Halima Mayat led an excellent workshop about the heritage of the orangery at the orangery. I learnt a lot about its history, including a bear attack, and its ownership by the first MP of wakefield, Daniel Gaskel. I wrote a piece about what happened during that bear attack, involving my friend, poet and time traveler, William Thirsk-Gaskill The adventures of William Thirsk-Gaskill, time traveling poet Part 7: Bear at the Orangery “So this is the task I give you,” Said Daniel Gaskel, first MP of Wakefield, to Willam Thirsk-Gaskill Poet and time traveler, as they walked through the Orangery in the year of 1844. “I will do it, but I dont see how we are related, I mean we dont even have the same name, My Gaskill is with an I, not an E, but it is not a very common name. “ “All will become clear, now, may I guide youre attention to the bear pit,” At the back of the Orangery surrounded by a crowd was a well dug pit, where deep within it was a roaring bear. “That dosent look like a well dug pit,” William said. “Just watch,” Daniel replied. The bear climbed out of the pit. “Told you,” said Willam. People panicked. But then someone came out of the crowd who wasnt panicking. He offered the bear a biscuit. The bear sniffed at it. Then he it. Everything went silent for a while. The bear then roared and the crowd screamed. The bear pounced on the woman and began tearing her apart. “Ive seen enough,” Said William, and held Daniels shoulder as he twiddled his right sideburns... Now they were in the orangery in 1850. Daniel said to William; “So thats what happened before I took ownership of the orangery, the woman who was attacked was a woman by the name of Hannah Hazlegrave, she was the Orangerys gardeners sister in law, and I cared for her dearly, can you, oh William, with youre amazing time traveling powers and crafty poetic brain, save her?” “What was the name of the man who gave the bear a biscuit?” “Excuse me?” “What was the name of the man who gave the bear a biscuit?” William replied, slightly more in-patiently. “Oh, Joseph Gledhill, why?” “And what type of biscuit it was it?” “What do you... well I dont see..” “What type of...” “It was like the ones a you have with tea, a dry plain one I think, now William I dont...” “Thank you Daniel I think I know what to do now,” “Well, William, if you...” “Goodbye Daniel,” William said “Well I suppose, Goodbye William Thirsk-Gaskill,” Daniel Gaskel said, perplexed. William twiddled his right sideburns and then... In the present day, evening time, Willam Thirsk-Gaskill went to the Tesco express in Batley. When he was satisfied with his purchase he twiddled his left sideburns and... Back in 1844, by the bear pit, he looked through the crowd for Joseph Gledhill. He found him, looking bored as he held a biscuit and presumably wondering what to do with it. “Here, take this,” William said to him. “Whats that?” “Its a custard cream,” “Why would I...” “Use this biscuit instead, you will know what to do...” “I...” William disappeared back into the crowd and watched the bear pit. Sure enough, the same events happened, the bear climbed out of the pit, the people panicked, and Joseph went over to the bear to give him a biscuit. But this time it was a custard cream. The bear sniffed it, then ate it. He then gave a massive grin and gave I sigh of enjoyment. “What happened?” Joseph asked William as he appeared next to him. “Its just a really good biscuit,” He said, “And also the 50 milligrams of mind control juice I injected into it that I got from the earth colony of the year 3000 couldnt have hurt, either,” William then climbed on the bear, said “Onward, bear!” He then rode off on the bear into the sunset... The William Thirsk-Gaskill from the past, who was watching this with Daniel Gaskel at the Orangery in 1844 said; “Daniel, I dont know what you were going to ask me to do but I think Ive done it,” “Why would I ask you to ride a bear?” Daniel Gaskel asked, perplexed, “I dont know,” William smiled, as he was about to twiddle his time traveling side burns, “But it looks fun,”
Posted on: Fri, 12 Sep 2014 19:02:01 +0000