Shorts for Autumn by Various Writers. Wordplay.


My breath spirals skyward, steam rings inflating and slowly dissipating like some magic trick performed with a cigarette and a balloon.................

A number of local writers living in Spain have contributed to this selection of short stories covering different genres, extremely readable for autumnal evenings, relaxing as the sun sets. Just the tonic. Say no more!

The One That Got Away by Michael Barton can be read on a number of levels. It shows Jack's resilience and maturation in dealing with his parents' divorce, his journey from laggard to leader. Dad was labelled as an absent parent and blamed for his son's spiral into anti-social and unacceptable behaviour at school.
The idea of togetherness in separation isn't anything like the ideal situation that Jack's father envisages. He wants to be reunited with his wife, however, she has made other plans: sleeping with the boss, Dave, has paid off and she has been promoted.
So, the togetherness is an opportunity for father-son bonding and this forms a regular pattern of Saturday fishing regardless of the weather with the ultimate prize of trying to capture Lulu, a leather carp weighing around 20 pounds.
Jack's attitude towards his schoolwork has improved and he is a straight A student in most subjects apart from French. Interestingly, Miss Moreau, the French vixen, had been dating Jack's father until he had decided it was indiscrete and potentially harmful to Jack's schooling. She had then started to date the new P.E. teacher, an athletic Adonis with a six pack. Cringe. Cringe. Don't we love the type?
Whilst fishing, Lulu toys seductively with the father's fishing line before getting away and leaving him disappointed. Nothing seems to go right for him, poor man! A further disappointment comes when Jack asks if he can miss fishing the following week to go to the cinema on a date. Wait for it...With Lulu. His father is understandably amused:
All morning you've had me thinking I'll catch Lulu first and all the while you've had her in your back pocket for next Saturday. Ha.
On the way home, Jack drops hints about his French teacher, doing his bit of match-making, seeming more grown up than child! In fact he was approving of the relationship.
That's when I realise that I might have brought a boy fishing with me but I'm taking a man home.

Jasper by Rosemary Westwell is different. Carrie, a schoolteacher is complacent about her work and there is an irritating smugness about her.
Was there nothing she could not do?
She's in for a shock and it serves her right. An unfortunate stereotypical image. She was unnerved by Jasper, her newest student's unblinking stare when he advised her not to drive home via Westwood Road. No explanation offered. A bit odd.
His commanding tone made his words sound as though he was a senior member of the secret service insisting on a need-to-know basis.
This irritated her. Carrie thought he was playing games with her or even trying to win a bet. She was not going to be intimidated and decided to go home her normal route as usual, quickly but safely. There were two surprises waiting for her: the first was on the local news on the tv, the second more significantly during registration in school the following day! Why was there a stunned silence in class and what had this to do with Jasper? Could he see into the future? Whatever the truth, Carrie was shocked into silence. Now you must read it to find out what happened.

You're no spring chicken. More like an Autumn leaf that's fallen off the tree.

The Autumn of her Life by Janette Davies is more reflective. It's a sad fact that growing old has its draw-backs and senility causes confusion between the present and the past. Lizzie and her husband Geof have a villa on the Costa Blanca. Cathy, Lizzie's mother is staying with them. It's October, much quieter: no hoards of kids screaming and yelling or British yobbos swearing and swigging beer out of cans. In other words, Autumn bliss.
Cathy is walking along the bay looking for her husband who has been dead for two years! She confuses her singers, Dusty Springfield with Sandy Shaw and thinks that the Midnight Train to Georgia was recorded by Diana Ross and the Supremes. This is bad enough but she is so hypercritical about her daughter's husband The Idiot and how she could have married John Gardner (whoever he was) and been living in Sutton Coldfield.
Now who in their right minds would want to swap the Costa Blanca for Sutton Coldfield? No need to answer that one. Point taken, hopefully? Enjoy.

www.wordplaywritersforum.com

Publisher: Word Play. ISBN 13: 147-837-5876 and 10: 147-837-5876.

Copyright 2013. Permission must be obtained from the author before reproduction of this review.


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