Category: Short Stories

The twenty-second  story in my collection, When I Am Not Writing Poetry, ‘Kinderszenen’ once again inhabits the back stories – possible back stories – of characters from The Dark Trilogy. Kinderszenen is the name Schumann gave to a collection of 13 short piano pieces, and the documentary I mention in the first paragraph was in part about Schumann … each of the 13 names that he gave the individual pieces can be found hidden in my story! I imagine meeting those same three friends from primary school again in later life. How would our pasts have appeared… how would we appear, now?! Maybe they would even take on the shape of their contrived back stories!

He had been making notes at the time: sitting in the cafe trying to recall a documentary he had seen the previous evening and relate it to the short story he was writing. There were certain similarities… not similarities exactly, maybe echoes, yes echoes that he felt could be woven in. If the characters could use a borrowed phrase, show some erudition, that sort of thing, he thought. The couple at another table had been talking animatedly—loudly—for some time and, engrossed, he had managed to block out the sound. Until now. Until he heard someone say, That’s absurd, Neil, it can’t be him! And Neil—presumably—pushed his chair back and leaning towards the writer, said, You know, I didn’t recognise you at first—the beard I suppose—but Jan did—she’s right… we were at school together. You’re… Jan shouted his name above the hubbub. And two of his characters were suddenly brought up to date. He was left wondering about the third.

‘Kinderszenen’ can be found in When I Am Not Writing Poetry – available here or on Amazon.

The twenty-first  story in my collection, When I Am Not Writing Poetry, ‘There’s Whisky in the Jar’ is another short account from my time at sea. This time from the early days when I very junior and very unsure over my supposed authority!

I always thought how intelligent was the approach taken in Hobart. But that was a couple of years after I had suffered the joy of loading whiskey in Glasgow. In Hobart, each hatch is given a crate of apples for their own use and this simple expedient ensures that every other crate loaded still contains its complete compliment of apples when the wharfies leave and the ship sails. Perhaps it wouldn’t work with whiskey.

‘There’s Whisky in the Jar’ can be found in When I Am Not Writing Poetry – available here or on Amazon.

Two-thirds of the way through my collection of thirty short stories, When I Am Not Writing Poetry, is another short tale of the sea, ‘The Guests in the Crew Bar’. In overseas ports after weeks at sea, some of the crew would invariably meet ladies in bars and invite them back on board. Some captains turned a blind eye… others most certainly did not! Again, a short story means a short introduction!

This Captain was devoutly religious and had very fixed ideas about the crew’s women staying on board overnight. He had made it very clear to all his officers that by 23:00 there should be no ladies left aboard… so clear, in fact, that the third officer began to dread his evening on duty, certain that the old man would spend its last hours on deck looking down at the gangway.

‘The Guests in the Crew Bar’ can be found in When I Am Not Writing Poetry – available here or on Amazon.

The nineteenth story in my collection of thirty, When I Am Not Writing Poetry, is ‘Ladies of the Port’ – another tale from my time at sea. An encounter in a foreign port and a misunderstanding quickly rectified! A short story means a short introduction!

One Saturday afternoon in Port Melbourne, where they were moored while waiting for a berth, a smart young man was to be seen standing at the foot of the gangway. He was accompanied by two very attractive young ladies. On spotting the deck officer near the top of the gangway he hailed him and asked if they might come aboard for a look round the ship.

‘Ladies of the Port’ can be found in When I Am Not Writing Poetry – available here or on Amazon.

The eighteenth story in my collection of thirty, When I Am Not Writing Poetry, is ‘Cargo’ – another tale of the sea, drawn from my time in the merchant navy. I still have in my possession the cargo plan with its macabre stowage. But a tale of a haunted ship? I don’t believe that I ever sailed on one!

The Third Officer was busy making copies of the cargo plan. It was the Second Officer’s job to decide where everything went, but as a part of his preparation for the time when it would be his task, he had been helping and this final, more mundane job had become his. He was slightly in awe of the cargo officer’s job as there were so many aspects to be considered when you decided where to load so many tons of bagged salt (the bottom of number 5 hold) or 19 unpacked —that is not travelling in boxes—cars (on top of everything else in the lower hold of number 3 hatch). There was the stability of the ship to consider of course so as each logistical decision was made there were frequent recalculations to make because cargo could be loaded in several ports—this trip only two—for discharge at any number of ports…

‘Cargo’ can be found in When I Am Not Writing Poetry – available here or on Amazon.

The seventeenth story in my collection of thirty, When I Am Not Writing Poetry, ‘The Poet’  – almost an autobiography, almost a teaser for The Dark Trilogy: a parallel story of the Svengali-like friend who – it is suggested – was responsible for a literary career. The scholar, the academic, the writer who explained a poem!

Twenty years ago my friend asked me to write a book…

To be more precise, he asked me to write a commentary on one of his poems and, in that small commission, what has perhaps become my most famous work was born. And he died. But I am proud to say that through my work, he lives on. You can learn much of the man and his works in my lengthy treatise—you will learn of his public life and of the story of his lives that was hidden in the poem

‘The Poet’ can be found in When I Am Not Writing Poetry – available here or on Amazon.

The sixteenth story in my collection of thirty, When I Am Not Writing Poetry, ‘Her’ is one man’s awakening – literally – a time when he cannot quite tear himself from the past nor face the future that the day will bring. His dreams of his life so real; until…

It was not unusual for him to lie there awake. The heat of the day remained, trapped in the small room under the eaves; trapped in his body which was damp with perspiration; trapped in his mind. He had long since thrown back the covers and now the cooler night airs that occasionally drifted in through the window chilled his sweat, but only briefly. His mind remained feverish. In turmoil. He had been here for months now and the time had passed pleasantly enough—the summer had been fine and he knew that by now the harvest was in, the hay stacked in the barns and the barley heaped on a shed floor. Now, as the nights began to draw in he suddenly felt unsure. He reached out.

First there had been the chaos of sorting the lambs for market…

‘Her’ can be found in When I Am Not Writing Poetry – available here or on Amazon.

Half way! The fifteenth story in my collection of thirty, When I Am Not Writing Poetry is another story following one of the characters – three children – briefly introduced in The Dark Trilogy: ‘Simon’ – the young man who also featured in #12 ‘The Bookbinder’s Daughter’ – here we find out a little more about him. He is a publisher, there is an overseas trip to Frankfurt and Hamburg, there are new colleagues to get to know, and there is time by himself in a foreign city.

He had been with the company over sixteen years when they made him a part of the team going to the Frankfurt Book Fair and asked him, as the new editor with responsibility for German sales, to spend a week at their Hamburg offices on the way home. Having a responsibility for overseas sales on top of his commissioning work was a nuisance, but it had been a promotion and meant more money so he had accepted it; in any case, German sales had never been a problem for them and it really only meant liaising with the Hamburg office once a month. And now, they were giving him a week in Germany. Things could be worse!

‘Simon’ can be found in When I Am Not Writing Poetry – available here or on Amazon.

The fourteenth story in my collection, When I Am Not Writing Poetry is another very brief story drawn from life: ‘The Tenements Bus Stop’ is a snapshot of innocence. Of knowledge so nearly gained. Once again the brevity of the story means an all too brief taster and once again the reader of When I Am Not Writing Poetry is offered a glimpse into another life.

She told me she loved me. She whispered it. She breathed in my ear…

‘The Tenements Bus Stop’ can be found in When I Am Not Writing Poetry – available here or on Amazon.

The next story, the thirteenth, in my collection, When I Am Not Writing Poetry is ‘The School Friend’ – the second very brief story drawn from life: a snapshot of two boys, perhaps in the school summer holidays. Once again the brevity of the story means an all too brief taster and once again the reader is offered a glimpse into another life.

There were four of them in the fifth form; four who shared an interest in building and flying model planes. But it was Pete that came over most often to his house to play table tennis, with whom he went fishing and swimming, and with whom he sometimes played tennis. The public tennis courts were on the sea front not far from Pete’s house so it was natural to collect Pete from his Mum’s house after the bus dropped him off in the square.

‘The School Friend’ can be found in When I Am Not Writing Poetry – available here or on Amazon.