Keeper Of The Bonfire : Creative Writing

If there was one thing the fairies , evil spirts and forces of supernature didn’t like , it was a raging bonfire .

The job of collecting the timber fell to all the seven year old boys and girls of Ambersglow .

Usually all the men and boys cut down the Oaks Trees that stood by the lake of the Green Glen and then drag back the felled trees to the bonfire .

The women and girls would help to cut and trim back the limbs and branches , then   stack them up in a pile around the base of the bonfire .

Sometimes old doors and gate posts ended up on the bonfire along with chairs no one needed anymore .

Each year the bonfires makers tried to make it bigger and better that the previous year and this is one of those times when the bonfire seemed to touch the sky .

Usually after the bonfire was built a party was had by all the people of Ambersglow .

As the bonfire stack grew,each night a group of six children were allocated the job of protecting the bonfires wood stack because in the past the fairies of the Glen had come and stolen the wood from the bonfire .

Rory who was one of the child clan leaders ,
liked to make sure everyone else knew he was in control of things .

He was the keeper of the bonfire and each night it was his job to pick six guards  who had the role of guarding of the bonfire .

Excitement was growing as it was only a few more sleeps until the party .

The only danger so far to the Bonfire stack was a few stray dogs who had took a stick or two .

On the last night Rory decided that himself alone would stand guard over the bonfire stack .

It was a big responsibility to be head watchman and guardian of the bonfire
but Rory always loved a challenge .

The night before the fire was lit Rory sat inside the hut at the base of the bonfire . It was here that he would take his post and fend off all danger.

Local knowledge was that the Fairies usually left it until the last moment before making their move to steal the Bonfire wood .

Duriong the year Rory had put a lot of thought into keeping a step ahead of the little fairy folk and some of the supernatural forces that he and many other gifted people had known about .

He had many dealings with fairies magic and witchcraft and discovered how best to combat it .

He had more than enough knowledge and tricks up his sleeve to defeat them .

As night closed in Rory sprinkled some salt and oatmeal on his head to protect him from their power .

Then he lit a dozen candles around the bonfire to ward off their advance .

Last of all he made ready the music and craic . The forces of supernature were not to fond of people havings a good time . 

 
It was now the end of twilight and the day was swiftly leaving .
Rory lifted his flute and played a tune called The Glen Hornepipe .
It wasn’t long until the first of the little fairies came out to dance to the tune along the path into Ambersglow .
The first fairy was soon followed by a dozen or more of the little creatures who were fast making their way to the Bonfire stack .
The closer they got to Rory the more he had to fight off the terrible tiredness that came over him .

It was a usual thing for the fairies to send mortals into a deep sleep before robbing them or causing mischief .

Rory fought off the heavy tired feeling and watched a group of the fairies dance and sing under the light of the moon .

 
Then a few of them approached the hut where he was on duty and said ,

 
“Rory give us the wood from the bonfire.“

“Why would I do that when all the village are soon to have it up in flames .Be off with you now. "

Came the quick reply .

 
"We're not leaving without the bonfire wood."

Said the fairy folk .

 

"I'll set the hounds upon you then."

Said Rory who definately had the little men worried .

“Behave yourself now or we will be forced to place you at the top of the bonfire with a funny hat on your head and a sad and sorry look on your face that won't ever come off ."

The little man finished talking and then from hios waistcoat he pulled a horn and blew a trumpet blast from it .

The call ushered a huge fairy cavalcade that came galloping from the depths of the Fairy Glen .
Hundreeds of little men on horseback circled around the bonfire stack .

Faster and faster they flew until Rory rean over and lit all of the twelve candles around the stack .

All the little fairies horses stopped dead in their tracks .

The fairies all dismounted and screamed aloud .

" Put the candles out.Stop the fire . Stop the fire.“

Rory laughed and said ,

“What if I don’t?

“Then we will take you back with us to the Fairy Glen and you will never see Ambersglow again . You will be the prisoner of Fairy Ring in the msits of time forever" .
Rory laughed even louder and replied ,

“ You don't frighten me and there's
no use you trying to trick me because you know as well as I do that your powers are useless on anyone who has placed oatmeal and salt on their head.”

Saying that Rory furiously shook his sending a dusting of the w

hite powder in the direction of the little men .
Immediatly this sent the fairies into a deep sleep .

While they slept Rory placed a few of them into a Hessian sack where they were his prisoners until the morning light when of course all their power vanished .

All fairies held prisoners at the dawn
were answerable to their captors unless the Fairy King himself interviened .And so it was at the dawning of the day when a bargain was made between the fairy King for the return of his people .

The deal was a wish of Rorys choice and it was a fairies honour to make the wish come true withion the space of that day .
With the morning sun now in the sky Rory wish with all his heart that the village would have the best bonfire night of all time .

And so it was that evening when the sun went down all the people came out from their cottages and began to dance like they never had done before .

Tall stories were told and jokes never heard had everyone rolling with laughter .
The men showed off great feats of strength and the women began doing acrobatics like super human atheletes .

Sure enough it was a magic night all right . Everyone was having a great time of it .

When the bonfire was lit the very flames leapt high into the night sky licking the edges of the moon .

The bonfire was a wonderful sight and as the flames began to settle and flicker out the people placed spuds in silver foil at the bottom of the bonfire . Sausages on  skewers and chestnuts were placed in the embers around the fire and soon the people sat eating and drinking away .

What a night! The best bonfire ever.

Most of the village slept out all night until the new day .

In the morning the ashes of the night before told a tale . There was a track left from the bonfire . The track weaved its way back into the Fairy Glen and the tiny footprints came to an abrupt end at the huge oak tree there in the green glen .

The people of the village all followed the trach with Rory leading the way .
Rory found a written note pinned to the trunk of the tree .

The message said ,
You better keep a watch on your bonfire stack next year people of Ambersglow . For all the fairy folk of the Glen will be ready to steal it all away . Be on your guard . Until next time . Farewell .

Rory ripped up the piece of paper and
laughing in between his words he shouted ,
"I'll be ready and waiting . "

Sometimes even mischievious little fairies can be outsmarted by the wisdom and innocence of little children .

The End

By Doctor Write