Three, Two, One…Woo…

“Damn gears,” he groaned, eyeing the gradient’s rise. He should’ve had the Mini 1000 in first, but there he was at the hill’s foot, his own foot planted firmly on the pedal, and engine labouring in third. Wipers were on intermittent, smearing the drizzle that smattered the windscreen. Waterboys on radio; he drifted with the song…out to sea: Wished he was a fisherman, abound by wind and wave, being tumbled about his trawler. No sign of land to any quarter. His head too full with fishes and nets to pull to care for his memories. No ceiling neither for his claustrophobia, save for clouds that split ‘the starry sky above’. The tune took him in. Young Michael craved a special fish, a girl fish, a mermaid in his arms. Woo, he sang.

Down to second gear. Another wipe from the wipers. Less moaning from the gearbox as the gradient flattens to be the crest. Radio sings to you, Michael, and you hear it thus: as you slow out there, you speed in here. Way, way too fast. You should be the brakeman, on this charging, creaking, frenzied train. Cannoning across the country; windows streaked by rain. Waking all the sleepers with whistles, clunks, and burning coal. Field and town a-blur as you pierce the night’s soul. Don’t you wish you had a girl, Michael? That passenger girl in first class, a maiden in your arms? Woo, you sing.

Down to the Mini’s lowest, whining, gear. “Damn wrong choice again,” I leave the hill’s brow, the drizzle, and eye the gradient’s fall to the glimmering matrix city below. “Ho hum,” the radio crackles with interference, but splits to reveal the third verse. I sing, I sing for me: come the morrow, comes the freedom from the shackles that have held me fast; loosened enough for me to slip through, they’ll clank no more and tumble away, at last. And on that destined morrow, I’ll be a passenger aboard that steam train, I’ll be a merman, tail a-swish, in that sea. The new light in my life will be you in my arms. It’ll be one, two, three. I’ll be one to thee. And thee’ll be one to me. Woo, I’ll sing.

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Museworthy Man

Typically atypical man from Manchester with aspirations that'll never/maybe/could one day be realisations :-D

5 thoughts on “Three, Two, One…Woo…”

  1. What a rolling mix of road, rail and water. It all fits together with a rhythm that reminded me of the old film . . . my brain doesn’t work well these days, but a famous black and white piece on a train, and outside one, where an old chap talks rhythmically over the top, and through the words you feel the wheels and rocking of carriage and the like. It felt like the car might go head-like over a cliff at the end, but happily. Great stuff. The italics are you, not song lyrics yes?

    – esme of Cloud fame

    1. Italics are me (well the story teller) making a song I heard on the radio fit some daydreaming. I remember that black and white thing you mention too, albeit belatedly (could’a got me over a bit of writey-block); I remember being impressed by it a few eons back—postal train express, yes? Going to google, see if the rhythm pitches in, see if it’s more than the song that inspired this.

      Thanks for taking time to read my offering. 🙂

      1. Yes, that’s it.

        The only thing I’d say is that this “Waterboys on radio” – makes it read as thought everything in italics is by them. I didn’t think they were, but I know more songs than some. Might be worth altering that a bit, perhaps?

        – esme ‘pon the Cloud

  2. I can only think of Mr. Bean in his mini, because my son, who is 3, has been watching it incessantly over the holiday season. lol

    But that aside, I do enjoy the tempo of this tale. I would think if you’re driving a mini you are either day dreaming or being incredibly smug as you pull into tight parking spots with ease, and fill up with gas every couple of months. lol

  3. You know the car was quite nearly a ‘Morry Thou’ but I imagined it too unknown to be internationally recognised—and an unwanted excursion to google for decryption. Also was dubious that it’s engine would have got it over the hill I had in mind. Mini 1000, equally cute, a bit more zest, got the gig. 🙂

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