Bag Of Creatures

Because for every scenario there is a creature.

Plot or metaphor?

If Earth is the bag then we are all creatures. But you knew that anyway.

Novel outline: a strange old man hefts a bulging sack about the world. It is his burden, one he gladly undertakes. Why? Because it gives him purpose. He enters a vilage or town. There is misfortune there, perhaps criminal intent. The old man puts the sack down and strokes his chin. Things emerge. Stuff happens. He moves on.

Questions being: are the creatures good or evil? Can they be controlled? And if so, by whom?

I've always liked the idea of people getting what they deserve. If not in this life then in another. Karma I suppose. Natural justice. As nature knows no time. All we need do is acknowledge there is something far bigger then us. And endure.

In my novel Ocellus I created a character called Mr. Handsome Ankles. He is the harbinger of just desserts. No-one sees his face, their eyes being drawn to his snazzy socks and peculiar footwear. Perhaps there are bells there. Certainly there are ribbons. And in his wake...

People are both beautiful and cruel. It's what makes literature work.

When I was a kid there were Lucky Bags. Small anonymous sacks, contents unknown. Always the promise of riches for the price of gobstoppers and chews. The fun lay in the unknown, in the imagination of small boys delving into unseen worlds.

Were we disappointed? Of course not. We were ever eager for another go, to delve into the next unknown. The prize - whatever that was - always escaped us, but the excitement of looking never failed to motivate our hearts and souls.

Ocellus and The Orange Propeller are both free to download from Kindle this Bank Holiday.