h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

"Blackbird" (from the White Album/Beatles).

It is 1970 and I left home and was roaming Spain on my own.No money.
It was the time of the Spanish dictator Franco.
First I went to Barcelona.
Later on a longer stay in the harbour of Valencia
And in the end I tried my luck in Malaga (deep South) although my aim was a visit to Marocco.

Being half drunk, I got it in my mind to collect money in a chique restaurant "for the communists".......
After a while some visitors alarmed the headwaiter.
So he came in a straightride to me, took his arms around the middle of my body, lifted me up and brought me outside while I just continued to preach communism........
Hilarious situation, in my perception now.

Outside it became less "hilarious".
Three tall men in civilian clothes surrounded and arrested me.
As real "body gards" they walked beside me to the policestation, a long way from there.
My only protest was "why Franco doesn't pay a taxi to bring me there" and it drove them núts and finally in the policestation they exploded and I became silent....and as it seemed, forever.

I was transported to a Prison and to imagine how that looks like,
just imagine the Middle Ages or American big prisons.
Half dark rooms of concrete.
One section was just the floor and another section (in the same space)
was a little higher-also concrete- and there you should be able to sleep.
The "open-side" was made from thick iron bars.
Inside there where already about ten prisoners, before I came.

There where a few of those "rooms" next to each other.
Food was no more than water, bread and some soup.

I was perplexed to see passing a waiter with food and cigars and it appeared to be a daily order from a rich German criminal. It appeared to be common rule that if you could afford it, you could deliver any meal you'd like from a restaurant outside.

But I wasn't so interested in food and I hardly spoke with the other roommates.
I came into a bad mood and after a while all I did was only pacing up and down. Up and down, up and down, up and down, up and down.......

After a while during that walking back and forth, there slowly came a melody in my mind and my mouth gave it a gentle tune and slowly lines came up as "blackbird singing in the dead of night...." and "take these broken wings and learn to fly"......................

Walking and singing became my food and drinks and the more lines came up the better I felt;
"Blackbird singing in the dead of night, take these sunken eys and learn to see" and more words than that I didn't know.
But as we know, exact words don't really matter in how we experience a song. It is the association with elements of our subconscious that really matter.

And on and on and on I went, pacing up and down and gently singing fragments of the blackbirds song in its dead of night.
For hours.
For days and days without any break except some sleeping.
Every morning my breakfeast was the melody of that inspiring bird, cause the song and words lived a life of their own.

After some time the head of the guard came to our room and talked through the bars with two Spanjards for several minutes.
In the evening I asked them what that was all about?
"Well" , they said in Spanish, "he was asking if you were in hungerstrike".

I wasn't in hungerstrike;
I had found light despite my "sunken eyes",
and food despite "the dead of night" and freedom despite my "broken wings".
I had flown away, far away ,to a much better world and had forgotten to eat prisonfood......

Thanks to the Beatles I had found another and múch better world.
(The white Album; "Blackbird")



P.S. A few days later I was thrown out of Spain- because of vagrancy- by plain, accompanied by the dutch consul who spoke the stupid words; "You are the son of a lawyer, you should know better".

In 1995 I returned to Spain/France and walked half the Pyrenees.
Réal paradise! F80264?thread=205416



Greatings from Amsterdam, Alfredo (1951)


P.S. The H2G2 link of this Prisonstory is F31870?thread=209976

Alfredo, would you still like someone to polish the English in your very fascinating story? I used to teach English, and I am also a writer.

regards,

G

Oh, that would be great!
There is some progress in me (watching BBC every day and I found out the option of grammar correction English), but I would still love it.

It also would be great, because I am on a turning point these days.
All my paintings are being photographed and I am correcting my stories in Dutch, but correcting my English stories would be great.

Because I do not want to do any expositions any longer and that's the reason I'm collecting everything to be burned at CD and spread it by giving/mailing it.

Yes, that would be great

Especially my three stories about Spain.
But, I would like these to be corrected as minimum as possible.
Readers may feel that English is not my native language and I believe that most peoples at the planet use English as a second language.
So, I would not like these stories to be arraigned again, neither the sentences, only if necessary.

Having said this, I’m still VERY happy if you would correct some stories, especially the three about Spain.

"Blackbird" (from the White Album/Beatles).

It is 1970 and I left home and was roaming Spain on my own. No money.
It was the time of the Spanish dictator Franco.

First I went to Barcelona.
Later on a longer stay in the harbour of Valencia
And in the end I tried my luck in Malaga (deep South) although my aim was a visit to MOROCCO.

Being half drunk, I got it in my mind to collect money in a chique restaurant "for the communists".......
After a while some visitors ALERTED the head waiter.
So he MADE A BEELINE FOR ME, took his arms around the middle of my body, lifted me up and TOOK me outside while I just continued to preach communism........
Hilarious situation, in my perception now.

Outside it became less "hilarious".
Three tall men in civilian clothes surrounded and arrested me.
As real "body gards" they walked beside me to the police station, a long way from there.
My only protest was "Why Franco doesn't pay a taxi to TAKE me there?" and it drove them nuts, and finally, in the police station they exploded and I became silent....and as it seemed, forever.

I was transported to a Prison and to imagine how that looks like,
just imagine the Middle Ages or BIG American prisons.

Half-dark rooms of concrete - One section was just the floor and another section (in the same space)
was a little higher - also concrete- and there you WERE SUPPOSED TO be able to sleep.
The "open-side" was made from thick iron bars.
Inside there where already about ten prisoners, before I came.

There WERE a few of those "rooms" next to each other.
Food was no more than water, bread and some soup.

I was perplexed to see passing a waiter with food and cigars, and it appeared to be a daily order from a rich German criminal. It appeared to be COMMON PRACTICE that if you could afford it, you could HAVE DELIVERED any meal YOU LIKED from a restaurant outside.

But I wasn't THAT interested in food and I hardly spoke with the other roommates.
I WENT into a bad mood and after a while all I did was JUST PACE up and down. Up and down, up and down, up and down, up and down.......

After a while, during that walking back and forth, there slowly came a melody into my mind and my mouth gave it gentle tune. Slowly, lines came up as "blackbird singing in the dead of night...." and "take these broken wings and learn to fly"......................

Walking and singing became my food and drink and the more lines THAT came up. the better I felt;
"Blackbird singing in the dead of night, take these sunken eyes and learn to see" and more words than that I didn't know.
But as we know, exact words don't really matter in how we experience a song. It is the association with elements of our subconscious that really matter.

And on and on and on I went, pacing up and down and gently singing fragments of the blackbirds song in its dead of night.
For hours.
For days and days without any break except some sleeping.
Every morning my breakfast was the melody of that inspiring bird, BECAUSE the song and words lived a life of their own.

After some time the head of the guard came to our room and talked through the bars with two SPANIARDS, for several minutes.
In the evening I asked them what that was all about?
"Well" , they said in Spanish, "he was asking if you were ON hunger strike".

I wasn't ON hunger strike;
I had found light despite my "sunken eyes",
and food despite "the dead of night" and freedom despite my "broken wings".
I had flown away, far away ,to a much better world and had forgotten to eat prison food......

Thanks to the Beatles I had found another and múch better world.
(The White Album; "Blackbird")



P.S. A few days later I was thrown out of Spain- because of vagrancy- by PLANE, accompanied by the Dutch consul who spoke the stupid words; "You are the son of a lawyer, you should know better".

In 1995 I returned to Spain/France and walked half the Pyrenees.
Real paradise! F80264?thread=205416

Dear Alfonso,

I've translated a few phrases to give English equivalents, and made a few minor changes to grammar - all done in CAPITALS. (Didn't know, a better way to do that, sorry

I think this is a really brilliant, inspiring piece of writing. Funny, because a few years ago that Beatles song about the blackbird had the same effect on me - kept me going when everything seemed very terrible.

I have a profile at www.writerscage.org where it's possible to send messages and receive reviews from other writers. The link to my current profile is in my journal.

Best Wishes and by for now

G

I mean `Bye for now'

And the link should be

http://www.writerscafe.org/writing/Goldilocks

2 more things -
I think we write `chic', instead of chique.
The word `guard' has a `U' - as in `bodyguard'

Is it possible, that you might turn an open eye at the other three Spanish stories, because I'm editing (not for money) these weeks the pictures of my paintings and I want to add my Dutch stories with it and those four in English, that don't even exist in any other language because of it sensitivity?

I mean;

- "Johnson the captain". (1970)
F134334?thread=304454

- "Follow up, Johnson the captain". (1970)
F134334?thread=304455


- "A spanish brothel, 1970".
F134334?thread=304452


Always dangerous to offer help to Alfredo

Greetings from Amsterdam

Sorry, I forget to THANK you from the bottom of my heart for your review.

Really, it makes me happy (and that's an exceptional mood for Alfredo)


Hallo and thanks from Amsterdam

Sorry for calling you Alfonso, Alfredo

I will have a look at another story today.

e/G