Nowadays the only things I receive through the post are bills and junk mail. I remember the days when I had a couple of pen pals. One was from the States and another from Hong Kong. I was about fifteen at the time. I used to love writing letters with my fountain pen and then sending them off and waiting to hear back. My two pen pals led such interesting lives and I couldn’t wait to get letters from them. One day a package arrived and it was from my American pen pal. He sent me a tape of the band Journey. I’d never heard of them, but I fell in love with their music and today I still listen to them.
Your prompt this week is:
POST
What’s the best thing you’ve ever received in the post? Or has anything you sent got lost in the post? You could make up a story about someone who has received something special in the post, or it could be something untoward.
I always enjoy seeing what you come up with if the prompt gives you inspiration, but there’s no obligation to share your writing. Here is the work you shared on the last prompt HEROES AND VILLAINS.
Wilf Leahy:
At the moment my heroes are the surgeons who are going to fit me up with a pacemaker and the villains are the bad aging particles that have let me down.
(Sending my best wishes to Wilf for a speedy recovery.)
Tony:
I have always had affection for the Joker. The injustice of his early life reflects well human misunderstanding… Sometimes I think that if he had been understood, he would certainly be on the right side today.
When I was a kid,
There were heroes and villains. . .
Every Saturday.
I always liked Batman & Robin the TV show and my favourite villain was Catwoman, my brother liked the show so much mum recorded it and he would watch it over and over.
Have to be the various iterations of Dr Who and his /her protagonists. In the early days I used to hide behind the settee when the Daleks or Cybermen came on the screen.
The first Dr Who was played by William Hartnell. I have had the privilege to watch almost all of them, except when I didn’t have a TV in the 1980s. Of the modern villains I have to say I think the weeping angels (silent, only move if you close your eyes, creep up on you) we’re one of the scariest. I like it because of its English Charm. Which other country would have an alien traveling in a police box, (a phone box for police). Bigger on the inside and travelling through time and space, THE TARDIS. My favourite!
Heroes was the theme for our town carnival in 2023. The kids had a ball dressing up.
Batman got a prize.
Nagloper*
When the night is at its darkest, he comes
Slinking stealthily through the velvet blackness, unencumber by clothes
If you listen carefully, you will hear him approaching
His headdress rattles, the human toe and finger bones dancing and jigging
A baboon’s wa-hoo and an owl’s hoot betray his familiars
Carefully walking backwards, footprints intended to confuse
He approaches the huts, ready to infect the children with foul diseases
He also has his way with the female sleepers, leaving them weak and powerless
A fearsome creature, the Nagloper*
***
Doctored knobkerrie# at the hut door
This symbol of defense, authority, and leadership
Will stop this sorceror in his tracks
Binding him fast until the head of the kraal releases him
Deciding on a suitable punishment for the nefarious villain
***
Wisdom is required
To attain hero status
Leaders born not made
*Nagloper means Night Walker in Afrikaans. The Nagloper is a myth of the Khoikhoi people of South Africa (previously called Hottentots).
#Knobkerrie is a mace.
bad and evil
bores and moths boo weevil
heros and idols
too sad
much to had
villians
like the cover cds
eh?
Papa, You are My Superhero
in my eyes Papa,
you are my superhero, strong and brave,
you have the power to protect and save me
from monsters hiding in the dark,
to bullies at the playground, leaving their mark.
you are the rock, my guiding light,
in the midst of chaos and strife,
you are the one who holds me tight,
and teaches me the lessons of life.
with a heart full of love and a spirit so pure,
you are always there, of that i can be sure,
to wipe away tears and kiss away fears,
to stand by me through the years.
you are my pillar of strength in times of need,
a shoulder to lean on
you are the one who leads by example,
teaching me to be kind, to be humble.
so here’s for you Papa, my unsung hero,
who work tirelessly and never show
any sign of tiredness, any sign of weakness,
for in my eyes, you are nothing less
than superhero, in the flesh.
and ‘though you are gone,
to heaven you went – i know i could still run to you
in my thoughts and in my prayers
you guide me through.
***
Esther Chilton 
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