Garbán McGrath joined the navy at sixteen to see the world and escape his abusive father. Unfortunately his father’s ghost travels with him, despite being thousands of miles away in Venezuela, onboard the HMS Fantome, under Commodore Robert Archibald Montgomerie. CLICK HERE for next chronological story.
You have a very lively voice. Love the present-tense narration. Thanks for visiting my blog. I am already hooked onto yours!
Hi Aparna, you’re welcome, I find your blog very refreshing and interesting. Thank you for stopping by to read mine, I appreciate it.
Cheryl – I really enjoy the short stories I receive in my email. You are certainly a “Time Traveler” and I love how you can set sail through the years with so many wonderful characters as companions.
Hi Lee, thank you! I’ve always wanted to time travel, I guess this is the only way I can do it 😀 Glad to have you here with me. Cheryl
Garban’s face shows so much of his anguish; he looks both sixteen and fifty years old. Such a poignant back story!
Hi, Anna, yes, he’s had a rough life, I’m glad that translates in the illustration. Thank you! 😀
Its interesting about time travel. Reverse the words travel time.
What’s a budgerigar?
A small colourful bird.
This is some amazing writing, so real.
Thank you!
Let Garban scrub (swap) the deck for a while, (punishment) then back into good graces again, after oreventing the commodore from falling overboard after the ship was hit by a rogue wave. (ha ha ha)
Cheers on the deck from Beechmount
PS Garban looks like he is well hung over
🙂 punishment served.. and yep Garban’s probably too hung over to remember it!
nice storyline but the illustration gets the gold medal this time. must be the angle and the eyes 🙂
Thank you! 😀
I always enjoy looking at all of your beautiful drawings and reading the interesting stories on your blog, so I nominated it for the Very Inspiring Blogger Award. (I posted the requirements on my blog just in case you feel like going for it.)
Hi Mamie, thank you. (BTW I love your self portrait, it’s very realistic as well as the Audrey Hepburn which I think we’ve spoken about before) I’ve tried to find the requirements on your blog, but my navigation skills are practically zero, lol. (I once spent two hours going around the one way system in Southampton attempting to get out of the city) Do you have a direct link to the instructions? I’d appreciate it as I really need to get myself an inbuilt sat nav! Thank you! 😀
Totally superb…
Thank you, John! 😀
You are always more than welcome Cheryl…
Great dialogue–and I love the illustration! Thanks for visiting my blog. I’m looking forward to catching up on yours.
It’s good to meet you, Kate, and thanks for stopping by here too!! Glad you like it. Cheryl
Thank you for following me at jakeelliotfiction.com I love the illustrations of your characters. If I found an illustrator to do this with my characters, would you be honored as its inspiration, of offended that I turned out to be a thief?
Hi, you’ve got a very interesting and controversial *grins* blog, The Russel Crow of the literary world! 🙂 I’ll only be offended if you punch me! I’m glad you like the illustrations.
I promise not to punch you–just no pictures please. Sadly, the Shortbus is slowly coming to a halt as Jake Elliot is gaining more popularity. Although it is very fun to intentionally avoid political correctness, professionally it is suicide.
Great voice!
Hi Olivia, thank you! 😀
Enjoyable story with very nice illustrations. Best of luck in finding a publisher.
Malcolm
Hi, Malcolm, thank you! Cheryl
Thank you for stopping by my blog and deciding to follow. I appreciate it. Glad I stopped by yours. You have an overwhelming amount of posts and illustrations. Look forward to reading more, I liked this little scene, nice voice and character.
Hi Kody, you’re welcome and thank you for visiting here too, I appreciate it. Cheryl
I love your short stories. Welcome! Thank you for subscribing to follow my blog. I hope you are encouraged, inspired and enjoy the photos I take of life’s events as seen through the lens of my camera.
BE ENCOURAGED! BE BLESSED!
Hi Francine, thank you, I love your photography, especially the river boats. Thanks for spending time here too. Cheryl
Love your voice and your narrative style – your art is AMAZING – so glad I’m following you but I want to read you in a book format….
Thank you, I hope to publish the book(s) these stories are based on, one day. It’s really encouraging to me, and means a lot. Cheryl
Hi Cheryl. I enjoyed that story. Thank you for liking my poem ‘ The Elderly Man’. Best Wishes, The Foureyeyd Poet.
Hi, you’re welcome, I also liked “Nothing So Chilling,” thanks for stopping over here too. Cheryl
I’ll have to read that backstory. I want to know why his father’s such a miserable cuss.
I see. A Boer War fighter; his fanther thinks of himself as a “warrior” and clearly is.
A sad thing about people that continually live with a warrior mentality, especially in peacetime, they see everyone and everything as a threat and are always in danger of hurting and detroying everything and everyone. Even the people and things that mean the most to them.
You seem to indicate that in Garbán’s possibly dejected demeanor. I’ll bet he’s gotten into some fearsome arguments with his father. Maybe even some violent circumstances yet on occassion, might turn on himself in some terrible way out of feelings that he doesn’t live up to his father’s expectations. Very interesting character development.
Hi Allan, actually I may write about Garbán’s father one day. He was loosely based on stories I’ve heard about my own great grandfather, who was also a Boer War Vet, and supposedly rather scary *shivers…* Thanks for reading, I appreciate it. Cheryl
Cheryl. Thank you for liking my poem ‘ Nothing So Chilling’. The Foureyed Poet.