A Korean Christmas Carol

A Korean Christmas Carol ©

By Michael Casey

Vincent was a little child in Seoul, he had been learning English at school, so the teacher decided to read a Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens to the class as Christmas was approaching. The teacher Mr Michael confessed that he had listened to it on the radio after Midnight Mass at Saint Patricks after he’d thrown snowballs at Danny Moylan. And there was another Vincent there who defended himself with his umbrella. Vincent  laughed at the mention of his name.

So Vincent  fell asleep with the Tale fresh in his head. But Vincent was worried because they had a noisy neighbour called Kim who was always letting off fireworks, one had even smashed their bedroom window. As Vincent drifted off to sleep the world news with Douglas Stewart reporting was on the BBC world service, A Christmas Carol was going to be next but Vincent fell asleep as it began.

The Ghost of Christmas past came first, this was a beautiful Korean girl smiling and singing Kpop songs. Vincent smiled in his sleep. Korea was one big happy family then. Just singing and nice dancing, no marching, just laughter, real laughter and nobody carrying notebooks in their hand.

Vincent was so happy he even chuckled in his sleep. Mr Michael his teacher was right Charles Dickens was the BEST. Well in the English language anyway. Then clouds appeared and walls and noise and stamping and unfriendly fireworks appeared. Half the land sung Kpop the other half, just marched like robots with a smile that was fixed with fear hidden in their eyes. Half had technology  and lights, the other half had no roads, no street lights just dim dim dark life.

One half had food galore and had the Korean Dream and Samsung really was king, the other just seemed sad but pretended to be happy by shouting a lot. They marched a lot too,  to stay warm as their homes were so cold. Only the army mattered, not the people not the poor, not the sick, not the uneducated, not the least of Korea’s brethren. Only the army mattered.

One half got poorer and poorer and sick and turning into skeletons and ghosts. But all the time they cheered for the Emperor in his new clothes. While the people in that half became more and more naked, building a giant Golden Ox which was the name of the nuclear missile, though some thought it was a great hotel. But really inside it was a hanger for the greatest nuclear weapon ever. And still the people in that side clapped and carried notebooks to record the Emperor’s every word. As their clothes fell off their backs and they were more and more naked.  Some even dying as they marched for their Emperor.

Vincent started to cry in his sleep, why couldn’t the Emperor just vanish like in fairy tales. The Ghost of Christmas present was a newsreader shouting and shouting, threatening and threatening. There was no hope and love in her voice, just anger. Wasn’t Christmas supposed to be about Love and Hope and a Future. Vincent screamed and sat bolt upright in his bed he was so scared, his parents came running and comforted him. Then with his head resting on his mother’s breast he fell asleep. His mother switched off the radio, why was he listening to BBC World service, he should listen to more Kpop it was Christmas after all.

Vincent slept on the Ghost of Christmas Future appeared, it was a scruffy monk with mittens, the monk showed Korea, all Korea in ruins, mushroom clouds drifting in the sky. Seoul was in ruins, millions were dead, the North was a wasteland. The Emperor was trapped in his bunker far beneath the Subway, 100s of metres underground. But even the Emperor knew his half  was destroyed  just as much as the  other half. The food would run out and the air would run out, maybe he’d last  3 months, but then he would be entombed, just like an Egyptian King. Nobody would bother to dig him out, but at least HE had felt no pain as the entire country was vaporised.

There was a knocking at his office door, a scruffy monk in mittens  appeared, the Emperor raised his gun to shoot the monk. The monk laughed, I’m dead already, 1968 was the year I went to Heaven. As for you only Hell awaits, I’ve come to show you a vision of Hell. Vincent screamed in his sleep but his mother did not come to comfort him. Vincent watched frozen as the scruffy monk in mittens placed his hand on the Emperor’s head. The Emperor screamed and convulsed in pain, he peed his pants and poohed simultaneously, then he vomited.

The scruffy monk, then said, that is  but a vision, this is what it really feels like, much much worse than being vaporised in a nuclear war. So the monk continued to hold his hand on the emperor’s head, in one second the Emperor felt an eternity of pain. Hell is the absence of God’s Love. The Emperor fell to his knees and begged for forgiveness, if only he could turn back the clock, if only, if only.   

Vincent woke up  sweating, he could not speak.  He grabbed his Rosary, Mr Michael had explained that the Rosary was Mary’s Nuclear weapons. And with the Rosary you could defeat the Devil himself. So Vincent said his Rosary and went to sleep happy and safe. The funny thing was that his radio was still on. The end of A Christmas Carol was being told.  Scrooge repents and leads a good life and knows how to Celebrate the Joy of Christmas.

As Vincent fell asleep a News Flash North Korean was ended all its Nuclear ambitions and Putin himself would visit on  Christmas Day to sign a deal to ship all nuclear material over the border to Russia. And how did this come about ?  The Christmas Disco in Heaven was KPop that year and the 100,000 Korean Martyrs had asked the scruffy monk to Save Korea not just for Christmas but for always.

So he really had slipped out to pay the Emperor a visit. He also visited Putin too telling him to grab his place in History before his heart attack. When Putin heard this he decided to do as the scruffy monk suggested. Though the monk did put his hand on Putin’s chest, telling him he could live till he was 100 if he retired, being President is really stressful.  The scruffy monk also paid a visit to the White House, all he said to Trump was Be Humble when Putin rings you, and then you retire immediately as after saving the world everything else is a waste of your time.

Vincent woke up and it was snowing in Seoul, church bells were ringing, Korea would be One again, as for the scruffy monk in mittens, he got back in time to hear George Michael singing the Ave Maria, Merry Christmas Korea, all and one Korea.

Still Resting but thank you Ukraine

Hello to Ukraine I had a big surge in readers last night, have you got nothing better to do?

I had a tooth out at the dental hospital. With my health background the best and safest place.

Updated to Windows 10 Creators edition, its out these past 3 days or so.

You still get funnies on your computer when you do it.

Come Back Bill, all is forgiven.

WE have 120 rolls of toilet paper in the house now, its was that which hurt me, not just one sheet, sheet, not S****, Boris clean your ears out.

My cursor moves a lot now,  either Windows 10 Creators update fault, or hackers, there is nothing of value on my computer.
Maybe North Korea trying to see why I used a photo of the dear leaders sister on a post.   
She does look very pretty, maybe she should be a Kpop mogul, instead of launching missiles.
Change your path, KPop will save the world. Its a post I wrote a while back.

Kim put those missiles away and start a Kpop band, its a much brighter future.

Other than that I'll write something new in morning, if the pain monster stays away. I can appreciate just how Padre Pio felt now that I have regular pain problems.

If you want more then click on my other site here for 100 older stories available for a week.
https://michaelgcasey.blogspot.co.uk/

 

Why do I have Total Recall? © By Michael Casey

13th May 2017

Why do I have Total Recall? ©
By
Michael Casey

Why do I have Total Recall   to remember the Pain
Why do I have Total Recall   to remember the Happiness Before
Why do I have Total Recall   to Never Lose my Parents
Why do I have Total Recall   to Remember Every Single Laugh
Why do I have Total Recall   to Forgive the Lies
Why do I have Total Recall   to Dry the Tears
Why do I have Total Recall   to Share the Future
Why do I have Total Recall   to Learn from the Past
Why do I have Total Recall   to Slow Life Down
Why do I have Total Recall   to Give me Courage
Why do I have Total Recall   to Never be Alone
Why do I have Total Recall   to Keep the Dead Alive
Why do I have Total Recall   to be a Historian of Life
Why do I have Total Recall   to be remember how Love was
Why do I have Total Recall   because sometimes the Past is Better
Sometimes it’s better to Forget and Let the Past Go
Sometimes the Past is like a Shadow or Cloud over the Present
Sometimes we wish we could Wipe our Minds
Sometimes we wish we could Rewind our Words
Sometimes we wish we were Deaf
Sometimes we wish we were Blind
Sometimes we wish we had no Taste
Sometimes we wish we had no Touch
Sometimes Sometimes Sometimes
But if we have no Past
But if we have no Feelings
But this or But that
Finally in the End without Feelings
Finally in the End without Touch
Finally in the End with Love
Finally we would be Nothing just Dead
So we Must try
So we Must have Pain
So we must Scream in the Night
So we must Lie Awake swearing at the Stars
So we must Lie Awake swearing at God
So we must Lie Awake Fighting our Devils and Demons
So we must do to the Edge Of Our Fears
So we must Learn to Pray Again
So we must Learn to Love Again
So we should not be Afraid of Our Total Recall
Its a Gift Few Have
Its a Gift Few Have
Each Moment of Our Lives and Those we Remember is Precious
Our memories Give Them extra Life Past their Death
In Our Memory Life is Immortal
In Our Memory Life is Immortal
And that’s Why I have Total Recall
For in my Life I am sharing God’s Immortality

Need to have a rest

The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak, so I'll be having a week off.
I hurt myself trying to pick up toilet paper. yes really.
It could only happen to me.
You can all draw your own cartoon.
cartoons made with words.
when you have a heart op they break your beast bone, mine seems not yet to have healed and I don't think it ever will. so any strain carrying shopping home gives pain that can last a few days,
Ok, I'm just an old wreck, still in need of TLC

Plenty to read at

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Michael-Casey/e/B00571G0YC

or on web, seek and you will find, but don't knock on my door as I'll be in bed.

Audio Sample- I want to be a radio star - a love story

http://michaelgcasey.typepad.com/files/127.i-want-to-be-a-radio-star-a-love-story-1.mp3


www.michaelgcasey.typepad.com for more individual audio stories and a few written down too.

So do you all want to hear my voice as an audio book?

So do you all want to hear my voice as an audio book?

Well I have 207 audio samples already but I discovered I could load it up as an audio book on Amazon

It might take me 3 weeks to record   Blogs 2011

Would you folks like to hear it afterwards?

I just got free software I need to record at the sound levels.

Which may mean rerecording everything again.

So I'll count the clicks on this post before I start.

 http://michaelgcasey.typepad.com/files/127.i-want-to-be-a-radio-star-a-love-story-1.mp3

and www.michaelgcasey.typepad.com  to HEAR a few samples

From Blank Page to Full Stop

From Blank Page to Full Stop ©

By Michael Casey

I was having breakfast with my meds, just as my pharmacist orders when I was thinking about what to write about today. The idea of a blank page and a full stop beckoned. So I was going to start with a fair wind to my back but then I stumbled over PMQs or Prime Minister’s Questions so I watched that. Then the love of my life, as she tells me she is, or the witch as we call her rung to command me to bring in the washing.  Then there was the very latest Windows 10 update so I had to wait for that. Afterwards my small daughter arrived, so with her watching the computer I went shopping for her chocolate biscuits. 

The Windows 10 update finally finished and I had one, just one chocolate biscuit. Then the pain monster decided to pay a visit, so I have just slapped it on and rubbed myself down, while stood in the front room window. Our Polish neighbours think I’m an exhibitionist, the little old ladies wish they were 30 years younger, me, I just wish Arthritis never came my way. I inherited it from my mother, and my heart from my father. It’s nice being a close family but you could do without the diseases.

So to today’s theme From Blank Page to Full Stop. 

We start as a blank page, as virgins, we are pure and white, we are babies, I hope I don’t need to mention other colours and don’t need to say I’m not actually talking about sex or colour. I’ll take it as read that there are no pedantic readers with nothing better to do.

So we start all shiny and new without a clue, then we watch and observe and are influenced by events all around us. I grew up in a busy house and we shared the house with our lodgers, then we had the house next door too, just by accident. My dad’s brother was going to buy it but tragedy stuck their sister in law died in childbirth. So dad’s brother Willie went back to Kerry to help Danny raise the ten children. So the lawyer changed the name and our dad bought the house instead of his brother.

So the page was changed, events had changed History and the Future, the family future changed here in Birmingham and over in County Kerry.  This meant we had more lodgers for me to watch and observe, making it real life theatre for me. Growing up watching mainly alcoholic lodgers was different to the average family in the 1960s onwards.

Good things and bad things can little tour life page, some things tear strips off the page. Or screw and scrunch the page up entirely, I’d had a scrunched up page several time, you just have to iron out the rough spots as the songs goes. Or even throw away one page and start again. Don’t be so obsessed with keeping the original plan. A new page can be a lifeboat to a new future, such as me stumbling in my computer operator job. As I talk to you my Bourne Jones angle looks down at me, a leaving present from that 21year job in computers. Another totally different page was my 3 years as a concierge plus everything else, or you could just call my porter.

My daughter had just started a new page by going to her new 6^th form college a good  bus ride away. Meeting new people and studying hard for A levels with high hopes of doing Medicine at Cambridge, or anywhere that’ll have her. This is her page. We all need to have dreams and hopes. Even if we never attain them, without direction we are just like those zombies on stunk you stumble over in some cities.

Influences and winds of change alter our direction on the page that is our life. If this were a Winnie the Pooh Cartoon the artist would draw as I talk to you. Sadly I cannot draw and the stormy weather has not brought an artist to me, maybe I’ll stumble over one in a bar. Maybe even a Polish artist as I seem to have many Polish readers, even if they never buy a book on Amazon. 

So our lives continue and the page gets fuller, just like the space on the fridge where every family leaves its diary, outside of the fridge, inside is the dairy. You can use a rubber to make space on the page, you can retreat and  regroup or cordon off some ME Space in your life. You may even wish you had used London Rubber then you’d have more space in your home. 

Nothing is set in stone, you can have that North Korean Lover, even if in your imagination, or you could have that Parisian Romeo, life is up to you. We’ve all seen those romcoms on tv after all.  However a word of caution, there is only so much space on the page. At some point the space runs out, the page is full.

So you have to ask yourselves did I waste my page, my space, my time, would I have used crayons or fine liner, would I have used capitals or a different font to my life. Or am I happy the way I filled the page that is my Life.  The way my own life turned out with lots of pain punctuating it has coloured my page, but all in all I’m glad how my life has filled the page. I have had lots of time with my dad when he was alive. I have well I won’t be gushy, I am not American. I am glad I was born into the family I was born into. 500 years of Kerry Ireland farmers so I’m told. Now my own family which comes from rice farmers from Shanghai to match the Kerry side.

So Chinese Rice had met Kerry Potatoes, and my kids will write their own pages, as a doctor and maybe as an actress. This is their Future the blank pages lie before them. Me I continue to write in the vain hope of making a bit of money so we can move house. I’ll continue filling my pages until I come to my final  full stop.