By Andrew Turner
Granny Mary and Grandpa John were our own glam slam edge of the family. Grandpa Charles, Granny Mary’s first husband, drove a Jaguar which also counted, but this was Granny and her second husband, Grandpa John.
Southampton is one of England’s greatest ports, if not the biggest, and my mum, my dad, my sister and I were there to welcome Granny and Grandpa back from their trip to the tip of Africa, Cape Town I think. Talk about exciting.
They’d been on a ship; no idea what it was called, but it was red and black. It was enormous and its sides so tall that they were obviously caught on sky hooks in the clouds. And it made noises. These weren’t just any old noises. These were the breathing out noises that a great ship makes. I don’t know what noises it makes when it breathes in, never having heard that, but when they breathe out, oh my goodness, it can be impressive …
Granny Mary and Grandpa John must have been superstar royalty as they had ridden this red and black monster all the way to Cape Town and back, and they looked way past happy. Their sticker-covered suitcases stood smiling with them on the quay.
· Andrew has retired from corporate life and is enjoying experimenting with writing. He’s made this word prompt fresh and appealing by approaching it from the perspective of his younger self. This excerpt from his assignment is infused with the grandeur and excitement of sea travel, seen through the eyes of a boy.