KHAN DO by Dave Wellings

(Note: The following story was the result of a 10 minute writing exercise during our last meeting. The writer was asked to incorporate the following words: Genghis Khan, a yurt, mare's milk and yak stew.)

“What’s that?”

“It’s a yurt. It makes the place look authentic.”

“Right. It takes up a lot of room, doesn’t it? We could fit another dozen tables in there.”

“It’s to create atmosphere.”

“You mean, like the camel dung on the smouldering fire?”

“Exactly.”

“I think you might have overdone the atmosphere bit. Yak stew is stretching the menu and mare’s milk might go unnoticed in the coffee but I think we should get rid of the yurt. Genghis Kahn is a good name for a Mongolian restaurant but Toowoomba people tend to be, you know, conservative.”

Dave Wellings © 2006