Congratulations to Julian Vignoles, winner of the Anthology Magazine Short Story Award 2021 Creative Awards
poetry prize 2020
WINNER
Scenes From a Return Journey words julian vignoles
T
he sky to the west was clear blue, but the cloudi-
Atlantic waves breaking nearby and the crack of the car’s
ness in Con’s head was back with a vengeance. He
central locking as they began their stroll across a field.
felt passive – the holiday was confusing him. Why
They came to an abandoned building, where one wall
were they standing in a ruined building on a headland?
had a stone carved, ‘Kirrary National School 1893’, a legend
He could see islands in the distance and beyond them a
to cinema buffs. Only one or two roof timbers remained,
horizon that had no line. Inland, the dark mass of Mount
the classroom exposed to the elements since its fictional
Brandon looked brooding, mysterious – scary, even – as
inhabitants and their huge entourage departed, weary and
its peak reached into the clouds.
massively overbudget, in 1970, leaving legends to grow
Fiona had driven them from Killarney to the Dingle
in the area. Fiona was on the trail of Ryan’s Daughter, a
Peninsula, the most westerly part of County Kerry. Dingle
sucker for the romance, the scenery. And Con used to be
town was bustling, not that he really noticed. When they
a great admirer of David Lean, fascinated by the ambition
watched a boat full of excited kids chug away from the
and the folly of that era of film-making, the outrageous
pier, Fiona reminded him of their own family excursion
budgets, the hangers-on, the waste. But that was part of
to see Fungi, the once famous resident of the bay. Then she took the road west to Slea Head, before turning off and stopping on a narrow lane. All was quiet, except for
