YesBut was she there? - Part 3

Continued from yesterday


For 26th June 2007 YesBut’s Image Doug suggested the caption –

”What a nice view...wait, isn't that the bridge that Uncle Bill jumped off last year?”


The photo suggested the following story to me (continued from yesterday) : -


David looked around the room as he waited for the old lady to return with coffee. The furniture was old but well kept, original paintings hang on the wall each illuminated by its own light. The room itself was lit by four matching table lamps. He was struck by the number of books in the room, on shelves on tables. He loved books, he knew he would like the old lady.

She shuffled back into the room carrying a tray with cups, saucers spoons, cream, sugar and a large pot of coffee. After she had poured out the coffee, she questioned him about his meeting with Elaine. After he had told her about his encounter and her request for him to help her. She saw a tear appear in the corner of her right eye.

“You might never find out how, but my dear you’ve been very lucky.”
“What’s happened, where’s Elaine?”
“Elaine died seventeen years ago. She was killed in a train crash. It was the same express train you took today. It was derailed when it collided with a truck at a crossing, seven people were killed, Elaine was my only child, she was one of them”.

He stared uncomprehendingly at the old woman.

“I don’t understand, I met the girl in that photograph this morning”.

She smiled. “Your not the first one who has visited this house expecting to meet Elaine, there have been six others previously”. “All I can tell you is, and I have no evidence, is she intervened for a purpose to delay your journey home”.

He sat talking with the old woman. She seemed genuinely interested as he related his journey around Europe, and the minor adventures he had had. He judiciously avoided giving an account of his more amorous encounters. It was the chiming of the ornamental clock that reminded him of the time, and he had a flight to catch. At the front door he thanked her for her hospitality, and promised to keep in touch. She smiled, the others had said the same think, but she had never heard from them again.

To him he seemed to wait for ever for a bus to take him back to the city centre. It had started to rain again and there was nowhere to shelter. Finally the bus arrived. He climbed aboard, but has the bus drove off he realised he had left his bag in the old woman’s house. Turning quickly he jumped off the bus. Under those conditions there was no way the motorcyclist following the bus could have braked in time.

The old lady picked up the strangers bag and carried it upstairs, she opened the door of her daughter’s bedroom and placed the bag with the others. She smiled, it was nice for Elaine to have friends.

YesBut was she there? - Part 2

Continued from yesterday

For 26th June 2007 YesBut’s Image Doug suggested the caption –

”What a nice view...wait, isn't that the bridge that Uncle Bill jumped off last year?”


The photo suggested the following story to me (continued from yesterday) : -

When the train had finally stopped, she stood up and looked at him,

“You’ve been staring at me”.
“Yes, sorry . . . Very rude, sorry”.
“It doesn’t matter.
Will you help me?”
“Sure, help with the luggage . . .?”. He looked, but unlike the other passengers she had no bags.
“No, not that, something else”.
“Sure, what?”
“Let’s go for a coffee and I’ll tell you”.

He pull his bag down from the rack and followed her out of the train and into a café in the station concourse.

“Coffee?”.
“No, tea please”.

She returned to the table with two cups.

“What do you want?”
“Not here, can you meet at this address?” Handing him a slip of paper.
“I’m due to catch a flight to London at 07.0pm.”
“Ho, I thought you said you’d help”.
“Yes, No problem I’ll change my flight. By the way, I‘m David”
“Hi. I’m Elaine, I‘ll see you at 8”.

With that she got up and left. He sat there with half a cup of cold tea trying to workout what had happened. Had he agreed to cancel his flight home to meet a total stranger, had he gone mad? “What on earth was that all about“?

Looking around the station and saw a travel agency where he changed to the last flight that evening. He didn’t know how he knew, but he just did, that whatever she wanted him to do would be accomplished in time to catch the flight. He left his bag in the left luggage office and spent the afternoon idly walking around the centre of the city. After eating a snack he collected his bag and made his way to the bus station. Finally he found the correct bus to take him to Elaine’s home.

It was raining by the time the bus got to his destination, he pulled the anorak hood up over his head as he stepped off the bus. It was a tree lined street, the street lamps reflected in pools of water. A young man passed. “Excuse me number 56?”. The man nodded across the road. He hitched the bag on his shoulder and walked across the road. Number 56 was a well kept two story town house, a slit of light immerged between the drawn curtains of a ground floor room.

He climbed the two steps and rang the front door bell. After a few moments he heard shuffling feet coming towards the door. It was opened by a grey haired stooping old woman. She looked puzzlingly at him.

“Good evening Madam, is Elaine at home“?
“Elaine”?
“Yes, she asked me to meet her at 8pm“
“Are you sure it was Elaine?”
“That’s what she told me”
“You better come in from the rain”.

He followed her down a hall and into a warm elegantly furnished lounge. The first thing he noticed was a photo of Elaine on a side table. At least he knew he was in the right house.

“When did you see Elaine?”
“We travelled on the same train this morning”
“I think you’d better put down your bag, and sit”

(To be continued tomorrow - Bookmark this page)

YesBut was she there? - Part 1

For 26th June 2007 YesBut’s Image Doug suggested the caption –

”What a nice view...wait, isn't that the bridge that Uncle Bill jumped off last year?”

The photo suggested the following story to me: -

“People are so stupid they stand in your way, they leave there luggage in the middle of walkways“.

He cursed all those around him as he rushed, barged his way through to the train.

“What time, what platform?”
He saw a monitor with arrival and departure data, 11.50 platform 5.

“Shit I thought it was 11.55, I’m not going to make it. Platform 5, that way”.
More barging past crowds.

”Stupid foreigners get out of my way”.
He bounded up the stairs to the platform, station staff were slamming the train doors shut.

“Stop wait“ he exhaled.

He dived through the closing door, landing in a heap. He laughed, “close call”. He picked himself up off the floor and unhitched his rucksack off his back.

Having regained his breath he strolled into the carriage and stored his bag on the rack. The train was making its way through the suburbs passed office blocks and car parks. He loved travelling, but this was the penultimate leg on his homeward journey. A few hours stopover at the next city, then out to the airport for the flight to London. Now the train was passing small workshops and garages, soon it would be houses and back gardens before reaching the countryside. He sank back into his seat and made himself comfortable.

It took him some time to see her. He had been looking out of the opposite window and didn’t at first notice her. She sat unmoving in the shadow. As he became more accustomed to the light her features became more discernable. He was embarrassed when he realised he had been staring. But she didn’t move, just stared into space. He was fascinated, there was something ethereal intangible about her. She sat there transfixed waiting for her to acknowledge his presence. But she did not move.

He was brought back to the present moment by the other passengers preparing themselves for the arrival at the terminus.

(To be continued tomorrow - Bookmark this page)

Winner of the YesBut's Image - Caption of the Week Award

When I look through my portfolio of photographs to select images to be posted on YesBut’s Images; some photographs jump out almost screaming “post me look at how many potential subjects for captions you can see”.

Other images seem to crawl away into a corner, “I’m useless there’s no hope of anyone thinking up a caption”. I thought the photo posted on the 14th July was an example of the latter. It was taken in the British Museum’s Grand Court - a nice photo with lots geometric shapes, almost bordering on the abstract. But what possible caption could be posted? I still chose to post it because it would be a challenge to think up a caption.

What a very pleasant surprise on Sunday morning when I read the caption posted by Doug - such imagination. My first thought after stopping laughing was “the Caption of the Week Award” has already been won, even before anybody else has posted a caption.

That thought remained until Friday, when there was a (what is the collective noun for a group of brilliant captions?) galaxy of captions submitted:

Sanjay M 's - "What's with you men just asking for directions?! Alright... I'm going to look up Google maps!"

Ak-Man 's - "We'll need to find a river and a bridge to get back to our hotel."
Doug 's -"Now Henry...No map in the world will ever help you to find common sense." David 's - "I think we went a bridge too far''. In total five captions to choose from, all deserving to win. But which one?

I hate to have to make such difficult decisions, but the final result is:

There are four captions all in the runner-up position, but the winner - selected because the photo was so difficult to think up captions for is click here to see.

One last point:

David. McMahon pointed out to me that the links I posted on YesBut’ Images captions were back to the contributors profiles and not to their website. Well I have had YesBut’s Team of Technical Wiz Kids working on the problem of links to websites and profiles. Bleary eyed they have come up with the solution.

When you post a comment you are given three options of choice of identity:

“Blogger display name” (if you choose this your link is back to your profile).

“Other” (if you choose you can enter a link back to your web page)

“Anonymous (no link)

So you now know when you post a caption, if you what to get a link back to your site rather than your profile chose the “Other” option

Damn clever these wiz kids.

Winner of the YesBut's Image - Caption of the Week Award

Last week there were some difficult images to think up captions for, but as always those who participated came up trumps.

There were two captons that deserved to be awarded the Caption of the Week Award, and both were posted on Wednesday, they were:

b.t. bear (esq.)’s caption - “The unusual July winds had blown away the "Caution: WET GLUE" sign from the wall“;

and Doug’s caption - “Randy hoped his cool new sunglasses would make his friends forget about his B.O. problem but alas it was to no avail.”

YesBut’s Editorial Team couldn’t decide which should have the award. It was decided the tie break would be a comparison between the other captions posted by b.t. and Doug.

Finally it was decided YesBut’s Image Caption of the Week Award for the week 30th June to 6th July 2007 should be awarded to - click here to see.