An Episcopal Tour of English Architecture

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The boy let out a wail of dismay loud enough to be heard by the bus driver, who naturally assumed it was an emergency and braked so hard he threw the passengers sharply forward and spilled all manner of travel cups and canisters, drenching many a sweater and lap. It was just after they’d had stopped for tea, which only added to the misfortune.

And still the boy wailed, pitch and volume rising in tandem until even the most deaf of the geriatric tourists could hear him.

The boy’s grandfather was first on the scene, an ancient man with guard’s mustaches the color of old linen. He struck the screeching lad smartly on the shoulder with his swagger stick and commanded him to buck up. When this had no effect, the feeble grandmother shouldered in and took the now red-cheeked boy in arthritis-twisted hands, cooing and stroking his hair.

The boy wrenched from her grasp, insensible with rage and pain. He waved the dead game console above his head like a talisman and screamed over and over that he was bored.

 

Sunday Photo Fiction

7 comments

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  1. Lynn Love

    Haha! Great. A well described set up – love grandad with his stick (I fear that was own dad’s technique at times. Not with a stick, but ‘Stop crying or I’ll give you something to cry for’ was a phrase I remember from my youth! 70s parenting for you). Though I feel for grandad, having taken my own son round museums, watching him slump into a chair and reach for his phone. If I had a stick at such times …
    Great story and nicely told

  2. mandibelle16

    Haha. Nice twist. Here you think there is actually something physically wrong with this boy and that’s why he’s wailing, but he’s really only causing a scene and having a tantrum because his video games are out of power. Honestly, this is why they had spanking. Where I’m from at least, you can’t really do it now, but my Dad did it to my brothers and I only when we did really stupid things. I think this would be one of those times it would be effective. Not to mention, taking video games away for a while and then only allowing them for say 2 hrs at the most a day.
    What a brat! Great write.

  3. Ray Oram

    I say crack em one in the skull with that plastic trash and tell the bus driver step on it. What the Hells this gotz to do with English Archirecture? What, the primply diction and edwardo lingo?

Don't just stand there.