‘Will you sit, Tom?’ Pat was there as arranged, toying with his pipe, filling the bowl with threads of chestnut tobacco.
Tom nodded, chose the stool beside him. Both men wanted their backs to the wall.
Pat worked the pipe, tamped and lit it, drew the smoke deep and long before exhaling. A slattern wiped dregs of ale from tables and benches with a filthy cloth. An old man was slumped at the bar, snores rumbling through the wood. Too quiet for Tom’s likiing. He preferred a crowd, a melee to be lost in.
He felt something brush his knee, felt the package in its oil cloth wrappings and his pulse raise with the holding of it.
Pat winked. ‘Mind how you go.’
With the package under his coat, Tom stepped back into the hive of Lower Bridge Street, back into the melee.
Reading more about the Brazen Head, I learned it has been a meeting place not only for thinkers and writers but also revolutionaries, so I thought I’d conjure a couple of the latter.
Written for What pegman saw, a prompt using Google Streetview. See here to join in and to read the other tales.
I have a true story about the Brazen Head.
There’s a student at the bar. He’s skipped lectures this afternoon – maybe he’s hungover. Maybe he’s been unlucky in love. Whatever the reason, he’ s in here this afternoon, sipping a pint of Guinness. The place is quiet.
Next thing he knows, in walks a famous film star – famous for his acting, but also his drinking, carousing, and generally outrageous behaviour.
The film star nods to the student, and then says to the barman:
“Is it alright if I bring my father in?”
“Of course, sir”
So off he goes, out to his car, comes back in with an urn full of ashes, which he sits up on the bar. And then he orders his first drink.
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What a great story!
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Ah, come on now, you have to give me more than that! The name of the film star for a start. And how you heard the tale – was it from the student? Great story anyway. Thanks for that Sarah 🙂
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Dear Lynn,
You have a knack for setting the stage. I was there. Smelled the smells and saw it clearly. Now I’m wondering what’s in that package. Well done.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Thank you so much Rochelle. Whatever’s in that package it spells a bad day for someone. Thank you for reading 🙂
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I could smell the pipe tobacco! Expertly crafted tale with an intriguing twist.
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Thank you Karen 🙂
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You do know how to set a scene. Wonderfully done, L.
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Thank you so much. Very kind
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Have you been there Lynn? You should go! I’m proud to say we stayed in a flat for a week just a block or two from this pub, so we were able to visit quite a few times. In fact, we did a dinner/Irish storytelling night there, for a private group, with some music too…it was wonderful. The bar is so old, it’s a number of rooms and levels that feel bolted together…reminded me of the chambers of a heart, I thought. I love your story here. The compact details, marvelous as always. Bill
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Sadly, I haven’t Bill. Never been to Dublin. Sounds wonderful though. The oldest pub I’ve ever sat in is Ye olde Trip to Jerusalem in Nottingham, which is a similar age to the Brazen Head (circa 1189). It’s partly built in the cliff face so feels like sitting in a cave, sort of damp and musty. Not exactly comfortable, but fascinating! Love that thought of a building bolted together like the chambers of a heart – terrific. Thanks Bill
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You might have told me about that pub in Nottingham I think, when we were tooling around there. I love Dublin. Sigh…here, tomorrow in the states we celebrate St. Patrick’s day. I’ll be cooking, nice way to end the week. Roasted vegetables, potatoes, corned beef. Bill
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Celebrations here too, though locally we’ve been dominated by the Cheltenham Festival, a big horse racing event a few miles away that seems to be an excuse for a tiny amount of race watching, a fair amount of gambling and an awful lot of drinking! Hope you had a good Paddy’s Day
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We watched The Quiet Man and golly it was good. Even our 9 year old Charlotte enjoyed it.
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You know, I’ve never seen it. Not a huge John Wayne fan, though Maureen O’Hara definitely had something. Nice to watch something you’re all engaged in though – gets hard to do, doesn’t it?
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Lovely and evocative. As usual. = )
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Great story, Lynn. Very atmospheric. Puzzled by the exact contents of the sinister package though.
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I suspect a gun, possibly explosives, definitely designed to destroy and wreak havoc. Thanks very much Chris
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Great atmosphere Lynn. I went in a similar direction, although I imagined revolutionaries of the future. Love the details of the pub you gave.
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Thanks Iain. We’ve all been into pubs where there’s a regular propping up the bar (or actually has his own glas behind the counter!) and the place is quiet and flat feeling. I tried to convey that. Thanks for reading 🙂
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