A Story

A Story
-Dylan Thomas


“A Story,” written by Dylan Thomas, presents the adult’s world from a boy’s perspective. A boy is the narrator of the story. It is about a day’s outing by a charabanc. It was the time when the narrator (the boy) was very young. He was staying with his uncle and his wife (aunt). His uncle was very big and noisy but his aunt was small and quiet but was very fast on her works.

One day when the narrator (the boy) was reading an advertisement for sheepdip in the shop of his uncle, the friends of his uncle came there. The boy felt that the shop would burst. It seemed to him that all of them were lying together in a narrow drawer that smelled of cheese and turpentine. His uncle and his friends began to talk about their annual outing. Mr. Benjamin Franklyn informed that he has collected enough money and 20 cases of light beer for the outing. Mr. Franklyn also commented that he was sick because Will Sentry was following him as his shadow. Mr. Franklyn was furious because he could not have privacy. But the other members convinced him that he was only keeping an eye on money. Mr. Franklyn then replied if they suspect him that he would spend the money as Bob the Fiddle did, he would resign from the post of treasurer. Then, they began to play cards at the shop.

On the Sunday evening, when the boy and his uncle were eating sardines in the kitchen, Mr. Franklyn followed by Will Sentry came in and informed that he had brought the list of person for the outing. The aunt of the boy was somewhere else in the kitchen. His uncle approved the list and said that he would throw Bob the Fiddle into the sea if they were not a Christian community. Suddenly, his uncle’s wife appeared in front of them. She threatened him that if he went on the outing on Saturday, she would go to her mother’s house. That whole week she remained quiet. But on the next Saturday morning, the boy found a note on the kitchen table. She had left the house.

Thomas told the narrator (the boy) that it was same every year. He also proposed that the boy also should participate that year on the outing because there was nobody in the house to look after him. Other members commented on bringing a boy with them but soon they forgot him. They started their journey on the morning. They stopped at a public house named “Mountain Sheep” for drink and stayed there for 45 minutes. The boy was left outside to guard the bus. Later when he looked into the shop, he found out that everyone was fully drunk. They were shouting and dancing inside the public house. After they finished all the available drink from Mountain Sheep, they again began their journey. On their way, whenever they passed a public house, they had to stop their charabanc for Mr. Weazley. They would drink from the back door even though it was closed.

On their way, they found a river and all of them got down to feel the cool water. It was already dusk. All of the thirty members were fully drunk and were careless about the happenings of outside world. On their way back home, they were traveling on moonlight. Old O. Jones began to cook his super in the bus. Then, they stopped the bus and took out all remaining drink. They again began to drink when Old O. Jones cooked sausages and potatoes. The boy felt sleepy, so he slept against his uncle’s mountainous waist coat.