I've submitted this Tale a few times previously after vigorous editing, and the piece was even short-listed for the Global Short Story Competition one month.
On a whim, I decided to read the Tale aloud to test its humour on my ear. So imagine my surprise when I discovered, towards the end of the piece, that I'd referred to a 'hoard' of gold as a 'horde'.
It just goes to show that editing's never a cut and dried business - moreso when you consider that The Haberdasher's Second Tale had been read by the two other members of my writers' circle (or should that be 'triangle'), and that neither of them had picked up on the typo.
Which brings me to this week's picture, showing the area above the portcullis through which boiling oil used to rain down on the enemy.
Just before Coscom Entertainment published The Monk's Second Tale, aka Robin Hood and Friar Tuck - Zombie killers, I steeled myself, much against my will, for a final edit. Lo and behold, instead of 'scalding oil' being tipped over the zombie horde, Robin ad his chums were letting loose with 'scolding oil'.
"You naughty zombies! You shouldn't be eating Maid Marion's brains. You'll spoil your appetite!"
Well, there you have it. There's just no such thing as a final eddit! Geddit!
Below are links to my two Global Short Story Competition winners, my short-listed story for the National newspaper, Abu Dhabi, and my Canterbury Tale published by Coscom Entertainment:
http://coscomentertainment.com/?p=159
http://www.globalshortstories.net/winningstoriesjuly09.pdf
http://www.globalshortstories.net/winningstoriesdec09.pdf
http://www.thenational.ae/arts-culture/short-story-a-day-for-decisiveness
Happy writing!