Anything can inspire a story. Indeed our days are crowded with inspiration for anecdotes and if desired, written stories or poems.
In the summer I stayed in a farm house in Devon, which was beautiful and old enough, to enjoy its idiosyncracies.
Inspired by a leaky ‘needle shower’, I wrote about the leak , Julie Christie and (more oddly) Excalibur!
She noticed the pool of water the morning after they arrived. It looked out of place on the tiled floor as if some poor creature had been caught short whilst trapped in the room. The others worried about the electrics but Heather found the pool strangely soothing. She promised her family to check on its progress, ” its worrying parameters” several times each day whilst searching for their food essentials in the big American freezer. Heather enjoyed this responsibility because it allowed her to escape her family who always seemed too interested in making her talk to them.
Heather decided on a simple routine as she felt this was the key to her happiness and this was her time for the happiness of a special and most exceptional kind. Privacy was needed and the purchase of a small red leather notebook before the holiday gave her a feeling of purpose. She made daily notes in this notebook and hid it under her mattress. Heather shut the door to the utility room at least twice each day taking special care to use the hook latch. This latch guaranteed that no one else could possibly know where she was or could even hear her, except for the room itself. ‘ I need to be alone’ she underlined in her book. ‘I’m reclaiming my life’.
So Each time she entered the room she would take a huge breath in, relieved to enjoy its exceptional air for the atmosphere of the room gave her the impression of the countryside and wide vistas. The reassuring sound of the door’ s hinges made her certain that something new and fresh in her life was about to begin. She loved the rooms stillness and grew convinced that the pool quite liked her. On the third day of the holiday, she revised her opinion and decided that the pool didn’t just like her, it was actually waiting for her each day. They were attached. I respect your autonomy she thought. And then as she stared at the water, she imagined herself happier, and younger, as if the last ten years married to Colin and all his extended family belonged to some abandoned film reel and her real life, her best life, was yet to come.
How strangely reassuring she thought and then she saw the family all in sepia, , boarding an old green train, bound for some far flung city whose name she couldn’t quite make out. Well, at least, I was there to wave them off she decided and forgave herself both the train and the sepia. Their packed trunks looked secure and large and adventurous so there was no need to worry about them. Heather noticed Colin was carrying his brown portfolio of maps too. ” Perfectly sensible” she declared to the pool but didn’t demand an immediate response. I can wait she wrote in her red book.
When Heather checked in on the pool the next day, she was amused to see that it looked rather pleased with itself: in fact, she would have described its mood as rather teasing and just a little smug.
” You,” said heather to the pool. ” You are full of surprises…especially the train.” She threw back her head and laughed for the first time in weeks. Inspired, she untied her hair and kicked off her shoes. Then Heather calmly approached the edge of the pool and was delighted when the water began to lap enthusiastically at her toes. “Aren’t you the coy one,” She said. As if in reply the water circled around and around her ankles and then swirled itself into the most perfect blue. A pure hypnotic blue. A loyal blue that she could trust.
“What are you trying to tell me?”asked Heather though she knew the answer. So she spoke the answer out loud because faith and initiative mattered to her.
“Your waters are as blue as Julie Christie’s eyes and nearly as beautiful. ”
Heather often imagined Julie christie when she felt a little more alive than normal. If Julie were here ( and she wasn’t – Heather was a realist despite her rich imagination ) then all she, heather Coates would ask of her heroine would be just one word. One word and perhaps a smile. She knew tokens were impossible but Heather took a risk and imagined a token anyway in her head. After all a token would make such a difference, a real difference to her life. She sensed the pool warming about her toes as if the water was responding to her mental.plea. “I know you get lonely too” sympathised Heather. The water lapped again at her ankles. ” Careful. You’ve gone all giddy on me now.”
She heard a tapping at the door. Then a scratching too.
“Aunty heather is there any ice cream in there I’m desperate..”
” Very soon, Oliver.”
“You’ve been in there AGES!”
” Please be patient. ”
“Who are you talking to in there, Aunty Heather? ”
“Well, You of course.”
” Who else? ”
“Oliver I was just singing. Humming before. ”
”You mustn’t lie to children Aunty heather.”
“I’m not lying. I’m just rearranging the truth.”
Oh. I can help then. ” The tapping started again.
Heather opened the door and Oliver held up his stick to impress her.
“Are you a warrior today? ”
“Yes. But everyone has left me. ”
“You do look a bit savage dear knight.”
“I am like Arthur. I’m looking for enemies.”
“Not in here,” said heather and blocked the doorway protectively.
“Where are your shoes? ”
“I’m not keen on shoes Oliver. ”
“Neither am I, “said Oliver. “Can I come in?”
“Well, I am coming back.”
“The water’s coming with you. And it’ s gone blue.”
Heather looked down and Oliver was right.
“It’s following you. Like me sometimes.. We’re your friends.”
“I think we must keep the pool safe in the room, Oliver. Uncle colin has his rules.”
“I know,” said Oliver sadly. He’s banned my sword from breakfast and lunch and breakfast again.
The water eddied around Heather’s toes.” You’re aghast aren’t you
at colin?”
“Me too, “said Oliver. And ‘calibur too.
“Excalibur Oliver? ”
“No calibur I’m Oliver, not Arthur.”
“So you are.”
“Arthur’s a story. An old story. I like new stories. My sword’s new. ”
Heather could have sworn the water relaxed against her toes.
She smiled at the water. “Thankyou for everything – even my toes feel loyal.”
“You’re not speaking to me again,” pointed out Oliver.
No, I’m speaking to someone very important who likes me.
“The pool. I know.” said the boy armed with a magical wooden sword.
“Yes” replied his aunt.
“And the lady over your shoulder.”
“The lady? ”
“Yes,” said Oliver. ” A very pretty lady with blue eyes. She’s waving.”
”Waving?”
”I think she wants you to help her.”
Heather turned around excitedly to check on the waving lady and Oliver slipped through the gap. Heather cried out in dismay whilst Oliver yelled in triumph “You’ve scared her away!”
”There’s nothing scary about me!”
”You just missed the waving lady.”
”Can you spell deceit, Oliver?”
”Of course. Well probably. Only Morgan Thomas can beat me. The lady will be back. You only just missed her.”
”Damn!”Heather felt the water begin to churn up around her legs. She sensed a murmur as if the pool were trying to speak directly to her. Heather felt the pools unrest.
“Don’t get upset. Please stay calm for me” said heather.
She felt more churning and even gravel grazing against her skin.
Oliver held up his stick.
“Respect me ” he cried. “I am ‘calibur. And she’s a lady with blue eyes.”
Half and hour later, but still without shoes, Heather opened the kitchen door. She hoped for Julie on the other side but found Instead a man.” Good afternoon,” said A tall man with a short dog whose tail seemed as busy as his nose. “This is captain,” said the man. “He runs the farm. I just assist where I can.” The man looked at her bare feet.
“There’s water in the utility room” said Heather and then immediately felt she was a traitor.
” it’ll get sorted this autumn it’s just a small problem ”
Oh. Its not really a problem. I quite like it. Is it new? ”
” nothing’s new here.” Joked the man. ” Not even me. The leak’s from our victorian needle shower on the first landing. Charlie’s very fond of the Victorians. Easy for Christmas presents of course “.
”