On the edge of the village of Saint-Amand-de-Coly there was a long-abandoned chateau. Left at the end of the war, it had become completely overgrown and was, at least from the main road to Candat-le-Lardin, not even visible. Except to a few, it was completely forgotten.

But Gerard Badeaux had recently met one of those few in a small café, and now he stood at what had once been a grand entrance.  Imposing rusty gates towered above him.  Toying with the locked bolt, he was just wondering how to get past such a barrier when he felt the mechanism suddenly come apart in his hand.  No padlock, he thought wryly, was a match for seventy years of decay.

The gate groaned on its hinges as Gerard pushed. At length, he reached the villa, which was surrounded by a variety of outbuildings in varying stages of decomposition. He could not easily get into the main house, so he tried a large shed.  The door was so rotten it had broken partially off its hinges and as he gave it a push, the whole thing fell completely away.

He stepped over broken bits of moldy wood into a musty atmosphere. Narrow shafts of sunlight lit the dust as his eyes adjusted to the darkness and for several moments he stood. The shapes were unmistakable. Motor cars.  Possibly hundreds of motor cars.  Cars that could not be newer than seventy years old.

Gerard felt his pulse quicken.

He slightly lifted the filthy tarpaulin on the object nearest to him.  And, indeed, it revealed part of a flat tire and a stylish wheel cover.  He pulled harder at the tarpaulin and it came off in a great, choking cloud of dust.

Gerard could hardly believe his eyes.   He stared at a flying stork, unmistakable, her wings outstretched in majestic flight.

He had found nothing less rare than a 1930’s model Hispano-Suiza.

What a treasure. How many other pairs of wings would he find here?

Could that be a Bentley in the distance?

Perhaps a Lagonda?

 

 

 

 

 

    0 0 votes
    Post Rating
    15 Comments
    Oldest
    Newest Most Voted
    Inline Feedbacks
    View all comments
    Fuji
    Fuji(@fuji)
    2 years ago

    David, I loved this story! What an original idea to write about the “wings” on a Hispano-Suiza! The first I heard of this car was in the Australian murder mystery series about Phryne Fisher. Several of Agatha Christie’s characters also drive a Lagonda, which “goes like the wind”. Cap’n Hastings once took his Lagonda all the way up to 40 mph, which about drove Poirot mad. So you see, the only thing… Read more »

    Sandra James
    Sandra James(@sandra-james)
    2 years ago

    I know my husband would love to find just one forgotten classic car somewhere so I’m sure there are lots of car enthusiasts who would love this! A great story, David 🙂

    Christer Norrlof
    Christer Norrlof(@christer-norrlof)
    2 years ago

    A very impressive piece of writing, David! Your descriptions of all details are very exact and it’s easy to get a sense of being there with your protagonist. By the way, welcome back to Voice.club! I saw that you already participated with a couple of pieces some time ago, actually right before I made my entry here. I read The Hitchhiker and Courage to Face Another Day, and I loved them both!… Read more »

    Carrie OLeary
    Carrie OLeary(@carrie-oleary)
    2 years ago

    The American Pickers would be so envious! This is an interesting and very different take on the prompt. You can feel your protagonists excitement growing. A great find indeed.

    Danielle Burke
    Danielle Burke(@danielle-burke)
    2 years ago

    Your descriptions really stand out in the story, David. I particularly like this one: He pulled harder at the tarpaulin and it came off in a great, choking cloud of dust.

    I can picture this moment clearly.

    Eric Radcliffe
    Eric Radcliffe(@eric-radcliffe)
    2 years ago

    Hi David, it’s nice to get caught up in someones enthusiasm, to be able to share in their dream or dreams, no matter how different or wild their dream may be. I used to have dream of finding something similar – treasure in fact – ha,ha – I used to have a metal detector, the excitement was in the not knowing, waiting for the unexpected. Thank you for this original story line.

    Last edited 2 years ago by Eric Radcliffe
    Lotchie Carmelo
    Lotchie Carmelo(@lotchie-carmelo)
    2 years ago

    Your story is unique among all stories on the theme “wings”. A classic and original, I love it. Great story.

    Lotchie Carmelo
    Lotchie Carmelo(@lotchie-carmelo)
    Reply to  David Drew
    2 years ago

    You’re welcome, David.

    Recent Comments

    15
    0
    Selected Authors may submit comments (5 Credits)x
    ()
    x
    Scroll to Top

    Sharing a Post

    Why do my friends need to SignIn to read the post I shared?

    Actually, this is a voting security feature. During public voting, only club members can read posts submitted for that contest. Since anyone reading the story is able to vote (click the Like button), we reserve these capabilities to members who SignIn. Before we implemented this security feature, people were voting multiple times and making the public voting process unfair and out of balance. To fix this, our staff finally decided to allow only members who SignIn to read the stories. Membership is free and easy, and ensures our club is safe, secure, and family-friendly!