“Don’t Drop Alligators Through the Transom”
An American friend was kind enough to translate, (actually he was duty bound having recommended the book to me) and I was delighted to discover that a "transom" is something we Brits call a "fanlight." Generally found in older houses, this is a small pane of glass above a door, intended to provide secondary light. Usually they’re so high up, they never get cleaned and just sit there collecting dust, and screaming at visitors: Yes the chatelaine of this house is a slut. I hate ‘em. And the thought of an alligator crashing through one is absolutely irresistible. Jack Bickham of course was making a completely valid point about introducing something quite unrelated to the story line, (a deus ex machina).
Apparently there are lots and lots of alligators in New York. Even more in Florida, but there aren’t that many in London; so surprise surprise! Our story begins with the circus coming to town.
This started out as a piece of flash fiction, promised it would stop at a short story now it’s grown enough to be called a novella - Crombie’s Crocodillo just keeps growin’ and growin’.
Although very much a work in progress, Chapter One is available to read now, and unsurprisingly owes more than a nod to the old style Ealing Studio Comedies, in my opinion. Click here to read Chapter One on Goodreads