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FICTION
Human Termites Eat London
Please can someone answer my question? Do termites live in the UK? I live in Central London and within the last week I have noticed insects crawling on my bathroom floor. These look very much like the pictures given for termites on the internet. Are these termites? There are many coming out at night and now I have seen some in the bedroom.
Will these eat my floorboards and furniture as I understand they eat wood. I have just moved in and am very concerned. Thank you in advance
Answer
Sometimes we get termites in the UK but this is very unlikely in your case. Did they have dark heads or soft bodies or wings and did you see the soldiers with big jaws? There may be more to this than meets the eye.
Pigeons Splat London
Hi, I am one of those feathered greyish creatures that tend to crop up everywhere. Not a sparrow or starling but a pigeon, not a killer. Many of you, I am sure, have heard us cooing under eaves, shelters or bridges especially if it is raining, and seen us swooping down in streets and shopping centres, especially where someone is sitting down eating sandwiches or chips. Also you may have seen our males with puffed up green and purple feathers, lifting their tails, lowering their heads and cooing when chasing us females.
This is a story of how, due to our increase in numbers, especially in Trafalgar Square in London, we became persecuted and considered a pest. We were named sky or winged rats and even in the United States considered public bird enemy number one. But now you will see in this story how this all changed. Something happened down in Thanet in Kent which changed us and soon we were able to wreak revenge on that noble city of London, its Trafalgar Square, and its inhabitants.
But first something about our past and what we witnessed over the years.
Glass Anemones Tentacle-ize London
A freak accident enables a tropical aquarium species of glass anemone, Aiptasia, to develop an outer protective skin enabling it to move out of the water onto land. By stinging, stunning and capturing its victims it is able to find a new food supply readily available in the streets of London.
Beware where you walk, especially at night, as lurking in the corner or above you may be Aiptasia. If you feel something touching your legs or body, flee straight away before the tentacles drag you into the oral cavity to be digested. Check yourselves, your homes, your possessions and your animals as it only needs a few cells from the parent as big as a full stop to start to establish and become a three metre giant.
Tuppeny Hangover
A brief story about a small boy born in Laugharne in South Wales whose through his aunts influence becomes a priest. After being caught up in the First World War he returns home to London to finds he is jobless and homeless.
The littlest Oyster
Oysters for years have been a delicacy as well as a source of protein and other nutrients for humans. Oyster beds consist of generations of oysters piled on top of one another providing a site for the attachment of new oysters. This book relates to one tiny oyster whose ambition was to become big, like his neighbours but he never seemed to get any larger. Through his early life he sees how larger oysters can be adversely affected by the environment and predators including humans. About to give up he is raised up to a new life where he is valued and protected for ever.
Bits and Bobs
This is a book with a fantastic variety of short stories and funny poems developed from young children’s wild imagination. It includes the unusual such as Red rabbits; Everlasting crisps; Magic barrels; Hairy Fred the mite; Building gobblers, Invasion of the peas and many others. If you want a good bedtime read for your children to take them into the world of fantasy and fun then this book is the one for you.
The Shell Man
In the South Pacific there is a remote isolated tropical island whose beaches are totally made out of shells. Everyday, and especially during storms, thousands of shells are washed in onto the sand and collected by a family who live on the edge of the beach. For years Tom’s parents have been collecting shells and making them into elaborate jewellery and hanging ornaments.
This is the story of the baby (Thomas) brought up on the beach who through constant contact with the beach managed to develop an unusual capability of incorporating shells into the skin on his back. This had never been recorded before and no one else on the island had this ability. As he grew up he became well known and respected and when people had problems they would go and see the shell man for advice. This phenomenon led to him leaving the island but returning years later to find that shell island was no longer the peaceful home that he knew so well.
Cats at Christmas
Down in the basement sat three rather large cats sprawled out asleep on the settee. All of these were males.
Two years earlier two cats at four weeks old had been brought to the hotel in a cardboard box. They were easily frightened and would raise their hairs if scared. There had been a problem with mice in the town so they were supposed to be the solution. One was a nosy, ginger, cat Frankie, who had a striped tail and sharp, white whiskers, while the other was a rather quiet, and black called Sooty with a spot of white fur on his chest. They were all very playful and were placed in a basket but would venture out and crawl into inaccessible places and have to be rescued
In a Dark, Dark Corner was the Holy Ghost
In a dark, dark corner of life you all will all experience the feeling of loss of hope. Be it caused by loss of a job, person or other event. This story illustrates how at the time of despair one person meets the Holy Ghost who gives her, as he can give to you, a new spirit to carry on despite all your problems.
The Shell Lady
We’ve often seen small, wonderful items in seaside shops made out of shells. They can be figures of animals and even boats. Annie was an expert at making these out of the shells which she collected every day from the beach. Her speciality was in making shell women, their dresses made out of scallops and the bonnet out of large cockles.
One day she found something floating in the tide which would change her life completely and even help generate a famous landmark in her little seaside town. Many of us, holding an object, can relate this to our own memories or visualise the owner’s possible appreciation of this object. This story goes beyond this, releasing the very energy stored in everyday objects with voices from the past.
London’s Nemesis (Trilogy of 3 Books)
- Temites eat London
- Pigeons Splat London
- Glass Anemonies Tentacle-ize London
Saved by Angels (Trilogy of 3 Books) CLICK
- The Littlest Oyster
- Tuppeny Hangover
- In a Dark, Dark Corner was the Holy Ghost
Photosynthetic Women
We all at sometime or another have wondered why we have been separated from the plant kingdom. Many plants have attributes that mimic or compliment features of human behaviour, structure and often exhibit higher abilities. It is not so far-fetched with genetic engineering and gene transfer, to transfer plant genes, and possibly in the future plant cell features, back into animals and even humans. This short story finds that in a small town in Kent a new human breed of women is being developed all because a little lady bought something unusual in a garden centre.
Queen Rat on Deadman’s Island
This book is based around a real island where the Medway estuary meets the Swale, where there are many narrow channels and creeks. Deadman’s Island was formed from alluvium washed down from the swale channel forming mud banks. Some vegetation was established then salt marshes were drained off and some barriers were made so that grass grew in patches and sheep could be grazed in summer. In winter it was often partly covered by water and very thick clay like mud everywhere. This is a living graveyard which was used for victims of plague ships and English and French prisoners of war on hulks. Many bones have been exposed on the shore and many tales exist about its past. What happened to the souls of all these people? Are they trapped in this lost human refuse tip, unknown and inaccessible to relatives and friends? There is one man, Richard, a shepherd and smuggler who knew this island and must return one day to perform an unknown task.
The Watcher on the Fal
Smuggling has been going on for many years around the British coast. Cornwall especially is well known for smuggling, as is Kent. This story about the watcher is about the attempt to smuggle in brandy by two people to a small village in Cornwall on the river Fal. A simple task, previously successful, turns out to have complications resulting in the death of two people. The watcher is there, watching day and night and sees everything but does not do anything. One may ask why?
The Rock Pool
Many of you in your childhood may have played in rock pools, trying to catch some of the creatures living there. Often crabs, fish and shrimps will dart under over hanging rocks for safety, making it difficult to catch them.. Would you try and get them out? Certainly not in this rock pool as an unknown fate may await you.
The little shepherd boy’s gift
The gospels provide chequered accounts of Jesus’ birth, ministry and final fate on the cross.
This book introduces a fictional aspect of the shepherds’ life after they came to see the baby Jesus in Bethlehem. Its aim is to show how the smallest gift, even something found in nature, can be loved, valued greatly and have meaning to someone. It also shows how unexplainable fate can put us in situations that can force us to commit actions that hurt those we love but forgiveness and compassion, as shown by Christ, can bring joyous hope out of pain and sorrow.
The Living Fossils
Life is all around us beneath our feet trillions of creatures are crawling and burrowing. High in the air organisms are freely floating with air currents passing over our heads from other parts of the world. Competition and death were very common in the past. Challenges through changes in the environment or sheer luck brought about new forms of life. Past life is engrained in the fossils we have found, mere moulds of past life preserved in stone or clay. But what are the chances that life could survive if sealed away for millions of years and revived, just as some very old seeds are revived by immersing them in water. This story is built about such organisms which either lived on this earth or came from outer space and were sealed in pods unaffected by physical or chemical forces that existed up to the present day. Their release and behaviour linked to their past existence would cause a major threat to the very existence of society and the living world.
Old Mother Nature laughed and laughed
This book is a small mixture of experiences in this country and abroad as well as some fictional tales. Mother Nature can be so cruel and laughs and laughs at life’s problems.
The first story reminds us not to put all your eggs in one basket as the consequences may be more than just an omelette. The next two stories involve encounters with insects, often not too pleasant in some cases. These are followed by a warning on how careful you have to be eating some of Mother Nature’s fruits.
Is it good to be polite? The next story examines the consequences for a woman named Alice and how self has become the norm.
To brighten things up a bit the next tale relates to how little children, if let loose, can cause chaos, especially in a carol service.
Finally you may think your name is peculiar, but take a look at the names given in italics in this set of verses in this last chapter. They are all real people having names on censuses and provide good examples for those looking for interesting characters for writing stories.
Too many at the Pearly Gates
Waiting times to get into heaven have increased as there are so many people there that shouldn’t be. God gets the Archangel St Michael with St Peter to find out why this is. Two angels who were involved in the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah with fire and brimstone are sent down to see why and report back.
The fate of the UK depends on their findings.
Betty Barcodes
A supermarket till worker develops bar codes on her skin. These lead to a series of symbols which unlock a secret from the Holy Land held in a local church since the time of Richard the Lionheart. A man in black is determined to prevent the unlocking of this secret.
Time runs Dry
We all grow old and we all have memories. Many people go to day centres for lunch, entertainment and company.
This play pivots on eight colourful characters who visit the day centre for games, entertainment and lunch. The day centre proves not to be so great after all but visitors treat it as a womb, a great place to settle down, sleep and dream for the day.
Time left for these characters is slipping by but by no means over yet. There are many experiences before time finally runs completely dry.
Valentine Cards
Many of us have sent valentine cards at one time or another. Will is looking for a beautiful woman and trying to impress by buying new clothes at a supermarket. On leaving he is confronted by another world and ten beautiful women but will anything come of his encounter?
The scrofula infirmary
This story is fiction but based in part on the Royal Sea Bathing Infirmary (hospital) in Margate, Kent, and other events that occurred over the years. The Royal Sea Bathing Hospital was formed for the scrofulous poor of London, for the saving of limbs and preserving the lives of those persons on the brink of death. The treatment at the infirmary originated from Marcus Aurelius’s physician-milk, fresh air and the seaside. The Italian and zoological gardens have gone but still some cages remain in the grounds of the Hall by the Sea which is better known as Dreamland. Mr. George Sanger and family set up this menagerie with exotic animals and travelled with a circus around the country some of the animals were taken to the infirmary much to the amusement of the children. Storms always battered Margate and in February 1953 an especially strong storm with huge waves damaged the pier, destroyed the sixty-foot lighthouse, water entered the old town, and in other places made the farmland unusable for many years. The story relates to two small children and their experiences whilst in the infirmary.
The Cornish Urchin
A lot of organisms have useful genes for attributes that we do not have. Some animals have better sense organs for detecting sound, smell, vision and taste. Some can run faster, even fly. The sea urchin, is believed to have a better immune system than we have and this story is based on an experiment where urchin genes are transferred to humans. This has devastating consequences for one child who is compelled to prey on people who have dined and wined.
Retribution comes at the end but through some imaginary ladies.
My Therizinosaurus
Many of you may have had difficulty in looking after certain pets. These demands can be great, but not as much as keeping a dinosaur with the biggest claws in the world. When animals are young they are attractive and easy to handle, but growing to a gigantic size can bring all sorts of problems. This is a story of a young man who hatches out a dinosaur egg of Therizinosaurus and the consequences of this.
Spider in the Tomb
This book is based on information given in the four gospels of the Bible at the time after Jesus’s crucifixion to the opening of the tomb with a living Christ. The gospel versions vary in details but the main theme supports Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. Nobody knows what happened inside the tomb before the stone was rolled away but this story attempts to portray a fictional version of those events entwined, with present day archaeology, environment and natural history common to this region. The happenings are witnessed through the eyes of a tiny spider whilst living at the entrance of the tomb and follows the journey of Jesus to life everlasting.
Butterfly Souls
Butterflies are very fragile transient forms of life entrancing people the world over with their delicate fluttering movements
As humans we live a bit longer but only miniscule compared to the age of the earth. Throughout history butterflies have been related to the afterlife and souls The Greek word for butterfly psyche means soul. The sight of thousands of monarch butterflies returning after a thousand mile journey back to the very trees that their ancestor came to could easily make you think of returning souls of relatives and children coming home. The Aztecs believe their arrival tell us all is well with the dead Some Japanese believe butterflies especially white ones symbolise souls black ones elsewhere indicate spirits. In Germany butterflies have been linked with souls of children. In Ireland in the 1600s it was an offence to kill a butterfly in case it was a child’s soul and they also represent souls in purgatory. Mayan cultures saw butterflies as dead warriors coming back to earth
The chrysalis of a butterfly is seen by some Christians as the tomb which held Jesus which broke open to indicate the resurrection or new life like a new butterfly. The chrysalis has also been linked with Egyptian mummy wrappings.
Many homeless or ill people are as vulnerable as butterflies seeking shelter to survive. This set of stories covers such people often fallen on hard times.
A vicar after the war joins the numerous homeless people in the first story. The second concerns a small Oyster at the bottom of the sea overpowered by its neighbours and fighting for its very survival. The third involves a woman who sees a vision in the corner of a church which changes her life.
In the fourth story a shepherd imprisoned on a ship in the river Medway escapes to rescue trapped souls on Deadman’s Island. The fifth story addresses the poor care of the elderly leading to too many arriving in heaven at the Pearly gates. God send down two angels to sort this out. Some gifts are often thought inadequate and in the sixth story a little shepherd boy’s fate leads him to a task he would never have dreamt of doing. The seventh story relates the events that occur after Jesus Christ’s crucifixion as seen by a spider in the tomb.
The last story depicts the sadness often caused by infection by TB and follows the fate of two children sent to an infirmary by the seaside.
The Girl under the Paeony Tree
This story is about two gulls that live on an old lady’s chimney. They can see her daily activities and her front garden which contains a magnificent paeony tree in flower. One day they see something unusual which affects the old ladies life.
Baby Toes
Sex was dead. A huge blast of radiation from the sun had sterilized everything on earth. Any creature or plant depending on propagating its species by sexual reproduction was doomed. Humans knew how to create new beings from dividing egg cells but they were clones. They also produced food from a number of animals by cloning but the rest of the animals began to fall in numbers.
As you wandered around the world you could see the decline of many species of animals and plants. Weeds that used to cover our land and were propagated by seed no longer existed. Exotic flowers needing insects to pollinate them to produce new seeds were few and far between.
A man returns to a small hut he used to play in as a child. On his journey he witnesses the changes in the forms of animals and plants. Asexual reproduction is dominant and organisms have become much larger and have dominated the hut. Is he safe inside the hut? Will he leave the same person as before or has he lost or gained something unimaginable?
The Sparrow’s Last Soul
One does not know what time of day, what minute, what second the second coming will come. The bible says it will be swift and unexpected and will come like a thief in the night.
Before this time there will be several signs, one of which is that the sparrows will stop chirping.
This Sparrows’ Last Soul is based on writings in John, Revelation, Thessalonians, Matthew, Zephaniah, Zechariah and Enoch. The story is based around three people who are demons that have started preparing for the arrival of the four horsemen of the apocalypse, who will trigger death and destruction on this earth. Are the demons already here with us today? Are they in the office or merely sitting in a café drinking coffee next to you? Are they attending church paying false tribute to the service or are they lying on the beach overseas soaking in the heat of the sun. Many have predicted the time of the end of the world but life has gone on. Have we still time to stop them? Can only God destroy the demons and the four horsemen or can we, as humans, destroy them in our midst. Many have tried before and failed. Will the demons be able to tip society over the edge and trigger the release of the four horsemen of the apocalypse resulting in Armageddon? I am one of the horsemen responsible for the full effects of the others. Do I have the strength to help trigger the tribulation or the ability to stop it?
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