The prompt for today is a challenge: "They say a picture is worth 1,000 words. Write at least 100 words about the image below."
A long time ago, back in November 2019, I wrote about Susan and her family returning from Paris (After the drama with the Gargoyle) and driving to Aunt Dina and Uncle Kurt's summerhouse late one evening. I did not tell of the crossing of the bridge. It was a special thing for Susan and her sister Linda:
Susan and Linda sat in each their corner of the back-seat of the car. Linda was mad because they were not going home, and Susan was sad because she wanted to get to Unicorn Island in a hurry. She could not read in the car, as it made her sick, and even thinking of becoming sick made her feel queasy.
Mum suggested singing something together. And after a zillion iterations of Frère Jaques in English, French and Danish, Susan felt a bit better, and Linda was not glowering any more.
They crossed a small bridge, and Mum said: "Soon you'll see the water to the right, and then we'll cross the big bridge. After that it's not far to Aunt Dina's summerhouse."
"That big bridge?" Linda asked.
"The one with the arches?" Susan asked.
"I bet we'll meet a train in the middle once again." Linda said.
"I don't like that bridge," Susan said, "Those who built it, did not measure accurately. One half is way longer than the other."
Susan and Linda looked at one another, and as they sighted the water and the ramp leading to the bridge they began singing:
"Oh we do never ever more
want to cross that big bad bridge.
For one half of it is long
and the other half is short,
and every time we reach the middle
A train comes rolling by!"
They repeated this homemade verse several times all the way up on the bridge, over it, under the pylons - where they of course were met by a rapidly rolling German train going in the opposite direction - and all the way off the bridge. Mum and Dad had had more than enough of this song when the car finally set wheels on Zealand.
295 words.
Smiling. And remembering songs that my parents had much more than enough of when we were travelling. Mind you, they told us so, and shut us up.
SvarSletThank you.
SletI'm quite sure that if the bridge had been much longer than its 3.8 km. Mum and Dad would have asked Susan and Linda in no uncertain terms to stop the chanting, but this was how long (short) the bridge was (still is, I suppose).
I loved this!!!!
SvarSletTHanks!
SletWonderful! It's probably just as you remember it, too.
SvarSletYes it is ... I wonder what my sister would say.
SletSo during this time, does Susan know magic? If so, she might have cast a spell to make her carsickness go away. I don't like crossing bridges either because there's only the water below. I might have also seen one too many diaster movies involving bridges.
SvarSletHave a lovely day.
P.S. I've noticed your blog list on the right sidebar with my postcard blog. I just want you to know I'm still blogging even if the updates aren't showing up.
Yes Susan knew magic. But casting spells out of school was forbidden. I don't know if there reaaly were any sanctions, but Susan at that age kept close toi the ruels.
SletThank you for the notice on your postcards blog. That is a strange quirk of Blogger's that some blogs never update.
I am glad Susan and Linda started singing instead of being mad and feeling queasy.
SvarSletI am wondering how one half of a bridge can be longer that the other, since halves are supposed to be equal.
This was what Susan and her sister wondered as well. It's still like that and if you ever come to Denmark you can see for yourself ;)
SletI hate bridges and my Hubby shue´d kill me I started to sing ;-)
SvarSletI (and Susan) have nothing against bridges, but this one was a bother in our childish imagination, for being split in unequal halves, for always having a rushing train crossing us under those not-centered arches and in general for being still far from home even though we had travelled far.
Slet