Wow signal?

Posted on April 11, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Blogging, Creative writing, Fun, Radio astronomy, Sci fi, Science, Short story, Space, Very short story1 Comment

sketch-1554939716910

Peeeeep she heard it on the radio. A loud pulse then it was gone. What was that? It had been a piercing squeal.

But it was gone. A disturbance in the aether, a cosmic scream perhaps??

She checked the Internet. It was all over Facebook. At precisely 4pm Greenwich mean time a signal had slashed into the Earth’s atmosphere. So strong it was picked up by transistor radios and radio telescopes alike. The Internet was calling it a Wow signal based on a signal heard by a radio telescope on August 15th 1977.

Could it be interference from Earth? But the signal had eminated from the milky way galaxy. Millions of light years away across the sky from us.

Speculation increased Could it be aliens? Or the voice of God? Maybe there was a new astronomical phenomenon.

For now the sky remained annoyingly quiet and the world waited with mixed fear and hope to see if it would happen again or what would happen next.

Red sky morning

Posted on April 9, 2019April 9, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Astronomy, Creative writing, Humour, Nova, Red Dawn, Science, Short story, Star, Very short storyLeave a comment

How odd, she thought. The sky was just red in one patch. The rest was grey. And the red was in the wrong place. Not easterly where the sun rises but north easterly.

She went downstairs to make a coffee. The red glow had increased in the few seconds that it had taken to get to the kitchen. She looked out over the garden The leaves on the trees were tinged with red.

What was going on? She turned on the radio. It crackled to life but the reception was really bad. She heard the announcers voice through the hiss.

“The star we.. Nova…. It is about …. Milli… Miles away……….. No threat to life but…. .May see two shado…… The eff… Ct on Radio and TV… Ignals is ex… Ted to worsen…… Gamma Ray’s hav… Ready hit.

Small loss of…………. Expected. Stay . Uned.

She switched off the radio. We’ve been star struck she thought irreverently.

Threshold, whiskey galore?

Posted on April 6, 2019April 6, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged #writephoto, Adventure?, Cave, Creative writing, Lost, Rain, Sea, Short story, tide, Very short story, Water, Whiskey8 Comments

#writephoto looking-out-1

For Sue Vincent’s Thursday #writephoto prompt.

‘Well it was like this officer’ she said, ‘we were down on the beach and saw the cave’. She sneezed, the cold was getting into her bones ‘ it reminded me of the film “whiskey galore” based on the book by Compton MacKensie, so we decided to explore it. We scrambled down the rocks and walked past the waterfall. We went straight in because it had started to lash down with rain, so it was a chance to get under shelter too’

‘About what time was that?’ the policeman had a little hand held computer which he typed into. Not as interesting as a notebook she thought.

‘Around 10am yesterday.’ she pulled the silver space blanket tighter around her shoulders. ‘We are on holiday, we don’t know about the tides’ She looked down at her husband lying on a stretcher The ambulance people had put an oxygen mask on him and dressed the cut on his head. He gave her a little wave.

‘Yes, the tide came in while we were exploring, the cave goes back so far and the water just came up before we knew it. We were in waist deep water, but the waves were pushing us deeper in when we tried to swim out. In the end we found a ledge to sit on…. .’ the policeman was still typing ‘so what happened then?’ ‘we tried using our phones but they wouldn’t work, they had got a soaking, we tried wading out, but by then we were too cold. So we just sat as close together as we could.’

She sighed ‘ we must both have fallen asleep because when we woke up again the tide had come back in. We were exhausted and decided to wait till morning. My husband stood up to stretch and that’s when he cracked his head on the rock’. ‘So that’s when we found you’ said the policeman. ‘It was the landlady at your B&B that alerted us’

‘one thing’ he said ‘what’s that wrapped in your coat?’

‘This? It’s an old bottle of 25 year old single malt’ she smiled.

Titchy play: Monster

Posted on April 1, 2019April 1, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Comedy Sketch, Creative writing, Dialogue, Environment, Fun, Humour, Penkhull, Penkhull mystery play, Playlet, Sea, Seaside, Stoke-on trent, Titchy theatre, TravelLeave a comment

IMG_20190331_173838_459

I wrote three little plays for the Titchy Theatre yesterday. They were read out at the show. I will post them here one a day.

Monster (tourist to reporter – look south or some such channel)

Reporter : so where did you see it?

Tourist : down by the quay, you know, the harbour?

R: and was it big?

T: well… It was as big as a boat, no… A ship

R: what did it look like?

T: er…. It had glowing all over it

R: what sort of lights?

T: Well… Yellow-ish. Like Glowing yellow eyes, and I think it had huge teeth too!

R: why?

T: it seemed to have a grill or something over its mouth, but you could see light shining through… You know… Glowing like an alien?

R: did it make a noise?

T: yes, a very low humming, and a metallic, clanking noise.

R: so…. how do you feel?

T: very scared. I’ve never seen anything like it before

R: can I ask you where you’re from?

T: oh yes. Stoke-on-Trent

R: so … Have you ever been to the seaside before?

T: oh yeah. You know, magaluf, Malaga, Ibetha.

R: and there was nothing like this there?

T: No… Just always sunny, and at night we went off and partied… The other thing I remember is this long wailing noise! I mean, it was foggy, so I could only sense the looming figure the Monster…. .!!

R: OK. Well…. We checked with the Coast Guard… .

T: Yeah??

R: the wailing noise was from the lighthouse foghorn.

T: Oh

R: And the big, dark, lit-up ship thing.

T: Yes?

R: Was a car ferry…….

Christine Mallaband-Brown

Waiting

Posted on April 1, 2019April 1, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Creative writing, Fun, Humour, Thinking, Waiting, Watching paint dry, WritingLeave a comment

Waiting, it’s like watching paint dry.

The time goes on and the paint shrinks slightly, maybe wrinkles as the water evaporates.

I’m sitting with my phone waiting for a call, hoping that it will ring soon….

Still waiting, another hour gone.

Still waiting, the paint is half dried, now it’s tacky…

Oh what can I do while I’m waiting? I can’t go out, because I need to be here when it happens. I will ring the number….

Oh no! No answer! Are they on their way? Not answering because they are driving? Where are they coming from. Is there traffic? Are there traffic jams?

Waiting…. Time trickles through the hourglass faster and slower. The paint is almost dry. The fine grain of the brush strokes smoothing out.

A call! We are on our way, but, (there is always a ‘but’) there is a major accident….. On the motorway….. Grid lock….. Have to change our eta…. Etc….

The paint is cracking and peeling…. They never arrived. Now I’m waiting again for someone new 😕

Remembering Mothers

Posted on March 26, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Acrylic on canvas, Art, Creative writing, Mothers, Mothers day, Painting, Penkhull, Penkhull Village Hall, Theatre, Titchy theatre, WritingLeave a comment

FB_IMG_1553596031784

It’s mother’s day here on 31st of March but I won’t be celebrating it as both my mom and mother in law passed away a few years ago.

What I do have is these two paintings of them to remember them by.

They both had their troubles and difficulties but they were both strong women and I loved them both.

Instead of going to a mothers day lunch or tea I’m going to a theatrical event called Titchy theatre.

I’ve written a couple of small conversations for two or three voices and the people running the theatre event will be reading them out. The Titchy theatre started at Penkhull Mysteries but is expanding to two performances a year. People were asked to write something for the performance. If you are free on Sunday the 31st and want to come up to Penkhull Village Hall please do. Please get there for 2.30pm. The show starts at 3pm. Spaces are limited.

Berador

Posted on March 23, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Creative writing, Fantasy, Having fun, Inventing names, Playing, Short story, Very short storyLeave a comment

sketch-1553378526940

Berador, wind wraith, fourth brother of the Vars. The clan of the elements.

Brother to Shenth, Earth wraith, Strunt, fire wraith and Flonda, water wraith.

Berador had been seperated from his brothers in the War of Merenda. He was now lost in the great forest where his breath beat against the leaves and branches, tearing at them, and yet he could not escape.

It had been three months since the war ended and they had left him here thinking him dead. But the breeze in him still trembled the trees and sparse grasses. He knew Autumn was coming, then he would have a chance.

As the season turned the Forest grew orange and golden and mauve in the cooling air. Now Berador could push his breath against the leaves and they started to fall, curling and flying away. They fell in drifts on the ground that he struggled through. But he could see his way now. Beyond the edges of the trees lay their old haunt, Skreelt Castle.

In days he would be home, in days his brothers would celebrate his return. His breath would sustain him until his homecoming. He knew it would not be long now.

Ancient stares

Posted on March 20, 2019March 20, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Ancient, Creative writing, Environment, Life, Memories, Short story, Spirits, Very short storyLeave a comment

FB_IMG_1553040956949

The ancients, they look on through time. They see the world now and remember what it was like then. They are in the gargoyles, in statues, in faces in stone. They are hidden where they could find space. They may be thousands of years old but they do not last forever. As age wears them the ancient spirit wears away too. Look at that old stone head on the corner of the wall. It’s spirit is washing away with every bit of grit the rain wears away. See that old stone face on the plinth? Hands rub its bald head and gradually it dwindles.

Ancient memories dwindle too. Now there are moments of sunshine seen six hundred years ago which will not last much longer. There a remembrance of a lost husband or wife that was once strong but now veiled. Ancients seeing the world now are amazed at the destruction and damage. Trees that they have lived with cur down in an instant. Buildings they became part of ripped apart and turned to rubble.

Now the ancients share with younger spirits. To be a homeless ancient is to gradually disperse into the air and blow away on the wind. Long forgotten, never to be seen again.

What’s happening?

Posted on March 15, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Creative writing, Digital doodle, Fun, Humour, Shock, Short story, Surprise, Very short storyLeave a comment

sketch-1552651184350 It was a quiet autumn day and nothing much was happening. She had been out shopping and was starting to put stuff away in the fridge. Suddenly there was a huge gust of wind which rattled all the windows and blew lots of leaves along the path. It started to rain and the sky grew grey and then black. The kitchen was so dark that she had to put the light on. She thought she saw a figure outside, but when she tried to look through the window the glare from the electric light reflected back and made it impossible to see out.

She continued to put things away. Then entered the living room. She heard a knock coming from the front door, “hang on” she called, fumbling to find the light switch, ” I will be there in a sec.”

She turned the key in the door and gasped as she opened it. A very short person dressed all in black and wearing a plastic skull mask stood by her front door….

“Trick or treat!” screamed the child loudly over the sound of the gale.

The steps

Posted on March 10, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Blog, Creative writing, Fun, Mystery, Sci fi, Science fiction, Short story, Very short storyLeave a comment

IMG_20190310_145631

A light from the sky settled gently on to the field at the back of the housing estate. The sound was muted. No one would have heard it if they had been more than 50 metres away.

But on that night Sam had been looking up at the sky from a corner of the field on the local footpath. She had been struck by the beauty of the Milky Way and the clarity of the night on this chilly evening. She had been about to leave when she saw the light from the corner of her eye. A meteor? Too slow. A plane? The flashing lights were not there, just one spotlight. A helicopter? No sound …. She stood still as it landed. The classic ufo shape that she had seen on many old black and white films.

She was surprised at how calm she felt. She didn’t know whether to move toward the object or run away. Finally she noticed a yellow ramp with steps lowering down to the ground.

Why not be the first? Why not make contact? She walked slowly up the slope of the field and came to the base of the steps……