The Flying Castle Stories, 1, 2 and 3

By Robert Mayfield

The crew of the flying castle like to fly off and help anyone with a problem. Usually the idea for a story line comes from something I have come across in the news or in ordinary day life.

The Human Cannonball was written in 2005, after seeing the photograph of a human cannonball being shot through the air from Mexico to America. His name is Dave Smith ('The Bullet'). You can find him on the internet, including the original photo that inspired the story (August 2005).

An item in the news about ivory hunters gave the inspiration for Swifty the Elephant.

The idea for The Sundial came after hearing a mother’s account of her son’s tooth problem and how a dentist really did suggest putting a sock over the boy’s thumb at night time so as to help keep his teeth nice and straight!

The Flying Castle Stories celebrate the inspirational aspects around Horsham, due to the town’s quaintness and quirkiness, and because it is surrounded by such beautiful countryside. These are the qualities that John Wakefield brings out in his wonderful drawings as in the case of the cover painted for the Flying Castle Stories, which shows the castle floating down over the actual landscape looking south from Horsham towards Denne Hill. At the bottom of the picture you can just see the large sundial that takes centre stage in the story. The sundial really does look as though it is about to take off at any time. It is so large that children use it as a kind of climbing frame, or as a place to sit down just like Jack!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Robert Mayfield
• Release date: Aug 23, 2011
• ISBN: 9781466098909

Robert Mayfield

Having spent a few of my early years literally ‘at sea’ I gained a few qualifications and began teaching English and History. With the opportunity of having group of potential actors on my hands I began writing short plays. A very battered old History book prompted me into considering periods like the Ice Age, and this in turn led to my writing The Time Chase in 1983 to show the effect of climate change through the adventures of Robin Aide and the great wizard Ubiquitous. It was in this story that Lucky Jim the tiny green genie came to life.I then got into lyric writing and I adapted The Ring in the Rough Stuff by Antonia Barber as a play and then a musical, which ended up reaching the finals of the Barclays Youth Music Theatre Awards in 1987/8 at the Queen Elizabeth Hall.The interest in music led onto the formation of the Blue Flash Music Trust and the discovery of the wonderful acoustics of the Horsham Town Hall. Access to the hall became increasingly difficult and to keep the idea of this unique and iconic building alive I wrote Dan Roberts’ Dream in 2005. Dan Roberts was the custodian of the Town Hall for the then Duke of Norfolk in the 18th century, and legend has it that he is haunting the Town Hall until it becomes famous once again. It was the delving into the life and times of Dan Roberts that sparked off The Flying Castle Stories.

Book preview

The Flying Castle Stories, 1, 2 and 3

By

Robert Mayfield

Illustrations by John Wakefield

Copyright © Robert Mayfield 2011 Smashwords Edition

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Introduction

Hope you enjoy these three stories of the Flying Castle Stories of which there are fifteen in all. Inspired by Horsham Town Hall they bring in many of the features of this iconic and quirky old building that has stood in many different forms in the centre of Horsham over the past six hundred years. During that time the castle has collected many legends which lie hidden in the fabric such as the ghost of Dan Roberts who acted for the Duke of Norfolk as custodian of the Town Hall in the18th Century.

More details can be found at

http//ww.flyingcastlestories.co.uk .

‘Dedicated to all those who like quirky

old buildings that have stories to tell.’

The stories

The Human Cannonball

Swifty the Elephant

The Sundial

The Human Cannonball

Lucky Jim, the little green Genie; six inches tall and wearing a ridiculously tall top hat, could not believe his ears as he sat in one of the castle turrets waiting for the ‘witching hour,’ when their flying castle came to life, and sailed off on a new mission. He was listening to a conversation in Market Square below.

Most of which you won’t need, said the man on leaving the hall.

What do you mean? asked his friend.

"If you look at it sensibly all you need is a waterproof suit, a crash helmet, good boots and gloves. You don’t need breathing