Home > Fiction > FF – The Chimps of Bristol

FF – The Chimps of Bristol

October 17, 2018 Leave a comment Go to comments

Here is my rather rushed story for Friday Fictioneers, hosted by Rochelle. This week’s photo was contributed by Jilly Funell.

I had to chop about a bazillion words out of this 😦

Copyright Jilly Funell

 

It is said that British rule in Gibraltar will fall if ever the monkeys leave, however…

When the structure appeared (overnight, just outside Bristol), there was much speculation. Finally, the world’s greatest minds proclaimed it a Monolith (after a beer-fuelled viewing of “2001 A Space Odyssey”) and, remembering the film, imported chimpanzees to see what might happen.

These enthusiastic chimps proceeded to use it as a climbing frame and flourished – fortunately for Mankind, for their antics disrupted the attack signal emanating space-wards from this giant antenna.

… in reality, Mankind’s rule over Earth will fall if ever the chimps leave Bristol.

 

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  1. Iain Kelly
    October 17, 2018 at 6:02 pm
    Reply

    Saved by the chimps. I wonder what else they could help us fix.

    Liked by 1 person

    • draliman
      October 18, 2018 at 6:40 am
      Reply

      We could try letting them loose and find out, though it go all go a bit “Planet of the Apes”.

      Liked by 2 people

  2. magickmermaid
    October 17, 2018 at 7:59 pm
    Reply

    Best to keep the chimps well fed! 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

  3. Peter's pondering
    October 17, 2018 at 8:25 pm
    Reply

    Pretty damn good for a rush job!

    Liked by 1 person

  4. plaridel
    October 18, 2018 at 2:26 am
    Reply

    perhaps if they continually bribe them with bananas, they’ll stay for good. 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

  5. StuHN
    October 18, 2018 at 3:29 am
    Reply

    It’s a good thing they were monkeying around (and yeah, I know, Chimps & Monkeys, two different things).

    Liked by 1 person

    • draliman
      October 18, 2018 at 6:42 am
      Reply

      Ha!
      Chimps, monkeys, apes, gorillas – if it enjoys a good banana and lives in the jungle…

      Liked by 2 people

  6. Dale
    October 18, 2018 at 5:19 am
    Reply

    And a good thing that is!! This was fun, Alistair.

    Liked by 1 person

  7. pennygadd51
    October 18, 2018 at 9:33 am
    Reply

    I like both the ingenuity of your take and the fluent way you’ve written the story. Ook!

    Liked by 1 person

  8. Brenda's Thoughts
    October 18, 2018 at 9:33 am
    Reply

    Some weeks the chopping is intense! A very clever story for a rushed one. Yeah for the chimps! =)

    Liked by 2 people

  9. rochellewisoff
    October 18, 2018 at 10:12 am
    Reply

    Dear Ali,

    I guess you could say they were chimps off the old block. I remember that opening scene from 2001 Space Odyssey. I’m not sure I understood any of it, but the photography was amazing for the time. Your story is fun. Come on now, a billion words?

    Shalom,

    Rochelle

    Liked by 1 person

    • draliman
      October 18, 2018 at 3:25 pm
      Reply

      Dear Rochelle,
      Not just a billion, but a bazillion! Well, 40 or 50 🙂
      It was quite a confusing film at times, arty enough to have been shown to us in English at school.
      Ali

      Liked by 1 person

  10. granonine
    October 18, 2018 at 12:18 pm
    Reply

    Chimps, huh? Well, why not? I think they’re hilarious, just being themselves. We need some humor in this old world.

    Liked by 1 person

    • draliman
      October 18, 2018 at 3:25 pm
      Reply

      They must be fun to watch, scampering around on the framework 🙂

      Liked by 2 people

  11. patriciaruthsusan
    October 18, 2018 at 12:46 pm
    Reply

    Good post, Ali. I’ve learned something today. There are chimps inhabiting Bristol. 😀 — Suzanne

    Liked by 1 person

  12. Abhijit Ray
    October 18, 2018 at 3:20 pm
    Reply

    Earth is safe as long chimpanzees are there climbing the tower.

    Liked by 1 person

  13. Liz Young
    October 18, 2018 at 4:19 pm
    Reply

    What a good thing that Bristol is full of them!

    Liked by 1 person

  14. Woman walking Max
    October 18, 2018 at 6:36 pm
    Reply

    Like the pithy style of your writing – chopping was worthwhile ! A most engaging story.

    Liked by 1 person

    • draliman
      October 18, 2018 at 6:43 pm
      Reply

      Thanks 🙂 100 words certainly teaches you to find the best (and briefest) ways of expressing yourself!

      Liked by 1 person

  15. theministryofshrawleywalks
    October 18, 2018 at 9:15 pm
    Reply

    Like the jackdaws in the tower of London or the lions in the Thames, a futuristic fable, brilliant stuff!!

    Liked by 1 person

    • draliman
      October 19, 2018 at 6:43 am
      Reply

      Thanks, I’m glad you enjoyed it! Bristol was feeling left out, beastie-wise.

      Liked by 1 person

  16. Prior...
    October 18, 2018 at 11:27 pm
    Reply

    Fun and light – maybe rushed is part of your creative talent outpouring – 😉

    Liked by 1 person

  17. subroto
    October 19, 2018 at 3:00 am
    Reply

    Yay for the chimps. At any gibbon hour they will help us.

    Liked by 1 person

  18. anuragbakhshi
    October 19, 2018 at 4:57 am
    Reply

    Where’s a Chimpterminator when you need one?

    Liked by 1 person

  19. evilsquirrel13
    October 19, 2018 at 7:11 am
    Reply

    I’m sure some of the chimps used the monolith to fax pictures of their buns halfway across space…

    Liked by 1 person

    • draliman
      October 19, 2018 at 12:56 pm
      Reply

      I would! Maybe that’s what’s holding up the invasion…

      Liked by 1 person

  20. Jelli
    October 19, 2018 at 2:10 pm
    Reply

    Good one! love the imagery.

    Liked by 1 person

  21. JoHawkTheWriter
    October 19, 2018 at 5:37 pm
    Reply

    This was a fun story. Now I suppose I will have to watch the film. Nicely done.

    Liked by 1 person

    • draliman
      October 20, 2018 at 7:17 am
      Reply

      Thanks, I’m glad you liked it! The film is pretty weird but worth watching. I saw it in an English lesson at school, that’s how “arty” it is 🙂

      Liked by 2 people

      • JoHawkTheWriter
        October 20, 2018 at 2:11 pm
        Reply

        I think I have forgotten most of the movies they showed us at school. They were all ancient. I do remember seeing Fahrenheit 451 and liking it because it was about my favorite things… books.

        Liked by 1 person

        • draliman
          October 20, 2018 at 4:51 pm
          Reply

          About burning books… well, saving them as well 🙂 It was a good film, though!

          Liked by 1 person

  22. inesephoto
    October 20, 2018 at 6:23 pm
    Reply

    Yay for the chimps! Our architects will provide them with climbing facilities 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

  23. jillyfunnell
    October 21, 2018 at 9:14 am
    Reply

    Not sure why and it is wrong on many levels, but I instantly thought I would love to see chimpanzees climbing all over the Spinnaker. And I really liked “about a bazillion words” in your preamble.

    Liked by 1 person

    • draliman
      October 21, 2018 at 5:18 pm
      Reply

      It would be funny and, as you say, quite wrong. I was wondering if anyone was going to mention the “chimp importation” aspect!
      I wish I’d’ve recognised the tower, I would have set my story in Portsmouth 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  24. michaelwynnauthor
    October 21, 2018 at 10:20 am
    Reply

    Reminds me of the Banksy work, “You may laugh now but one day we will rule the world.” Nice humour

    Liked by 1 person

    • draliman
      October 21, 2018 at 5:19 pm
      Reply

      Thanks, I’m glad you liked it. I Googled the Banksy work!

      Liked by 2 people

  25. Björn Rudberg (brudberg)
    October 21, 2018 at 4:00 pm
    Reply

    I know for a fact that the chimps will flourish and take over the world… Bristol is just the first step.

    Liked by 1 person

  26. magarisa
    October 21, 2018 at 5:40 pm
    Reply

    Such an imaginative, funny take on the prompt! The way the beginning and end tie together is absolutely brilliant.

    Liked by 1 person

    • draliman
      October 22, 2018 at 5:56 pm
      Reply

      Yay, I’m glad someone noticed that! It took me quite a bit of rewriting to get all to to merge together 🙂 I’m glad you enjoyed it!

      Liked by 2 people

  27. lisarey1990
    October 21, 2018 at 8:31 pm
    Reply

    Great imagery, very imaginative & fun.

    Liked by 1 person

  28. Dawn M. Miller
    October 22, 2018 at 1:27 am
    Reply

    I’m glad you trimmed it. I wouldn’t have read it at a bazillion words.
    This was just right.

    Liked by 1 person

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