I sell items which are associated in some way with my stories. The story-copyright is not for sale.
Engines growled over the dusty, grey road, coughing out black, oily smoke. The freezing wind grabbed the smoke and poked it in the faces of the bus queue, which stood bowed over, with hands deep in pockets. Janice, at the end, didn’t have pockets, and she pulled her little cardigan round her cotton dress, and pushed her legs tightly together for warmth.
When the chariot landed, the rest of the queue stayed as it was, gazing up the road for the bus, moving ever closer together. Janice saw the gold metalwork, with the purple shield and crown, but the queue didn’t. She stared at the yellow curls of metal, like leaves and flowers; the great red-painted wheels with such narrow rims; the massive springs underneath. Nobody else saw that.
Traffic veered around the chariot, but nothing slowed down. Dust flew, but the chariot shone, and the silver oxen stamped in their traces. Their horns were bent and stuck out sideways a long way, nearly touching the bus stop on one side, and not quite scraping the lorries on the other. Their shoulders were humped and their heads were low, but steam rose from their huge bodies.
An ox turned its head. Janice saw its great, white eye and climbed in, falling down deeply into crumpled red velvet, pleated mauve silk, scattered violets, and warmth. She had never felt so warm; she glowed inside. She had never felt so light: she could hardly feel the pink, satin cushions, nor hear the faraway music in there.
Through the windows, she could see the sooty buildings, but the cold didn’t come in. A gravel lorry passed, shaking the road, but Janice heard not a sound. Nobody looked. Through the tiny front window, between bunches of golden roses, she watched the slow, waving backs of the silver oxen: their heads hidden behind their shoulders; their horns sticking out at the side. Inch by inch, the shops and houses passed. Hour by hour went by, then days and then years.
Copyright © 1991 LS
THIS ITEM TO BE AUCTIONED IN My Ebay Shop IN OCTOBER 2003
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