‘What’s Walancha?’ Asked the English student. ‘What do you mean by what’s Walancha?’ ‘ Well, this prompt setter M, has given a cue for a prompt including the word Walancha. ‘The Window to Walancha.’ Mr Sampson wiped his forehead, actually his whole head was a shiny dome, since his wife had shaved all his hair off during a dream. ‘Walancha,’ he mused, you say there’s a window involved?’ I can’t say I’ve come across this word. It sounds just like a place I once knew in the Himalayas. Tibetan monks used a high resolution mirror to reflect the sun into the eyes of their initiates. Thus inducing a state of mind known as Walancha.’ ‘Oh!’ Exclaimed the student ‘Walancha is an altered state of consciousness that can only be reached by getting dazzled.’ ‘Exactly!’ Sampson replied.
The professor was a well known entomologist he had lectured all over the world in most of the prestigious universities. In the jungles of Borneo, he met a local guide called Mojo and together they trekked through some impenetrable jungle searching for a new legendary example of insect life. A life of an unknown species.
‘Listen Mojo, we’re looking for a golden mosquito, that is a pure yellow golden colour But we have to be wary we don’t get bitten as Madness will surely follow.’
Later Mojo raced back from the densest part of the jungle with a dead insect clinging to his bare arm
‘Yai! Yai! I am now the one God and hate everybody, Mosquitoes will rule the world one day. Let’s all die together!’
The Professor was bemused as he pulled a pair of handcuffs out of his knapsack, secured Mojo and carefully removed the dead yellow insect.
Here is my entry for today 22nd June2020Image courtesy of pixabay.com
SPOTTY SPINACH
Chef was inspecting the delivery of fresh vegetables to the kitchen at the rear doors
Jim Green was a smallholder who provided as much locally grown vegetables to the businesses and shops in the area as he could harvest.
‘Morning Jim! What have you brought for us today? I hope you remembered everything on my order.’
‘Yes Sir’ Jim replied. ‘I’ve got everything you ordered, luscious Lettuce, healthy Kale and some beautiful Cabbages. Oh! not forgetting the special Spinach you requested me to grow specially for your breakfast customers.’
‘Excellent Jim, let me just have a quick look. The Lettuces look wonderful, crisp and green, and the Kale look beautiful. Just a moment though the Spinach is full of spots.’
‘That’s because they’re special Sir, the spots give it a delicious flavour.’
The war was over, family life was in a turmoil. Betty was at her wits end. She was pregnant and in overcrowded lodgings with her two babies, Peter and Penny. The landlady, a widow with three daughters, was sharing her house with Betty. One day a man wearing a dark blue overcoat arrived and spent a long time with Betty in the parlour. Her children, both under five, were waiting with the landlady, playing games in the kitchen, oblivious of the life changing decisions being made by their Mum. Finally with tears filling her eyes Betty announced the heartbreaking decision she had arrived at. Her babies would have to go into a children’s home.
It’s a sunny day in the popular seaside resort. Michael is constructing a garden shed for a customer of his DIY store, when his pager goes off. He scans the device briefly then turns and starts running. His colleagues are not surprised. They’re used to it. Within minutes he arrives at the local lifeboat station on the southeast coast. Soon he and the rest of the crew are at sea, powering towards the rocky cliffs, where two swimmers are trapped against the rocks by a heavy swell. It’s a tricky operation to steer the rigid inflatable boat close enough without it being smashed against the rocks. The team have to bring it in quickly then hover, balancing carefully at 90 degrees to the swell. The crew hoist one man out and manoeuvre the boat round for the other man before turning for home. With both men delivered safely to the emergency services, the lifeboat is rehoused, washed and prepared for the next incident. Within hours Michael is back at the store. This is just a solitary incident in the life of an unpaid ordinary member of the public who devote their time and efforts to saving lives at sea. Imagine for a moment that you’re part of the crew on a lifeboat. It’s 2.30am on a freezing January morning and the pager’s just woken you from a deep sleep in a snug warm bed. You then head out to sea in complete darkness and 10m waves rise and fall around you, ready to swamp you at any moment. Strong gale force winds throw the lifeboat around like a toy. Most lifeboat crew members are volunteers, ordinary people who simply and selflessly want to save lives at sea. When the pagers go off, they drop everything and are regularly called away from their families, their beds and their work, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. A donation to to the RNLI, is always money well-spent, to enable this important rescue work to continue.
I wrote this post for ‘The Quintet’ our church magazine in response to the theme of…PROCRASTINATION.
Image courtesy of pixabay.com
MUSING ON PROCRASTINATION
by John Yeo
I now appreciate absolutely, the meaning of the word, PROCRASTINATION
When we returned from the church service today I had every intention of beginning work on the next chapter of my book. First the iPad was the lure away from the work in hand, I found there were many light hearted, unnecessary things that needed my urgent attention, such as who has read and liked my latest posting on the social media. The Scrabble word game App takes another slice of my valuable time as I sit and think, and work out various combinations of letters to defend my honour. We enjoyed tea and biscuits, before the continuation of a drama series began on television and this took my attention away from the keyboard and the continuation of my story.
By this time I am renewing my resolve to begin work! But before I begin I have to just check on the outside world on the social media pages again, then Margaret and I do battle at Scrabble and complete our game.
I still haven’t written one word and it is time for dinner. Margaret has been preparing a wonderful meal in the kitchen and we sit and enjoy our Sunday dinner together in front of the television.
I then begin to focus in spite of the pull of the interesting selection of programmes that are being broadcast at this peak period on a Sunday evening.
I then give up writing and procrastinate by reading and posting an article on procrastination on my social media page before I retire to read poetry in bed.
PROVERB
Procrastination is the thief of time, if you delay doing something, it will take longer to do later on.
This week in honor of St. Patrick’s Day, Pegman takes us to Rams Island, an island on a lake in Northern Ireland. Though I picked a remote spot, you’re welcome to choose a more urban location anywhere in Northern Ireland.
Your mission is to write up to 150 words inspired by the prompt. Once your piece is polished, share it with others using the Linkup below.
Ram’s Island, Northern Ireland | Darran McDonnell, Google Maps
NO SMOKE WITHOUT FIRE
by John Yeo
Billy and Pat, an adventurous pair of treasure hunting fanatics were chortling away at what they had discovered inside the chimney. An incredibly old and extremely beautiful locked box. This box was bound with rusted, salt-encrusted metal bands that were so corroded they were almost crumbling away. Pat gingerly rubbed the top of the box to reveal the hairy smiling face of a strange horned man. Intricate carving and strange writing with a floral emblem surrounded this kindly face.
‘We’ve got something good here Billy.’
‘Aye Pat! We’ll get some good money for this!’
Pat suddenly grabbed a rock and smashed the metal bands.
Billy was shocked. ’What did you do that for?’
‘To see what’s inside, might be gold or jewels,’ replied Pat,
Slowly Billy raised the tight-fitting lid. Dense smoke filled the air. Surrounded by ethereal music the two treasure hunters passed out. The box was gone?
Welcome to What Pegman Saw, a 150-word weekly writing prompt inspired by the photos found on Google Maps.
This week Pegman takes us to Portmeirion Village in Wales.
Portmeirion Village, Wales | Google Maps
FATHERS DILEMMA
by John Yeo
Not many people are aware of a valley near Portmeirion that is a renowned centre for Cryopreservation. My Father was Sir Alexander Hastings, a wealthy Industrialist, I was the only family member who shared a secret. Father had been diagnosed with terminal Cancer one month ago. He had deteriorated rapidly but he had suddenly altered his plans for a revolutionary preservation of his body by Cryonics. Father is a devoutly religious man who wondered if freezing his body at the point of death, with the hope of awakening when a cure for Cancer had been found he would be interfering with God’s plans for him. Would he be the same person he once was or an empty shell of the memory of who he once had been? Would he be rudely reawakened from eternal life? Father will finally be at rest in the graveyard of the Pink Church in Portmeirion.
Welcome to What Pegman Saw, a 150-word weekly writing prompt inspired by the photos found on Google Maps.
Cement factory Pujiang No. 2h
This was my original draft before I had to trim the whole deal to just 150 words.
Goodbye Cement Factory
by John Yeo
Chan had a bicycle, a valuable possession in his village. This enabled him to travel the five mile trip to the Cement works, where he worked hard for ten hours every day, loading the heavy cement bags onto a conveyor belt. He kept himself going to work until the factory came to a standstill one terrible day. Just like that without warning the factory suddenly closed. Chan needed to work to feed his aged parents. At the end of the first month of idleness, Chan hadn’t any money or food to eat. Then his Father sickened and weakened following the sudden death of his Mother from pneumonia.
Desperately Chan approached Hung Li, the storekeeper, who had offered to buy his bicycle and reluctantly parted with his only form of transport. Too late, he returned home to find his Father had died and he was alone in the world. Chan made his way to the river where he had a friend with a boat. A fisherman who lived an idyllic life on the river, close to Nature. Chan handed over the cash he’d received for the cycle to his friend and became a partner in the fishing business. Chan adopted a large black Cormorant, who would feed on fish from his hand. Chan revisited the family grave to pay homage. The Cement works reopened and the harsh industrial life continued for some.
Chan lived well from his fishing and bought a boat of his own. Later he got married to his old school friend Mary Lee and little Ching was born. The Cormorant flew away for a while and returned with two baby chicks who followed Chan’s boat everywhere. Feeding from the hands of Chan and Ching and Mary Lee.
Welcome to What Pegman Saw, a 150-word weekly writing prompt inspired by the photos found on Google Maps.
Cement factory Pujiang No. 2
GOODBYE CEMENT FACTORY
by John Yeo
Chan had a bicycle, a valuable possession, this enabled him to travel the five mile trip to the Cement works, where he worked hard for ten hours every day. Without warning the factory suddenly closed. Chan needed to work, to feed his aged parents. Soon, Chan hadn’t any money or food to eat. Then his Father sickened, following the sudden death of his Mother from pneumonia. Desperately Chan approached the local storekeeper, who bought his bicycle for cash. He returned home to find his Father had died and he was alone in the world. Chan made his way to the river where he had a friend with a boat, a fisherman. Chan handed over the cash he’d received for the cycle to his friend and became a partner. Chan lived well from his fishing and got married to his old school friend Mary Lee and little Ching was born.
johnandmargaret1607 