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    Gold
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    Ebook89 pages1 hour

    Gold

    By Arthur Mackeown

    ()

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    About this ebook

    If you like comic erotica, tragedy, drama, adventure, horror, or just plain farce, these stories are for you. You will get lost in the back streets of Marrakesh, follow Will Saunders on the journey of a lifetime, shudder at the fate of a most unlucky urban cannibal, and laugh at the pretentions of Chang, the world's only vampire Pekinese dog. And that's not all...

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherArthur Mackeown
    Release dateJun 25, 2011
    ISBN9781465986603
    Gold
    Author

    Arthur Mackeown

    My name is Arthur Mackeown, 65 years old, and a British ex-pat living in the hot and dusty Middle East. I first started writing three years ago, and have been published in several e-zines, and a couple of print magazines. My main hobby is travel,and I have spent time in India, Nepal, Turkey, Israel, Egypt and Morocco.My experiences in these places sometimes appear in my stories. I have worked at a variety of jobs, even as a sculptor selling work in local markets. I've also sold the occasional painting, but my dream is to become a full-time writer.

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      Book preview

      Gold - Arthur Mackeown

      GOLD

      Short Stories

      Arthur Mackeown

      ****

      Published by:

      Arthur Mackeown at Smashwords

      Copyright (c) 2011 by Arthur Mackeown

      ****

      All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.

      This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.

      Smashwords Edition Licence Notes

      This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy.

      ****

      This book contains dramatic tales of travel in far places, humour, horror and ghost stories and, occasionally, absolute nonsense. Some stories are pure invention, others based on fact, and I have done my best, in most cases, to conceal from the reader which is which. There are also several stories written in dialogue only. One of them—‘Next-door’s Cat’—is based on an actual telephone conversation. As to the truth of the rest—that you’ll have to decide for yourselves.

      Hopefully, there is something here for everyone.

      A. M.

      ***

      Contents

      Gold

      Rocking-horse Paint

      Twenty Dollars

      Mirror

      Can’t Catch Me

      Say goodbye

      Vampire’s Night Out

      On The house

      The Eyes Have It

      Next-door’s Cat

      The Yellow Road

      The Shop Window

      The Detective

      The Biter Bit

      Copper-bottom’s Downfall

      Rose

      ***

      GOLD

      After a long, slow day in his cramped and musty book shop Mr. Green was dying to close up and escape to the pub. As he hunted for his keys, the bell jangled and his friend Will Saunders came in.

      Evening all, said Will. Got anything new for me?

      Depends where you want to go, said Mr. Green. South Pole? Outer Mongolia?  A little jaunt among the Zulus, perhaps?

      Anywhere, so long as it’s warm.

      Let me see. Mr. Green rummaged under his desk. Where did I put it…? Ah, here it is: ‘Camel train to Mecca—Letters of a gentleman adventurer.’ That should suit you right down to the ground. The thought of Will Saunders, plump, bespectacled and sixty, bouncing about on a camel, made the normally dour-looking Mr. Green smile.

      "Have you read it?"

      Me?  Mr. Green looked gloomy again. I saw enough foreign travel during the war.

      You don’t know how lucky you are, said Will. His greatest ambition was to travel the world and experience all the wonders he read about in Mr. Green’s books. Up to now, he’d got no further than Brighton, yet he could speak with such authority of Ankor Wat and the pyramids at Giza you almost believed he’d discovered them himself.

      Then why don’t you just go? said Mr. Green impatiently. It’s always the same with you…talk, talk, talk, but you never do anything.

      Go? Just like that? said Will doubtfully. "I suppose I could, but…"

      ’Course you could, answered Mr. Green. It can’t be that difficult. All you have to do is buy a ticket and someone else does all the work. Even you can manage that.

      *

      Will returned to the book shop several days later, interrupting Mr. Green in the middle of his accounts.

      What’s this? asked Mr. Green. Why aren’t you at work?

      Never mind about work, said Will. I’ve given in my notice.

      What on earth for?

      Because I’m going, Eric. I’m off, stated Will triumphantly.

      Mr. Green stared at him. Off? Off where?

      "First Paris, then Rome, Venice, Athens, Istanbul, Jerusalem and then…Africa." Will sounded as if he intended to conquer Africa single handed.

      You must be joking. On your own?

      You’re the one who said there’d be nothing to it. Besides, Will reddened slightly, who said I’m going on my own?

      "Well, well, well, you have been keeping secrets, haven’t you?"

      Mr. Green was not really surprised; despite his age and roly-poly appearance, Will Saunders possessed a mystifying ability to charm women like birds out of the trees.

      "So who is it this time?" he asked.

      Her name’s Dianne, said Will. I met her at the bingo club.

      Mr. Green laughed. And now you’re going round the world with her? You must be barmy.

      You’ll see, replied Will. I’ll introduce you when I get back.

      I can’t wait, said Mr. Green. "Just you remember to send me a postcard now and then, so I’ll know you’re

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