George

By Chris Towndrow

The tale of George and the Dragon is a legend steeped in the mysteries of time. Accounts vary—which one is true?
Could it be this one?
Unlikely.

Not a big hit with the maidens.
Not the bravest knight in the land.
Bored of annoying rescues and errands.
Ready to hang up his sword.
George is definitely not a total legend.
Yet.

Read the complete compendium of offbeat humour: “Igbad’s Rollerblading Stunts and other stories”
A collection of absurd shorts & comedic flash fiction.

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• Language: English
• Publisher: Chris Towndrow
• Release date: Apr 23, 2021
• ISBN: 9781005603717

Chris Towndrow

Chris Towndrow has been a writer since 1991.He began writing science fiction, inspired by Asimov, Iain M Banks, and numerous film and TV canons. After a few years creating screenplays across several genres, in 2004 he branched out into playwriting and has had several productions professionally performed. This background is instrumental in his ability to produce realistic, compelling dialogue in his books.His first published novel was 2012’s far-future, post-war space opera “Sacred Ground”. He then changed focus into Earth-centric, near-future sci-fi adventures, and the Enna Dacourt pentalogy was completed in 2023. In a similar vein, “Nuclear Family” was a venture into post-apocalyptic fiction.He has always drawn inspiration from the big screen, and 2019’s quirky romantic black comedy “Tow Away Zone” owes much to the films of the Coen Brothers. This spawned two sequels in what became the “Sunrise trilogy”.His first historical fiction novel, “Signs Of Life”, was published by Valericain Press in 2023. With a number of excellent reviews, this Western romance has been his most popular title.In 2023, Chris returned to his passion for writing accessible humour and will devote his efforts to romantic comedies. Three such scripts are currently in development.Chris lives on the outskirts of London with his family and works as a video editor and producer. He is a member of the UK Society of Authors.

Book preview

George - a comedic short story

George

A comedic short story

Chris Towndrow

Valericain Press

George trudged home. Cold drizzle flecked his face and seeped into his chainmail.

At least he was lucky to have his armour—the army could have taken it back when they booted him and his friends out for one too many episodes of high jinks.

The dirt road was turning to mud. It could only be worse if the snow came.

The Old Crone had forewarned of snow.

The Old Crone had also prophesied last month that the sun would turn to petals and fall to earth—and that turned out to be horse manure.

Dusk was falling. Flickering lights peeked through doors and windows along the side street of the village.

As George passed one house, inside, one shadow lunged at another. A whip flayed.

He stopped and clasped the handle of his sword.

The whip came down again.

He darted closer to the house, slunk along the wall, and peered around the doorway. His eyes widened in shock. The helpless maiden was barely clothed, rudely tied, and at the mercy of a masked man whose arm rose aloft again, ready to impart more misery on his innocent victim.

This rescue could save a perfectly awful day, thought George. He drew his sword and barrelled inside.

The man froze. His exposed eyes flared. ‘Get out! What do you… George?’

George recognised the man’s short, paunchy stature and thick accent.

‘Theodore?’

‘What are you doing?’

‘What am I doing? Why are you beating this poor woman? I should run you through.’

‘She asked for