Thank you and Good Write (I hope!) By Steve Way

 In this month’s blog I want to say thank you for the blog! I also want to thank Sarah Gunn the organiser of an online writing group called PC Writers who sets the group a monthly writing challenge.

Most of my writing is linked to education – for example I write maths-based and science-based stories – partly because I’ve always worked in education in some capacity or other. Sometimes writing took predominance but as at other periods my time is currently almost completely taken up with teaching. I haven’t always enjoyed teaching, mainly when I worked environments where paperwork was considered more important than actual teaching but on the whole, as now I really enjoy working with my students. (This may change in a while as what I term ‘Administration Disease’ seems to be infecting the teaching organisation I’m currently linked with.) Nevertheless it is frustrating not having the time or energy to work on the writing projects I would like to complete. I don’t know if it applies to you but I also find that if I don’t have the chance to write for a while I rapidly lose confidence.

This is why I so appreciate being a contributor to ABBA, so thank you everyone involved in making it work. Thank you also PC Writers for also helping me keep my writing motor at least ticking over.

I thought you folks at ABBA would like a taste of the challenges set for us by Sarah. I’m sure you would find it interesting to visit the PC Writers Facebook page. Each challenge is set at a length of between 150-500 words but apart from that everything changes each month. In September last year the challenge was to write a fantasy set in the future, which incorporated references to Mount Olympus, Triton’s Spear and a lyre. This was my contribtuon…

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It was time for the Mount Olympus PLC bi-millennial meeting. As always it surprised the residents how quickly the MGMs came around.

Zeus thought there were signs it was time for the Greek Gods to make a comeback as TOP WORLD DEITIES.

“No one believes in that other stuff anymore and besides we now feature as characters in the adverts for four different brands of yogurt!”

Dionysus stumbled forward (he did lots of stumbling.) “Hic… I don’t want to break up the party – it’s against my nature – hic… but I don’t think four yogurt brands cut the mustard… if you see what I mean… hic…!

Dionysus found he was leaning against a lyre (he did lots of leaning against things too.) “I cannot tell a lie, this lyre is a terrible liar! Ha ha… hic…”

As Dionysus fell over the gathered multitude groaned. When you’ve heard the same joke several times for six thousand years it ceases to be appreciated – more likely loathed, as demonstrated by Triton hurling his spear in Dionysus’ general direction. It whistled passed a goddess’ ear.

Phew, thought Venus. That was a close shave.

“I think there’s only one way to look at this,” interjected Cyclops.

“That’s all you can manage!” taunted Jason, making the argonauts laugh. Jason needed cheering up, he’d just been fleeced by a conman.

“What’re they doing here? They’re not Gods!” Cyclops asked resentfully.

Medusa made her presence known. “Nowe kum on Shy-Klopss, weave alle gotte two shtick twogever…” (She was stoned again.) She stumbled against Achilles.

“Oe… ellow shexy…” she said, she and her snakes fluttering their eyelashes at him. Achilles, somewhat appropriately, looked at his feet. He’d endured Medusa’s flirting for many millennia.

“Hav eye hever toeold ewe eyeve gote a shoft spote four ewe?” Medusa mumbled. “Shin fact ewe kud shay yore mie Ashilleez heel! Ha ha!”

Poor Achilles looked away as Medusa collapsed to the ground near Dionysus.

“My beastly friend has got an idea!” piped up Theseus. “How about offering tours of Olympus?”

“I’m not having tourists tramping about! They’ll wear out the clouds!” boomed Zeus.

“Not even a minor tour?” asked the beast sheepishly.

“I think that idea’s got wings!” said Icarus

“It’s ‘legs’ - idiot!” his dad Daedalus retorted. “Ideas have ‘legs’ not ‘wings’… don’t you listen to anything I tell you?”

“What?” Icarus asked deafly. “I seem to have wax in my ears…”

There was a booming crash at the gates of Olympus.

“Answer that Hermes,” Zeus ordered, trying to break up the fight between father and son.

“It’s Thor, from next door,” Hermes reported. “Wondering if anyone fancies a party at his place?”

Before Zeus could make an objection, the majority of mythical characters had charged off to Valhalla. Thor’s parties were electric!

Only Zeus remained along with Narcissus who was still checking himself in the mirror in preparation for Thor’s last party five hundred years ago - and Dionysus and Medusa, whose snores echoed hollowly around the vast empty halls of Olympus.

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My maths-based and science-based stories for infants and juniors are published by Hopscotch Educational Publishing. (hopscotchbooks.com)