Category: Uncategorized

Wheelchair Wars Part 3 (17)

When the train stopped, they were led out into a large cavern. Timothy struggled to believe his eyes. The walls were covered in live video streams of strategic positions throughout the planet. Then in the distance after an array of desks and computers was what was the main console.

Timothy powered his wheelchair forward not quite sure if he could believe his eyes and then whispered.

“You have a planetary defense system?”

The tall, muscular man walked up alongside as the clattering of shoes against the floor, and the sound of computer keys getting pressed fell silent.

“Yes, we do. After my election..”

“Election!”

Timothy immediately activated the armaments on his wheelchair and prepared to fire. Never before had he heard such heresy. Only the Emperor or his ambassadors can appoint leaders.

“Before you fire, there are certain things you should know. Firstly, we are of the same blood. I am one of your many descendants. Secondly, we only began elections after the Emperor gave up on this world. The ambassador on this planet left once he saw the Tyranid fleet head in this direction.

This world was on the precipice of disaster but then we thought of Wheelchair Wars and that our heroes would never just give up.”

Timothy’s finger was almost on the button to fire but it never went further. The wheelchair returned to its normal state.

“My name is Timothy The Younger by the way.”

Review of “The Missing Ones” by Patricia Gibney

This was published way back in 2017. It is the author’s debut and also the first in the renowned Lottie Parker series. The author is from the same town as myself. The story is set in Ragmullin, a clever anagram of the real town.

Make no mistake, she is picturing Mullingar at every stage. It made reading the novel quite an intimate experience, immediately recognizing where the different scenes fictionally occurred. The scenes of bitter cold and snow brought my memory back to a particularly harsh few winters from nearly a decade ago.

The central character is Detective Lottie Parker. A deeply flawed hard-nosed detective trying to juggle a demanding job with a complicated family life. Her husband died a few years previous leaving her a single parent.

There are numerous complex relationships like Lottie’s relationship with fellow detective Boyd, with her Sergeant, and then each of her children.

The case she is investigating is a series in a presumably normally quiet Ragmullin. The first occurs at the town’s Cathedral and it all revolves around what happened many years beforehand. What follows is a grotesque and excellently written tale of child abuse, corruption, and murder.

It is beautifully crafted and you’re never quite sure where it will go next or who is responsible for the grizzly killings. The author has stated that she just likes writing but this was excellently planned and thought out.

The scenes of child abuse may be too much for many and for those with a weak disposition, I’d give it a wide berth. But if you’re looking for a good crime thriller, look no further. My rating is five stars out of five.

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Galway Girls (Part 26)

I woke up the next day with a hangover. That wouldn’t have bothered me if it hadn’t been a work day. It took some self-talk to convince myself to leave my comfortable soft pillow and bed. My head was pounding and my throat almost painfully dry.

I made a mental note to myself to have greater discipline next time, hoping I hadn’t let myself down the night before. Even though, I knew there wasn’t much point. I went out to my kitchen and prepared myself some toast and tea. My stomach wasn’t in a mood to tolerate much else.

I ordered Alexa to turn on Midlands Radio 3. Music immediately blared out but it was throbbing through my skull,

Alexa – Volume 6.

That was much better. As the song ended, the presenter said that a scorcher had been forecast for that.

I slowly ate my breakfast and headed out the door.

My apartment was only two streets away from where I worked. It was a simple journey on mostly wide footpaths along commercial streets of terraced shops and restaurants with overhead apartments.

I felt the buzz of my phone as I passed the smell of burgers from a fast food outlet. I decided to keep going and look at it work as I was nearly.

A few moments later I had arrived and turned on the computer.

Pegasus (Part 50)

I went over and tried to help her. It was jammed closed so I gave it a thud. It clamored open. I suddenly froze and Tabitha gripped my arm tightly. My eyes frantically scanned my surroundings but nothing stirred. Tabitha slowly released her grip.

We got inside the holding bay of the spaceship. Our instructions were clear. We needed to open one of the steel containers, which was never locked. One of them would be empty. And that is what we did, although it took a few minutes to find one. We had been told that this was a ship for perishable and sensitive freight so we would only have to deal with slow acceleration and deceleration. Our destination was called Decon XXV. I knew not what to expect. So I squeezed into the container with Tabitha and pulled it closed. We held hands in the dark and waited.

After a few minutes, we could hear the roar of the engines. She gripped my hand more firmly. Then we felt the ship begin to move. After a few minutes, I began to feel sick from the motion and tried to concentrate my mind on the day’s events.

Hours passed. Then almost imperceptibly it began to decelerate.

The Magic of Match Sticks: An Intergenerational Poker Tale

The mood has turned serious and silence pervades apart from the shuffling of cards. It had been a boisterous atmosphere hours before. All that banter, love, and warm embraces are temporarily set aside. The light is on but the room feels darkened. The adults and myself sitting around the dining room table full of cards and cups of tea. A small television has long been switched off. The smell of my Grandfather’s cigarette pervades the room.

I have so many questions but I know to keep my mouth closed. This is adult time and I really should be tucked away in bed. My Mum has let me stay open a while longer but under strict instructions and letting me know I’m going to be tired tomorrow. And I’ll have nobody to blame but myself. Tomorrow doesn’t seem like something I should be worried about. Not at my age anyway.

My Granddad is looking serious. His many years are etched onto his face. The lines on his forehead become more pronounced as he stares at his cards. My uncles are struggling to quite take it so seriously breaking out into smiles every so often and joking about the poor cards they have been dealt. My Dad and Mam say nothing. I want to ask what they have but say nothing. My Gran shows me her cards and gives me a wide grin. We now have a secret bond. My Gran points at two of her cards. They look the same. That has to be good.

My Grandad put all of his match sticks into the middle of his table. Gasps ring out around the table. I gather they are playing something called “Poker” and these match sticks are somewhat important apart from lighting Grandad’s smokes. It’s all very strange.

The game ends abruptly. I asked Gran if we won. She smiles and says no.

Then they play again and then again.

I’m getting tired now. This is all too much. My Mam tells me I need to go to bed, that I’m really tired. I nod in agreement. I’ll have so many questions in the morning about these matchsticks and why they are so important. One after another, they wish me goodnight and my mind is full of wonder about what I’ll do tomorrow.

If only I could back now and watch them play one more time.

Speech at Disability and Older Persons Event in Bloomfield 27/5/24

Due to the death of my grandmother, my fellow Director Demot Hope read out the following speech on my behalf earlier today –

Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you for your attendance here today. Many of you already know me but for those that don’t my name is Mark Ahern, and I am a Director with Independent People with Disabilities. We are one of the sponsors of this event, which has been a marvellous success down through the years. The address of our office is 96 Sean Costello Street, Athlone and we have a stand here, today. If you are running into a disability related issue, please contact us and we will endeavour to do our best for you.

At the heart of my work and the work of Independent People with Disabilities is a profound commitment to ensuring that every individual, regardless of their abilities, has equal access to opportunities and resources. It is our fundamental belief that no one should be left behind, and we are dedicated to breaking down the barriers that stand in the way of a just and inclusive society.

This has been another very busy year for Independent People with Disabilities.  We continue to represent our members on various committees such as the Disability subgroup of Westmeath Community Development and the Westmeath Sports Partnership. One of our achievements this year, will be mixed ability outdoor gym equipment going into Mullingar Town Park. This should happen by the end of the summer.

This year I would like to take some time to discuss how senior people and people with disabilities are natural allies. We face many but not all the same issues.

I had an interesting conversation about this a few weeks ago with a user of a scooter. He wants ramps up and down smooth footpaths just as much as I do.  We both want good healthcare, housing without steep stairs and a peaceful place in which to live.

I would ask that, those of you here today who are involved in groups for older people to consider if alliance with disability groups could be of mutual benefit.

Through leveraging our greater numbers more can be achieved.

I would like to thank all the Directors of Independent People with Disabilities for all their hard work during the year. People like Dermot Hope and Noel Mulvihill who give so much to the cause.

Finally, I’d like to put my ppn hat for a moment as I’m the current Resource Worker which has a stand her today. If you’re community or voluntary group is not members you should consider doing so. Not only does it let your group play a role in developing policy it also gives you information about funding and training that can be sought.

Thank you for your attention.

Wheelchair Wars Part 3 (16)

They led him into the heart of the city. It was clear that everything had changed utterly from when he was last there. There was a natural smile on the people’s faces, they looked radiant and full of happiness in their immaculate white robes. The floor and walls looked like marble and the entire place was well lit. It smelled of the roses that were interspersed along each corridor. And this wasn’t the upper echelons of the city. Not even close, not that that seemed to matter. There were elevators dotted around the place with people coming and going as they pleased. It was strange. The people felt free. Timothy felt an intense pride in what had been achieved.

It wasn’t long before the fingers started to point at Timothy and his entourage. First, it was just the younger ones, and the older ones looked somewhat stunned. Then the furious clapping started. The crowds grew thick. It reminded Timothy of his great victories, and yet it seemed a different world, if not a different universe.

After a few minutes, they reached an international train transportation system. An open carriage was waiting for them. It was wide and spacious. Once, they were inside the doors automatically closed. It quickly transported them into the heart of the huge city. It was swift, even faster than what it had been centuries ago.

Galway Girls

7pm came and went. The food was well eaten and I was by now slowly drinking a pint of Guinness. Every now and then, I would look over at the archaic clock on the wall trying to convince myself that there was a myriad of reasons she may be late and that not really wanting to meet me really was the most unlikely one.

Fortunately, the crowd was sparse and nobody noticed how slowly I was drinking. Each time the door opened I expected it to be her but it wasn’t. The hours drifted and I felt my eyes struggling to stay open.

Then I felt a hard tap on my shoulder.

“You waited for me.”

I opened my eyes and there she was. Concern etched on her face.

“Sorry, I was really delayed. Gran is not too well at all at the moment. She was really upset and I couldn’t leave her.”

“I understand. Very happy to see you, even if it’s late. They should still be serving.”

But the bar was desolate with nobody else there. Just a deathly silence. The archaic clock was telling him it was past eleven thirty and time to go.

“I think they have stopped serving. Look I’ll be down again soon and come just for you this time.”

With that, she leaned down and we kissed. It was soft and wet, and I never wanted it to end.

Then she said, “Look, I better go. It’s so late. But I will visit you soon promise.”

She placed her hand on my shoulder and then she was gone.

Pegasus (Part 49)

Then the train began to slow as it entered the spaceport. I shuddered when I saw the high fence. Tabitha led the way. We had been given a map to show us which ship we had to board. It became clear that what had seemed to be the perfect maze of buildings was in fact perfectly ordered. The safest route for us to take had been marked out.

Still, at all times we had to keep our eyes focused on any camera or one of the many droids busily lifting boxes from one location to another. At times, it was a matter of patience, otherwise speed but at all times stealth.

Then with one last burst of speed, we reached the warehouse that was our destination and darted inside. It was obvious even in the dim light that the ship was not at all what we were expecting. It was small but worse again it looked like an automated delivery class ship. There was no space for a crew only cargo. We looked at each other in despair before Tabitha started muttering.

“It’s okay follow me. I think I know what we can do.”

I followed close behind.

She went over to the cargo.

“Come on. Help me open one of these!”

Wheelchair Wars Part 3 (15)

Timothy brought his battle chair to a halt a few feet from the welcoming party. A tall muscular man kitted out in body armor and carrying a large laser on his back began to speak.

“Timothy, welcome home! Everyone here already feels like they know you to some extent. Everybody has seen the replays of your most famous battles fighting for the Omega. You are also family to a significant portion of us, including myself.”

Timothy had intended to let him finish speaking but just found himself blurting out –

“Family?”

“Yes, family. All those women you had during your prime fighting days sired many births. Then after you left, any trace of you was highly valued and your offspring sired many, many more. Not just on this planet but throughout the sector. For instance, you are my great three times grandfather. So, you are not just here to defend your homeworld but also your progeny.”

For a brief few moments, Timothy was stunned but he regained his composure.

“Well, I better get to it. There is a war to be won.”

“Follow me. The planet has much changed since you were last here I’ve told. The air wasn’t even breathable.”

“Indeed and I had been hoping to use that to our advantage. Those plans will have to change.”