Collection of Short Stories and Poems

Paul Kelly

Description

This fantastic new eBook from well-known author Paul Kelly will make an excellent addition to any poetry and short story lover's digital shelf. Featuring strong characters and plots which draws you into Kelly's worlds, reviewers have been recommending his titles for years. This latest addition to his catalogue of successes is sure to be another winner.

Sujets

• Short story

Informations

• Publié par: Andrews UK
• Date de parution: 10 septembre 2012
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781782342502
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

Title Page
A COLLECTION OF SHORT STORIES AND POEMS
By
Paul Kelly



Publisher Information
A Collection of Short Stories and Poems
Published in 2012 by
Andrews UK Limited
www.andrewsuk.com
This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out or otherwise circulated without the publisher’s prior written consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published, and without a similar condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.
The characters and situations in this book are entirely imaginary and bear no relation to any real person or actual happening.
Copyright © 2012 Paul Kelly
The right of Paul Kelly to be identified as author of this book has been asserted in accordance with section 77 and 78 of the Copyrights Designs and Patents Act 1988.



Simon and the Mermaids
I never intended to get into the water as I knew I couldn’t swim very well, but just as I thought I was paddling in shallow water by the sea, I fell in and what was worse, I was wearing my best Sunday suit; the one that aunt Mabel had bought me for my confirmation last year. Of course, I struggled. I struggled hard to get myself into some sort of a swimming position, but the more I waved my arms about the more I could feel myself sinking. I could feel the bubbles coming from my mouth and going up to the surface where I wished I could be, but my wishing was useless and I knew I was sinking and sinking fast, but just as I thought I was going to die, all seemed to clear in the water before my eyes. It was like I was sitting on a little mound of sand, somewhere at the bottom of the ocean and I rubbed my eyes, thinking I must be dreaming.
“What’s your name and where have you come from?” came a little squeaky voice from somewhere on my right and when I looked, I could see it was a young girl and she was smiling at me.
“My name is Simon ... Simon Wakefield,” I said, thinking at first that I would swallow a mouthful of water as I spoke, but I didn’t and I didn’t even think that was strange. It just seemed natural that things should be that way.
“My name is Tumara.”the young girl said and as she came nearer to me I could see that she no legs, but that she could swim with fins, just like a fish. I gasped and then I began to think this Tumara person must be a mermaid, but I thought mermaids were only fictional people that were invented for little children. I rubbed my eyes and looked again, but Tumara was no dream. She was real and very soon she was joined by several other mermaids, all chuckling and giggling as they stared at me, no doubt wondering who or what I was being dressed so differently from them and then within a few moments, I got an even bigger surprise as a young boy appeared in front of me and he too had fins for legs. What was I to call him? I couldn’t call him a mermaid, could I? ... so I supposed he must have been a mermale ...
“Who are you?” he demanded with a gruff tone to his voice and it was Tumara who told him who I was and she looked at him sternly.
“You should watch your manners when we have visitors, Burbara,” she called out and I looked from one to the other wondering what sort of place I was in and wishing I could be back home again.
It was Tumara who spoke again when she informed me that Burbara was often rude to people who were not from the sea and just because he was the king’s son, he thought he could do and say what he liked.
“The king’s son?” I gasped, wondering should I have bowed when I saw Burbara, but then I didn’t know who he was when he came to see me, did I?
“Don’t take any notice of him,“ Tumara cried as she swam away from me,”but you really should come and meet the king. He would love to see you as we don’t often have visitors from the world above. Please say you’ll come. I’ll show you the way.” Well I couldn’t refuse, could I? and besides, I was depending on these fish or whatever they were to transport me back again to where I had come from and I didn’t want to be rude and offend them, did I? but I wondered at the same time what this king fellow was going to look like and should I bow to him? I didn’t have a hat on, so I couldn’t take that off, but I followed Tumara as she swam very slowly in front of me, giving me time to keep up with her as I plodded along the surface of the sea bed before I saw the king, but just as we were approaching this king person, I could hear trumpets being blown and I saw all the mermaids bowing their heads and swimming at a standstill where their fins just seemed to flap about in the water without the mermaids moving Only Burbara swam around in apparent defiance of this adulation, before the King appeared from behind a veil of silver seaweed. The mermaids bowed again and sang a sweet little song as the King smiled and then they all rose up and started to cheer.
“Your Majesty,” I could hear Tumara saying very sweetly. “Your gracious Majesty, we have a visitor from the world above and we would like you to meet him. His name is Simon Wakefield.”
She touched my arm and invited me to approach the king and the monarch smiled at me as he put his hand forward to help me to come nearer his throne. I watched his feet ... but as I had suspected there were none. He too had fins, but they looked much larger and stronger than all the others
“I hope my daughter has been hospitable to you, Mr. Simon Wakefield,” said the king as he pointed to Tumara and I gasped again. Had I been talking all this time to a princess and she never once said who she was? ... and then I thought she must be the sister of Burbara, the rude one.
At that moment Burbara came out from somewhere at the side of the throne . He was wearing a weird shaped crown on his head that looked like a load of dirty seaweed that fell down around his neck and the king scowled at him as he approached.
“Take that stupid thing off your head immediately,” commanded the king, “And go and wash your ears young man.”
Burbara skulked away, but I could see he was furious and his face was red as Tumara came closer to me and whispered something in my ear which I found difficult to understand as a wave rushed across my path and the noise of the water drowned her voice.
“My brother does not take well to being told what to do,” she repeated, “but then there is only one of him whereas there are about fifty of us girls”
I looked at Tumara in surprise and was about to ask her to explain this dilemma when she offered the information herself.
“My father, the King has several wives in the land of the sea. I think you people from the land above call them ‘Fishwives,’ Is that not so?” she enquired and I had to laugh.
“No Tumara ... We only refer to women who gossip a lot as ‘fishwives’ We would never refer to the wives of your father in such a way, but why has the king got so many daughters when he only has one son?”
Tumara smiled and I could see how lovely and even her white teeth appeared.
“It is the rule of the sea world, Simon.” she said, “I hope you don’t mind if I call you Simon, do you?” she asked and I blushed as I said I certainly didn’t mind one bit, but was rather pleased that she did before she went on. “Once a male child is born to the king, he cannot have another unless first he has over one hundred girls.”
“But isn’t that awkward for the girls if they can have no husbands?” I asked and Tumara puckered her brow.
“Oh! No, Simon. We girls don’t expect to be considered as a sea wife until the brother becomes king and then he can choose from any of us to have his children.”
I thought this was a strange way to behave and I was sure it would never work in the ‘world above’, but I tried to understand as Tumara swam away to join her other sisters ... only to return within a few moments.
“None of us girls are considered to be sisters, really,” she explained, as we all have different mothers, but it works out well in the end and we are all very content with the situation,” she said and swam away again, but I wondered just what Burbara thought of the ‘sea world’ situation and if he had to wait until the king died, before he could have children of his own. Oh dear! What a situation indeed ...
***
It was so strange being able to swim so well, considering that I had never been regarded as a very good swimmer, or even someone who could swim properly at all and I supposed the fact of living under water did help, but it was lovely just to swim as if I was walking. There was no effort in the task at all, but I was beginning to feel a little hungry and didn’t know how or where I could get something to eat and I didn’t think I could get a beef burger in the sea bed. Perhaps Tumara could help if only she would swim past, but there again, how would I ask her something like that? Nevertheless I caught her eye just as she was about to swim above my head and I called her down to the sand mound where I had settled. She smiled and I thought again how lovely she was ... well for a girl anyway ...
“Tumara, I’m feeling very hungry and I was wondering if there was some place where I could eat. Some place where I could have a beef burger perhaps, eh?”
Tumara looked at me and the smile left her face as she puckered her brow.
“Beef burger?” she asked, “What is that ... this beef burger thing?”
I didn’t know how to describe it, but I thought if I rubbed my tummy she would know at least that I was hungry and then I thought of another idea.
“Perhaps a ham burger then?” I asked, but Tumara still looked puzzled.
“Beef burgers ... Hamburgers, Simon I don’t know what these are. But if you are hungry. I mean, really hungry, I will ask my sisters if they know of anything you could have.”
Tumara swam away a short distance and I could see her gat