Author: Alexander Fawn

The two men sat on the wall eating sandwiches from their lunch containers.

That morning their respective wives had handed them these before they left for work. Although they each worked in different buildings they would occasionally meet up and keep each other company while they watched the passers-by.

The town square was busy with locals, out shopping or taking their own lunch breaks. They had been chatting idly for several minutes when one of them, the slightly older, stopped talking and stared across the square with glassy eyes.

The other prompted. “You OK?”

“Oh! Yes. Sorry. It just suddenly came back to me.” He was still gazing at something.

“What are you looking at?”

“No… nothing really. It was something…”

“Go on.”

“On that step over there. On the opposite side of the square. That’s where I saw her.”

The other nodded.

“She was a lot older than me of course, but she was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. She sat right there, reading a magazine. I guess you could say I was smitten.”

He chuckled softly.

“I had this compelling urge to go up to her and introduce myself or at least pretend I was lost or just needing directions to somewhere. I don’t know; anything I suppose.” He shook his head. “I didn’t, of course.”

He took a deep breath. “Anyway, when I came back a few minutes later, she was gone.” He shrugged. “The next day I made sure I was in the same place at the same time. I waited an age but she didn’t appear. I must have done that for days, no weeks! Just waiting for the chance to see her again.”

He fell silent, staring at the ground.

After a while, the other said, “And did you?”

He shook his head. “No. I never did.” A look of anguish came into his eyes.

The colleague said, “But why the sadness?”

The other touched his fingertips, counting. “She’d be going on for eighty now.”

Things had been quiet of late. He was a Technical Writer and on his way to catch up with an agency. It was one that often had suitable contract work on their books. There was nothing definite in the wind at the moment but he considered it did no harm to keep himself under their noses. So, this was nothing more than a catch up and a cup of coffee. If nothing else, it got him out of the house. He’d parked his car and was about to catch a bus that would take him from one end of the city to the other.

He had just found a window seat and was settling in when a man in a suit carrying a brief case jumped aboard as the bus pulled out. He stumbled through and flopped down, breathing heavily, next to the contractor. The contractor gave a congratulatory smile saying “Close call!” The suit smiled. “It was… I hate running for buses.” He took out a handkerchief and mopped his forehead. This brief interchange seemed to be a natural prompt and they continued to chat casually as the bus moved along the city’s busy main road. After a while the suit asked his fellow traveller what he did for a living.

The contractor inwardly cringed. He hated being asked that. He would tell people and they would say “Technical Writer? What’s that then? What exactly do you do? Is it like working for a newspaper? How do you get paid? Who do you report to? How do you become a Technical Writer?” The questions would just go on and on. He was sick of it. He’d just finished a contract, preparing documentation for a new water management scheme for an iron ore mine. He’d learned a lot about hydrology by working alongside an expert in the field. Very casually he said “I’m a Hydrologist; most of my work involves mine site expansions.” The other nodded. That seemed to satisfy him. The contractor smiled. How easy was that? There was something both mischievous and exciting about side-stepping all those inevitable questions. He was pleased with the thrill it gave him. They chatted on for a while.

Suddenly, the suit’s stop came up and he bounced out of his seat, hugging his case. “I didn’t ask” said the contractor, “what line are you in?”

“Oh! I’m an Account Manager.” he said, as he moved towards the door. “Spend most of my time trying to track down available Technical Writers. Good chatting. Bye.”

And he was gone.

He came home from work to find a mysterious parcel waiting for him.

It was a strange looking package. He really didn’t think the package was meant for him. The printing on the outside of the parcel was in a foreign language. He knew he hadn’t ordered anything like this, but everything on the label was right; name, house number and address. He thought about it for a while. If he wanted to send it back he couldn’t, there was no return address that he could see. It had no stamps to give him a clue about where it came from. If he took it into the Post Office they’d probably have the same problem and they wouldn’t think too kindly of him for giving it to them. He put it to one side while he thought about it some more.

Later that evening, he sat with it on his lap. He decided to open it to see what it was; naturally he was curious. There’d be no harm in opening it; after all, whatever it was, once opened he would have to dump it; he had no choice. He shook it but heard nothing. When he opened it up he was amazed to find it was a cardboard box containing a single T-Light. The package could easily have held a dozen, or even more. One small, black candle was all there was, packed in a mass of scrunched tissue, also black. It was just the regular size, which didn’t offer any explanation about why it had been packed in such a manner.

As far as he could tell, it was just a small black candle set in a pot of black glass with a black lid. He turned it over and found a faintly printed label underneath. The writing was too small to read and only one word was legible. It said ‘Diablo’. It meant nothing to him, although it sounded as if it could be foreign. He lifted the lid and sniffed at the wax but couldn’t detect any fragrance. It was a real puzzle to him how this strange thing had ended up in his dining room. He went to the kitchen and brought back a box of matches. He placed the T-Light on the table and lit it. Instantly, there was a pungent odour of sulphur. He imagined it was the match.

Minutes later, he was about to sit down with his paper when he heard a soft hissing noise. It seemed to be coming from the candle. He went back to it and found that as well as the sound a heavy smoke was drifting up from the flame but stopping half way to the ceiling. It was gradually forming a large, perfectly shaped ball of dark grey smoke. The sight of this had him trembling and at first he seemed powerless to move. He didn’t know what he was looking at but whatever it was, it couldn’t be good. He was about to move forward to snuff it out, when he was frozen by the image taking shape. Two large eyes were now peering out into the room. It seemed to be looking around before saying “You summoned my Master?”

He stood perfectly still while rolling his newspaper up behind his back. With one swift movement, and doing his best not to look into the eyes, he brought it down onto the candle hard with a great thump. A ghastly scream filled the room and the billow of smoke quickly faded away to nothing. He snapped on the lid.

He needed to sit quietly for a while. He made himself a cup of tea and did just that. The episode had left him badly shaken. He sat taking it all in for a long time. What in the world would you do with something that summons up the devil?

In his head, he started running through a variety of ways to get rid of the horrible thing. It could be weighed with a brick and dropped in a river. It could just be put in the rubbish bin. Or… an evil grin came over his face along with some devious thoughts. He could just sent it on! With this new notion, he now sat thinking of new possibilities. There was his mother-in-law for instance. But, no. Not his ex-wife’s mother. She wasn’t such a bad sort really; certainly a lot nicer than her daughter. What about the boss? No. It’s never been anything personal with him, he just gets paid to be nasty.

Of course, there’s the old guy from up the street who never returned his shovel. Over a year it’s been. Real nasty piece of work he is. Asked for it back three times. Last time he said he couldn’t remember borrowing it! He’s a mean old codger who lives on his own. Knowing him, this could be right up his street! A plan began to form in his mind. Doing it by hand could be risky. He could go to a post office in a nearby town where he wouldn’t be recognised. He could have it weighed, have the stamps put on it and simply walk away. He got to work. Everything got carefully wrapped back up and a new address label was glued on. Yes, he would do it tomorrow.

One thing’s for sure, he wouldn’t be asking for his shovel back!

With the tireless ticking of a clock,

The steady tocking of its heart.

No warping gear allows its falter.

Each moving cog plays its part.

–

An hour glass with its moving grains,

Particles sliding in a queue.

Sparkling specks are the sands of time,

A flowing cascade falling through.

Can time flow over or run short?

Is it moving fast or slow?

Will it respond to external needs?

Only an hour glass or clock would know.

–

Time is revered, time is neutral.

It isn’t long; it isn’t short.

Time is universally measured.

Time is all and time is naught.

–

Time is the start and the finish.

Time is growth and degeneration.

Time is birth and decay.

Time is progress and stagnation.

–

Retaining planets and the cosmos,

Pacing movements of machines.

Not to be manipulated.

Some may try, by any means.

–

Last time, next time any old time,

But no U-turns can be made.

Making time or spending time,

No bargaining or trade.

–

Time moves on but memories stay

Each must value their own time well.

Can we ever be free from the constraints of it?

Only time will tell.

He stood at the back door admiring the myriad of colours distributed around his garden.

He was an expert when it came to flowers. He looked at them now, some in ceramic pots sheltering under cover, but most set in flower beds. He had a free morning and could spend hours doing what he loved most. He changed into old clothes, put on gloves and took a spade from the shed. He chose his spot and started digging. After a few minutes, he was surprised at his shortness of breath. He then became aware of a cold sweat, followed by an uncomfortable pressure…

He slowly struggled to his feet, still feeling light-headed. He looked around and found that an elderly gentleman sat watching him. When he realised that it could be none other than God that was waving him forward, he cried “My garden! Oh! My poor garden!”

God smiled softly and said “Welcome my child. Tell me what is in your heart.”

“It’s my garden!” He blurted.

God pointed to another seat. “Sit and tell me more.”

The man sat silent for a while, composing himself. He began. “My lovely garden, you see? It will die in the heat we’ve been having. All my flowers, they will all die.” He took a breath. “I live on my own now you understand, and it’s an isolated area. My daughter doesn’t get back for two weeks. Everything will die!”

God smiled again. God saw the genuine fear in the man’s eyes.

“In that case,” said God, “I’ll have it rain every three days for the next fortnight. How would that be?”

A great sense of relief washed over the man, his whole posture relaxed, and he visibly brightened. Then he bowed his head and in a quiet voice said “Thank you.”

God lifted his hand and an Archangel appeared, took him gently by the hand, and led him away.

He was pottering around the garden, thinking about what she had said.

He had tried to cut down hadn’t he? He’d been trying to keep any thoughts of drinking out of his mind for over an hour now, but it just wasn’t working. He glanced back at the house. It was empty. She was shopping.

He went back inside and wandered from room to room aimlessly for a while. His mouth was dry and he needed a drink. His head was throbbing and he knew what he needed to make it stop. Regardless of all the advice he’d been getting, surely he knew what was best for him.

He stood looking up at the cupboard. He knew what was in there. He open it and stood staring in for a while. Finally, he sighed. “Oh! What the heck”. He grabbed a large mug, threw in a couple of tea bags and switched the kettle on.

The travelling salesmen often met up at the little café on the corner.

They could drink and chat, stare out at the passers-by and swap stories about their latest travels. It had become a regular habit that broke the monotony of moving endlessly around the country promoting and selling for their respective companies. They referred to them as their coffee breaks.

The first man said that he’d had a strange encounter. In truth he was always having strange encounters, it seemed to be part of a traveller’s lot. There had always been something of a competitive nature between them regarding the telling of their tales. He put his cup down and began.

“I was in a town down near the coast buttering up this client when this kid runs in shouting about a fire at the end of the street. Well, you can imagine it threw me completely. I forgot all about trying to make a sale and rushed outside. Sure enough, the big, old hotel at the end of the street was blazing away with great plumes of black smoke billowing up.”

The second man said “Wow! And you were right in the middle of it.”

“I certainly was” said the other. “I couldn’t see any signs of action and supposed it was just a quiet time of day. There didn’t seem to be anybody around and the kid was standing next to me looking frantic.”

“What did you do?”

“Well now, that’s the funny thing. I asked the boy if anyone had phoned the fire brigade and he said there was no point, and with that he just sauntered off in the opposite direction.” He sipped at his drink, shaking his head. “I couldn’t believe it. He just strolled away with his shoulders hunched. I guess I was just struck dumb for a bit. Anyway, I rushed back in to the shop and found the guy I’d been talking to just casually reading the paper.”

“There’s a fire!” I yelled, but he didn’t seem to respond, just kept on reading. “Hey mister,” I shouted, I was getting pretty angry now, “I don’t know what your problem is but…”

“Hey! Calm down.” He says. “If there was a fire, I’d know about it.” He looked over at the phone. “I’m the voluntary fire crew chief for the area. If there was really a fire I’d soon know about it.”

I said “No, but…”

He shouted me down again. “It’s OK. That kid has been coming in here on a regular basis shouting fire. He got into big trouble last time. He’s in for the high jump this time I can tell you.”

I went to shout at him again when the door burst open and this bloke screams. “The phones are down! The pub’s on fire!”

“That was it, wasn’t it? Pandemonium broke out. I tell you, I didn’t make a sale that day. Nobody had time for me, so I just packed up and went home early.”

“Amazing!” Said his companion, and went off to order more coffees. When he returned, he put the cups down and stood for a moment. “I had a rum do recently.” He said, as he sat back down. “I was on one of my country visits and going out to a farm, fertilizers, you know. Anyway, I was just about there when I came across this group of people straggled across the lane. They were an odd looking bunch and I slowed right down to take a good look at them.” He fell silent for a moment.

His friend said “Go on.”

“Well, there was this guy, who seemed to be in charge, and several women all carrying these bags, and I couldn’t help wondering if they were cutting in on my territory flogging cheap fertilizer. Silly really. Anyway, it turned out that they were all part of some sort of animal welfare thing, collecting strays and taking them to a nearby animal hospital where they were cared for. The guy started telling me how good his wife was at finding them, then he turned to another woman saying she was excellent at calming them down and actually capturing them.” He frowned. “The thing was he referred to the second woman as his wife as well!” He laughed. “So, by way of a joke, I asked him just how many of them were his wives, and he said all of them and told me he was a polygamist.”

“A what?”

“Polygamist, you know, having more than one wife.”

The other looked doubtful, but said “What did you say to that?”

“Nothing really, not about that, I didn’t want to be rude. I did look over the whole group though, and asked how many animals they had caught.”

“What’d he say?”

“He very proudly announced they had caught forty-nine!”

“Wow! Did you believe him?”

The man telling the story shrugged and said “Dunno.”

The man listening shook his head and smirked “And where was this place?”

“Saint Ives.” Came the reply.

They both laughed. They really enjoyed their coffee breaks.

 The man was holding the canister with exaggerated reverence.

“You’ll never find another product to equal it!” he was saying. He pointed to the rubber funnel that sat on top. “This goes over the nose and mouth” he continued, holding it near to his face, “and this button releases the gas.”

The lady looked pensive. “How affective is it really? I mean, what you claim is quite amazing.”

“I know, I know, people always say that.”

She waggled her head. “I suppose it works on some sort of autosuggestion, or hypnosis maybe?”

He smiled. “No madam. It’s gas. Whatever the situation, this will put a spin on it.”

“What sort of situations does it cover?”

“Absolutely any.”

“Any?”

“Any.”

“Can you give me a for instance?”

“I’m asked that a lot too. Well, for instance… you were responsible for leaving the hot plate on. You simply say I did not leave it on, and take a puff. Walla! You’ll never believe anything else. If you were in a court of law you would say that with total confidence. You yourself would then be quite convinced that what you are saying is not fabricated, but true.”

She seemed satisfied and nodded. “It is very expensive.”

“Of course. There is only one person in the world who knows its formula.” He patted his chest. “Many have tried to duplicate the chemical composition believe me! Tried and failed.” He tapped the side of his head. “That is why you had to go to such great lengths to arrange this meeting. I travel widely, never staying in one place for very long, or any one country for that matter.”

“How long does it last?” She asked.

“It varies a little, but a year is guaranteed.”

She blew out a breath and squinted. That would be good. She’d be long gone by then. “Yes, OK, I’ll need two. Do you have two?”

He wiggled his satchel and said “I do.”

She slowly peeled off the notes and handed over the money. She took the can and held it in front of her. She said “I did not kill my husband” and took a long, deep draw on the spin gas and handed it back. He placed the spent aerosol back in his bag.

Her fingers curled around the handle of the knife in her pocket as she took the second can.

Although it is generally accepted,

That bad black is simply bad black,

While white gets to be goody two-shoes.

Something seems to be quite out of whack!

–

Black hats and white hats in movies,

Showing who was good and who bad,

Have an awful lot to answer for,

Promoting this two-sided fad.

–

Think of the horse Black Beauty;

What a beautiful creature.

Think of a killer avalanche,

With white as its prominent feature.

–

Although black-hearted people

Are generally up to no good;

Speed and cocaine are the white drugs.

Surely that’s understood.

–

Blackberries are really good in a pie.

Black is useful for conducting heat.

Black orchids are much sort after.

A black suit can look stylish and neat.

–

So what’s going on with this white thing?

Is light always better than dark?

Maybe it is, and it may be the case

That my thinking is wide of the mark!

–

I’ll just put an end to such queries,

Now that I’ve had my say.

Thank goodness I’ve little time for either.

In truth, I really like grey!

They met one sunny morning on the beach, at a holiday resort.

He was there taking a break from an office job in the city. He was single with no plans to settle down. He liked what he did, but tended to run himself into the ground. The holiday was just what he needed.

She had just left a clerical position in order to take on a stint of serious study. The break was for her to rest up and prepare for what lay ahead. She was keen to improve herself and knew there was a lot of work in front of her.

They were both within three days of ending their week’s stay before flying back to the city and the lives they had waiting for them.

They hit it off straight away and spent the last days doing things together. They met each morning for breakfast and dined together each night. They talked about their work and study plans. They agreed that a week after getting back they would catch up and keep their friendship going.

At the last breakfast they discussed things they could do in a week’s time. They agreed to meet in the city’s main square and go on from there. He said he had been looking forward to going to the cinema that was still showing a good movie that he had not yet had a chance to see. It would still be on and wondered whether she would prefer an afternoon matinee performance or an evening show.

“I’m sorry” she said, with a pained expression. “I can’t do that.” She flapped her hands to make light of it. “It probably sounds silly but I can’t go into cinemas. I have phobias about closed spaces and crowds. I just can’t do it.”

“That’s a great pity” he said, looking despondent. “I’m a bit of a movie buff myself. I spend a lot of time in cinemas and movie houses watching the latest films on the big screen.”

“Never mind” she said. “We can spend a more healthy time in the fresh air. I belong to a bushwalkers club and we do some really great walks. I’m not sure what’s on that weekend but it’s bound to be interesting. I’ll find out more and let you know.”

“Ah!” he said, shaking his head and pouting. “That wouldn’t work I’m afraid. Walking through bushy areas with trees and plants for any extended period would bring on my hay fever. Wooded areas like that tend to have a high pollen count. When I get the fever it always hits me very hard, it just about cripples me for days.”

“OH!” She replied

“Yes, Sorry!” He said.

“Me too.” She said.

When breakfast was finished they went their separate ways, doing nothing together for the rest of the morning. They arrived at the airport for their early afternoon return flight. They saw each other, smiled and nodded, as they collected their tickets. On board they were each ushered to their ticketed seats.

They didn’t sit together.