photo © Sandra Crook
Jemma looked at the pollarded trees and the rock piles. “Pollards and cairns together. I wonder if we’re being warned about passing through this lock.”
“Don’t be stupid. People put them there to let others know they’ve passed this way too.”
“I can’t tell whether they’re old or new…. whether I should be sad, worried, or adding my own. I’m off – you can pick me up further along.”
Red lights flashed as the lock filled. “Help,” Peter cried ” The rudder’s caught in the gate.” Unable to rise with the water the boat swamped and sank.
“Worried and sad,” Jemma whispered.
Thank you to Rochelle Wisoff-Fields for hosting Friday Fictioneers and also a thank you to Sandra Crook for supplying the photo used for the prompt.
About Irene Waters 19 Writer Memoirist
I began my working career as a reluctant potato peeler whilst waiting to commence my training as a student nurse. On completion I worked mainly in intensive care/coronary care; finishing my hospital career as clinical nurse educator in intensive care. A life changing period as a resort owner/manager on the island of Tanna in Vanuatu was followed by recovery time as a farmer at Bucca Wauka. Having discovered I was no farmer and vowing never again to own an animal bigger than myself I took on the Barrington General Store. Here we also ran a five star restaurant. Working the shop of a day 7am - 6pm followed by the restaurant until late was surprisingly more stressful than Tanna. On the sale we decided to retire and renovate our house with the help of a builder friend. Now believing we knew everything about building we set to constructing our own house. Just finished a coal mine decided to set up in our backyard. Definitely time to retire we moved to Queensland. I had been writing a manuscript for some time. In the desire to complete this I enrolled in a post grad certificate in creative Industries which I completed 2013. I followed this by doing a Master of Arts by research graduating in 2017. Now I live to write and write to live.
Reflections and Nightmares- Irene A Waters (writer and memoirist) 
Poor Peter! I guess he should have heeded the warning.
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Men rarely do Iain.
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I suspect the stones are left to provoke imagination – what do they symbolise? Perhaps a warning – as Peter discovered to his cost.
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It certainly provoked her imagination. In reality there are so many reasons stones are left – to give direction, as a burial marker, a memorial, to commemorate someone being at the place and on it goes. Unless you know it is up to your imagination – Peter’s imagination didn’t take him the right direction.
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Well done, Irene!
I really liked this one.
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Thanks Dale. Glad you enjoyed it.
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Accidents happen so quickly in locks. A very credible story.
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I read a book about going through the locks in the Panama. Prior to that I had no idea that locks could hold danger.
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We entered a lock in France as a second boat. The lockie decided to try to cram a third small boat in at the back, to save himself some work. As the water level lowered, the smaller boat’s rudder was trapped on the cill and he ended up pointed downwards at a steep angle with the crew sliding down towards the bow. Awful moment.
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Gosh it really does happen. That would be terrifying. I think if I’m ever in the position of negotiating locks I too may get out and walk.
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Beautifully written story, vivid descriptions.
Also, learned about ‘locks’ through your story. Thank you. 🙂
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Thanks Moon. Glad you enjoyed it and got something out of it. Cheers irene
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Omg – every barge and lock negotiator’s nightmare. It’s almost as if it were planned…
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The signs were there….. Yes it would be a horrible experience.
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You have such dark humor! 🙂 Now Jemma knows!
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LOL. Yes she wondered and received her answer. Lucky she listened to her fears.
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I like the way you combined the pollards and tairns to create a warning only Jemma felt. (Plus I learned a new word ~ pollard.) Sometimes you just have to go with “that feeling.”
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New word for me too, thanks
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I only learnt the word pollard recently from another blogger and couldn’t resist using it when I saw the trees. Yes sometimes you have to trust your gut.
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That turned brutal quickly!
Nice one, Irene.
PS I always mean to ask, is there such a thing as an enthusiastic potato peeler?
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Oh, that made me laugh!
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You are always a great audience, Alicia.
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LOL. Enthusiastic potato peeler – absolutely. Each is an individual with different depths & shapes of eyes and body. Give me a potato to peel anyday. It was my boredom with eggs that almost got me fired.
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How sad – intrigued by the world Peter and Gemma belonged to.
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It would certainly be a different lifestyle.
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Dear Irene,
How fast life can change. Well written.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Yes it can change very quickly and unexpectedly.
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I hope Peter could swim! I’m not familiar with superstitions relating to pollards and cairns; it would be interesting to know what Jemma was thinking about when she declined to stay on board.
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I don’t know that there are any superstitions about pollards and cairns together (I took fictitious liberty) but in Jemma’s mind the trees looked as if they had been decapitated which added to the possible use of the cairns freaked her out. Luckily for her.
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He shouldn’t have barged in then. I do hope he can swim. Nicely done.
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Thank you. I don’t know whether she was sad for him or others who may have suffered the same fate. Yes I hope he could swim.
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I’ve beeb through a couple of locks, and I think they’re scary. My imagination goes wild considering the possibilities! Well written.
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Thank you.
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Peter’s world turned topsy turvy in a jiffy. Such is fickle life. Lovely writing, though, Irene.
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Thanks Neel. Things can just happen as we all know.
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Ouch.. you should listen to the warnings, what a sad demise.
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for one – the other listened to her gut and got away.
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Let’s hope Peter can swim! Locks scare the hell out of me.
Note – your first quotation marks are the wrong way round. 🙂
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Thanks for pointing out the marks – now corrected.
I think locks will now scare the hell out of me as well but it is unlikely that I am going to be in one.
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An interesting POV.
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Thanks Dawn.
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Well written story. I hope Peter escaped.
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Not sure that he did but I guess there is hope…..
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