In the place where people never Tir Na Nog many come and go without getting old
In the early hours of the morning the Greenacres were awakened by the sounds of people busy at work . People were carrying some furniture items and dragging cut down trees through the main street . Little tabletop trucks came through with stacks of wooden pallets , wooden ladders and old bits of timber on board .
Mr Greenacre went downstairs to see what was going he went into the kitchen and there was Mrs McDermott cooking breakfast, When he approached her she already had anticipated his question .
“ Good morning, Mr Greenacre . The locals just getting ready for bonfire night . Today is the seven day of the seventh month and at the seventh hour they’re going to light the bonfire that will burn for seven hours .”
“What the fire festival all about ?”
He said and Mrs Mc Dermott smiled and then she turned off the pan , took off her apron and then she replied.
“The festival is to light the way for Pogue O’Loan the storyteller who disappeared from the village . He was the seventh son of a seventh son so he was very gifted and every year we light a bonfire to welcome in better days ahead when he would return again to us here at Chapters End .”
“ So, what can you tell me about this man? “
Just as she was about to answer his question Sham and his mother came down and sat down at the breakfast table . Mr Greenacre joined then and Mrs McDermott started to talk about the storyteller .
“‘Well as you know he lived in the cottage up the street there and as I said he was gifted with many things . Pity bout him too as he always knew thing , like what people were thinking if you know what I mean . He could see things as well that were going to happen . People said he was more like a fairy like creature than human .Pogues was born on a stormy night in the cottage and it was said that someone tried to steal him from his mothers arms . Actually, in the fight that endued the baby was almost strangled to death . If it hadn’t been for a bolt of lightened that struck the front door the baby would have died . The intruder fled and was never seen again. “
“Where there many people living here then ?“ Mrs Greenacre asked .
Mrs McDermott could walk and talk at the same time and as she set the table and brought over their breakfast, she continued her story about the storyteller .
“ There we not many people around here in the early days . Apart from the O’Loan’s cottage there were maybe 6 other houses and most of those who lived there were considered as mischief makers . They were always talking about people and shame on them for Pogue’s family were all decent folk who had been around for generations before them , they put together a rumour that Pogue wasn’t really the seventh son of a seventh son because he was fathered by someone else which led to ill feelings among the people and brought dispute and anger . As usual lots of gossip went with it with other stories being told by boys and girls who became carriers of scandal around the country . As time passed those people moved away and things started to get better in the town . Good people started to arrive and they built their homes here and have remained ever since . After Mr and Mrs O’Loan passed away that’s when Pogue’s disappeared and no one has ever seen him again son .”
Mr Greenacre nodded his head and said ,
“So, the people who remained here started this bonfire night each year. That is a lovely tribute to Pogue , to light the way for his return .”
“‘Sure, that’s just the way it is’”
She said .
‘Can we help to bring some things for the bonfire /
Little Sham asked.
Mrs Mc Dermott thought for a moment and then she said ,
‘Well, aren’t you the thoughtful one Sham . If it’s all right with your Mum and Dad, there are a few old wooden fold up chairs you could bring , if you want ‘.
‘We would love to be part of the bonfire night”.
Mr Greenacre said and she responded .
‘That is just great and it will give you all an opportunity to meet all the locals later on .I’ll go now and get those chairs for you .’
After breakfast Mrs Mc Dermott had already left the fold up chairs outside the front door . With instructions how to get to there the Greenacres put the chairs into the boot of the car and made their way to the bonfire site .
On the way they saw boys and girls around the place cutting the branches from trees and stacking them up in piles to be collected . There were people removing old gate posts and old wooden garden trellis from their yard . It was a community working together event and the Greenacres felt as if they were part of that .
When they got to the site where the bonfires makers stood, they left the wooden chairs there for them to place on the bonfire . It was looking big with so many different items . It almost seemed to touch the sky . The bonfire builders had a skill of placing safely all of the things to be burnt . A group of teenagers had the job of protecting the bonfire stack just in case anyone would try to steal some of the stuff from the bonfire . Rory was one of the leaders of the crew who had to be on guard all day making sure everything was safe . Rory wanted everyone to know that he was in control issuing out orders to the other unranked guards of the stack .
It was all good banter and fun for everyone and the excitement was growing with the thought of the night ahead . Some stray dogs made their way to the bonfire and Rory took a stick to them and were easily driven off . The Greenacres returned to the village and asked Mrs Mc Dermott if there was anything else she wanted to be brough to the bonfire and she said if it would be ok to bring her in the car a little later on because she wanted to listen to the music before the lit the fire . She also wanted to bring some sausages and potatoes to cook in the bonfire’s embers .
The day was getting away and as twilight fell the bonfire was lit and everyone burst out in cheering the flames that made their way up to the top of the bonfire.
Flames were swiftly leaping up high into the sky with crackles of sparks and columns of smoke . The people of the village who were standing around the bonfire began to dance and sing . Some of the older men sat around the ground telling tall stories and jokes that made everyone roll into fits of laughter . The young men of the village showed off their strength and fitness doing high jumps over a string tied between two poles . Young ladies showed their acrobatic skills doing skipping and somersaults as they turned into super athletes for the night . Sure, it was a magic night all right and everyone was having a great time . The bonfire was aflame licking away at the night sky and with a message in flight to the moon . It was a wonderful sight to see all the people gathered there together and as the flames started to flicker out . Mrs McDermott brought her potatoes in silver foil and left then there at the bottom of the bonfire . Then she placed some sausages in their silver foil jackets around the embers at the bottom of the fire . There were others already eating and drinking away singing songs and reciting poetry that you would have to say was unique as a real live folk festival . The best bonfire night the Greenacres had ever seen . Most of the village stayed until before leaving and returning home .
The Greenacres brought Mts McDermott back to guest house and they all retired to their rooms for a good night’s rest .
As Sham turned off his bedroom light he could still see the glow of the bonfire aglow on the hilltop there . The was track of smoke from the bonfire that weaved its way around the town as if it were leaving a message of thanks to the tiny village . Then the smoke rings , drifted up to the moon , with a wish for the people to have better days ahead . The crowd had all gone and the town was quiet and Sham heard a voice on the wind ,
“Come in , won’t you come let the story begin in another place and another time where the fairy folk play hide and seek until its time to go. Come now far away as you go “.
In a trance he put on his soft shoes and walked quietly down the stairs and up to the street to the storytellers cottage . Moving away the treasure chest he opened up the trapdoor that took him inside a room where a ladder went upwards to a door . Ion the other side of the door was an lift . He got into the lift and the door closed the when th door opened he was standing on a cloud . It felt spongy under his feet and when he walked it made him bounce . So he bounced along the cloud until he came to a little toyshop . When he went inside the toyshop there was a shopkeeper who said ,
“Welcome to the once in a lifetime toyshop where everything you buy is not what it seems . You’re very welcome to look around . Take all the time you need as time doesn’t exist here you see .”
Sham looked around at all they toys in boxes and shelves and all over the floor . Then something captured his eye . On the top shelf there was a bottle and in the bottle was a sailing ship .
“Can I have please have a look at the sailing ship in the bottle ?”
The shopkeeper went for a ladder to reach the bottle where he carefully grasped it and holding it tightly he climbed back down the ladder and placed it in front of Sham .
“Sham looked at the ship inside the bottle and then as he looked closer he saw some boys on the ship wand then heard them calling out to him .
“ Hurry up , get on board we’ll be leaving soon ‘
In that moment Sham found himself standing on the deck of a ship at sea .
Three were was eight boys on board and they all came to welcome Sham .
“:Glad you could make it. We’re going on a voyage . I’m Sailor Sam , pirate and friend of everyone here . Its nice to meet you . “
He reached out his hand and Sham took it as they exchanged a friendly handshake Sam called the rest of the crew to say hello ‘
Sham waved his hand to all the crew who came to say hello .
“Hello everyone , my name is Sham “
One by one they all shook hands telling him their names .
The first sailor approached and said ,
“Welcome on board sailor Sham , Brendan is my name Captain of the Voyager and the crew and I have been here on this ship for a lifetime and more but as you see we never aged because here we are forever young , here time there is no such thing as time , we travel from shore to shore many things still to explore . “
Hello Sailor Sham , I’m Sailor Tucker , chief mucker inner and rope fixer “
“I’m sailor Jay Jay , Sham and I’m the mapper operator.. “
Hello sailor Sham pleased to meet you , I’m sailor Harry, hero of the lost at sea. “
‘Welcome Sham I’m Sailor Singalong , I bring songs and stories along for the voyage
‘I’m Sailor Nate ,the navigator and looker outer for land and other dangers .“
“ I’m Sailor Jack the whisperer and I can talk to creatures of the sea .
I’m Sailor Bucko , star watcher and owner of the ring of the talking fingers and keeper of the relics of the realm ‘
After everyone had introduced themselves to Sham , Captain Brendan called out .
“ Singalong , come on , give us a song to get us on our way . Everyone else set free the sails . “
Singalong started to sing a happy little song ,
‘Forever young just children are,
sailing in ships inside a jar,
so much time to sing our cares away ,
no one gets older day by day .
In a land beyond the sea
where flying horses speak to me
In the land of Tir Na Oge where
magic music rises from the sea
Everyone has gone away from me,
like the two white swans beyond the sea
We’re waiting here for their return some day
to the land of Tir Na Oge today ,
In the land of Tir Na Oge where
magic music rises from the sea “.
As he sung the winds started to gush and in rush it took to the sails of the ship raced over the waves and across the ocean .
Captain Brendan shouted
“To the land of Tir Na Og we go”
and all the crew screamed in response .
“‘We are the boys from sailors town , forever young we are ,
We’re looking for adventures anywhere near or far “.
The Voyager was on its way on a course towards the horizon that hung the setting sun of the day to another world far away and that day had just begun. The ship sailed over the horizon , over the edge , into the land of Tir Na Oge . From the sky a flying horse came to greet them , Straight away Sham recognised the horse was Peggy and called out her .
Peggy swooped down and flew around the ship ‘
“Little Sham it good to see you again . Welcome to Tir Na Oge“
The ship set anchor and the crew took a little boat to the shore of Tir Na Oge. They had no map to show them which way to go so they followed their instincts and every step they took they knew that it had already been predestined . Everywhere they went was just another part of the adventure on the journey of a lifetime . They walked over a bridge to the side of a lake and then down to a path near the edge of the lake . The sound of a lonely piper suddenly came filtering through in the twilight like a scent of perfume in the evening air . Sham and the crew looked at each other as if driven to find where that music was coming from . It seemed to be coming from many different directions . So they l decided they would split up in different paths to find the place where the music was coming from . Before they set off they all agreed to meet back at the boat on the shore . Off they went in separate ways . Sham took a high path up a hill and on the way he met Pogue O”Loan who smiled and reached out his hand and said ,
“So you finally made it here to the land of Tir Na Oge Sham ?”
Sham shook his hand and said ,.
“Storyteller its good to see you again . Do you hear that music playing “
The storyteller smiled and replied ,
“I heard it many years ago Sham when I was like you seeing and hearing things for the first time . Its true then Sham you’re like myself a seventh son of a seventh son but no one had ever told you that .”
Sham asked ,
“So you have been to all the places I have seen ?
“Yes I have”
Pogue replied .
‘The reason that you came to Chapters End was so that we could meet and that I could show you the way you need to go “
“ Where would that be then ? Sham asked .
[Pogue replied .
“The same place as I , everywhere in the things you see and the places you go for they will become the stories that you will share with others “
“But first let me tell you the story of the piper you hear playing that music . He comes from a place here in Tir Na Oge and his music is dated back before the mists of time and the wind around the lake here still recall his tunes . He was a brave piper who defied being capture by those who taunted him and wanted to silence him forever .
His enemies chased him all around the land but he always managed to evade them and he hid in the caves around the land and played his tunes through the elbow pipes night and day until he drove them all away . Those who desired to stop him playing his music were plagued with illness and died on the land and were buried at sea .Still today around the lake some with the gift like you and I and others can hear the music play . Now watch and listen little Sham .”
The storyteller walked over to the lakes edge and he called out to the ripples with a deep harsh voice .
“Hello it is I Pogue from Tir Na Oge, the Storyteller . Can you hear me out there in the beyond because I can hear you out there playing your tune so well and as I’m listening , I’m thinking , what are you trying to say to me . Tell me now , would you come and take a chance and sit with me for a while by the side of the lake ?”
In that moment the music stopped playing and a passage of waters in the lake presented and along that passage the piper emerged from the lake carrying his elbow pipes under his arm . He came over and stood there beside the storyteller who said .
“So, you’re not scared of me Pogue?”
The reply came
“I’m the storyteller and you are my guest .So what would I have to fear from you ?”
‘
“ What brings to here to my lake ?”
The piper asked .
“The reason for my visit here is to share this story and the tune that you played .“
“ You mean you know that tune ?”
The piper asked and the storyteller replied .
“It’s my story and so its my tune as well . ‘
The storyteller looked over at Sham and said ,
“‘Can you see Sham , the stories we tell become real . You have the gift to do the same things . That’s what I needed to show you
‘So all of this what I’m seeing is your story ““
“I think you’re getting the idea Sham , now remember well all the places you go and the people you see . They are part of the stories you will tell . Like in the days after the fall of the fairy folk , when they colours the flowers for spring and like the Peggy the flying horse who took you to the forest where the wee ones live . Our stories are like the wind that blows across the land , as soon as we feel our way around the places we go , every thing can be retold and shared and every word can become a reality for others “
“ Tell me more about the piper and his music Pogue “
“Well he had a gift and played the music he had in his head . Many people were jealous of his gift and tried to kill him thinking they would receive his gift if he died but in turn no one ever got the gift he was given . He was a talented musician with hands and fingers that were able to glide over the holes of the chanter and squeeze outthe sounds of magic . When he played his music the fairies danced and sang .Then there came the day when his life passed away and he was left somewhere in the deep caves far below that go far beneath the lake . People have said to leave him rest in peace but there were those who went into the caves to try and find his bones but they were never seen again . The piper of Tir Na Oge can still be heard by many and if you hear like I do that music then it’s a far better place to be than anywhere else , don’t you think ?”
Sham nodded his head and said ,
‘‘Do you know all the people in Chapters End light bonfires for you hoping that you might return there some day “.
The storyteller sat for a moment and looked far away ,,then he spoke softly .
‘Well you know what I started to believe I could return there but the more that I have found my own world with so many stories happening , I find that here is really where I belong . Between two words . Reality and the land of Tir Na Oge . It’s a hard decision but I know here is where I am meant to be. ‘One day the choice will also be yours Sham , but for now just enjoy every moment of this new world “
“So, tell me storyteller , where do I really belong . Where is my home ?
Sham asked
The Storyteller pointed to the sky as the morning sun rose ,
‘Have you ever had a ride on a white swan Sham ?”
Shan smile and said ,
‘No never ‘
Suddenly in the morning light two white swans glided down out of the sky and landed on the lake .
Pogue called over to the swans
“ Welcome back what took you so long , Can we fly with you around the lake for a moment ?”
The two huge swans swam across the lake and then climbed out from to the lake “
Pogue and the storyteller climbed on their backs and off they flew around the lake and back . Their wings were so strong the flight was fast . It came to an end too soon but what a great way it was to ride .
The swans returned to the lake and Pogue said ,
“Sham it’s a new day and its time you were on your way back to the boat on the shore . There are so many things that you have to explore . Go now “
in that moment the Pogue disappeared . Sham left that place and made his way to the boat on the shore . All the crew of the Voyager where there waiting and after sharing their own stories of where they had been and what they had seen everyone got in the boat and they return to the ship .
Captain Brendan shouted
“Give us a song singalong and lets be on our way “
Singalong began to sing
“ From the mists of time where life began,
music flowed over the sea and land ,
Handed down those tunes through all the years,
magic music often reappears .
I know all the songs that have been sung
From Tir Na Nog the place where we come from ,
Theres songs and stories here for everyone ,
So lets sail away before the day is done”
The wind came with a might gust and filled the sails of the Voyager that was lifted
over the waves and up into the sky . Then when the flight was over the ship landed back inside the bottle on the shelf of the toyshop on cloud nine .
Sham was standing there alone . The shopkeeper had left a message .
Back soon .
Sham went out the door and returned to the spongy cloud and he bounced all the way back to the lift that took him down to the ground . When the door of the lift opened Sham was standing underneath the trapdoor of the storytellers cottage in Chapters End .
Sham placed the treasure chest back over the trapdoor and left the cottage .
He made his way back to the guest house and quietly went up the stairs to his bedroom .
Sham looked at the clock and saw that no time had passed since he had and that smoke from the bonfire was still in the sky .
He got into bed and fell fast asleep .
If you took every major epic fantasy that has ever been written and twisted them all into one fantastic tale of magic, sword play, and just plain old fantasy fun, you might get the first half of this 235,000 word monster of a read. The last half is a
Due to illness my cover artist, Jack Hoyle, of t-rexstudios.com is still producing the final cover for this title. The cover shown is just a place holder cover. Thanks for understanding, MR
Pharark, the Demon of Destruction, is
Due to illness my cover artist, Jack Hoyle, of t-rexstudios.com is still producing the final cover for this title. The cover shown is just a place holder cover. Thanks for understanding, MR
Pharark, the Demon of Destruction, is
