Make Up a Story
Stories from Around the World
To Fly Or Not To Fly?
The lady is called Blanche Scott and is sometimes called La Lanche. She looks French, or Russian and is young and pretty, very pretty. She could be a model … or a spy! She wears very poetic boots, very up-to-date boots, and nice gauntlets, but very old-fashioned gaiters. She needs all that equipment to keep warm!
She may have built the plane herself. Using canvas. And held together by string. It looks like it is made of old iron from the scrap yard.
"Any old iron? Any old iron? Any, any, any old iron? You look neat. Talk about a treat! You look so dapper from your napper to your feet. Dressed in style, brand-new tile, And your father's old green tie on. But I wouldn't give you tuppence for your watch and chain, Old iron, old iron."
She built it because she wanted to go for a ride. La Lanche is a very determined lady and knows where she wants to go. She is going round the world. She is going to start in Exeter and finish in Exeter. She is going to land in Paris, in Timbukthree and in a very special place - Barbara’s daughters place in Surrey. But will the plane make it that far? It may only go two or three feet and fall to bits. But La Lanche is not frightened. Has she got a parachute? Yes – on her back or – she is sitting on it. But then she may get blown away– somewhere over the rainbow.
“Somewhere over the rainbow, way up high
There's a land that I've heard of once in a lullaby.
Somewhere over the rainbow, skies are blue
And the dreams that you dare to dream,
Really do come true.”
The engine will fall off first. It is noisy – it makes a juddering sound – like the sound of an old German aeroplane – boom-boom-boom. Is she a flyer at all? Perhaps she used to fly this plane and would like to fly more often. Or maybe she is sitting in it because she is thinking about buying it. Or thinking about buying a bigger, better one. One that sounds like a jet! Vrrrrroooom. One that flies as high as the sky.
And the aeroplane could be blue like the sky. And La Lanche could be in white. Or in pink. Pink makes the boys wink, blue makes them follow.
Maybe La Lanche is trying to tempt someone to join her. If it were a man she would shoot him. Maybe she is a spy. Maybe she is a man!
Now that’s a story all right. A flight of fancy!
Story created by: Mary, David, Sheila, Eric, Stella, John, Barbara, Molly, Fenella, George, Nancy, Dorrie - Sidmouth Memory Café, July 2015.
Share This:
