About the Author

Clive Towle was born in 1939 and is a retired mechanical engineer. He was called up for national service but signed on as a regular. He has done many things in life. He has written his life story, The Life and Times of a Country Lad, which has been published and is now a vintage tractor enthusiast.

Dedication

Martin Blacker for his mobile crane pictures.

Wrawby Wind Mills for the photos of the mill.

Copyright Information ©

Clive Towle 2024

The right of Clive Towle to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by the author in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers.

Any person who commits any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

A CIP catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library.

ISBN 9781035805600 (Paperback)

ISBN 9781035805617 (ePub e-book)

www.austinmacauley.com

First Published 2024

Austin Macauley Publishers Ltd®

1 Canada Square

Canary Wharf

London

E14 5AA

Acknowledgement

I must express gratitude to Kirsty and Kenny for granting me the opportunity to transform them into the unimaginable.

Susan Day for Wrawby Mill.

Martin Blacker

Preface

A story I first wrote and

pencil sketched in 1996.

(Art was never my strong point.)

When I first decided to write this book I wasn’t sure where I would have the area located.

Then after some thought I decided to make it local. So the story area is based on, and around the north Lincolnshire town of Scunthorpe and southern area of the town. This is where I started in business and met lots of people.

Because I’ve known a lot of people I thought I would base all my characters on friends and people I have known.

None of the character’s names are real, all names have been changed.

Introduction

After World War Three, a significant portion of the Earth had been ravaged, either directly by bombs or by subsequent radiation. However, in certain areas away from the bomb sites, many buildings remained intact and required minimal repair. Once the radiation levels subsided, there would be a massive cleanup operation for any survivors in these regions. This story focuses on one such area.

While some people had constructed their own radiation shelters, these often fell short of providing full protection, resulting in fatalities or severe radiation-related injuries. Nevertheless, amidst the survival efforts, an unexpected consequence emerged: mutations in various creatures, including humans, born within these substandard shelters.

The Johnson family, who owned a farm, had constructed an unusually large shelter and brought some of their animals with them when the war began. However, peculiar occurrences transpired during the latter part of their sheltered existence. With their children having grown up and left home before the turmoil began, Farmer Johnson and his wife found themselves alone in the shelter for an extended period.

One day, while checking his radiation metre, Farmer Johnson noticed that it indicated clear readings outside. His wife, however, remained cautious, hesitant to take any unnecessary risks. After several days of consistent readings, Farmer Johnson eventually persuaded her to venture outside for a look. They emerged to find clear skies and sunshine, prompting a brief moment of enjoyment.

As they surveyed their farmyard about 100 metres away, they spotted a horse grazing near their farmhouse. Curious, they approached the animal, only for the radiation metre to sound warnings as they neared it. Despite this, they discovered that the radiation emitted by the horse was minimal, prompting them to lead it back to the shelter.

Upon returning to the shelter, the radiation readings ceased, leading them to speculate about the shelter’s construction or its waste ejection system neutralising radiation in the vicinity. They remained indoors with the horse, aware that they had already been exposed to severe radiation.

Days later, the horse gave birth to a foal unlike anything they had seen before. Born during the night, the foal had the body and legs of a horse but the upper half of a human – a genuine centaur. Mrs Johnson, waking to this surreal sight, struggled to comprehend whether to call it a foal or a baby. Nevertheless, they resolved to care for the hybrid creature after it finished suckling from the mare, aware that its dietary needs would differ from the other horses. Amidst the pervasive radiation, they allowed the mare to breed with the other horses, knowing that the contamination rendered such distinctions inconsequential.

The farmer and his wife eventually passed away, but some of the animals survived, albeit with amazing differences. Somehow, the radiation had mixed up the genes of the humans and the horses, resulting in the Centaurs, as we now know them.

The Johnsons did live long enough to teach the new creatures to speak, and to do all the other things humans do because, after all, they were basically human with an extra bit on their back. So, this is how the new Centaurs came to be. They were very similar to the old Centaurs in Greek mythology, but these, having been brought up by humans, were good citizens as opposed to the mythological ones. They were so happy to be alive and well that they devoted their lives to doing good and helping any other survivors they may find.

The family of four Centaurs, dad Norman, mum Mary, and their children Tony and Beth, decided to keep the name Johnson which had been the farmer’s, after all, they had more or less been their parents. Somehow Norman knew when the radiation had gone, probably because that was what had made them the way they were in the first place. They had waited a long time for the radiation to subside, but now they were out and ready to make a new life for themselves and encourage anyone else they find to do the same and make the best of what was available.

All kinds of mutants were wandering about, some were harmless and didn’t bother anything, but others were quite aggressive and seemed to want to fight the world. Plant life was quite different, but the Centaurs didn’t know what it looked like before, only what they had seen in pictures. So here they were in a brand-new world, because they had only known life in the shelter. They had the tools the farmer had owned and taught them how to use, and with the help of other humans who had survived perfectly, they decided, after some quite alarming meetings, to work together and build a new community.

The humans did take a while to get used to the fact that their neighbours were half horse and half human, but as the Johnson family spoke perfect English it didn’t take long to adjust, as there were other kinds of mutants all over the place anyway. The human part of the Centaurs was more or less the same size as humans, but they were much stronger. And consequently, the back horse part was more the size of a pony but also had tremendous strength.

Although Norman had been brought up by the farmers and he knew what humans looked like he will never forget the day he first met another man, because humans had never seen him before.

Anyway, one day Norman was looking at some fruit on a row of small bushes, like a cross between gooseberries and brambles, and was wondering if they would be alright to eat when he saw a man walking towards him on the other side of the hedge. He realised that the man would have a bit of a shock when he saw him, so he had to think of something as the man was carrying a gun.

He bent down enough so just his head and shoulders were showing and before the man got to him shouted,

Hello, the man stopped, Good morning, how are you? Norman continued.

Oh hello, I’m fine thanks, and how are you? replied the man.

I’m very well, said Norman, How long have you been out?

Only a couple of weeks, the man said, how about you?

We’ve been out about six weeks but not too far away. We’ve been getting the garden sorted out so we can have some fresh vegetables.

They were more or less opposite each other now so Norman kept quite low behind the bushes.

I was wondering if these were alright to eat. He said showing him the fruit but making sure he only exposed his head and shoulders.

I think so, said the man, my son had some the other day without asking me and he’s still alright. By the way have you seen any of those short fat mutant creatures around here, they look a bit like a cross between a sheep and a pig.

Not today, said Norman, we saw one the other day but it ran off when it saw us.

That’s a change, said the man, the two I’ve seen have tried to attack me but the gun changed their mind. I killed one but the other ran off, and it’s excellent meat. By the way, have you got a gun?

Not with me, said Norman, but I’ve three back in the shelter, and plenty of cartridges.

You really should carry one with you, those things can be very aggressive.

Norman thought for a while then said, By the way, I’m a mutant myself.

Really, you don’t look like one. The man said.

Well I’m more or less the same as you and can do the same as you, but with a bit extra. Norman was a bit nervous, after all, the man did have a gun.

How do you mean, a bit extra?

Well don’t be too shocked, because I can assure you I’m perfectly all right and can be very helpful sometimes, I’ll come round.

Well the man stared in amazement at Norman the Centaur, in fact he was quite speechless for a minute or so.

I just don’t know what to say, he said, except, I’m Ted Pearson, pleased to meet you. And held out his hand.

And I’m Norman Johnson. And they shook hands warmly.

There’s not only me either, said Norman, I’ve got a wife and two kids back at the shelter, all like me, and we can do all the things you can, but even more, he added with a sly grin, we can pull our own carts if we have to.

The two talked for about half an hour or so with Ted telling Norman he also had a wife and two kids until Ted said.

Well it’s been really nice meeting you Norman, but I must go now. I can’t wait to tell the family about you. We must get together again soon, how about dinner sometime?

We live over that hill, about half an hour’s walk past that big tree, on the edge of the village. That’s half an hour for me, you might do it a bit quicker. He said laughing. And with his gun tucked under his arm he set off home. Then stopped and turned, About dinner, how about Saturday, four o’clock at our place?

Sounds great, Norman replied, as long as it’s no trouble.

No trouble at all, I’ll come and meet you, bye.

Norman made his way back to the shelter where his wife was on the lookout for him returning, she always worried quietly when he was away for long, which was understandable.

He shouted when he saw her waiting for him, I’m back.

Is everything alright, what did you find? she replied.

Mary my love, everything is great, I think, and I also think it may be going to be even better.

Oh, why,