By Jove, I’ve got it!

I’ve been cogitating on ‘atmosphere’, the next challenge to write about for writing group, and I was pondering aloud on it in the pub last night. When you go into The Ship, to the right are bench seats and tables and chairs, and there’s an area leading past the bar to the pool tables and bowling alley. Straight ahead as you enter the pub is the other part of the bar, and we headed there to order two pints of Otter. On either side of the bar is a tall round table, with a couple of tall chairs to sit on. If, once you’ve got your drinks you turn to the left, up a couple of stairs is a raised area with a balustrade and we went up those couple of stairs last night and sat at a table so we were slightly elevated. If instead of going up whose couple of steps you turned right, there were more steps leading down to the area with the pool table. Beyond that is a door into a corridor leading outside and opposite are the toilets. Sorry that’s a bit complicated!

So we were sitting there, chatting away as usual, and I pondered aloud about ‘atmosphere’ and what I could write – atmosphere could literally be the air which we breath – of if we were in a space craft we would be within an artificial atmosphere. I don’t think I could write a science fiction story, although my first ever proper story was a sci-fi novella about the planet Izabork which I write when I was about fourteen. However, that sort of thing is not only beyond me, but I’ve not really any interest in it. So… atmosphere could also be the sort of mood or feeling of a group of people, a jolly atmosphere, an unfriendly atmosphere, an awkward atmosphere…

The thing is, with these writing suggestions, I think we all try to be original and think outside the box, to use a cliché which I don’t particularly like but can’t think of another. So last night we sat in silence in The Ship, and I was thinking of writing, and staring at the door. A thought began to assert itself… Supposing someone, late on, had nipped to the loo just before closing time… supposing the staff, no doubt in a hurry to get home after a long and busy evening, had hurried past the pool table, into the corridor and locked the outside door, had shouted “anyone in the loo?” but not really listened for a reply, before dashing back to shoo the rest of the customers out. Supposing, because it had been a quiet night, the bar staff had done all the chores, set the glass washing dishwashers going, locked all the doors, including the cellar, and rushed out, forgetting to set the burglar alarm, and not properly turning off all the lights. If anyone passing the pub after that, wouldn’t worry some of the lights were on, imagining the staff were having some after-time drinks…

Supposing the person who had gone to the loo emerges and finds the pub empty but all the lights are on, the doors are locked, they can’t get out… supposing their phone has run out of signal… supposing they are a writer and think “Coo, this would be a good thing to write about, and I have got my best selling novel to finish, I’ll just stay here, and if I get tired, I can kip on the bench seats until the cleaners come in tomorrow?” Supposing they settle down to write in the silence of the empty pub, maybe after a while the atmosphere becomes a little…

By Jove, I think I’ve got it! as Professor Henry Higgins, or was it Sherlock Holmes might have said?

PS I’ve just had a second thought, pubs specialise in beers, wines and spirits… so, my story – the spirit of the pub?