SUNDAY FICTION: 'Entitled' (Audio)
A short story about The Press Gang incident of 1803 Portland, Dorset
This story was inspired by a writing prompt from my Writing Group, coupled with a visit to St. George’s church Portland, Dorset on a day that was made for inspiration! Make a cuppa and have listen while you look at my photos.
Entitled read by the author
My story is a fiction inspired by being at the church and reading the account in detail there. It did indeed take poor 21 year old Mary eight weeks to die. It is also reported in the church but not on Wikipedia that the corrupt Mayor of Weymouth signed the document allowing the Navy to Press Gang Portland illegally. The whole island was exempt because of it’s essential services (fishing and the stone quarry). It is also true that some of the islanders had muskets that had been washed up from a wreck about 8 years before this story takes place.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Easton_Massacre
Thanks for listening - sorry about the accents I couldn’t resist giving it a go!
I love how each character gets introduced by what it says on their grave stone! That is brilliant - as if in death we are still carrying around the last words of our life.
I also think your dialogue conveyed the distinct cadences and subtle characteristics of each character really well. And that was complimented by your descriptions of the scenery.
And beyond all that the story itself was really good and it carried an insightful yet skilfully subtle and implicit message.
I really enjoyed this April, and I thought the ascents were actually very good.
By the way — “... big words like automatically” — hilarious.
Brilliant...actually a serious topic. What holds us back in this life and, as it happens, death?
Entitlement is actually spot on. A lesson for us all!!!!