She lies on the sofa dreaming of librarians and love, naked Swimming Lessons and Ottolenghi. Envelopes fall through the letterbox and the telephone rings, the dinner needs cooking and the cat is hungry, still she sleeps on. Behind her closed lids a garden grows beside the sea.
‘What did you do with your life?’ A higher-being asks, turning the wheels and handles of its population-sized filing cabinet. The machine clunks and sticks on F.
‘I was working on my novel,’ she says.
‘Pah!’ Higher-being replies. ‘You were sleeping.’
She wakes, sits up and begins to write.
***
This week Rochelle Wisoff-Fields and our Friday Fictioneers host has selected one of my pictures for people to write to. And for those who don’t know, the picture is of the stacks in the university library where my husband works. The stacks is a system in the basement for storing books and documents. Click here to join in or here to read other people’s stories. My story this week is true.
If you’re so inclined it would be lovely if you would vote for my novel, Our Endless Numbered Days in the Edinburgh First novel award, and you’ll have a chance of winning a copy of all 56 novels nominated. (Scroll to the bottom of the page.)
Claire Fuller 
Polished. I loved the line “Behind her closed lids a garden grows beside the sea.” Graphical imagery.
I think it might be an idea for me to jot down my dreams. Never know when they might come in handy and I have a tendency to forget them …
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It’s so easy for them to slip away. Glad you liked it.
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Haha … love this Claire. I’ll take this as a timely omen, a kick up the backside to stop pontificating & write!
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I am now sitting up and writing 😉
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About ‘librarians and love, naked Swimming Lessons and Ottolenghi’ ? V promising premise
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Well, perhaps the middle two!
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I’ve heard of writer’s block, but now must I concern myself with writer’s Judgement Day? Oy vey! 😉
And thank you for explaining the photo. It was a real puzzler!
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Hah – now you put it like that, doesn’t sound so good!
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🙂
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Naked swimming lessons? Where do I sign up? As for the picture, I had no idea what it was. However, it’s good for that to be the case from time to time. Too many people worry excessively about exactly what and where they’re looking it. Just write what comes to mind, who cares what the picture actually is 🙂
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Can’t beat a bit of skinny dipping. And I completely agree – it’s good to see stories that aren’t so literal.
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Intriguing references here, Claire, and a powerful reminder not to procrastinate so much. I’m glad you liaised with the higher being and then came back to us!
Typo, I think, in first para “she sleep[needs s] on”.
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Thanks Jen – yes I’m still here! And thanks for spotting the typo – amazing how many times you can read something and still not see it.
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What a wonderful story and idea — to have dreams so saturated with images that you wake up and immediately start to write. Dream stories fascinate me.
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Trouble is they often don’t make sense when you write them down. Glad you liked it though
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Love the dreamy atmosphere you captured.
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Thank you!
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Wonderful.. I can truly see how a dream like that would motivate a writer.. at least for that less fun part… Is this for your next book or was your first masterpiece (I loved it)
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It’s for my next book. Watch this space, as they say. So glad you enjoyed Our Endless Numbered Days.
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Thanks for the background on your picture. Amazing what we all come up with isn’t it?
DJ
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Yes, I think sometimes the more cryptic pictures are the best, because they give the widest range of stories.
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Dear Claire,
What a fantastic photo you gave us. I’m enjoying the imaginative pieces it’s inspiring.
I love this dreamy piece. I’ve been temporarily sidelined from swimming so the image of naked swimming is lovely for me. I am anxiously awaiting your second book. I love the first.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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I’m loving them too. The fact that the picture is cryptic adds to the range of ideas.
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Now I want to read your book, Claire. It is my duty to read as many published authors in this group, as I can… Rochelle – check! C.e.Ayr – awaiting the book; Claire Fuller – now on my to purchase list!
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Thanks so much Dale. I hope you enjoy it.
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I shall definitely let you know.
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I’m curious as to why “Swimming Lessons” appears to be a title.
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Because (shhh) it’s the title of my second book.
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I knew it! 🙂
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Good dream. Just been listening to Francis Bacon in Your Blood on the beeb and he is quoted as saying life is just the bit between birth and death. Oh well.
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Hah! Some days we all feel like that!
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Dear Claire,
Thank you for this intimate peek into your self and the workings of your mind. The picture is beautiful and will evoke a wide range of thought provoking stories. Good work there. Why did it stop at ‘F’ I wonder? ‘Failure’? ‘Fibbing’? Ah, well, no matter. The story was all the better because it was true and one last thank you for teaching me about Ottolenghi. “Behind her closed lids…..” Beautiful.
Aloha,
Doug
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It’s ‘F’ for ‘Fuller’ – the higher-being was checking up on me. I assumed lots of people wouldn’t know who Ottolenghi is, but that’s the nature of dreams, they’re often cryptic, even to the dreamer.
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Divine intervention in a work of fiction: is that how they wrote the bible? 😉
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Hahaha. Maybe
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I too need this Higher Being wake-up call. Do you have his number?
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I’m afraid not – you’ll just have to have 40 winks on the sofa
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I’ve learned to listen to my dreams. There’s almost always a kernel of reality in there. But a muse cracking the whip is a bit more than I can bear at the moment… it’s hard enough. Great story Claire.
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Thanks, Sandra.
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“F” – for failure? Not so, as it appears the dreaming had paid dividends, either in ideas or as a kick in the pants! Nice story 🙂
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‘F’ for ‘Fuller’! And thanks
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I use dreams and nightmares all the time in my writing. I find them quite inspirational. Beautiful imagery, and a nice kick in the pants too! Great picture, my muse immediately saw ‘humans’ as the reason for such storage. 🙂 Happy to know it’s all about the library.
Wishing you all the best with your writing goals and the contest for your book!
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Thanks, Yolanda.
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To sleep, perchance to be inspired. I do my best writing immediately upon waking.
Good luck on the Edinburgh prize.
Tracey
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Thanks so much, Tracey
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Lyrically lovely! Librarians, love, naked all in one line…I’ve always thought bookshops and libraries are potentially very erotic places.
Good luck with this new book – the title is great.
And that weird wonderful photo has inspired a huge variety of stories.
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I love the variety of stories this week. Thanks for reading mine.
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Feeling guilty, Claire? You are allowed to sleep, perchance to dream …
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I always feeling a little bit guilty sleeping in the afternoon.
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Lovely story. Somehow, I had a feeling it was a story about you. 🙂
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You thought right! Thanks for reading.
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A story I think all writers can relate to. Always something to do, other than the writing. At least you were dreaming and you did get going.
Glad you told us what your photograph was of. I had it in my mind that it was a medical records department in the bowels of the hospital although try as I might that was not what my story ended up being about.
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I suppose a hospital might use the same system as a library, so you were close.
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They probably do.
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Nicely done. A lesson on being accountable to your dreams.
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Yes! And thank you.
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If I spent more time writing than just thinking about it, I would have a stack of books completed by now. Your story made me think of one of my writing memoirs, Dusty Richards, whose advice is always, “Get your butt in the chair and write.”
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That’s good advice!
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Loved it, loved it! Nothing else left to say. 😀
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Ahh, thank you!
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You have very interesting dreams. I love it, liked the picture, too, it can go so many ways.
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Thank you!
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Great piece. We have to do, not dream about it and think about it. It’s true in every facet of life. (I saw pressure valves somehow.)
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You’re right, but sometimes with writing, thinking about it and dreaming helps. But then you do have get your bum on a seat and write.
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I was in a bit of a soup not knowing what an Ottolenghi was but google sorted that out. Great idea for a story about translating dreams into reality.
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Thanks. Yes, I didn’t expect everyone to know who Ottolenghi is – but very popular in the UK. And thanks.
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What a treat, Claire. Now I know who Ottolengi is. What pleasant ideas you have swirling around in this dreamy piece. I wonder why it stopped on “F.” Does it stand for fiction by any chance? Lovely writing.
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Could be F for Fiction, or possibly F for Fuller. Thanks for reading
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Ah!
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Fantastic. I love that Higher Being – what a motivator! How easy it is to let the ideas stay swirling around in our heads instead of getting to work and writing them down.
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Hi Claire – I’ve just found your blog through Lizy ex-pat’s blog. I liked this story very much and look forward to reading more of your stories. Best wishes, Susan.
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Hello Susan, glad you found me and liked my story.
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interesting
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Thank you!
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Great story Claire, I almost didn’t want you to wake, such imagery and beautiful feel to this piece. thank you.
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Thanks, Dee. So glad you enjoyed it.
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Great image – and really amazing flash you’ve written! Like the humour of the dream state!
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Thank you! So pleased you liked it.
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