A Mysterious Uncle
The tale of an innocent spy!
Once upon a time, fifty or more years ago, the casual remark made by an English teenager provoked an episode of considerable excitement in the normally sleepy lives of villagers in Spain’s Canary Island of La Gomera.
The story began to take shape after I hitched a ride with the island’s only postman in his Morris Minor Van. The fee for the ride was simple. I had to balance layers of cartons full of free range eggs on my lap while the postman careered at tremendous speed along the winding bumpy road from the island capital, San Sebastian, to the Valle Gran Rey, the valley of the great king.
A fine balancing act was required. Eggs piled up high, all of which miraculously remained uncracked, feeling car-sick due to the mountain roads, as well as a vivid imagination which I am certain is produced by Macaronesian legends, formed a strange equilibrium to conjure up that there was a James Bond character living on the island.
The innocent secret agent was unaware of my plot, of course. Imagination can be more dangerous than a cunning enemy lurking in the shadows. In fact, before he got down to work, the British agent gazed out to sea waiting for the love of his life, inspiration itself.
Nor was the man aware of his fame, which would begin to become legendary thanks to a poetic teenager and a kiss stolen from a mermaid. That’s a long story set on the volcanic coastline under the town of Hermigua.
You can listen to the story, A Mysterious Uncle, by clicking on the audio link below.
You may prefer to read this and other stories of many years ago in the Canary Islands in
The Skipping Verger and Other Tales
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A well-written, curious and mysterious story, beautifully read!