DIALOGUE WITH A DAISY
by John Yeo
The garden was a mess, there had been an incredible North wind overnight that savagely blew everything to bits. I leaned on my spade and surveyed the damage, branches and leaves had been ripped from our trees and were lying everywhere.
Then out of nowhere a tiny voice whispered 'Please don't tread on me!'
Shaken, as I knew I was totally alone, I wheeled around in surprise.
'I'm down here! Next to your incredibly large foot.'
I looked down to find there was nothing there except Dandelions, Daisies and Grass.
'I can't see you! If you are real and not a figment of my imagination make yourself visible!' I declared.
At this point I seriously doubted my sanity.
'Look again! I am the good looking one with the purest white petals and a yellow heart of gold'
Stunned, I was now certain madness loomed and I was headed for hospital, I made to get away from there fast.
'No! Don't go please, I would love to talk to you about many things. I have been watching you very closely. Why do you work so hard, and worry so much?'
I thought, Why should I be worried about one small insignificant voice claiming to be a natural being.
'What do you mean by petals and a yellow heart? Do you mean to say you are a common Daisy? If so, I can't tell one of you from another, you all look the same to me!'
The tiny Daisies voice reflected a note of annoyance as it politely stated.
'Less of the common, Big-Feet. We have a unique way of survival that excludes individuality and we are rooted here as one. Funny though, I can never differentiate the different clodhoppers that stomp around and squash our leaves and petals!'
'Listen Daisy, if you actually are a talking flower how did you acquire the language I use, and how do you manage to express yourself? You ask me why I work so hard, I have to say the garden would quickly go to rack and ruin if I stood rooted to the spot like a daisy!'
'My language skills are a result of much study of your people's thought patterns and I am the result of much floral cross-breeding. We have very friendly relations with your newborn babies and we mingle our minds with them and learn your language as they learn language.'
'That's amazing!' I shouted to the array of daisies around my feet,
I was desperately trying to identify which of the numerous daisies was actually responsible for the conversation. I wanted to dig it up and put it in a pot to take indoors and perhaps have many deep inter-species conversations.
Then I heard a sound that was suspiciously like a giggle coming from the vicinity of my neighbours fence. Then a chuckle was clearly evident leading to an embarrassing roar of laughter, that led to enormous fits of laughter. My face became bright red as I realised the implication of these odious sounds.
Realisation dawned as I remembered my neighbour was a ventriloquist and very skilled at throwing his voice.
Copyright (c) Written by John Yeo ~ All rights reserved.
~~
I wrote the above piece of writing in response to an e-mail from Margaret Johnson announcing a competition.
"In no more than 500 words, demonstrate something you learnt on the WriteUP Creative Writing Course you took part in. Some of you have taken part in longer courses than others, so you lot will have more choice about what to demonstrate, but all of you should be able at the very least to show me a character that you've brought to life.
You can write anything you like, but no more than the 500 word limit, and please state at the end of your piece what aspect of your learning you have intended to show in your piece - for example, if you're intending to show me a three-dimensional character, say this. Or if you want to show me you can write and set out dialogue, say that etc."
The closing date is Friday 14th August.
The prize will be a £5 voucher redeemable against your next WriteUP Course. I know, it's not a lot, but think of the glory!!!
~~~~~~~
by John Yeo
The garden was a mess, there had been an incredible North wind overnight that savagely blew everything to bits. I leaned on my spade and surveyed the damage, branches and leaves had been ripped from our trees and were lying everywhere.
Then out of nowhere a tiny voice whispered 'Please don't tread on me!'
Shaken, as I knew I was totally alone, I wheeled around in surprise.
'I'm down here! Next to your incredibly large foot.'
I looked down to find there was nothing there except Dandelions, Daisies and Grass.
'I can't see you! If you are real and not a figment of my imagination make yourself visible!' I declared.
At this point I seriously doubted my sanity.
'Look again! I am the good looking one with the purest white petals and a yellow heart of gold'
Stunned, I was now certain madness loomed and I was headed for hospital, I made to get away from there fast.
'No! Don't go please, I would love to talk to you about many things. I have been watching you very closely. Why do you work so hard, and worry so much?'
I thought, Why should I be worried about one small insignificant voice claiming to be a natural being.
'What do you mean by petals and a yellow heart? Do you mean to say you are a common Daisy? If so, I can't tell one of you from another, you all look the same to me!'
The tiny Daisies voice reflected a note of annoyance as it politely stated.
'Less of the common, Big-Feet. We have a unique way of survival that excludes individuality and we are rooted here as one. Funny though, I can never differentiate the different clodhoppers that stomp around and squash our leaves and petals!'
'Listen Daisy, if you actually are a talking flower how did you acquire the language I use, and how do you manage to express yourself? You ask me why I work so hard, I have to say the garden would quickly go to rack and ruin if I stood rooted to the spot like a daisy!'
'My language skills are a result of much study of your people's thought patterns and I am the result of much floral cross-breeding. We have very friendly relations with your newborn babies and we mingle our minds with them and learn your language as they learn language.'
'That's amazing!' I shouted to the array of daisies around my feet,
I was desperately trying to identify which of the numerous daisies was actually responsible for the conversation. I wanted to dig it up and put it in a pot to take indoors and perhaps have many deep inter-species conversations.
Then I heard a sound that was suspiciously like a giggle coming from the vicinity of my neighbours fence. Then a chuckle was clearly evident leading to an embarrassing roar of laughter, that led to enormous fits of laughter. My face became bright red as I realised the implication of these odious sounds.
Realisation dawned as I remembered my neighbour was a ventriloquist and very skilled at throwing his voice.
Copyright (c) Written by John Yeo ~ All rights reserved.
~~
I wrote the above piece of writing in response to an e-mail from Margaret Johnson announcing a competition.
"In no more than 500 words, demonstrate something you learnt on the WriteUP Creative Writing Course you took part in. Some of you have taken part in longer courses than others, so you lot will have more choice about what to demonstrate, but all of you should be able at the very least to show me a character that you've brought to life.
You can write anything you like, but no more than the 500 word limit, and please state at the end of your piece what aspect of your learning you have intended to show in your piece - for example, if you're intending to show me a three-dimensional character, say this. Or if you want to show me you can write and set out dialogue, say that etc."
The closing date is Friday 14th August.
The prize will be a £5 voucher redeemable against your next WriteUP Course. I know, it's not a lot, but think of the glory!!!
~~~~~~~
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