Turning Each Stone | 1001 Stories

#240 Sally Turning Each Stone

It was, though, full of insects and reptiles. Lizards, toads, tree frogs, chameleons, cigar–sized millipedes, praying mantis and butterflies.

Sally

The compound of the bungalow in Abeokuta was pretty dull, mostly grass and a few pineapples growing here and there. It was, though, full of insects and reptiles.

Lizards, toads, tree frogs, chameleons, cigar–sized millipedes, praying mantis and butterflies. The house walls were covered in Geckos that appeared at night to eat the insects attracted to the wall lights.

The guest toilet full of mosquito larvae. All heaven to me at age 9. I spent hours hunting for scorpions under stones. I was told that they’ll like dark places. The thrill of turning each stone! My biggest disappointment was never finding one.

Precis

The beauty of being in a company of older performers is the kaleidoscopic range of real-life experiences that they bring to the table. These experiences cover everything from the vivid and strange world of childhood, to the unexpected late awakenings of old age. Take our newest batch of anecdotes, for example. These new stories are delightfully diverse: from the earthly, sensual joy of baking bread, to the cosmic dreams of outer space; from an unnerving encounter with a poltergeist, to the risqué glories of adult pleasure products and burlesque. Running as a rich theme throughout, is the possibility of love, and the simple wonder of human connection. As one writer tells us, in her story of funeral rites and flirting, “Amidst death, life goes on”, and indeed it does, delightfully so.

Edited by Barney Bardsley

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#240 Sally Turning Each Stone

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