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Thursday Doors – The October Door

Published on Oct 14, 2021Nov 17, 2025 by Hugh W. Roberts55 Comments

Warning: It’s not a good idea to respond to calls for help coming from behind doors that were made specially for the Halloween season.

Why? Well, when you read what happened to me recently upon responding to calls for help coming from behind the rather scruffy door in the image below, you’ll believe me.

Photo of a scruffy door in need of a lot of repairs. — The October Door

“HELP! GET ME OUT OF HERE. HELP!”

Those were the words I could hear coming from the other side of the October door.

With its light blue paint having almost peeled away and signs of having been kicked from the scuff marks along its bottom, the door looked unloved and old. People passed me and the door by without taking any notice. Was I the only one who could hear the calls for help?

I watched as the flap of the letterbox lifted and two eyes appeared. They looked shocked when they saw me.

“I’m trapped. Please, you need to get me out. Just turn the knob to the left, then to the right, and once more to the left, and the door will open. I’ll be truly grateful for your help. It’s jammed. I’ve been stuck in here for over forty years.”

As the flap closed, I questioned what I had just heard. Forty years? That should have told me not to open the door, but the writer inside me said this would make a great story.

“Hold on. I’m coming in. Step away from the door,” I announced, as I approached it.

“Left, right, and left again,” I muttered under my breath, as I tried the door knob. The door opened without any problems, but I hesitated before stepping into the black void that now faced me.

“Hello,” I called out, as I took my first step inside.

Nothing but silence met my ears. Even the world behind me seemed to go to sleep. I hesitated and wondered if I should take a step back; to maybe get some help?

“In here,” came a voice, “please help me.”

On my fifth step in, the door slammed behind me.

Turning, I ran towards it, but it wouldn’t open. I told myself not to panic and to feel for the door knob, but there wasn’t one. Then, I heard a terrifying sound from something behind me. I banged on the door hard with both hands, hoping that somebody on the other side would hear me.

“HELP! GET ME OUT OF HERE. HELP!”

As the sound behind me got nearer, I had a strange feeling that somebody on the other side of the door had heard me. Then I remembered that the door had a letterbox. I bent down and pulled open the flap. My eyes opened wide with shock.

I hadn’t expected to see myself staring back.

***

This week’s door is located in Llandeilo, South Wales, in the United Kingdom.

Have you ever come across a door that isn’t all it seems?

Linking to the weekly photography challenge ‘Thursday Doors,’ hosted by Dan Antion who blogs at No Facilities. Click here to join hundreds of other participants with your Thursday Doors.

If you’re enjoying the pieces of flash fiction I’m including with my Thursday Doors posts then you may like Glimpses, my first book of flash fiction and short stories.

The above piece of flash fiction features in Glimpses.

Glimpses

28 short stories and pieces of flash fiction take the reader on a rollercoaster of twists and turns.

Available on Amazon

Paperback – £4.99

Kindle – £0.99

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Check out some of other Thursday Doors Posts

Thursday Doors – The Tower Of The Ecliptic

Published on Aug 19, 2021Aug 19, 2021 by Hugh W. Roberts29 Comments

Although we’ve lived in Swansea in South Wales for the last five years, it always amazes me when we take a walk off the beaten track and come across something you had no idea was there.

This is the door to ‘The Tower Of The Ecliptic’.

Photo of a green door that has paint peeling off it and which has a porthole in it. — Door to The Tower Of The Ecliptic

And it’s on this building that you’ll find the door. Can you spot it and any other doors?

Photo of The Tower Of The Ecliptic in Swansea — The Tower Of The Ecliptic – Swansea

If you think of me standing in front of that door taking the photo, you’ll get an idea of how big this building is. How on earth have I managed to miss a big building like this in the city where I live?

What is The Tower Of The Ecliptic?

It’s an observatory that houses the largest telescope in Wales. Designed by architect Robin Campbell in 1989, the building opened in 1993 for the local astronomical society.

Sadly, in 2010, the building was closed to the public due to a disagreement with the Swansea City Council regarding the building’s rental terms. The Swansea Astronomical Society now holds regular observing sessions at the University College of Swansea. I’ve no idea if they took the telescope with them. Do you think they did?

For more information about The Tower Of Ecliptic, click here.

Linking to the weekly photography challenge ‘Thursday Doors,’ hosted by Dan Antion who blogs at No Facilities. Click here to join hundreds of other participants with your Thursday Doors.

Advent Sunday – Have Any Of Your Christmas Decorations Come Out Yet?

Published on Nov 29, 2020Nov 17, 2025 by Hugh W. Roberts58 Comments

Ever since I can remember, I’ve always enjoyed Advent Sunday. It’s the day when the first few Christmas decorations start appearing around our house.

Although I tell myself that I’m not going to buy anymore Christmas decorations (because we have too many), I always end up buying something new every Christmas. Introducing this year’s buy

Over the next 14 days, more Christmas decorations will appear, with the grand finalé being switching on the lights on the Christmas tree.

Do you have any Christmas decorations up yet, or is it still too early to put them up?

All photos in this post were taken and belong to me.

Can Dogs Solve Murders?

Published on May 2, 2019Dec 8, 2025 by Hugh W. Roberts62 Comments

We may not have to introduce ourselves to some of you, but we’re Toby and Austin, two Cardigan Welsh Corgis owned by author Hugh W. Roberts and his partner, John.

#dogs #pets #corgis #books — Austin (left) and Toby

Why are we famous?

We had no idea that we’d be appearing as characters in one of the stories in Hugh’s book, More Glimpses. He didn’t even ask our permission to use us in the story, although we suppose we have to take into account that Hugh and John feed us, walk us, groom us, look after us, and keep us out of danger. Well, we say danger, but that’s not always the case.

What could possibly go wrong in a sleepy little village?

Picture this: A sleepy little village in the heart of Dorset, England, on a few sunny days in mid-June. The village may look quaint and as if nobody dared think about committing murder, but nobody knows what goes on behind closed doors, do they?

Those doors can hide all kinds of dark secrets, even more so if you see the door handle or letterbox flap moving frantically while walking past. Is something trying to get out or, even worse, something you can’t see trying to get in?

#dogs #pets #corgis — ©hughsviewsandnews.com

What you shouldn’t do when you discover murder has taken place.

We found ourselves deep in a murder mystery from the day we arrived in Evershot. All you humans seem to do is panic when you hear the news of a local murder because you think you could end up as the next victim. Silly thoughts start entering your minds, like: “Is it safe to go out after dark?” or “Does rubbing salt into an arctic white carpet remove blood-red wine stains?”

#pets #dogs #corgis — ©hughsviewsandnews.com

Because we have a better sense of smell and sound than you humans do, you may think we had an advantage in solving the case. But you humans have a far better sense of sight than we. Use your eyes and look for those red herrings when reading ‘Murder in Evershot‘ because, like all good murder mysteries, they are there. Sure, we used our noses and ears to solve this case, but not every smell or sound was what we expected.

#photography #WordPress #space #dogs #corgis — Did anyone say treats?

Did we really solve a murder?

You’ll have to read the story to find out how the murder(s) were solved, but if you still don’t know when you’ve finished reading it, then make an appointment with us as the first client of Private Investigators Toby and Austin (Cardigan Welsh Corgis), Bureau of solving the unknown and missing dog treats. However, we’d much rather play chase with each other.

Toby and Austin play

Story 7: Murder In Evershot

Genre: Murder/Mystery

Set in the sleepy English village of Evershot, John, Toby, Austin, and Hugh find themselves in grave danger when several murders take place. Can they find a well-known detective who lives in the village and ask for her help in solving the murders before the murderer finds them?

If you’d like to meet more characters from More Glimpses, click here to meet Jane Collins from the story The Jump, and here to meet the strange ‘being’ from the story The Man In The Television.

This post was written in response to this week’s theme of ‘A Dog’s Life‘, for the Sunday Stills challenge hosted by Terri Webster Schrandt.

All photos in this post are copyrighted by Hugh W. Roberts