Phantom Limb

1. Tobruk: December, 1942

The horse-race is on. He stands before a W/T truck: tall, blonde hair combed back, moustache neatly trimmed. His long shorts cover legs that don't look like the worst knobbly knees on Blackpool Beach. Desert boots planted firmly in the sand. He has the look of Chapman about him. On the table behind him, just out of reach of enlargement, is an open notebook. It's cream pages and blue lines slowly turn in the desert wind.
The fox's yelp in the desert night gave way to radio-chatter, shell-bursts, screams.

2. False Memories

recalled a horrifying incident that occurred when he was four or five years old. His professor caught a book of poems, cut out some of its lines, smeared the alliteration over his body, and then handed the pen to him, expecting him to finish the animal. When he refused, his teacher poured burning iambic pentameters over the remains of the book.

3. Phantom Limb Syndrome

Researchers who are seeking lost artefacts by disregarded writers frequently report that when they are touched by "good data", they feel as if the sensation came from the missing limb.

In 70 per cent of cases, there's a continuation of sensation for the lost book or poem. Some  researchers even believe that those lost artefacts still exist.

4. Delivery

A brown envelope addressed to me arrived today at the Porter's lodge. I spotted it's stamp standing proud in it's labelled pocket. It lay on the table as I sipped tea carefully. I couldn't stop myself from nervously pawing the envelope with sweaty fingers. The envelope came apart clumsily.

5. Goethe

Yeah. Even Goethe was suckered by Ossian.
Goethe to Henry Crabb Robinson: "Werther praised Homer whilst he retained his senses, and Ossian when he was going mad."
Yeah, right. Can you believe that bullshit?

6.Forensics

To establish the truth, the correct cause of death, we will have to defrost the body one more time. We know that there is an arrow head buried in his shoulder. We need to see whether or not it was this that caused his death. We cannot be sure until we do so.