Many thanks to author and songwriter, Kevin Cooper, for his review of ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’. My two animal characters are thrilled to bits at the shout out he gave them. “Sound bloke this Kevin,” said Fingers when I read out the review. I couldn’t have put it better myself.
Space Cadets #6
“Come on, old girl!” shouts the Doctor smacking the side of the central column of the Tardis’ console which is emitting an unpleasant screeching sound as it rises and falls.
“Is everything all right? Doctor,” I yell over the noise, gripping the edge of the console to steady myself as the Tardis bucks and pitches.
“Um, yes, just needs a minor correction.” He frowns at the column and flicks a couple of switches. The Tardis comes to an abrupt halt and all is quiet “Come on, let’s see what’s happening outside.” He motions me to stand beside him, then with a flourish he taps a button on the console. A large viewing screen flashes up on the other side of the control room.
The screen is blank.
“Ah,” he says tapping on the button repeatedly. Nothing happens. The screen is still blank.
The Doctor rushes over to the doors and flings then open.
All is black.
I follow him and peer out. “Oh,” I say. There is literally nothing there. I turn to the Doctor who is rubbing his jaw. “Where’s space gone?”
“That, Jemma, is space.” He leans out of the doors looking up and down. “Space. Nothing else.”
“But the stars and…”
“I better check the coordinates,” he says over his shoulder as he runs back to the console. “Close the doors won’t you?”
I pull the doors closed. My heart thumps. “What’s happened to Harris and Stevens? Are they all right?”
“I certainly hope so.” He pulls out his sonic screwdriver and disappears under the console.
The viewing screen flickers into life showing a view of my two shipmates sitting just where I’d left them on our spacecraft. Both have expressions of extreme concentration on their faces. In the background I can see what they’re staring at. I blink in surprise.
They’re playing the ancient arcade game ‘Space Invaders’!
The Doctor reappears from beneath the console. “That should do it. We should be able to see them now.” He glances at the screen as the Tardis shudders under a sudden impact.
“No, NO,NO, NO!” he shouts.
I turn to him, not understanding what’s happening. The Tardis shudders again; sparks fly from the console. The Doctor points at the bottom of the screen the boys are staring at. “They’re firing at us!”
We watch as the little white aliens descend towards the Tardis.
The boys are firing back.
“No Doctor, they’re defending us.”
Or at least they’re trying to…
Will the Harris and Stevens beat the aliens? Can the Tardis escape from the game?
Tune in next week for the next episode of Space Cadets!
The #WritingMyCity book anthology
I came across this interview yesterday about the #WritingMyCity project in which I participated as a facilitator and writer a few month’s ago.
I was particularly excited that our little group, who are part of the Women for Change programme, got a mention. Their stories obviously struck a chord even if they didn’t make it into this particular collection.
Here’s an extract from the interview:
***
Read the full interview with Christelle Lubbe, of the City of Cape Town’s Library and Information Services, and Frankie Murrey, Co-ordinator of the Open Book Festival by Carla Lever on Times Live
And finally, she pulled the plug
From my Flash Fiction Collection
And now there was nothing left of what had been her beautiful blue planet. Great Big Five sighed. She had given them chance after chance. She had very nearly deleted the entire human race in Earth Year 2018. Only that little message which flashed up after she had hit the big red button had given her pause.
Do you really want to DELETE?
No, she hadn’t. She’d cancelled the request. Sat back and watched and waited for fifteen Earth Years more. She’d watched the greedy, selfish humans squander more and more of the precious resources of her pretty planet. Barren soil blew away, the oceans turned to acid, the very atmosphere was toxic. Some of the little humans had tried to avert the crisis. They’d spoken out. Even important, influential ones had acted, added their voices. There were protests, social media campaigns, new policies agreed and implemented; the planet had staggered on, but it was all too little, too late.
Meanwhile others had been working on a plan. Done with the Earth, they would move on. Move to another planet. Their neighbour: the red planet. Clever little humans!
Never mind what they’d done to the animals and birds, the trees and flowers, the mountains and lakes. All her best work they’d left in tatters.
She had mind-melded with Great Being Nineteen. The red planet was under his jurisdiction. She had suspected he had plans. With Earth out of the way, he could move his smaller red planet nearer to its sun, into what her imaginative earthlings called the Goldilocks Zone, after one of their sweet little stories. Allow something new to evolve. He’d even let her collaborate on his project.
You have activated Planet Total Destruction. Are you sure you want to do this?
She did.
They couldn’t be allowed to spread their wicked ways.
©2019 Chris Hall
Space Cadets #5
“That’s a black hole!” I stare in horror at the viewing screen. “How close is it?”
[FIVE MINUTES TO EVENT HORIZON]
The red light starts to flash.
“Your doctor friend,” cries Stevens. “Call him!”
I close my eyes and visualize the Tardis. Nothing happens. I empty my mind then start to picture every detail I can remember of the familiar blue box. To my relief I hear its arrival over the shrill wail of the siren. I open my eyes to see Tardis materialize. The door opens. It’s the Matt Smith version of the Doctor.
“Ah,” he says, “spot of bother?” He bounds over to the screen. “Oh, I should say so!” He looks round at us.
“Can you help us, Doctor?” I stare up at him.
[FOUR MINUTES TO EVENT HORIZON]
“Let me think,” he says, tapping his sonic screwdriver absently against the side of his head. He starts to pace about.
Suddenly he whirls around to face us. “Okay. I’m going to tether your ship to the Tardis, then we’re going to travel back in time to before that thing formed.” He points at the screen.
“But it’ll be a supernova, won’t it?” shouts Stevens.
“Good point.” The Doctor waves his sonic screwdriver at Stevens. “Back to before the star goes supernova.” He taps his head again. “I’ll just need to make a couple of calculations.”
[THREE MINUTES TO EVENT HORIZON]
“Who’s good at maths?”
The boys look at me. “Jemma!”
“Okay, Jemma,” he nods. “Come with me.”
The interior of the Tardis looks exactly as I thought it would. The Doctor runs around the control console flicking switches and turning dials. He hums to himself as he works.
Grabbing my hand he takes me to the other side of the console. “Watch this screen,” he indicates a monitor with seemingly random numbers flashing up on it. “When it reaches 367.984, hit that green button.” He points to the button. “Don’t take your eyes off that screen; we only have one chance at this!” He rushes over to the door and pokes his head out.
[TWO MINUTES TO EVENT HORIZON]
“Remember, chaps. You must believe this will work. Concentrate on nothing else!” I glance up and see him touch his hand to the side of his head in salute.
He shuts the door and returns to the console. “The monitor, Jemma. Concentrate!” I hear him flick some more switches
I stare at the screen. The numbers continue to change.
I concentrate, willing 367.984 to appear.
[ONE MINUTE TO EVENT HORIZON]
I stare at the monitor.
The number I’ve been waiting for flashes up.
I hit the green button.
The Tardis is going to save us.
Will the Tardis save our brave Cadets?
Tune in next week for the next episode of Space Cadets!
The Story of the Storyteller
The Storyteller arrived in the village wearing a broad-brimmed black hat which made it hard to see her face. She began to tell stories, her stories. She encouraged us to tell our stories. Stories of all kinds: short stories, sad stories, stories that would make you think, or laugh, or look under the bed before sleeping.
Our village was alive with words. Our stories became known far and wide. We were the ‘Village of the Stories’ – stories which we could shout from the rooftops or sing by the stream or whisper in the woods.
People came to hear our stories. They wanted stories of their own. Some learned how to tell them, but others came to steal them. They sent their spies to seek out our stories and sell them as their own.
We were disheartened. The Storyteller slipped away; her stories disappeared with her. We fell silent. Our words were hidden and our stories slept.
But then we decided.
‘No more,’ we shouted. ‘We will seek out the thieves and shame them. We will take our stories back.’
And so we did. And we hope the Storyteller hears this and returns with her stories and her broad-brimmed black hat.
Success!
Update on tygpress.com situation – let’s hope it stays this way!
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Space Cadets #4
“What’s that noise?” yells Stevens over the resonating sound.
“Sounds like the Tardis.” I reply, still wondering what happened to the Borg Cube which a moment ago had been poised to assimilate our space craft.
“The what?”
“It’s the doctor.” I say confidently. “That’s who I just thought of. You know how it works.”
“Doctor who?” the boys turn to be, puzzled expressions on their faces.
I roll my eyes. “Yes, that’s right. Doctor Who. From the British TV series. You know, late 20th, early 21st century? Goes around space and time saving people.” I raise my eyebrows. “Like he might be able to get us out of this mess..?”
They shake their heads. Then their eyes slide past me, widening. I spin around in my chair to see the familiar blue box start to materialize. Relieved, I try to jump up from my seat, but the safety belt restrains me.
Suddenly the ship is rocked by a huge explosion. Over my shoulder the viewing screen flashes on, showing a ball of flames and massive pieces of dark black debris scattering across the void.
“Gotcha!” cries Harris, punching the air.
“Way to go!” cheers Stevens, leaning across the console to give Harris a high five.
So that’s what’s happened to the Cube. “How did you do that?” I ask.
“Hit the red button,” Harris indicates the joystick in front of him.
I turn back to see the Tardis start to fade. “Come back, Doctor!” I cry. “We need your help!”
“We don’t need help from some old doctor. We’re fine,” says Harris smugly. “I just blew up The Borg.”
“Er, I’d not be so sure,” says Stevens pointing at the viewing screen.
How will the Cadets escape from the Black Hole? And who imagined that??
Tune in next week for the next episode of Space Cadets!
Writing My City – Update
Just a quick update on the outcome of the submissions to the #WritingMyCity project.
To recap: Cape Town Libraries, in conjunction with the Book Lounge and the Fugard Theatre, launched the project earlier this year to encourage Capetonians to write stories and poetry about the city they live in.
The initiative was aimed at giving Capetonians, from a broad range of backgrounds, the opportunity to tell their stories to a wider world, and for more local community stories to be told and shared. By doing this there is an opportunity to celebrate and deepen the understanding of who and what makes Cape Town the city it is, and build better social cohesion.
You may remember that I volunteered to facilitate a series of workshops, leading a group of people to help them produce their own unique submission. Things didn’t entirely go to plan but in the end we did tell our stories and we did submit to the project.
My hope was that at least one of the ladies’ stories might be accepted. Unfortunately, this wasn’t the case. Perhaps their stories were just a bit too gritty. But it was an interesting journey for us all, and I hope that one or two of them will continue to write and get that release and enjoyment from doing so.
The names of those who have been selected suggest that a range of different voices will be published, including the immigrant English woman who wrote a little piece from the point of view of a child from the township.
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