Dream Dennis
Dream Dennis owned a wine shop in Tunbridge Wells
It had been a very hot summer and for five consecutive days the temperature topped forty-four degrees
Dream Dennis and his staff spent a great deal of time in the cold room between serving customers
Dream Dennis had a girlfriend named Diana
Diana had short hair and was often mistaken for a boy
She loved swimming and often accompanied Dream Dennis and his Uncle Henry on boating trips
Uncle Henry had a very important post in government and was considered as a respectable and very honest man.
But he was extremely stressed and often wept when alone
He was planning to retire before the next election
Uncle Henry welcomed the company of his nephew and his girlfriend on their boating trips and they often swam together
Diana was writing a thesis on John Dos Passos and was reading Manhattan Transfer for the sixth time
A copy of this book could often be found on the deck of the boat whilst she and the others were swimming
Dream Dennis was considering opening another wine shop in Canterbury
He liked the idea of owning two shops
My Lucky Numbers Two
He often said
We have two legs two arms two eyes and two feet so why should I not own two shops
He intended to enlarge the cold room of his Tunbridge Wells wine shop if the temperatures did not recede and was planning to build a large cold room in his Canterbury shop
On evening in early July the trio watched the World Cup Final between Nigeria and Poland on a television onboard the boat
The European side won 1-0 scoring in the final minute of the match
As they collected their losers medals the Africans were seen to be weeping
Both Dream Dennis and Diana began weeping although Uncle Henry was less emotional
When the final whistle sounded he dived into the sea
He was interested to see if the fish were weeping also
This proved difficult as it was hard to determine whether the fish were weeping at all
Daisy Doll
Diana owns a small Christmas doll
She has named the doll Daisy Doll
The doll is rather beautiful and is clothed in a plush velvet cape and matched hat
The intense maroon colouring of the cape and hat is highlighted by the pristine white fur trim of her garments
The doll is holding a small song sheet and is supposed to be singing Christmas Carols
This is not the case as Daisy Doll is deeply philosophical and often things about death and other finite subjects
On the sixth day of January each year Diana packs all the decorations into two boxes
She then stores both boxes in the deep attic room that overlooks the church
Daisy Doll dreads this event as she feels that she is being placed into a coffin whilst fully alive and stares at her own dull screaming reflection for days after her burial
She then sleeps for the remainder of the year and dreams
She longs to be free and experience the light and warmth of the summer and the first and second spring
She longs to swim quite naked in the deep stream at the end of Diana’s large garden and shock the modest churchgoers on the Sabbath Day
But she spends the twelvemonth trapped in a small box of shiny baubles and woollen cones
But her life is not without hope as Diana has a strange superstition
If I should forget to pack one or more of my Christmas decorations then they will remain in place for the rest of the year
They will only return to their box after the next festival is over
Diana is mocked by her boyfriend and other relatives because of this strange superstition and quite often Christmas decorations can be seen in place on the hottest of summer days
Daisy Doll often hides and hopes that she is not discovered
One day she will be missed and will spend the year at ease
She will experience the freedom that she longs for and feel the warmth of the sun on her cool porcelain skin as she explores the garden before a swim
But Daisy Doll is aware that as she swims in the illuminated stream and studies the brilliant blue sky that one day these pleasures will end and that she will be imprisoned in a small wooden box without a reflection
Which will never be reopened