Written for Pancreatic Cancer UK, to fundraise and help raise awareness of this awful illness after losing my dad in November 2020.

Today is Remembrance Sunday, last year it was the 8th November the day we lost my dad.  Possibly when I should have been silent, I was holding his hand and reading him my Western Gunslinger story that I wrote for the the ‘Writers Unite Western Anthology’.  I will not know in this life what he thought of it, and if you have read it, you will understand there were parts I had to skip over.  He groaned as I finished it. so I’m assuming he heard it and I’m hoping he didn’t mind me reading it to him.  November is always going to be a difficult month and I will never forget this terrible day.

Written from Writers Unite! photo prompt

Spaghetti

What is it about pasta?  So much of us love it, its filling and can be added to so many meals.  My brother is picky with his food, but his favourite meal is Spaghetti Bolognese.  The protein, carbohydrate and tomato mixture which for many of us ends smeared over our faces.

Sitting here in a pasta restaurant waiting for a man I had never met before.  Internet dating, the question is, how many free dinners could I achieve before I meet someone I really like?  Till I meet the one.  Looking at the menu I have already decided against Spaghetti Bolognese, its too messy.

Sitting staring at my phone, wondering if I look alright, I see a man walking towards me.  After weeks of meals, I started planning to climb out of the bathroom window.  I had given up on Mollie and her promise to phone me if I texted ‘help’ a few dates ago.

Henry did not look like his profile picture.  He was maybe a few years older than his photo, but it was really him. Meeting complete strangers, I never know what to expect, and I’ve met too many internet idiots.

The date

As he smiles at me and nods, he sits down.  I feel my stomach lurch, well he seemed nice.  Waiting to see what he would order; I knew I was going to have the pasta and sauce, not spaghetti.  As he ordered a bottle of wine, I told myself that I need to relax.   I was shaking as he was doing his best to have a good evening with me.  Tongue tied I sensed that he wanted to climb out of the window this time.  Too many meals and too many dates, I think its time to give up.

Finishing our meal, I try and be friendly, but this is not going anywhere. Another failed date but another free dinner.  Saying goodbye, I know I will never see him again.   Getting into my car, I just want to get home.  Henry had already gone as I try to start the engine.  As the car shuddered, this day had just got worse.  Breaking down is not good but breaking down at gone eleven at night is worse.

Phoning the breakdown service, I think again about my rotten love life. The ‘one’ had to be out there somewhere.  Why could others find love online but not me?  An hour later I saw the headlights of a large lorry.  ‘Gerrys recovery service’ written on the side. Who the heck is Gerry?  I smiled as I thought of the cartoon with ‘Tom and Jerry’.  Approaching through the darkness was a tall man, winding my window down, I could see he wasn’t much older than me.

Josh

“Hello, I’m Josh, sorry it took me so long to get here.” Suddenly feeling brave I said,

“Well, you are here now” and smiled, my stomach was churning, he really was nice looking, but probably married.

“Can you just open the bonnet, and I will have a look.”  Pulling the lever, I now sat and waited.

“Okay the issue is more serious, and I will have to either take your car to the nearest garage or take you home.”  My heart sank, as I thought about work tomorrow.

“Well, it’s a bit late for the garage and I need to get home, so please take me home.”

“I’m going to tow your car, how about you get up in the cab.”  Maybe this evening was getting better.

Handsome Stranger

Sat next to another stranger, Josh was chatty and making jokes.  I was pleased now that I had broken down as this man seemed nice and more my type.  No ring on his finger was a good start.  Through the thirty-minute journey we discussed his evening, the breakdowns he had attended and the cold weather.  As we arrived home, he finally asked about my evening.   Telling him about my dating disasters he started to laugh.  I felt like I had known him longer than the short hour that I had.  This had to mean something.  As I told him about climbing out of the restaurant window, he asked me a question which I was not expecting.

“Do you like Spaghetti Bolognese?”

“Yes, but not in public and certainly not on a date, it’s too messy.”

Josh smiled kindly,

“So, when I take you out tomorrow, I won’t take you to the Italian.”

Now becoming nervous, had this handsome man just asked me out?

“Well, you can, but you are picking me up, and preferably not in Gerry’s breakdown van.”

“I have your mobile number right here, how about I pick you up at 8.00? Is that okay?”

“I will see you then but no climbing out of bathroom windows,” I laughed.

“Who, says we are going to a restaurant?  It will be a surprise.”

Home

Smiling I now opened his van door and watched as he detached my car from the tow.

“Tomorrow, phone ‘Teds Garage’ and mention me.  Ted will send someone to tow your car to his garage.  He should be able to fix it.  I will see you tomorrow evening.”

Watching him leave, I smiled to myself, too many disastrous dates and I had now met Josh. Is he the one?  I will just have to wait and see.

Here is my fundraising page  if you would like to donate.  Any size donation is appreciated.

Written for A story a day for Pancreatic Cancer UK

Written for Pancreatic Cancer UK,, to fundraise and raise awareness of this terrible illness after losing my dad, November 2020

part 5 of 5

Poisonous plants

Watching the faces around the fire, Joe observes the Shadow and his reaction to the children. Thirty now trapped in his presence. He appears smug, he thinks he has won, but he hasn’t.  They might be a group of children, but they are strong together.

Yan was an expert in botany, it was his hobby, and the Shadow was oblivious to the plants that surrounded him.  The idea of poisoning the Shadow seemed a wise one and their weapon was prosperous.  All around them with its white flowers grew Water Hemlock, they could beat him.

Billy had started making harmless cocktails and giving them to the Shadow.  He was drinking them like he is a king and Billy his loyal servant.   All they needed to do was mix in the Water Hemlock and they can escape.   Tomorrow they would put their plan in place.  They had already practiced all holding hands in a row, he won’t suspect a thing.

The plan

Drink prepared, Strawberry, blackberry, cherry, mashed daisy, mashed daffodil, blackcurrant and finally Water Hemlock.  Billy carefully walked it to the Shadow, trying not to show his fear, he desperately wanted to go home.

As the children played again their rehearsed game of all holding hands, the Shadow started to cough and splutter, the hemlock had worked.  Then gasping for breath, and shaking he turned from man to shadow.   Joe did not expect this, he had expected a full human reaction, but he is not human. As the children stood dancing together the Shadow vanished.  Was he gone? Or had he just gone somewhere else?

“Come on kids this is it, who wants to go home?”

Standing in a row, Joe could see his garden through the tracing paper like film.

“Okay, all follow me, and all hold on tight.”

Joseph

The children have been missing weeks now.  Hannah kept telling me to not worry. How do you trust that your nine-year-old knows that her brother is alright?  Especially when I have held her sobbing for him.

The only solace I have found is in my garden. Pulling out the weeds has been cathartic, the effort to pull and the reward of a clear flower bed.  The garden looks better than it has in years.

As I sit watching a frog sitting on my small pond, I hear cries and shouts from behind me.  As if they are appearing out of the sky my garden is suddenly full of children.

“Mum.”

Leading the merry band was Joseph.  Hannah was right he was playing the hero, but how did they literally just walk out of the sky?

Joe and Hannah won’t tell me the full story.  They say they can’t, Jamie still thinks the shadow person he saw is to blame.  I’ve never believed in the supernatural but how else can children walking out of the sky be explained?

The school is now full again and things are getting back to normal, however there are rumours of a shadow.  The older children won’t talk about him but some reception children have drawn him.   I hope that whatever the children did to get away from him put an end to his plans.

We are all together again and we can now get on with being a family and not live in fear of the children disappearing.

Loss is horrible, I lost Joseph for a few weeks, I know that I’m lucky to have him home.

Here is my fundraising page, if you would like to donate.  Any size donation is appreciated.

Written for A story a day for Pancreatic Cancer UK

Written for  Pancreatic Cancer UK – , raising awareness and fundraising after losing my dad to this terrible illness, November 2020.

Part 4 of 5

Joseph

After seeing all his friends leave, Joseph knew he had to do something.  They had been lulled into believing in a better place.   The shadow man was a Peter Pan figure taking them away to the Neverland.  He had to do something, he couldn’t tell a grown up or his friends will get hurt. He needed to make the conscious act of going with the shadow man and somehow bring his friend’s home.  Thinking of Hannah, he knew he should tell her, but realised that she would want to go instead of him.  His sister was brave, but this needed to be him, not her.

Sitting up in bed he waited for his night-time visitor, as the clock hits midnight the Shadow man always comes. Watching the hands as time ticks on, he feels nervous, scared that he wouldn’t be able to get home.  Knowing that he needs to focus on his mission he felt sick as the shadow descended.

Asking the man to take him to the ‘better place’ he took his hand.  Feeling a clammy sensation, the world around him changed, seeing all his friends a surge of excitement filled him.  They were all happy, all smiling, he knew he must bring them home but how? The world around him was beautiful but there appeared to be a tracing paper thick film around it.  He could see his garden, see his home in darkness.  Could he just walk through the tracing paper screen to home?

The better place

Feeling a sense of calm he observed his friends, they were talking and eating.  There was no sense of missing home or families.   Rosie and Billy were looking at him and pointing.  The shadow man was now a sturdy thick set character.  In this world he is more man than shadow.

“Joe, you made it, come and join us”.

“Rosie, what is this place?”

“Follow me.’

Walking away from the group, the land became grimmer. There were children sat along the path, no longer laughing.

“We need to be away from the shadow.” She said quietly, “he is dangerous”.

The Cave

Reaching a steep ravine, we climbed down slowly.  At the bottom the rocky landscape opened up to a large cave.

“He doesn’t come here, and we need to talk.  Things were meant to be good here, but they aren’t.  Billy asked to go home, he got angry with him.  The Shadow has a plan, all of us are trapped here.  This cave is the best place I’ve found to be away from him. “

“When I arrived, I could see my home through a strange film.  Can’t I just walk back through it?”

“Joe, I haven’t seen anything like that.  I just see this place. Why did you come?

“I came to rescue everyone.”

“So, you didn’t come to stay at the better place like I did.”

“No, I need to get home and so does every child here.  All the parents are devastated.”

A need for a plan

Rosie thought for a moment.

“Every child here wants to leave, but we need to stop the Shadow from crossing back to our world and bringing others over.  How can we stop him?”

“He’s not human, is he?”

“He seems to be here, can we overpower him?”

Joe thought for a moment, the Shadow is a thickset man.  This is going to need a well put together plan to either disable or kill him.

“Are we the oldest here?”

“Yan is the oldest, he is fifteen.”

“How big is Yan?”

“He is my mum’s height, he might have more chance of bringing him down.”

“Rosie, what I’m wondering is, if we all joined hands, would I be able to walk everyone back home? We need to stop the Shadow.  As we are all children and the youngest maybe toddlers, we need a well thought out plan.”

“We need to talk to Yan.  He might have friends here who can help.  We also need to make sure that we rescue every child.”

“We could poison him, leave him here and no one will find his body as they can’t cross over.”

“Rosie where actually are we?”

“I think it’s a parallel world, all designed by the Shadow.”

“Okay, we are only eleven, but we are going to get home, we have to!”

Written for A story a day for Pancreatic Cancer UK

Here is my fundraising page, if you would like to donate.  Any size donation is appreciated.