Jelly Tales

Ted liked the room at the back of the gallery best, away from the draughty entrance he could lose himself in ornate over the top Victoriana til he felt he had to leave and find somewhere else that didn’t mind you not doing very much and was free. He’d preferred the saggy old blue sofas to the unforgiving wooden benches but he still came three times a week.

Other exhibitions came and went but Ted didn’t have much time for them. Sound and video installations passed him by, intricate tapestries and found objects left him cold apart from the painted jelly moulds.

Before taking up residence next to that he mistakenly thought was the Charge of the Light Brigade he would stand transfixed by the little figures stood amongst their jelly mould homes going about their miniature business.

He wondered if they came to life at night when no-one was looking or if the gallery attendants heard their silent pleas for a fresh outlook and moved them round to a fresh mould each morning. Sometimes he thought about sneaking a tiny figurine in himself or just gently moving one over and seeing if anyone would notice. Most of all though he stared at the little Sunblest and Kodak vans and felt wistful.

No-one seems to use film anymore and Ted treasured his old photos stored neatly and chronologically in labelled shoe boxes; Morecambe ’76, Torquay ’77, Bridlington’78 were his favourites though even then his Kodak 127 was becoming obsolete. He had loved the precise way you had to load the film, ensuring the film clicked smoothly into line on the ratchets, the way you had to carefully frame the shot and then when the roll was finished taking it to the chemists, waiting an impatient week before handing  over your numbered slip in exchange for shiny paper boosts for your already fading holiday memories.

The Sunblest van brought back memories of opening his Tupperware box when he was at work and each day lovingly wrapped in the crinkly sunblest paper would be a mouth watering sandwich – creamy egg salad, mashed bananas and brown sugar or his favourite thick slabs of cheddar cheese doused with a dash of Hendersons and lots of branston pickle. Always nestled next to a granny smiths apple and a tunnocks teacake. Ted’s mouth watered at the thought and he decided that was he was going to have for his tea every night from now on.

MORTICIA MAGUIRE-BROAD