When Delores closed her blog forever due to other problems, Elephant's Child (Sue) took over the role of coordinator.
Now, after Sue's demise, River has taken the mantle of coordinator upon her shoulders.
No matter what, how, where or who the aim of the words is to encourage us to write. Poems, stories, subtitles, tales, jokes, haiku, crosswords, puns, ... you're the boss.
Use all Words, some Words, one Word, or even none of them if that makes your creative juices flow. Anything goes, only please nothing rude or vulgar.
This month the words are given by Sean Jeatings and can be found at River's blog Drifting through Life
If you are posting an entry on your own blog, please leave a comment on River's blog, then we can come along and read it and add a few encouraging words.
It is also a challenge, where the old saying "The more the merrier" holds true.
Please,
remember to follow the links, go back and read other peoples' stories.
And please leave a comment after reading. Challenges like this one
thrives on interaction, feedback and encouragement. And we ALL need
encouragement.
I have Words from two Wednesdays to use. For the 21 we were given:
Countenance
Favourite
Once
Pillow
Regret
and/or:
Bags
Faces
Machos
Steps
Swearboarding
And for the 28, this fine collection:
Death
Forward
Important
Intend
Left
and/or:
Pleasure
Step
Touch
Things
Understand
I did not get inspired by the words at all - neither those from Wednesday 21st, neither by the ones from this present one.
But I had to end the story - at least for now. Here's the last instalment about June and the smugglers. I hope I succeeded in making her just a bit solitary, and likeable anyway.
I might continue June's tale using those words .. Swearboarding tickles my linguistic funnybone.
June contacted the police, who told her to be careful. “We’ll send someone in an unmarked car. Just to be on the safe side.”
Thursday night, the Morse code message from the tree was different, not just repeat of spices, days and colours. A telephone consultation with Sanne told her that it said:
- "There’s someone in the house."
- "Ok, we'll shoot if we see anyone." And after a longer pause: "Chives tomorrow. Blue. OK"
Next morning the policeman drove away with much ado and sound and returned late in the afternoon, when June could see nobody in the tree or surroundings. He drove a small, quiet motorbike, which they hid in the garage.
The following evening, the signals came again. "All clear" from the tree, and "Chives, Blue" from the ship.
June and the policeman, whose name was Paul, had climbed up into the attic and were keeping watch through the two skylights. June facing the beach and Paul facing the woods. Whilst they waited, the policeman kept in touch with his colleagues via radio and told June that the beach was full of officers and that they had several more behind the woods keeping an eye on the two in the tree. June hadn’t heard a sound or seen anything and was duly impressed.
The two in the tree sent a brief message; Paul didn’t manage to catch it, but June saw the reply: ‘Blue’ from the ship. June joined Paul, and through the skylight they could see the two men leave the tree and walk down towards the beach, silhouetted against the sand in the moonlight. The policeman muttered a few words into the radio, and they saw one of the two pull out a torch and shine it out over the sea. After a while, the beam of light hit a blue helium balloon, and June stiffled a giggle. It was actually quite clever.
The two men waded out into the sea after the parcel, and when they were standing in water up to their mid-thighs, Poul gave a brief command over the radio, and the officers, who had been lying hidden on the beach, all sprang to their feet. One of them shouted orders in Danish and Polish, and the two men in the water raised their arms and began wading to the shore. The officers moved closer, ready to arrest the pair. But as they reached the shore, one of them threw himself down onto the sand and into the legs of the nearest officer, then got up and ran. His accomplice drew a pistol and fired at a couple of other officers. But at another brief command from Paul, the beach was illuminated by floodlights from the roof of hidden patrol cars. "They’re all wearing bulletproof vests," said Paul reassuringly. A couple of officers gave chase and soon caught up with the fleeing man, whilst a couple of others, armed with batons quickly disarmed the man with the pistol. They were both handcuffed and led away. An officer caught the parcel with the blue balloon, and soon there was nothing left on the beach. Poul spoke into his radio, listened, replied and hummed in acknowledgement. The lights went out, and they could hear the cars driving away.
Poul shook her hand and said: "Another patrol boarded the ship as it reached the harbour. There’s nothing immediately suspicious on board, but a lot of balloons and a helium cylinder. They’ll be punished, I’m sure. I don’t know if there was a reward, but in any case, thank you very much for helping to expose them."
"I’d prefer to remain anonymous,” June replied. "If there is a reward, it belongs to you and the men. They did a fine job, and they probably need the money more than I do."
* * * * * * * * *
På dansk
Sidste afsnit af historien om June i denne omgang. Jeg har ikke rigtig btrugt nogen af de opsparede onsdagsord... men nu måtte jeg tage og bilve færdig med June og smuglerne. Måske er jeg ikke helt fkrdig med June, jeg er kommet til at holde af hende, og vil gerne fortælle mere...
June tog kontakt til politiet, der bad hende være forsigtig. "Vi sender en mand i en civil bil. Bare for en sikkerheds skyld."
Torsdag nat var morsebudskabet fra træet længer end det plejede. June ringede til Sanne der oversatte:
- "Der er nogen i huset." "Vi skyder, hvis vi ser nogen" - og som afslutning: "Purløg i morgen. Blå".
Næste dag kørte politimanden bilen væk, langsomt og larmende, så han var sikker på at blive lagt mærke til. Senere på eftermddagen, da June fortalte, at der ikke var nogen ved træet, kom han tilbage på en lille, støjsvag motorcykel, som de skjulte i garagen.
Næste aften kom signalerne igen. "Alt klar" fra træet, og "Purløg, Blå" fra skibet.
June og politimanden, der hed Paul, var kravlet op på loftet, og holdt udkig gennem de to tagvinduer. Et mod stranden og et mod skoven. Mens de ventede, holdt politimanden kontakt med sine kolleger via radio, og fortalte June at stranden var fuld af betjente, og at der var flere oppe bag skoven til at holde øje med de to i træet. June havde ikke hverken set eller hørt noget, og var meget imponeret.
De to fra træet sendte et kort budskab, som Paul ikke nåede at fange, men June så svaret: "Blå" ude fra skibet. June gik over til Paul, og gennem tagvinduet kunne de se de to fra træet gå ned mod stranden, synlige imod sandet i måneskinnet. Politimanden mumlede et par ord i radioen. En af de to mænd på stranden tog en lommelygte frem og lyset ud over havet. Efter et stykke tid ramte lysstrålen en blå heliumballon, og June undertykte et fnis. Det var faktisk smart.
De to mænd vadede ud i havet efter pakken, og da de stod i vand til midt på lårene, gave Poul en kort kommando i radioen, og betjentene, der lå skjult på stranden, sprang allesammen op. En af dem råbte ordrer på dansk og polsk, og de to mænd i vandet rakte armene i vejret og begyndte at vade ind. Betjentene gik tættere på, parate til at anholde de to. Men da de nåede land, kastede den ene sig ned på sandet og ind i benene på den nærmeste betjent, så rejste han sig og løb. Hans makker trak en pistol og skød efter et par andre betjente. men på endnu en kort kommando fra Paul blev stranden oplyst af lyskastere fra taget af en patruljevogn. "De har skudsikre veste på allesammen," sagde Paul beroligende. Et par betjente indhentede snart den løbende mand, og et par andre trak kniplerne og afvæbnede manden med pistolen. De blev begge lagt i håndjern og ført bort. En betjent fangede pakken med den blå ballon, og snart var der ikke noget at se på stranden. Poul talte i sin radio, lyttede, svarede og brummede anerkendende. Lysene slukkedes, og de kunne høre biler køre bort.
Poul gav hende hånden og sagde: "En anden patrulje har opbragt skibet da det nåede havnen. Der er ikke noget direkte mistænkeligt om bord, men en masse balloner og en trykflaske med helium. De skal nok blive straffet. Jeg ved ikke, om der var udlovet nogen dusør, men du skal i hvert falt have hjerteligt tak for at have hjulpet med afsløringen af dem."
"Det passer mig bedst at forblive anonym," svarede June. "Hvis der er en dusør, tilkommer den dig og mændene. De gjorde et fint stykke arbejde, og har sikkert mere brug for pengene."
