Bradford Lad: The Cloud That Had A Gold Lining
As a child Mike Coatesworth thought the streets of London were paved with gold. But who needs gold when you have a loving aunt?
When I was around nine years old I stared out of my bedroom window. I had been sent to the bedroom as a punishment for pulling long green shoots out of the flowerbed. After several minutes of watching my friends enjoying themselves, I decided that I was not going to remain "imprisoned''any longer.
As quietly as I could, I went downstairs and sneaked out of the front door. In seconds I was out playing with my friends. I’d decided to suffer the consequences later.
For almost an hour I’d been out with my friends and my brother, who I had sworn to secrecy. Suddenly my stepmother called my brother for his tea. I waited until he had gone into the house, then I ran to the front door and slowly turned the handle. The door wouldn’t open. It was locked!
The upstairs bedroom window opened and my brother’s grinning face stared down at me. ‘Let’s see you get out of this,’ he laughed, then promptly closed the window.
My brother had deliberately locked the front door, knowing that I would be in serious trouble. He couldn’t wait to see me get the hiding of my life.
When the upstairs window opened again a few moments later, I thought for just a second that he’d changed his mind. He hadn’t. He had opened it, then shouted to my stepmother that I was outside. He’d done this so that he could have a ringside seat for the action that was going to take place in the following few minutes. I was not going to give him any pleasure on that day. Quick as a flash I turned on my heels as I heard approaching footsteps.
Inwardly I’d known that if I returned at that time, my punishment would be great. I’d decided to stay out and enjoy my freedom while it lasted. I remembered my dad informing my stepmother that the city of London was reputedly paved with gold. I got to thinking that if I went to London, I could get some of this gold and return a very rich, then do whatever I wanted in life.
I didn’t know where London was. As I walked along I searched people’s faces, eventually stopping a man who appeared to have kind and friendly features. ‘Excuse me sir,’ I asked ‘could you please tell me where London is? I’m looking for the streets paved with gold?’
The man, taken completely by surprise at the question, broke into laughter so loud and contagious that I too joined in, even though I didn’t know what he was laughing at.
Soon I stopped laughing. I became frightened of the man. All I wanted to do was get away from there. I decided to return to the only place where I knew I would be safe.
As I entered my house I was greeted with a heavy clout across the head from my stepmother. But my aunt took me upstairs to her room.
“Who needs gold anyway?” I thought as she held me close to her.
Time for a Cuppa!
If you think my stories are true, then they probably are.
If you think my stories are fiction, then just relax and enjoy the tales.
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