Another brilliant piece from a GUNNAS WRITING MASTERCLASS WRITER.
The Woman On The Tram
She was the most perfectly beautiful woman he had ever seen. How long had he been coming in to town on this tram? And when did he first become aware of this brunette with the wonderful face – the wide squarish jaw and the straight, proud nose? She wore her hair in that very popular style women were wearing these days – he couldn’t describe it – he was only a man! But if pushed, he would say, it was some sort of roll at the crown, clear of her broad forehead and long at the sides. He would have no problem describing her hair as thick and glossy. How many mornings had he sneaked looks at her while supposedly engrossed in his newspaper? How he would love to meet her. But this morning he was ecstatic. She was sitting next to his friend, Bessie Harding – and they were chatting. He leapt to his feet and staggered the few steps towards their seats. He coughed nervously and his friend Bessie looked up. He cleared his throat and greeted her. “Oh Ken, she said – how are you? This is my friend Joy”. Joy said “hello Ken” and he nearly fainted. She must have had the most glorious smile he had ever seen. It was dazzling. And he had really never seen such beautiful teeth. Pearly white and straight. He hung onto the strap and swayed with the movement of the tram. The rest of the trip, he reflected later, was a haze. But he hoped that their conversation – surely the intelligent yet casual mix he was pursuing – and his charm – oh how he tried to be charming – would provide even the faintest glimmer of a favourable impression with her. For already, he loved her with all of his heart.
Away
Such homesickness he had not thought possible. The ship left Sydney Harbour days ago. He missed Joy so much, it actually felt like pain . Much later he would bitterly regret not marrying her before steaming off to the Middle East. He reflected on his life in Melbourne – working in an office in the City, studying accountancy by night; and taking Joy out on weekends. Not exactly an exciting or unusual life. But now, his life for the present – and who knew for how long in the future – was something vibrant, new, impossibly different. What was in his makeup that compelled him to sign up for the war – to offer his services to Australia and to support Britain? Because of course, this is how he saw his contribution. And although it may be an incredible life change, the notion of not being involved was unthinkable. He couldn’t understand how Alec and Doug did not feel the need to join up. During the voyage from Sydney to Egypt he became more aware of how just how different his life was and how much more so, it would become. What jolted him unexpectedly were his yearning for Joy and less powerfully, his feelings about his family.
A Special Boy
(This story was inspired by my picture of a man and a woman with rays coming from their heads. It made me think of Superman’s special x-ray vision. My scrap of writing read “crank it up”)
Once upon a time there was a boy called Silas. He always felt special and that he had extraordinary powers – but he was not sure why he felt that. One day, when he was about 13 he discovered that he could see through heavy materials – like bricks, or wood or concrete. For example, on the Tuesday after his birthday he saw his next-door neighbour outside their front door – as if it was a pane of glass. Silas was able to every day practise his new found skills and perform miracles. He discovered much about his friends and classmates and played harmless tricks on them all. But he was afraid to let anyone know. He kept secret for example, the fact that he could see people’s bodies beneath their clothes. One day he saw his mother outside his bedroom door, about to come in. He didn’t want her to, as he was reading a very interesting book and did not want to be interrupted. So when his mother knocked he said he was in bed ready to sleep but she said “don’t be ridiculous Silas, I can see that you’re reading your book”. He closed his book and opened the door. “I think that you’ve inherited your secret powers from me” she said. She took him over to the window. “What can you see through the walls of the shed?” He said he could see his father, in his special Man Shed, place a record on his old fashioned player and was about to crank it up. It was amazing! Mother said, “one day when I was a girl, about your age, I discovered I could see through the walls of buildings – like the Tower of London, right through to the courtyard and beyond. I never told my parents that. Silas said “how can we use our powers for good? How can we make this ghastly world a better place?” His mother said that like Silas, she had always used her powers to play tricks on other people and have fun. She never told them the truth. She thought Silas’ ideas were wonderful and together they sat down in the lounge-room, while in the shed Father played his music, and talked long and hard into the night about how they could help the world. And because of that, many wonderful things happened. They helped the Government discover if people were smuggling in illegal goods like guns, they helped doctors and nurses diagnose illnesses, as they could see into peoples’ bodies. And so they continued their good work until finally Mother died – old but content. They never did tell Silas’ father. But Silas decided that if he had children one day, he would try to discover if they had these powers. He would help them channel their deeds into good ones. But of course there was still room for some harmless trickery. He would be sure to tell his children that.
