It was an
unseasonably warm October morning though her Ladyship the Sun was playing
peek-a-boo behind the fluffy clouds. The leaves had started to turn a beautiful
golden brown, some still barely hanging from the limbs of trees but most formed
a luscious yellow-brown carpet that covered the tree-boardered alley. The crackling
dry leaves under my feet had a strange uplifting effect on me. The park was
oddly deserted that morning. I had it all to myself. The joy of working from
home. No office hours for me. I took a swig from the lukewarm take-away coffee
and filled my lungs with the clean crisp air. A bird warbled somewhere overhead
but I couldn’t identify it. It could’ve been a finch or a redbreast.
I got to my usual
favourite spot and sat down on the bench facing the two old statues. As usual,
I greeted Aphrodite first.
“Good morning
Gorgeous. I trust you’re feeling well today.”
The voluptuous
goddess didn’t deign to reply and continued to gaze loftily at the distance.
“And how are you
handsome Adonis?”
That didn’t elicit a
response either. It pained me to see these gorgeous masterpieces covered in
grime and bird s**t. There they were, standing on their pedestals, stoically
enduring the onslaught of the seasons.
A couple of pigeons
strutted close by, pecking at the ground. I got my packet of sunflower seeds
out of my pocket and (Gee, see what I’ve just said? Pocket? Because people usually
keep packets up their a…s!)
Anyway, I threw them
a handful of the black seed. They immediately dived in and a whole flock
appeared from nowhere and joined the feast, including the ones perched on the
statues.
Allow me to stop the
narration at this point to make something clear. What you’re about to read will
seem so phantasmagoric (where the hell does that word come from? Don’t even
know what it means!) that many of you will roll their eyes and go “tsk tsk”. Only
those who’ve already read some of my other stories will believe me. They know
what kind of level-headed, serious, sensible, trustworthy and wonderful person
I am. I’m not given to lying or confabulating (damn, who’s slipping these words
inside my story?). If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I’d never have
believed it. Back to the story.
As I watched the
frenzied feeding of the pigeons, I heard soft fluttering of wings and raised my
head, expecting to see another pigeon come join the party. What I saw instead
nearly knocked me off my bench. There, in front of me, about six feet off the
ground, hovered what I can only call a fairy. What else can it be? A stunningly
beautiful creature with the features of a girl. She was almost transparent. She
wore a very short skirt and had some sort of a tiara on her head. She was
looking at the statues with longing. She approached them and I clearly heard
her say:
“I grant you five
minutes of human life.”
She then raised a
wand and lightly touch each in turn. They instantly turned into flesh and bone. Aphrodite
turned to Adonis and smiled. (Did you know she had a crooked tooth? Hard to
believe, huh?) Adonis smiled back, stepped down from his perch and held his
hand for his companion. They then rushed into a thicket among the trees. I saw
the bush moving and heard the rustling of the leaves. The park rang with the
sound of laughter and squeals of delight. There were oohs and aahs and a moment
later, they emerged in the open, Adonis had a silly grin on his face and
Aphrodite’s cheeks were flushed. Adonis looked at Aphrodite with a twinkle in
his eyes and, breathless, told her:
“Tell you what. Now you hold the pigeon and I s**t on it.”
This is one of your finer twists, my friend. I SO did not see that coming & I loved this payback. The writing is often bordering on graceful & elevated, so that this down-and-dirty ending comes as an even bigger surprise & contrast . . . not to mention that everyone is expecting something delightfully sexual!
1st paragraph: "tree-boarded alley" . . . did you mean "bordered"?
Also, last long paragraph is missing an opening parenthesis.
Posted 8 Years Ago
1 of 1 people found this review constructive.
8 Years Ago
awww I just love your visits B. a big fat thank you to you. (that's a new one!) I love surprising th.. read moreawww I just love your visits B. a big fat thank you to you. (that's a new one!) I love surprising the reader.
well spotted, Eagle-eye! I'll fix those.
oh and sorry to have disappointed you with the ending :) hehehe
This was awesome, I'm still laughing. I've traveled back a few years to read this and I can see that you've always had this style. Always good for a laugh and a cheer-you-up. I love the big words and the baffled narrator too. Lots of fun.
Posted 8 Years Ago
1 of 1 people found this review constructive.
8 Years Ago
many thanks, James. always a joy to see you enjoy my stories.
This is one of your finer twists, my friend. I SO did not see that coming & I loved this payback. The writing is often bordering on graceful & elevated, so that this down-and-dirty ending comes as an even bigger surprise & contrast . . . not to mention that everyone is expecting something delightfully sexual!
1st paragraph: "tree-boarded alley" . . . did you mean "bordered"?
Also, last long paragraph is missing an opening parenthesis.
Posted 8 Years Ago
1 of 1 people found this review constructive.
8 Years Ago
awww I just love your visits B. a big fat thank you to you. (that's a new one!) I love surprising th.. read moreawww I just love your visits B. a big fat thank you to you. (that's a new one!) I love surprising the reader.
well spotted, Eagle-eye! I'll fix those.
oh and sorry to have disappointed you with the ending :) hehehe
LOL,we always say upper management are pigeons and us foot soldiers the statues upon which they s**t every time they visit site.Enjoyed the tale as always Woody.
Posted 8 Years Ago
1 of 1 people found this review constructive.
8 Years Ago
haha I like that you saw in the story more than I ever intended, Gee. as always thank you for stoppi.. read morehaha I like that you saw in the story more than I ever intended, Gee. as always thank you for stopping to read, pal. and what a joy to know you enjoyed the story!
Ha, superb Sir. I am so glad that I am not the only one who interrupts his own narrations Woody, it definitely leas the reader into trusting the piece more in this occasion I think, as well as brilliantly infuriating all those purists who point their noses to the moon if it isn't done their way, which I consider the boring, or vanilla way.
As for the random words that came unexpectedly, maybe you were reading a thesaurus in a dream that you forgot you had, but the brain held onto :)
Really fun and enjoyable read.
Posted 8 Years Ago
1 of 1 people found this review constructive.
8 Years Ago
thanks loads my friend . I can always trust you to make my day with your reviews. for me, writing is.. read morethanks loads my friend . I can always trust you to make my day with your reviews. for me, writing is mostly fun and it's gratifying to see readers enjoy my unconventional stories.
glad you enjoyed it :)
A re-read, just as wonderfully entertaining as the first time.
Beccy.
Posted 9 Years Ago
1 of 1 people found this review constructive.
9 Years Ago
aww I'm flattered and honoured. you know, I cherish praise that comes from a super witty writer. read moreaww I'm flattered and honoured. you know, I cherish praise that comes from a super witty writer.
I don't know why you don't write stories like that one about God and Jesus. you know the one.
Woody, Woody, Woody, look what you've done--you've made gods act just like humans. Shagging and sh..ting in the park--oh, my. I didn't really expect you to have them burst into song. I'll have this image in my head all day. Think they'd go for a threesome?
Posted 10 Years Ago
1 of 1 people found this review constructive.
10 Years Ago
hahaha I could place a word for you, being a demi-god myself, and all. you'll have to wait for a sec.. read morehahaha I could place a word for you, being a demi-god myself, and all. you'll have to wait for a second passage of the fairy though.
Avoy!!!
When I set foot on this train, I knew just how level-headed, serious, sensible, trustworthy and wonderful the driver was. And sure enough, the comely assemblage of these qualities led to quite a labyrinthine journey. Now that the initial shock is over and the truth behind the furtive drive is out, an ingénue such as I, should obviously have been outraged by the deception of the seemingly shy and reserved driver, but rather than that, I set out to write a review for this side-splitting, rib-tickling, chucklesome story.....hmm, what would become of me???
YOOHOO!!! and what a review this is! thank you Moon's Daughter :) always a pleasure to make you laug.. read moreYOOHOO!!! and what a review this is! thank you Moon's Daughter :) always a pleasure to make you laugh. I personally think I am all the above. I should've added good looking but my modesty prevented me from doing so.
10 Years Ago
Good looking and modest!--what a lethal combination!!!!
10 Years Ago
I know [sigh]. that's my lot. I learnt to live with it. it could've been worse. I could've been good.. read moreI know [sigh]. that's my lot. I learnt to live with it. it could've been worse. I could've been good looking, modest and well-built.
Ha ha Woody, loved it. And , as usual, the serious side of you, the phantazmagorphhha, oh crap, I can't even come close. Butt, whatever it is, you're it. Is that a good thing? Notice the double t at the end of, "but." There's a reason for it, but I'm not sure what.
Have a great day...and watch out for that Aphrodite. I hear she's a loose woman, even if she is made of stone.
Posted 10 Years Ago
1 of 1 people found this review constructive.
10 Years Ago
haha yeah I did notice the double "t" and I thought you were calling me butt. I thought if I let tha.. read morehaha yeah I did notice the double "t" and I thought you were calling me butt. I thought if I let that pass, next time he'll add "hole" and I'll be the laughing stock of the Cafe.
thank you for the visit my friend :)
I love the long and interesting narrative that leads to the
Hilarious punchline.
The punchline that has absolutely nothing to do with most of the narrative.
I think that is what makes your stories so dam funny.
Greatly enjoyed.
Trace
Posted 10 Years Ago
1 of 1 people found this review constructive.
10 Years Ago
God, you're spoiling me, Trace. thank you so much. glad you found this one funny, too.
ok, time for an update I think. my old friends have come to know me pretty well, I trust so this is for the new comers.
I'm a Tunisian 60-year-old teacher-cum-translator, book worm who enjoys writing.. more..