Philip put on his coat and hat. With the rather old but still functional library ladder tucked under his arm he walked out to the now quiet high street. Elated, he realised that the clear night sky held the promise of a stargazing bonanza.
Leaning the ladder against the old viaduct wall and ignoring the stark warning, bright in black on the mud-hued brick, he slowly started to climb. After fifteen minutes he found no inspiration so with a loud sigh he climbed down.
He shuffled home to his apartment. The thought of a tumbler of whisky while listening to a jazz record afforded him much pleasure.
Donovan had committed the unthinkable. Whilst being groomed ready for the North of England livestock fair he had suddenly gone berserk. With a furious snort he turned and kicked Old Bill, the farmhand and groomer. While he lay winded Donovan had stamped upon his heaving chest then thrust his horns directly into Bill’s stomach. By the time they had controlled the bull, poor Bill was dead through shock and loss of blood. These countrymen were superstitious, Donovan could not go unpunished. Custom decreed that Donovan must die and the punishment had to be hanging. There was one problem, gallows had not been used for many years and the wooden beams would never hold his weight. At once the solution became clear. The old railway bridge. The central girder was strong enough. That evening honour was satisfied. Later in the evening the unexpected ox roast went well.
This day was summer when the sun shone, and biting winter when clouds overtook the sky, a tumultuous mix of seasons in the span of an afternoon. An apt description of Exmoor, an unforgiving place. In one day you can walk through a whole year of weather, warm, wet, cold the whole shebang. It is all part of it’s magic and sometimes mystery.
When the pen takes control. 