I was tied to the stern of Viola\u2019s small boat and was being dragged through the dark waters of the Bruce Tunnel at the end of a long rope<\/p>\n
Viola was standing on the narrow deck shining a torch in my direction<\/p>\n
I cannot see you in the wake of the boat keep still! <\/i><\/p>\n
I am trying to keep still! <\/i><\/p>\n
As we neared the Reading end of the tunnel I felt the waist cord of my swimming shorts snap<\/p>\n
And slowly the current of my movement dragged them off<\/p>\n
I was naked<\/p>\n
Stop the boat I have lost my shorts! <\/i><\/p>\n
No <\/i><\/p>\n
The boat broke the entrance of the tunnel and soon everything was bathed in the strong light of the day<\/p>\n
Viola stopped the boat and moored beneath a strange sycamore tree<\/p>\n
Are you getting out?<\/i><\/p>\n
No<\/i><\/p>\n
Why not? <\/i><\/p>\n
I have lost my shorts <\/i><\/p>\n
That was careless <\/i><\/p>\n
The waist cord snapped <\/i><\/p>\n
Are you naked?<\/i><\/p>\n
Obviously <\/i><\/p>\n
If you do not get out of the canal then your antiquarian book will remain in its paper bag <\/i><\/p>\n
Will you turn around? <\/i><\/p>\n
No <\/i><\/p>\n
Then I shall remain in the canal <\/i><\/p>\n
Your antiquarian book will stay in its paper bag until you emerge from the murky waters that hide your nudity
\n<\/i><\/p>\n
I will see you naked<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n On the settee in our cottage<\/p>\n My antiquarian book remained still in the sunlight<\/p>\n Only its paper bag gathered the day dust<\/p>\n <\/p>\n We were taking tea in the graveyard of the main church in Kintbury<\/p>\n I had chosen a slice of lime cake<\/p>\n Viola had chosen a slice of orange cake<\/p>\n You smell of the canal <\/i><\/p>\n I am the canal <\/i><\/p>\n It is a pleasant smell <\/i><\/p>\n You smell of a delicate perfume <\/i><\/p>\n I never wear perfumes<\/i><\/p>\n You have been away for such a long time <\/i><\/p>\n I have travelled far <\/i><\/p>\n Mrs Jane Sleeway emerged from the small kitchen next to the large shed<\/p>\n I was admiring the shed<\/p>\n I had always liked large wooden sheds<\/p>\n Slightly rotten in their years<\/p>\n You are my first customers today and it is already half past two <\/i><\/p>\n Are you usually busy on a Saturday afternoon?<\/i><\/p>\n I am sometimes run off of my feet<\/i><\/p>\n Mrs Jane Sleeway was a slight woman of about ninety summers<\/p>\n Her long grey hair was tied back with an agreeable ribbon<\/p>\n Lavender in colour<\/p>\n Do you mind if I join you as it is so quiet?<\/i><\/p>\n Please do <\/i><\/p>\n Are you married? <\/i><\/p>\n No<\/i><\/p>\n You make a lovely couple if you do not mind me saying so <\/i><\/p>\n Viola smiled<\/p>\n We are siblings<\/i><\/p>\n Viola is my older twin <\/i><\/p>\n You do not look alike<\/em><\/p>\n Do you know that I descended an evil staircase never to return and that Christ rescued me in my darkest hour?<\/i><\/p>\n Please continue <\/i><\/p>\n I was born a fairy not far from here on the edge of the village and for many years enjoyed an idyllic life and then the war came along <\/i><\/p>\n I volunteered but they would not accept fairies into any of the services<\/i><\/p>\n I had a stark choice either to become human and do my bit <\/i><\/p>\n Or to remain a fairy and watch as all the brave boys laid their lives down for this beautiful country <\/i><\/p>\n In 1943 I changed and this is when I met Cy <\/i><\/p>\n Your husband?<\/i><\/p>\n Such a good man <\/i><\/p>\n Do you live in the village? <\/i><\/p>\n Yes over there<\/i><\/p>\n I would like to meet your husband <\/i><\/p>\n You have already met him <\/i><\/p>\n In the village? <\/i><\/p>\n You are sitting on his grave<\/i><\/p>\n Viola blushed and stood up<\/p>\n There is no need to be alarmed my dear lots of people take tea sitting on his grave <\/i><\/p>\n I know that he enjoys their company <\/i><\/p>\n Although shielded by the church a train raced by in the hidden air and I listened as it motor faded into the distance<\/p>\n Cy was an engine driver for many years <\/i><\/p>\n On this line?<\/i><\/p>\n Yes I often waved at him as he raced through the station and he would sound the engine’s whistle in reply as he sped through the trout marshes towards Hungerford<\/i><\/p>\n Was your marriage happy?<\/i><\/p>\n Yes very happy <\/i><\/p>\n Do you have children?<\/i><\/p>\n No fairies cannot conceive our insides are different mostly dust I think <\/i><\/p>\n I was writing happy things one afternoon knowing that Cy would be returning at about eight <\/i><\/p>\n We were planning to share a drink at the inn near the station <\/i><\/p>\n I correct myself <\/i><\/p>\n I had already asked the landlord to have an ale ready for Cy as fairies cannot drink <\/i><\/p>\n It is something to do with our insides you know <\/i><\/p>\n Earlier that day I had purchased an antiquarian book from a passing peddler and it lay on our shared bed awaiting his return <\/i><\/p>\n But he did not return <\/i><\/p>\n He had died from a heart attack on the platform at Taunton Station a few hours earlier I never finished my happy story<\/i><\/p>\n And do you know that his book still lies on our shared bed where I left it on that far off summer’s day <\/i><\/p>\n Poor Cy<\/i><\/p>\n Oh my poor Cy <\/i><\/p>\n Christ wanted him as a brother <\/i><\/p>\n So he just had to die<\/i><\/p>\n <\/p>\n As we left the church a host of White Ladies floated towards us<\/p>\n Viola and I plucked a handful from the air and placed them in our linen bags<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I was tied to the stern of Viola\u2019s small boat and was being dragged through the waters of the Bruce Tunnel on the end of a long rope<\/p>\n Viola was standing on the narrow deck shining a torch in my direction<\/p>\n I cannot see you in the wake of the boat keep still <\/i><\/p>\n I am trying to keep still! <\/i><\/p>\n As we neared the Reading end of the tunnel I felt the waist cord of my swimming shorts snap<\/p>\n As slowly the current of my movement dragged them off<\/p>\n I was naked<\/p>\n Stop the boat I have lost my shorts <\/i><\/p>\n No <\/i><\/p>\n The boat broke the entrance of the tunnel and soon everything was bathed in the strong light of the day<\/p>\n Viola stopped the boat and moored beneath a strange sycamore tree<\/p>\n Are you getting out?<\/i><\/p>\n No<\/i><\/p>\n Why not? <\/i><\/p>\n I have lost my shorts <\/i><\/p>\n That was careless <\/i><\/p>\n The waist cord snapped <\/i><\/p>\n Are you naked?<\/i><\/p>\n Obviously <\/i><\/p>\n If you do not get out of the canal then your antiquarian book will remain in its paper bag <\/i><\/p>\n Will you turn around? <\/i><\/p>\n No <\/i><\/p>\n Well then I will remain in the canal <\/i><\/p>\n Then your antiquarian book will stay in its paper bag<\/i><\/p>\n I swam in the canal for the next few minutes<\/p>\n Watching the White Ladies floating on the hanging breeze<\/p>\n Viola had left the boat and was walking along the shaded canal bank picking flowers<\/p>\n I will be leaving soon so you better get out <\/i><\/p>\n As I swam towards the tunnel a White Lady pursed my lips and kissed me<\/p>\n I looked up and Viola had turned her back<\/p>\n She was holding a large bunch of flowers to her breast and was unaware of my movement<\/p>\n I climbed aboard the boat and dressed quickly<\/p>\n That was cheating you waited for a White Lady to appear and kissed it <\/i><\/p>\n I will see you naked before I leave <\/i><\/p>\n I have seen you naked <\/i><\/p>\n You have not <\/i><\/p>\n I cut the cord on your swim shorts last night while you were sleeping <\/i><\/p>\n Did you then<\/i><\/p>\n I pulled your sheets back and sketched you in the nude as you slept<\/em><\/p>\n The drawing is above my bunk<\/em><\/p>\n Yes I have seen it <\/em><\/p>\n You have a talent<\/em><\/p>\n I placed my hand on Viola\u2019s shoulder and gently pushed her<\/p>\n It is starting you know<\/i><\/p>\n Your travel?<\/i><\/p>\n Yes I am beginning to travel once more<\/em><\/p>\n We sat quietly on the boat and watched as the White Ladies floated by<\/p>\n The day long was now drawing in and the sun was dipping below the branches of the strange sycamore tree<\/p>\n Viola was beginning to fade and soon I could not see her at all<\/p>\n She would travel far<\/p>\n I retired to my bunk and after washing found an antiquarian book hidden under my pillow<\/p>\n It was a book of poetry<\/p>\n Viola had inserted a lavender card between its pages<\/p>\n It read<\/p>\n I will see you naked you know <\/i><\/p>\n I will see you naked <\/i><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I was tied to the stern of Viola\u2019s small boat and was being dragged through the dark waters of the Bruce Tunnel at the end of a long rope Viola was standing on the narrow deck shining a torch in my direction I cannot see you in the wake of the boat keep still! I […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stuartmillerosborne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2340"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stuartmillerosborne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stuartmillerosborne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stuartmillerosborne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stuartmillerosborne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2340"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/stuartmillerosborne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2340\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stuartmillerosborne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2340"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stuartmillerosborne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2340"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stuartmillerosborne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2340"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n<\/i><\/p>\n