Unkempt Koithko
On my first day in the seminary he took the register and told us that if we were going to hang ourselves then it was better to use a strong well made rope over a metre in length
He had tried it himself with a shorter less sturdy rope and had failed
Unkempt Koithko
The ginger youth opposite me remained silent
Unkempt Koithko
Is that your name sir?
Yes that is my name
Then why do you not answer me?
I did not feel I had to
Then you are not a Christian
Please leave this room
The Examination Papers (Fragment)
I awoke early that morning and found the examination papers on the desk in the hall
I noticed that mine had been stamped with the examiners stamp
Most promising candidate
This left me cold as I considered myself quite ordinary
I might have done well in the preliminary exams but this should not have been taken into account
How much did I know about Hardy’s Wessex Tales?
Did I know them at all?
At that exact moment I considered I knew nothing
Nothing at all
My paper was going to be as disaster
I returned to the main room and found Mary putting her bra on
This was not usual for her as she usually went braless under her shirt
But today was a different day
The day of our main examination
I wished the day away
I wanted to return to normality
Rob was up and had dressed smartly for the day
He was speaking to Mary who was now wearing a sensible business suit
I wanted Mary to act as she did on those hot days in our apartment
I wanted her to walk around topless wearing only her shorts or her panties
But then again Rob and I took little or no notice of her preferring to watch either sport on television or just chat lazily on the sunny balcony
That was the way it was
But today was different we were being invaded
Two officials from the examination board were due at ten to oversee our four hour exam
They had already set the desks out in our second room
This had been done when I was out
Rob looked at me
Are you not going to clean up?
I am clean
You are not to going to take your exam in your jogging bottoms and a tee shirt are you?
I looked at the clothes I was wearing
Possible not as I slept in them but I will only wear jeans and a beach shirt when I change
Is that wise?
Wise?
Why did you think Mary and I have dressed up?
To impress the examiners
You are too casual Graham
I am not casual I just like to be relaxed
It just comes too easily for you
What comes easily?
Everything academic I have seen your paper
Most promising candidate
That only means that they will mark me more strictly
Mary came into the room carrying a tray
There were three mugs of coffee
Do be careful guys
Do not spill any especially after all this preparation
She looked at me
And Graham please do not argue with me
Your business suit is hanging from the door
I have ironed you a shirt
But
No buts
When you have finished your coffee please change
Rob smiled
You do not have a chance mate just conform and things will return to normal in a few hours
The past is another country
The Queen of Hearts
In Hendon in the 1960s there was a woman called Anna C Earle who had blemishes all over her body
The strange thing about these blemishes was that they were in the shape of three of the four suits of French playing cards
Clubs DIamonds Spades
Anna was brought up in the Catholic faith and ensured that no-one saw her blemishes except for her close female friends
One of these friends recorded in her diary that whilst Anna had blemishes
That they were only in the shapes of three of the four suits
She noted that she had not seen any Heart shaped blemishes on Anna’s body which she knew quite well
When challenged Anna had told her friend that she indeed had all four suits and played cards with the Virgin Mary quite frequently when at prayer
In 1990 Anna disappeared whilst hiking in the Scottish Highlands
Although she was never found it did not really concern her closest friends as they knew her to be something of a Joker
Only the King and Queen and her brother Jack expressed any regret that Anna had vanished without trace
And they often appeared on television poker faced requesting further information about the whereabouts of the mysterious Anna C Earle