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Seasonal greetings and a glimpse in the future...
SO here it is – Christmas 2008, and once more, as for over four decades, it's the festive season at the Crambie home. Outside, snow is gently falling and as my dear wife, Ruth, brings to the table her home-made, sumptuous trifle, a huge cheer rings out from all the family.
Round the table, son Shaun smiles as he reads the motto from the cracker I've just pulled with him: "Don't be afraid to take big steps, you can't cross a ravine with two small ones"!
Meanwhile, opposite us, daughter Janette and Darren explode a party popper over their son, Nathan, who leaps in the air with streamers all over him as we all fall about laughing. Now Ruth's much-enjoyed Christmas feast is completed and, as the candle-lit room glows, the CD player softly plays the magical Roy Orbison festive hit from 1964: "Pretty Paper".
Then, I'm over to my trusty armchair complete with my favourite Captain Morgan rum and a bar of marzipan and, as Roy's incredible voice echoes warmly round the bedecked room, I can feel my eyes slowly begin to close. Suddenly, I'm awake and my eyes open wide in amazement as I'm high in the air in an extremely fast travelling strange vehicle! I look down and far beneath, all I can see is stunning, sapphire blue sea.
As the strange spacecraft accelerates even faster, I look at my two companions in the seats ahead and my mind goes back to 1950 and the Eagle comic's Dan Dare and his many space adventures. Then, a cold shiver down my spine as I remembered Dan's malevolent arch enemy, The Mekon and his evil Treens. Just then, one of the two men in the craft spoke: "Welcome colleague, I am Alpha and my friend is Beta, and we are all flying to see our local commander, Omega".
With this, I manage to stammer out, "What year is this"?
Alpha replies, "Why, it's the year 2525 of course".
My mind reels as I recall back in 1969 singing along to the duo Zager and Evans's marvellous number one record "In the Year 2525", and now it's that very same year!
As the spacecraft now flies past huge metal buildings, I suddenly see a luminous sign which proclaims: "Lord Greaves's Skyway". My mind boggles as I ask Alpha: "Who is your skyway named after"?
His reply amazes me. "After the great flood of 2230, all material things were lost forever. Below the seas, no land remained now, so our few survivors live in the skies. We only have oral records of the past and Lord Greaves is notable for winning many great battles, we know not when, but our belief is he was a great feudal warlord of the 8th Century".
I have a chuckle to myself as I think of what dear old Tony would say of his future renown.
Gradually, the spacecraft slows down and we approach a tall rotunda where it gently lands. "Greetings, Gamma" says Alpha as he and Beta pass through an enormous entrance, guarded by a smiling sentry. As we enter, I'm now aware of a strange echoing sound far below us. I say to Alpha: "What's that joyful noise below"?
He replies: "As the seas got higher and higher and replaced all land, so the whales flourished and now they are the most prolific of all living things. You are listening to the songs of the Southern Right whale and the Humpback whale who are always most vocal".
We arrive at the door of Commander Omega and Deputy Commander Omicron, as seen on a huge plaque in gold on the metallic entrance. A voice calls out: "Enter" and as our trio of Alpha, Beta and myself walk into the room, my eyes widen as I see in the centre of the vast sanctum a mighty ship's funnel bearing the words "RMS Titanic". Commander Omega sees my amazement, saying: "Ah, our only link with the past, my friend. It came to the surface during the great flood of 2230".
As I go over to the immense, proudly standing relic of that fateful night of Sunday, April 14th, 1912, and touch the black metal surface, suddenly I'm being woken up with grandson Nathan as he calls out: "'Dad's Army' has started, Grandad" and I look around to see all my dear family sitting round.
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Print this page- Weekly Golf Results - September 21st
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Weather for Pendle
Sunday 05 February 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 2 C to 5 C
Wind Speed: 13 mph
Wind direction: West
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: -1 C to 5 C
Wind Speed: 10 mph
Wind direction: North west
