Contributor: Saul Jennings
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The thin tin melody of the van rang around the village sending a musical invite into all the people's houses. In those very houses the grown-ups faces shone in joy; they looked wide eyed at each other and then imploringly at the children “Can we, can we?”.
"Go on then", sighed all the children, with eyes raised to the heavens in mock despair. The little rounded van stopped on the street corner, slid open its window at the side of the van and the grown-ups all queued up.
From inside a large happy man appeared, dressed in white with a big bushy beard and a crisp, clean hat at an unusual angle.
"What can I get you", he boomed at the woman at the front of the queue, whose long grey hair was scraped tight in a bun.
"I'd like the first ice cream of summer", she said coyly and the man passed her an ice cream. She took hold of the ice cream and
the sun was so warm but the grass was cool under her toes which were wet from the paddling pool and the ice cream was melting as fast as she could lick it but she didn't mind as it was funny not sad and she was laughing and the grown ups were laughing too and her sides ached at the fun of it all
"And how about you", said the bearded man to the next in line, a man in an aging suit, long, long out of fashion.
"I'd like my birthday party", said the tired looking suit and he was passed a balloon. He took hold of the balloon and
there had been games and cake and now running in the garden and all his friends were all here all at once and he had been the special boy and there was the new spaceship he’d got this morning and he had not even played with yet and he ran around shouting at the top of his voice at the joy of it all
"And you then", said the voice from the van and the next in line looked around then at his feet, started to speak and stopped. Then he said quietly "I'd like a nice sunny day".
"Really", said the man in the van warmly, "or did you want something else?"
The nervous man leaned in to the van and hissed quietly "I want the spider" and so he was given a jar. He took hold of the jar and
the spider had been caught quickly like he was a great hunter and he saw one leg was gone already so he pulled another off and looked to make sure no-one was watching because it was bad and the spider probably hurt but he pulled off more and more legs and his heart pounded at the horror of it all
The queue was long but so was the day and everyone patiently waited their turn. So all the grown-ups got a special memory and everyone had a most wonderful afternoon.
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My name is mostly Saul Jennings. I live in Greece and work throughout Europe and write Weird Fiction.
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The thin tin melody of the van rang around the village sending a musical invite into all the people's houses. In those very houses the grown-ups faces shone in joy; they looked wide eyed at each other and then imploringly at the children “Can we, can we?”.
"Go on then", sighed all the children, with eyes raised to the heavens in mock despair. The little rounded van stopped on the street corner, slid open its window at the side of the van and the grown-ups all queued up.
From inside a large happy man appeared, dressed in white with a big bushy beard and a crisp, clean hat at an unusual angle.
"What can I get you", he boomed at the woman at the front of the queue, whose long grey hair was scraped tight in a bun.
"I'd like the first ice cream of summer", she said coyly and the man passed her an ice cream. She took hold of the ice cream and
the sun was so warm but the grass was cool under her toes which were wet from the paddling pool and the ice cream was melting as fast as she could lick it but she didn't mind as it was funny not sad and she was laughing and the grown ups were laughing too and her sides ached at the fun of it all
"And how about you", said the bearded man to the next in line, a man in an aging suit, long, long out of fashion.
"I'd like my birthday party", said the tired looking suit and he was passed a balloon. He took hold of the balloon and
there had been games and cake and now running in the garden and all his friends were all here all at once and he had been the special boy and there was the new spaceship he’d got this morning and he had not even played with yet and he ran around shouting at the top of his voice at the joy of it all
"And you then", said the voice from the van and the next in line looked around then at his feet, started to speak and stopped. Then he said quietly "I'd like a nice sunny day".
"Really", said the man in the van warmly, "or did you want something else?"
The nervous man leaned in to the van and hissed quietly "I want the spider" and so he was given a jar. He took hold of the jar and
the spider had been caught quickly like he was a great hunter and he saw one leg was gone already so he pulled another off and looked to make sure no-one was watching because it was bad and the spider probably hurt but he pulled off more and more legs and his heart pounded at the horror of it all
The queue was long but so was the day and everyone patiently waited their turn. So all the grown-ups got a special memory and everyone had a most wonderful afternoon.
- - -
My name is mostly Saul Jennings. I live in Greece and work throughout Europe and write Weird Fiction.
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Author:
Saul Jennings
