A collection of Queen and Beatles short stories

~In Penny Lane~

''Penny Lane is in my ears, and in my eyes........there, beneath the blue suburban skies, I sit, and meanwhile, back.........''

The sun shone down gloriously that afternoon as you took a afternoon stroll through these oh so familiar streets. The sun was a welcome sight for it did not so often see much of it in these northern parts-but, for, this particular afternoon, the weather had taken a surprising and welcome turn; and the skies had cleared to be the clearest, bluest sky-not a single cloud you could see in sight and the sunlight bathed everything a wonderfully golden glow. Perfect weather to be strolling out and about this fine afternoon. These streets and these particular parts you knew oh so well-like the back of your hand. You knew it so well because here had been your childhood. This part of Liverpool you had grown up-you had spent your younger years here- and your younger self had spent many a happy time playing on these roads and getting up to all sorts of mischief with other school friends. You were so glad that you had decide to come back here to pay a visit. You had moved away in your early teens and been away for a time; it had been several years since you seen these streets last, and it was long over due for you to come back here for a visit. Already your stroll had taken you past some special sights to you; you had just passed your childhood home; the front garden slightly different from how you remembered it, however the house looked unchanged from since you had moved out of there years ago; the front door looked exactly the same; and the curtains looked exactly like the ones you remembered. Waves of nostalgia had filled you as you recalled as a child how you and some other childhood friends had played  out the front in the summer, carefree times when you would enjoy the warmer days would make the most of time out of school; you even chuckled to yourself, as you recalled how you and your young buddies would play a prank on a older, serious gentleman who would past on his way to work; sneaking up behind him and stealing his newspaper out of his bag while he wasn't noticing; you and your buddies would giggle behind his back as you would peak from behind the wall as you watched him search for it; bewildered as he wondered what had happened to his newspaper.

                Smiling as you recalled these harmless childhood pranks, you turned around the corner, and straight into a area that you knew like the back of your hand-named Penny Lane. As soon as you strolled into this street, just the sight of this street brought of whole new wave of memories. How you used to stroll to the sweet shop  here to buy your favorite sweets after school; spending summer days here hanging out around with friends, just chatting together in the small shelter that also had small bench. Another shop you knew immediately as you passed was the local barbers shop; as you looked through the window, you could see the barber concentrating on his task as he shaving the head of a customer, as few other men sat waiting for their turn in to sit in the barbers chair.  Another sight you could see was instantly familiar; on the corner, there stood a pretty, attractive young lady, she was dressed in a crisp, white nurses uniform, and she  holding a tray which was filled with red flower poppies; she was selling them for people to buy from her; just as you had remembered there being from when you used to hang around here-you grinned at the thought that someone was still selling them.  As the weather was so fine and pleasant this afternoon, you decided to find the small spot of lawn you remembered there being and lay down in the green grass, just relaxing , basking in the glow of the afternoon sunshine. You lay back under the clear blue sky, watching the people pass through Penny Lane, going to and fro about their business and coming in and out of the shops that you could clearly recall vising many times before. 

        But you should also have recalled how predictable the weather in this northern part of Liverpool is;  and all too soon the skies darken and black clouds above you threatened to rain; all to soon your sun filled stroll was interrupted as the skies opened and thick drops of rain started to fall down hard on the street. Quickly, you scrambled up and decided to head for a place you could remember you always used to escape to when the weather turned bad-the local Bank, just by the grocery store......

Ah yes, I'll head there. you thought, as people rushed by you, eager to get out of this rain which was now pouring hard. You reached the local bank, which also still looked much as it was when you used to come there-soaking wet and wishing you had thought to bring an umbrella on your outing with you, you entered the familiar building, that had a plak on the wall above the door stating 'Penny Lane Bank'. Just as you were entering, the an elderly gentleman dressed in  a suit  passed you,  pushing open the door and headed out into the rain. He looked like he needed to be somewhere in hurry-and then you thought to yourself that he was someone failliar, that you had seen him before-then you smiled-yes, you definitely had-he was the banker-the same man who used to work there as you had known it in your time there. 'And he still never wore a mac or any kind of rain coat' You thought to yourself 'Even in the pouring rain........'

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