Captivating - OMR (One Minute Reads) Stories Read online

CAPTIVATING STORIES

  OMR

  (One Minute Reads)

  By

  Pat Ritter

  © Copyright Pat Ritter - 2013

  Published by Pat Ritter.

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  Each week in 2013 I attended the Pomona Writers Group. The facilitator asked us to write a story about a topic he chose. These stories less than 500 words are OMR (One Minute Read). I hope you enjoy reading each one.

  I want to express my gratitude to Melissa Smith. Thank you for doing a great job of the cover. If you want Melissa to create your next cover, I highly recommend you do: she can be contacted on [email protected].

  If you have enjoyed reading this book, or if you haven’t enjoyed it, still let me know. I would love to receive your feedback. You can contact me on my e-mail: [email protected]. I’d love to receive your feedback.

  Pat Ritter - Author/Self Publisher

  www.patritter.com.au

  TO READ MORE ABOUT PAT RITTER – AUTHOR: CLICK ONTO THE FOLLOWING LINKS:

  A Grave Matter

  The telephone call startled me the moment my partner said, ‘hurry home – I’ve got to go to the doctor.’ My mind confused. I hurried home to find her face white as a ghost.

  Before I uttered a word she told me to take her to the doctor because she felt a steel band tightening around her chest and she couldn’t breathe. Her face pale, her arms wrapped around her chest.

  Soon we arrived at the doctor’s surgery and taken into a room. Laying down on a bed the doctor took her blood pressure which read 225/199. ‘Phone an ambulance.’ The doctor shouted to her assistant.

  The doctor never left my partner’s side until the arrival of the ambulance. She explained my partner’s medical condition and ordered the ambulance to drive her to the nearest hospital.

  The ambulance officer told me to leave before they did and give the correct information to the hospital emergency department before the arrival of the ambulance.

  Many thoughts passed through my mind after leaving the doctor’s surgery until I arrived at the hospital. My partner had never been ill in the time we had been together. I thought of this as a grave matter and I needed to be calm.

  After I arrived at the hospital I explained my position to the administrative clerk who asked questions and I answered them to the best of my knowledge. The ambulance hadn’t arrived by this time.

  Soon afterwards my partner arrived lying on an ambulance stretcher in the hallway of the Emergency Department, ‘she’s here,’ I told the Administration Officer, ‘can I be with her?’

  ‘In a moment, does she have private heath cover,’ the Administration Officer asked.

  ‘Yes’, I muttered searching through my partners purse to find the correct information. I handed the card to the Administration Officer.

  ‘Thank you,’ she noted particulars on the card and returned it, ‘you can go through this door and be with your partner.’ I thanked her, walked to where my partner lay on the ambulance stretcher. Worry printed on her face.

  After examined by a doctor, tests and blood samples taken, still no information as to the reason why my partner suffered. She was admitted overnight.

  A Cardiologist examined her the following morning. In his opinion he didn’t think anything to do with her heart to cause her illness, a grave matter indeed.

  Word count:400

  A Long Long Time Ago In A Far Off Place

  A baby boy born to Irish parents on 26th July 1860, this child’s life began a journey which channelled into Australian history.

  Joe Ryan grew to twelve years old when he decided to become a shearer. His parents disagreed with this occupation and needed him to help them on their farm growing potatoes.

  On a still night he decided to leave his family to seek his dream to be a shearer. He left a note for his family stating his claims to become a shearer after informing them he loved them both.

  Before daybreak arose across the horizon Joe’s plan to become a shearer developed in his mind when he met a Shearing Contractor who promised him a job as ‘tar boy’.

  Over the next decade he worked in various shearing sheds taking him to Cunnamulla in outback Queensland. Instantly he fell in love with the town and fellow shearers. His common place of residence whilst staying in Cunnamulla he rented a room at Ma’s Guest House. She treated him like a son she never had.

  Joe travelled to shearing shed after shearing shed displaying his skills with blade shears. At one shearing shed he met a beautiful lady and fell in love at first sight; unfortunately his love, the daughter of the property owner where he sheared.

  This beautiful lady felt the same about Joe. She told her father who denied her from ever seeing Joe again. ‘No daughter of mine is ever going to marry a shearer.’ He’d say.

  Alas Joe and Hannah wanted to be together so without the wishes of her father she decided to stay with Joe. Unfortunately in 1890 shearers formed a union to have their wages and working conditions improved, Hannah’s father formed a pastoral association to hold off the shearer’s claims.

  To stake their claim ‘The Great Shearer’s Strike of 1890’ where shearers from across Australia stopped shearing sheep until their claims accepted. This strike went on for five months.

  Property owners hired non-union shearers to shear their sheep. Shearing sheds burnt to the ground, non-union shearers punished. Because of lack of money by the shearers they stopped the strike to return to work.

  Joe Ryan is my great grandfather and Hannah my great grandmother - Joe the instigator of the strike in Cunnamulla being imprisoned for four months for his part in the strike.

  Word count: 406

  A Most Curious Affair

  I’m a writer. Throughout my career expanding twenty-five years I’ve written many articles, stories, about my own life experiences. A change happened when I wrote two person’s life stories. I want to share this experience as I find the curious affair interesting.

  In 2001 I approached a celebrity of harness racing in Queensland and asked him if I could write his life story. Initially I wanted to write about someone else’s life experiences rather than my own.

  This person agreed and within sixteen weeks the book completed and ready for publication. A curious affair happened soon after I commenced listening to this person’s story. First information overload, then the story settled into this person’s life.

  From the beginning his excitement to share his story overwhelmed me. What intrigued me may have been his ego or expression to share his story with someone else. Everything went fine until the final chapter. I hit a roadblock and came to an immediate halt.

  After sharing his whole story, he didn’t want to the book finished – reasons I didn’t know at the time. Perhaps frightened his life now read by the public. Finally I completed his novel of his life and publication went ahead.

  After the publication of the novel, he constantly keeps in touch and expresses how delighted he is to have his life story written and published.

  After completing this book I had another opportunity to write another book, with the permission from the person, whose life story of being a prisoner-of-war in Changi during World War 11. Again when we commenced the novel, I experienced information overload until we came to the point of almost completion
.

  Without either person knowing one another, or what I personally experienced between the two candidates, both expressed at the end of their novels, an attempt to not go ahead with the publication.

  What I found to be a most curious affair; the first novel published and has had many sales, the second novel never published and remains in manuscript form.

  To experiment further, I decided to write my memoirs. Strange as it is, I also nearing the end of the novel did experience apprehension to publish this book of my life. I went ahead and published to see many sales.

  My personal experience of these three writings, I made a decision to never write or publish another person’s life story.

  Word count: 402

  Absent Friends

  When I think of ‘Absent Friends’ my mind immediately turns to my late wife who lost her fight with cancer a decade ago this year. I miss her so much.

  We were not only friends, but husband and wife for thirty-one years. Early in our marriage she put up with my alcoholic behaviour far beyond the call of duty as a wife. After drinking at the hotel for hours after work, staggering home, my dinner still warm in the oven, eatable and delicious, in those times, I took her for granted.

  Lucky she displayed the conviction and courage to give me an ultimatum to do something about my drinking. Never did I at any stage believe I had a drinking problem, however, when she threatened to leave me and take my two children, it