Broken Innocence.

T’was the morning after the night before,
I awoke from my sleep, and people I found,
Some on the bed, the settee and the floor,
Most of them sleeping, not making a sound.

I awoke from my sleep, and people I found,
Where was I now and what had I done?
Most of them sleeping, not making a sound,
I’ll tell you this party really was fun.

Where was I now? And what had I done?
I’d broke every rule that I’d ever made,
I’ll tell you this party really was fun,
And my rule book is quickly beginning to fade.

I’d broke every rule that I’d ever made,
As the joints that I’d had, put me all on a high,
And my rule book is quickly beginning to fade,
I wish it was sooner I’d taken this try.

As the joints that I’d had, put me all on a high,
I felt for the first time I was really alive,
I wish it was sooner I’d taken this try,
Didn’t know how much that I’d been deprived.

I felt for the first time, I was really alive,
Venturing out of my protective shell,
Didn’t know how much that I’d been deprived.
Some rules are for breaking, so what the ’ell.

Venturing out of my protective shell,
Meant rules were broken and innocence shattered,
Some rules are for breaking, so what the ’ell,
To build my confidence was all that mattered.

By Liz O'Leary.

The grandfather clock is broken!

The big old grandfather clock was broken. It had finally stopped working. The colonel couldn't bring himself to have it repaired, so there it stands to this day. Telling the time of 5:17

The big old grandfather clock had stood in the great hall of the big old house, ticking its life away. The tick tocking echoed, filling the empty space around it. It now said 5:17. That didn't mean anything to anyone else, but it did to the colonel. Only he knew it was specifically 5:17AM. The old Colonel had checked his pocket watch by it every day, until the day before; Thursday, 6th of July.

He had been retired from the army for 20 years now. He was 75, his hair had turned grey and his eyes were steely blue and hadn't lost their hardness.

Colonel Brown loved his wife, Flora, and their children, Robert & Rachel, Both had grown up and left the family home. Rachel had two children, Robert was still single and working as a lawyer.

“Why not have the clock fixed Dad,?” asked Rachel. “It might help you.”

“Nobody touches the clock,” he replied.

So there it stood, reading the time of 5:17 to all who passed. To the colonel, it was 5:17AM.

Flora loved to garden. She was a petite woman, with long white hair, plaited and pinned up the back of her head. Her eyes were of the most warmest blue. Just like the sky on a sunny day. She also ran the flower arranging group at the local church and did wedding bouquets for the brides and all the flower arranging for the local events such as fetes.

“Would you like carrots, potatoes and an onion to go with the beef?” asked Flora, “We've finished the flowers for tomorrows fete,”

 “I have some of the locals to help put them up in the morning. And I'm sure they'll look splendid, dear.”

This was a typical day. Flora would bring in some vegetables, or salad and then prepare the meal with them, and they would chat about that day or of forthcoming events.

They were all standing round the burial site as the Vicar recited the words,

 “Ashes to Ashes, dust to dust.”

Colonel Brown had a brave face on, his daughter Rachel had tears rolling down her cheeks that she kept gently dabbing away. Her husband, Michael, had one arm round her shoulder and both of them had an arm round each of the two children in front.

What would he do without her?

“You must both come to the wake too,” said Rachel to Tom and Marie. “I'll organise a buffet.”

Rachel knew how much Tom and Marie meant to her parents after working for them so long.

 When they got back to the house, there was much light talk of remembering Flora.

“Hey Dad, it'll get easier, we all miss her.” said Rachel.

 The colonel, smiled a sad smile and nodded.

 “She was everything to me.”

 The Colonel remembered the day Flora had come home from the Doctors.

 “I need some tests” she had said.

 “Dr, Jacobs says I have the symptoms of Cancer, but I need to have these tests to be sure”

 “Oh, Flora!” exclaimed the colonel.

 He was speechless. He'd never thought of her becoming ill. The test had come back positive.

Robert broke into his thoughts.

“Remember when she made that rocket Birthday cake, Dad?” asked Robert. “She'd made a swiss roll cake and made the wings out of pieces of cake. Think that was my 8th Birthday”

 “Yes, I remember seeing the photograph's. I was away at the time,” smiled his Dad. “You wanted to be a rocket scientist and work for NASA. back then.”

 “She always enjoyed being in the kitchen and the garden. She hated it when Marie and Tom had to do everything for her.”

“Let's have a red cabbage tonight, Tom, please, a couple of leeks and potatoes.”

 Ill she might have been, but she still liked to choose their meal. After Marie had cooked, they would take Colonel Brown and Flora's dinner through to the dinning room where they'd eat the dinner with a bottle of wine to suit. Marie and Tom would eat in the kitchen.

Flora had become very thin and frail though her illness and needed help getting around. This was when Marie, who did the general housework, took over the cooking and they hired Tom to do the gardening. On a fine day, she would be taken out to sit in the garden. She now even slept downstairs. The colonel had moved downstairs with her. He hated to leave her alone and it felt so lonely in the big four poster bed upstairs.

Tonight, Thursday 6th July, was roast pork with crackling with the vegetables and apple sauce. The colonel loved his pork, as did Flora. It was one of their favourites.

Each night, Flora heard the old grandfather clock ticking loudly through the door, ticking it's life away. Echoing through the hall. Tick, tock, tick, tock!!

It wouldn't tick forever. It couldn't. It was the early morning of Friday, 7th of July. And on the early morning of this night, the house seemed eerily quiet. The Colonel got out of bed and went to look. The grandfather clock had stopped. It was broken.

He got back into bed thinking he must tell Flora and get it repaired.

When he woke up later that morning, he noticed his wife had died. It was like the grandfather clock was ticking to Flora's heartbeat. 5:17AM, she died.

By Liz O'Leary.