Businesses and Governments fear the notion of Degrowth. But how can the sane not wonder why they do? From a business perspective, what is the difference between a full bowl of soup and a half bowl of soup? Simplistically, there is no difference. The product has to be grown, harvested, collected, processed, packaged and distributed. The only real difference is the quantity.
To read 'The Ann Stories', 'Uma's Tales' - (The Little Flower of India), 'The Short Stories' or
'The Verses' - (rambling rhymes) use Stories or Rhymes above.
To view various snippets use the Extracts.
To understand the site's ethos or read about Raymond Howell, the Author of the stories and verses, please scroll down.
Finally, there are The Rot Not Voice sound pieces which consist of environmental essays and opinions. But whatever you read, please respect the copyright, thank you.
All material here is free to read, including the PDFs .
What Are The Ann Stories?
~~ ↓ ~~
Ann is ethereal, and represents the perfection we humans try not to attain.
She is the main character in some of the stories, those written or still in draft form. Mainly, she guides the writing on theannstories.co.uk, regardless of whether she appears in a story or not.
One of her many views on human life.
I would rather eat a delicious pastry, or a selection of dim sums, than hoist my legs around my neck simply so some man can sweat above me for a few minutes in what I can only imagine is for them, some sort of peculiar pleasure.
The Ann Stories are an eclectic mix of short stories, novelettes and rambling verses written in easy to read and digest everyday English and always with compassion, especially when needed. Access to all material is free, including the PDF's. There is no membership and no advertising to interrupt you. Just grab a coffee and read away, safe in the knowledge you are not being tracked, or criticised or judged or demeaned or used. This is a free space in every sense.
And What Drives The Stories?
They are shouts in the wilderness. Talks with the wind. Whispered duets with the music within. They are the incarnation of inner songs. The voices of shadows following along.
Hi, from Raymond Howell - writer of The Ann Stories. To read more about Ann and the gaggle of other stories, please use the following options, or head off and download a few PDF's. Alternatively, do what your heart says - go off and explore the realms that await you at the end of the above links. Good luck.
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The About Options ↓
The Ann Stories Ethos
Ecological concerns - abusive human behaviour et al.
Tough subjects written about lightly and thoughtfully and sometimes in an entertaining way, with no apology for raising the odd smile or for the moments of stupidity.
The Ann Stories start before the birth of the universe in the two-part story 'The New Beginning'. They deal with the heroine's encounters with human abuse and star a gaggle of impressive cohorts. They also occasionally touch on the spiritual but not with any religious intent.
In general the stories involve the sexual, physical and mental abuses of woman and children and their slavery by gangs, governments and businesses, while also considering our planet's rape. There are some nice moments too.
To set the scene here's an Ann quote.
I would rather eat a delicious pastry, or a selection of dim sums, than hoist my legs around my neck simply so some man can sweat above me for a few minutes in what I can only imagine is for them, some sort of peculiar pleasure.
In all ways Ann is the perfection we humans try not to attain. She calls planet earth her jewel or sometimes her child and is broken-hearted that humans have replaced it with the worst paste copy ever. She also hates how humans treat their children and how men abuse women. It is she says, my mission to do what I can to put those wrongs to right and to save as many children, those delicate flowers of tomorrow, as I can.
Her ever-present smile despite her breaking heart is gorgeous. Her sapphire blue eyes, lit by the beat of a naturally caring heart and her ethereal origins are startling. Overall, compared to the humans she both loves and despairs for, she is the Ming vase accidentally jumbled in with a stack of potter's rejects. Or as Paul, a character in one of the stories and a possible future companion was to discover:-
"...As the vision in yellow walked, nay he realised, gracefully floated towards him, an unconsciously alluring soft smile began coyly and gently playing like a new lover's cautiously whispered, I Love You, upon her slightly parted lips. For the first time ever Paul was looking both at and beyond the physical and on into the spirit. As astonishingly gorgeous as she was in appearance he instinctively knew he was witnessing a reflection of her inner self. Where in abundance and joy for simply existing it could not help but spill outwards in a blinding incandescence. Together her inner and outer forms were so staggeringly startling, so perfect and so heart-joltingly fantastic, he fancied that normal notions of beauty if used to describe her could never be anything other than boringly passé. She was simply beyond all earthly description..."
The effects of greed, bullying, hatred, misogyny, misandry and other such are considered abuses, but the ideas are not indulged in a heavy 'oh here we go again way'... Although...!
And not in an explicit way either! However, they are the reason for the stories but they are not 'The' Stories.
I hope you visit her tales, or rather those published so far, for there is a number in progress which will appear, health and time willing, sometime in the next year - 2023. So do look back from time to time, you just never know what you will find waiting. Thank you.
Eight examples to download: Emily - आशा - Asha - Tommo of the Wood - I Cant Wait - Id Lives - Silently Loud Screams - What If One Pops Up - Bernard De Hedgehog There are more in the Download Section
The Short Stories Collection
The Short Stories, The Ann Stories, and The Uma Tales are concerned with social issues but don't worry, they are not preachy, flagrantly moralistic or have any religious intent. They are merely comments, which are often subtle. The short story 'Emily' has its roots in the time when unmarried mothers were shamed and forced to give up their babies, although the story would seem to have nothing to do with that subject, yet...
Amongst the short stories you will find one about a junkie's cat who doesn't wear a hat and nor does it sit on a mat, well..., it might... A career climbing researcher who meets 'conscience'. Then there's the oldest tree, another about the lad Tommo, a wicked Aunt, the journey of a special stone and the making of a vegetarian fly (that's in The Ann Stories, his name is Horace). There is also one about a camera-shy volcano, a child's wish to die and an adult's wish to rerun their life. There are unicorns who live in flowers and another about a water shortage plus various others. The rain forest is touched on as well - that again is in The Ann stories although the story, 'A Stone Fell', also takes part in the forest.
The short stories range from 300 words to 8000 words delivered in 300 to 700 sections making it easier to pause and return to where you left off. The stories are found via the Stories link above - then select: Short Stories, or The Ann Stories, Uma the little flower of India - or select the rambling rhymes! (Those ditties are so different in many ways and are certainly worth a visit for numerous reasons)
This is not a static site, so new stories and ramblings will be added from time to time. The site is happy to consider submissions as well as this space will happily accommodate more voices as long as they are in the right vein - eco and social issues orientated. Hopefully one day there might be enough stories here to create a loud and gloriously in-tune choir...
Uma - The Little Flower of India
Uma's tales are new arrivals, although they were drafted in 2021 / 2022 as one long novel which has since been shortened and broken into shorter sections. I hope you take the time to visit Uma's tale for she deserves to be known. You will understand why once you read her appalling story.
Uma's tales evolve around her childhood so they are written simply to reflect that, while also remaining true to her story and embodying modern-day 'slavery' at its most appalling. The roots of which extend back some 5000 years and encompass every outrageous subversion and control which humanity kindly cares to inflict upon those they strive to dominate using murder and violence - including the rape of children, some as young as two-years-old - as well as women, and arson, hatred, starvation, malicious lies, deceits, bribery and a mockery enjoyed at the highest levels of Government.
Disdain is the most pleasantest emotion Uma and her kind will ever receive from the Caste, her jailers. Fortunately, they stop short of the genocide of those non-caste Dalits, or The Untouchables as they are wickedly named, simply for what I suspect are financial reasons:- the loss of 300 million unpaid workers will bring that country's economy crashing down around them. And surprise surprise, the abuses seemingly correlate with those areas of their country suffering the worst of the establishment's eco abuses. As the planet's suffering spirals out of control it would seem that the already downtrodden are being squashed even harder to finance the playthings of the elite and affluent.
Amid all the hatred and chaos... Young Uma tries hard to smile and stay positive. It's no wonder they call her The Little Flower of India. But as she hopes fervently to, will she ever create a crack in the Caste wall wide enough for her people to escape through? Well, we'll just have to see... won't we?
If you would to read a little background on the Dalits and manual scavenging try these three links which will open in a new browser window.
Manual scavenging deaths of Dalits
March Against Manual Scavenging
The Verses - Rambles
Rather pleasantly, or surprisingly so to me, some of the rambles actually rhyme and few might even suggest music. Other than that, style wise they are not conventional - don't look for Keats or Tennyson here. What they are is modern, light and easily read. A few are nicely stupid but all 'Explore Feelings', 'Eco Thoughts' and other subjects through to 'Anti-Establishment' rants - pretty much like some of the stories do.
Amongst them you'll find a sort of ponder on a zit, a goodbye to a dying river, or a wonder about a bird's lost song and a singer's silent voice. A number of the rambles explore various emotions, as well as nature and the biodome, this place we call home - or should! And more things... Plus there are a clutch of rebellious ones - in the anti establishment section lookout for "England's Green Decay". For various reasons it will upset a few for sure.
The verses, or rambling rhymes as I think of them, can be found via the 'Rhymes' link above.
As a taster four rhymes have been posted below - select one, two, three, four. (Out of this pick three is my favourite)
Example Verses
Or view extracts from the Rambling Rhymes.
One ↓
Two ↓
Three ↓
Four ↓
1. The Mongoose Dance
With eagle sight and hyena cunning,
The panhandler-prostitute-junkie,
Mother of three,
Eyes her mark with primeval skill,
And chill..., and thrill,
What do they have...,
What can I take off thee for me.
Ten pounds, twenty, thirty,
Forty, Fifty three...
A full wallet, plus credit cards to steal,
Drugs, a watch, gold rings, a cell phone,
Or a soft heart to peel.
Is his swagger hard or needy,
What wants will he insist,
Can I outrun him,
Or bring him down,
And, if I trick by crying...
"I don't want to do this..."
"but..."
Will he pay me still, or will he resist,
Does he have a home with expensive gowns,
And gadgets and trinkets I can sell,
Or just a tiny room -
That's disgusting, seedy, and smells.
Calculating coldly, reptilianly,
Hitching her short skirt high,
And adjusting her crop top revealingly,
While ever careful to hide her knife,
With eyes forever searching for a better deal,
Along with an escape route, in case of strife,
And wearing a smile she hopes beguiles,
She takes a chance,
And steps boldly forward,
To engage the mongoose dance.
2. Are We Like Flowers?
Are we like flowers in our growth?
As some in the past have said,
While others so firmly refute -
There's no time to be laying abed,
When we've things to achieve,
The pursuit of lawsuits,
The making of loot,
The cleaning of boots,
Acting in cahoots,
And all manner of human toots and disputes,
And Oh yes Sir, you'll find there's plenty more!
Emmm... OK?
But honestly you know, I'm not so sure...
Emerging from a spark, a seed,
New life shoots and roots,
For stability and need,
To grow tall,
To waver and flower,
To colonise,
To breed...
Afore slowly wilting,
Into life's recede.
So yes I say, maybe we are like flowers,
But with extra greed,
A capacity to hate,
To force a 'mate',
To enslave and embroil,
To poison the soil,
Extract oil,
And generally despoil,
The very air -
And water which sustains our daily toil.
Without thought, without care,
And without compare,
Or any real urgent need,
Other than driving greed...,
Oh so I guess I'm wrong,
We're not like flowers at all,
We're more like alien weeds,
With no understanding of the planet's song,
Its longing and beautiful intricate brede*.
I guess it's back to the drawing board for me,
But, will I ever become a toil freed,
To dwell in the sun like a rose,
To bask in repose,
Or a Chrysanthemum with little need,
Besides the feed I find around my feet.
Oh what suffer we and planet all,
For the temporary satiation of other's wants,
And to fan the fires of reckless greed.
* brede = rarely used now:- of fabric, breadth, width,
weave, intertwine, plait, wreathe, twist.
3. Mother's Vagina
I was born to an unkind vagina,
Not once was there any desire,
To climb back in,
To try it,
Yes try it,
To try it,
All over again.
Oh... No!
I nestled on my mother's teat,
It's something,
I say I'll never repeat,
I cant imagine, anything,
Yes anything,
Anything,
Quite so hard and bleak.
Oh... and so freezing cold.
I got by without a mother's love,
I became a man that was strong enough,
To face the world and stare it,
Yes stare it,
Oh stare it,
Right in the eye.
And occasionally spit in it too.
Now thank thee God
I've found me a love,
A love that will see me through,
Till I come back,
Yes I come back,
Back home to visit you.
And we'll have words too when I do...
But I hope my love goes
A little before me,
So I know once more my misery,
And when we meet again,
I'll know so much joy,
Pure joy, all over again.
Yes her joy all over again.
4. Alternate Love Note
Oh yeh...!
Well know this..., you bi**ch,
I don’t want you for my wife,
Or anywhere in my life!
I just want rid of you,
I so hate your cheating ways...
Your lying words,
Your scornful mocking brays,
Your donkey's breath,
And there's so much more I could say...
Oh yeh...!
Well..., it is -
It's all so true!
And now finally,
I’m ridding myself, of you.
And from now on -
Whatever you try to say,
Will fall on stone deaf -
Very uncaring ears,
Cos you're so dead to me,
I don’t even want ya -
As a bad memory.
Oh yeh...!
Really...!
Just pack your blimming bags,
And be on your way,
Get out...!
Just leave my life,
And don’t bother even to say,
"Please know...
That once I loved you, so,
And that maybe, I can again."
Oh yeh...!
Well... know this from me...!
I don’t care about that..., just go,
You’re now so very dead to me,
You’re not part of my new destiny,
So climb inside your cab,
And don’t... dare... look back.
Oh yeh...!
As if...!
And you’re nowt to me now -
But a dry winter leaf -
Spoiling my summer’s day,
And that's it...,
I have nothing more to say -
Except..., good riddance,
And do make sure to travel...
So... very... far... away.
And no matter how much I -
Or you might care to cry...
Or beseech...
*Just like you do*...
I'll try, I'll try...
This most definitely,
Is our final -
Everlasting...
And thank the gods,
For that!
Get out you prat...
Amen and goodbye.
See... They are modern, easy to read and they are simply thoughts... Send one or two of your own if you like. If they suit the site I'll post them in a guest section when I get around to creating it.
Rot Nots
What Are Rot Nots?
I thought you would never ask...
Rot Nots are not stories, they are gripes, dislikes, silly thoughts before bed. The collection will grow I'm sure.
They are observations and thoughts and not studies. That means they may not be deemed factually accurate - although I would say they are, else why did I arrive at my conclusions. That said, for sure there are far less facts in this world than we tend to realise. For example, much of 'general science' is not absolute fact - recall that many scientific ideas contain the word theory, although that tends to become lost in hype. Science is a string of hypothesises which have yet to be fully proven or disproven. Charles Darwin was not right, but there again neither was he wrong. We accept his assertions as being the most likely of various proposals. That is the same as many other things. Now for the nub of this short piece, the world is 'run' by individuals who believe their ideas are facts... and present them as such. Rot to that attitude I say and then having had my internal rant I might go on to post the fallout in the Rot Nots section. So there you have it. Rot Nots.
Here is a short snippett wondering about the idea of Degrowth. It is called GDP And The Bowl of Soup
All my scribblings, the stories, verses, the Rot Nots were and are driven by a fervent dislike of abuse: ecological, social, sexual, religious and political, as well as the rampant ravaging of this earth, our collective home, by governments and businesses for personal gain. Yes, that includes excessive profits just to earn 5 stars, along with a handshake, from that ruinous GDP 'monster'.
For those who are unaware of GDP - for most countries it is a governing factor based on a need for constant growth and increasing profit which can only come about by plundering the planet, i.e. ecological abuse. Nothing comes from nothing. Humanity does not create anything useful for the planet. We simply take - most of which is not renewable. Common sense suggests we cannot keep dipping into an ever depleting purse. Yet blindly, much like junkies desperate for a fix, that is exactly what we do. Societies across the world would do well to rethink the GDP ethos and seek its end before it seeks ours...
Use the above option 'Blight' ↑ for this sites opinion on GDP, and on the recent scramble to double, if not treble, oil and gas explorations - in spite of the agreements reached during COP26. The evidence that it all relates is there is you care to look. In short, in the way of psychopaths the oil industry will not be denied its wants.
Use the above link, 'Rot-Not' ↑ and then select Blights to read more on this. You might also submit your own.
The Rewritten Songs
From time to time I play with a songs lyrics. Here follows an example of one of the new verses I wrote for Dylan's, 'Blowin In The Wind'. (No! He does not know!) There are about eight more verses - presented as a sort of pick and mix arrangement. If you know the tune, sing it or them loud... they do work - try one:
How many forests will mankind kill
Before it admits its mistake
Yes, and how many seas must be pumped full of filth
Before we even start to care...
Yes, and how many specie have to die
Before mankind makes a plan...
The answer, my friend, is in the uncaring wind
The answer is blowin in the wind
They can all be found in the rewritten song section, located via the Stories + Rhymes link ↑ . Louis Armstrong's, "What A Wonderful World' has also received a modern eco makeover:
A Not So Wonderful World
I see trees once green,
Roses once red,
They no longer bloom,
Cos they're laying dead…
And I think to myself,
What have we done to this world…
And so on...
Enjoy...
A Little About Ray Howell the Author
Hi. I do not claim to be a writer. I started my scribblings with the idea of trying to tame my form of Dyslexia, which is a frustrating condition.
You know what you want to say, you can feel it, but be unable to summon the right words. In the past that inability to 'say whatever needed to be said right' has got me into trouble! I decided it was time to do something about it. And time to talk about those things I saw going on around me, which through fear of using the wrong words or 'simply putting things the wrong way' I largely remained silent about.
This section is a perfect example of the difficulties Dyslexia causes.
It went through at least eleven drafts before finally, the words formed a pattern which 'felt right'. And Dyslexia is far more than an inability to spell words.
It is to do with the recollection of them - it creates a difficulty with using words in both writing and speech, which in turn creates frustration which can worsen the issue.
With the brain in a constant whirl fueled by worry of peer ridicule or chastisement, imagine then the struggle to write something quickly and for it to be grammatically right and to make sense to another. That issue also affects speech. It is not uncommon for a Dyslexic person to say the wrong thing or repeat themselves over and over again because their brain is not only desperately searching for words but also the right way of laying the things down or speaking them.
The trouble really starts when the brain grabs the wrong ones...
As for writing! Well, one issue with my Dyslexia is that I invariably read back what I know I wanted to write, as opposed to what I actually did! Even months later I will 'read a page back' and see it as I intended it to be, rather than what a section actually states...
The curse only gets worse as you grow older because 'our tired', "Oh, we've seen it all before brain," assumes it knows what is being said and so kindly but unhelpfully it fill in the blanks (Even before the sentence has been fully read).
So, with that explained, I hope to have your understanding when you spot those 'slips' you call glaring errors which I miss during an edit. If you do find an error and feel the need to point it out, then please feel free to send an email to the following address:- ray@ followed by this site's address, theannstories.co.uk . I am happy to be corrected (politely) or to discuss any of my stories or verses.
Anyway..., please pop back occasionally for a visit as more ramblings and stories will be added. Either mine or those submitted by you, the reader. Just make sure they fit this site's ethos and that you are happy for your writing to be read free of charge.
Raymond Howell, Author of The Ann Stories
R Howell, The Ann Stories
Thank you for reading this far. Please feel free to wander through the site. Comments are welcome and so are your stories or verses if they suit the ethos. Use email: ray@ followed by the site address: theannstories.co.uk
A quick note about ChatGPT. From: (Nature | 5 min read (new window)): Snippet below.
From a 'Nature' News Letter 15/03/2023 QUOTE OF THE DAY: Humans lie and manipulate each other’s emotions all the time, but at least we can reasonably guess at someone’s motivations, agenda and methods. With AI, we can’t.” Ethicist Carissa Véliz argues that chatbots that use emojis are emotionally manipulative: without appropriate safeguards, the technology could undermine people’s autonomy.
In case you are wondering if AI might have writtern the stories and or the site, be assured, the answer is no. Further, ChatGPT is blocked from reading the stories on this site.
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Thank you for reading this far and I do hope you go on to read The Ann Stories, The Short Stories, The Rambling Rhymes, Uma's Tales and The Rot-Not Essays.
Love, Light & Peace to you all,
(to quote the late and great Spike Milligan)
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Finally the boring but necessary bit:- The views expressed in the stories or on this site belong wholly to the author. Characters when used are drawn from life and as such could be everywhere, but any resemblances to an actual living person, other than the odd politician who might get mentioned in bitter passing, is wholly unintentional - or so I consciously believe.
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