Fact or Fiction by Catriona Butler

“Oh come on, it’s about your great-grandad.”

“But the reviews have been dreadful…”

Henry was strangely unwilling to watch the movie, currently out in cinemas, about his great-grandfather’s adventures in the Arctic. Susan was desperate to see it – her most interesting in-law’s life had been portrayed on the silver screen, and it made her proud to have joined this family. Plus, she wanted to see how well one of Hollywood’s biggest heartthrobs carried her new surname. After another couple of days of cajoling, Henry eventually capitulated, and the next Friday they headed into town, carefully selected some pick n’ mix and settled into the back row.

Sure enough, the reviews were correct. An overly dramatic opening sequence was followed by a character assassination of Henry’s great-grandfather. He’d been turned into an alcoholic to add dramatic tension, and at one point stated that he didn’t mind risking his life in the Arctic as he had no family! Susan and Henry probably annoyed their neighbours with their mutterings and tuttings.

“How can they say he has no family? Your granddad provided most of the background information to the film makers,” Susan hissed.

“Maybe he’ll meet great-grandma later in the movie.”

But after some gratuitous and unnecessary torso shots and violence, eventually the credits rolled with no sign of his great-grandma.

Susan sat and stared at the screen for a while, then she grabbed her coat from the empty seat beside her and wandered down the central stairs to the exit, pondering the relative attractiveness of the two male leads, and thinking how much she enjoyed a peaceful night out alone.

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Catriona Butler lives in Bicester in the UK and has previously had fiction published in Shoreline of Infinity.