wrong. She was in quite a distressed state and explained that she had been walking her dog, when it had chased off after a squirrel. It must have jumped to try and catch it and fallen awkwardly and was now unable to get up and was crying out in pain. He quickly got out of the car and rushed with her, following the anguished cries of the distressed animal. He found this “Heinz” collie type dog struggling to get up to greet its mistress. Kneeling down he gently spoke and smoothed it and with the help of the lady picked it up and then carried it back to the car. Insisting on taking them to the vet, he settled them in the car and followed her instructions for the journey. Once there he waited while they attended to the animal and as they decided to keep it in overnight, he offered to take her home. On the way she was very quiet, but on arriving home, she asked if he would come in for a cup of tea. It seemed churlish to refuse, so he agreed. When they had settled down with a drink and homemade fruitcake, she said she hoped she had not interrupted him, as he had seemed deep in thought when she had knocked on the window. He replied that having recently lost his job and been unable to find another, he was trying to resolve the problem and was thinking over the options. She asked what he had done and on hearing that he had never really liked factory work, suggested he could now try for something he felt comfortable with. She told him he was obviously a caring person from the way he had dealt with the situation he had been put in today.

On returning to an empty house later, he thought long and hard about what she had said and the next day made enquiries about jobs at the local wildlife centre. He knew he would never make a fortune, but it would be something he would enjoy and maybe he could eventually go to agricultural college and get some qualifications. He called Lisa and said he was coming to bring her and Danny home, but on the way called in to find out how the dog was and thank his Good Samaritan for her wise words and tell her what he had done.