Copyright © 2019 Andy Rothwell
The moral right of the author has been asserted.
Apart from any fair dealing for the purposes of research or private study, or criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, this publication may only be reproduced, stored or transmitted, in any form or by any means, with the prior permission in writing of the publishers, or in the case of reprographic reproduction in accordance with the terms of licences issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency. Enquiries concerning reproduction outside those terms should be sent to the publishers.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
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For my big sister, Julie.
The one who tells me to keep on writing.
The one always believing.
THANK YOU.
Contents
THE FARM
A TOMCAT’S TREACHERY
MAGIC IN THE WOODS
THE WHITE WINDMILL
LAMBS TO THE SLAUGHTER
MOONLIGHT MASSACRE
A ROYAL HIJACK
SPELLBOUND
FOLLOW THE WINDING STAIR
LYCONIA
SAD GOODBYES
THE DRAGON WITH NO SHOES
A MONSTER IN THE NIGHT
INTO THE VALLEY
JUHEE’S WHEEL
THE AMPHITHEATRE
THE LOST CHILDREN
MOONSTEPS TO A MONSTER
THE MONSTER’S MISTAKE
ALICE AND THE SCOBBERLOTCHER
SETKA
SOFT HANDS UPON HARD ROCK
THE CISTERN
BALLERINAS IN A BOX
HELL IN A CELL
KNITTING THE LIGHTNING
THE TIDE TURNS
PHOENIX
SHORES OF THE SEVEN
ANGELS, DEMONS AND ALICE
THE WHEEL OF FORTUNES
ALL FOR ONE, ONE FOR ALL
THE FARM
Once upon a time, in fields of green,
lived a lamb, in a place so serene,
shire type country, many rolling hills,
meadows of flowers, and scattered windmills,
the lamb has a name, Minty she is called,
each new day she is enthralled,
jumping and prancing most of the day,
being happy with friends, playing the day away.
Minty lives on a farm, many animals filled,
the farmhouse is of grey stone build,
old farmer Joe and wife live alone,
loving their animals, cruelty never known,
their children have grown, and gone away,
sometimes, they do come back to stay,
but not for long, they have important careers,
and must return quickly, despite mother’s tears.
Two sheep dogs and a tomcat roam free,
avoiding each other as much as can be,
Jasper and Sammy, the dogs are named,
both now retired, age and injury maimed,
the cat is called Ginger, a powerful young beast,
vicious and cruel, always hunting for a feast,
a gingerest of ginger, yellow menacing eyes,
claws of razors, to all he defies.
One day, with sunny blue skies,
without a cloud, for the sun to disguise,
Ginger struts confidently through the farm,
thinking no animal dare do him harm,
Ginger and the dogs meet in the yard,
Jasper and Sammy quickly on their guard.
The dogs are teased by the cat,
‘You are both old, useless, and grow fat!’
Jasper stares at Ginger, with great disdain,
then speaks quietly, for Ginger’s attention to gain,
‘You are young and foolish, without any fear,
your end will come soon, you grow too cavalier.’
Ginger looks each dog in the eye,
then really lets his insults fly,
‘Out of my way decrepit hounds,
your creaking bones soil this ground,
you should be shot, and laid to rest,
you cannot work, youth dispossessed.’
Jasper and Sammy may be old,
but can still fight, and can still be bold,
together as one, they stalk the cat,
barring fangs, growling and all that,
Ginger starts to hiss, and wave his tail,
as the dogs grow closer, Ginger starts to wail.
Suddenly, Minty comes charging through,
leading her friends to pastures new,
farmer Joe follows, with two young working dogs,
Ben and Harvey, sons of the retired older dogs,
many lambs follow, jumping with delight,
one lands on Ginger, giving him quite a fright.
So much so, he leaps into a barn,
where two giant horses stand, having a yarn,
Hayley and Hubert they are called,
proud and powerful, ready to scald,
one is black and one is white,
they stand and snigger in pure delight.
‘Why so scared of a gentle, little lamb?
So much so it makes you scram,
tomcat, tomcat, wild as a rat?
No, not you! You are just a scared, scaredy cat!’
Hubert mocks Ginger, then laughs out loud,
the horses dislike of Ginger, can never be unbowed,
Jasper and Sammy watch on from outside,
their amusement, they cannot hide.
Also watching out of sight,
two tiny creatures sitting upright,
down in the corner, is Mr. and Mrs. mouse,
Marvin and Mable, outside their house,
Ginger has taken all their offspring this year,
retribution, they would hold dear.
Ginger is extremely angry, he has lost face,
he makes his exit slowly, but still with some grace,
his mind is racing, he plots his revenge,
his embarrassment, he must avenge.
‘Those pesky lambs, the one at the front,
Minty, she is the one I shall confront,’
Ginger says quietly as he walks on,
towards the meadow, and the lambs thereon.
Through the farm, Ginger makes his way,
past animal pens, strewn with hay,
chickens, goats and ponies, pigs in mud too,
Ginger says, licking his lips, ‘Perfect for stew!’
Birds in aviaries, squeak and squawk,
owls and hawks watch Ginger walk,
a
ll animals kept clean, tidy and proper,
no chance any will come a cropper.
Ginger reaches the meadow, then steps onto the grass,
a stunning place, surely nothing can surpass,
the meadow is large, many colourful flowers abound,
a perfect summers day has been crowned,
in the centre, a large pond sits,
life aplenty it permits,
fish underwater, turtles on top,
birds above fly speedily, non stop.
At the far side of the meadow, sits a wood,
a foreboding place, that is misunderstood,
myth and legend shroud this place,
the stories now told are greatly misplaced,
beyond, on the horizon, something to admire,
’tis the monstrous hill of Pendleshire.
Ginger walks on, the lambs are in sight,
he is looking forward to giving them a fright,
he nears the pond but his attention is drawn,
easy prey awaits, not long born,
Montgomery and Masie, Mr. and Mrs. Mandarin duck,
have lost a chick, somewhere it is stuck,
Ginger spots movement in the grass,
he rushes over, for the chick to harass.
The chick is innocent, with soft fluffy hair,
and is new to life, therefore blissfully unaware,
of the predator that lurks nearby,
with intent to strike, for the chick to die.
Ginger torments and teases the scared chick,
tossing it high into the air, flick after flick,
Ginger decides to end this game,
’tis time for another life to claim.
But suddenly it is Ginger who rises high into the sky,
surely he has never jumped so high,
he screams out and wails in pain,
what is happening? His fear he cannot contain,
Ginger lands by the water’s edge, still in shock,
instantly, he suffers a vigorous knock,
as Minty and pals race past playing,
Minty bumps into Ginger, sending him splaying,
into the water, so cold and deep,
he splashes wildly, before up the bank he creeps.
Ginger’s attacker walks slowly into sight,
Hamish the Grey Heron, a huge bird full of might,
Hamish is Scottish and just passing through,
he hates cats and the needless killing they do.
Ginger is wet, soggy and cold,
and is not now feeling quite so bold,
as the mighty bird walks his way,
a huge orange dagger like beak, leads the way.
Hamish stands looking down,
then speaks with contempt and a frown,
‘You only attack what cannot fight back,
you kill for pleasure, not for a snack,
you are not wild, and are well fed,
you are small and pampered, with a cosy bed,
come near this pond ever again,
I shall peck your eyes out, and enjoy your pain,
be away with you, foul cat,
you stain this wonderful habitat.’
Hamish then lunges at Ginger, his beak almost hits,
Ginger jumps into the pond, his humiliation at new limits,
Hamish flies away, the chick returns to mum and dad,
Minty and pals look on, what a fun day they have had,
upon leaving the pond, raging and downbeat,
Ginger glares at Minty, his hatred now complete.
A TOMCAT’S TREACHERY
That night, an unhappy Ginger rests by the fire,
mulling over the situation, so dire,
“That lamb must suffer, that lamb must pay.”
His mind repeats in anger and dismay,
but Ginger must be clever and wily as a fox,
as farmer Joe loves all of his flocks,
the fire dances, spits and pops,
after a while, the penny drops.
He must befriend his foe by way of deceit,
gain her trust, for revenge to complete,
Ginger has a plan, wicked and spiteful,
one so shocking, truly frightful,
he stretches out with a wry smile,
tomorrow he will show his feline guile,
Ginger goes to sleep happy and content,
looking forward to the lamb’s lament.
Morning comes,’tis pouring with rain,
pitter patter on windows, water gushing down drains,
an orchestra of noise fills the room,
today is the start of Minty’s doom.
Ginger goes to a stable, where the lambs live,
he talks to Minty, both friendly and impassive,
Minty thinks she has made a new friend,
but Ginger knows, this is the start of the end,
two more days Ginger visits the stable,
laughing and joking, hiding beneath a cloak of betrayal,
one more day and the lamb is ensnared,
in the web of a plan, very well prepared.
After a day playing in the meadow,
the lambs bed down, tired and mellow,
Ginger arrives and approaches his foe,
he is about to deliver a cutting blow,
Ginger acts upset and says he feels despair,
but has news he really must share,
Ginger speaks quietly, looking into Minty’s eyes,
his enemy and foe, one to despise,
‘Farmer Joe is selling you on,
off to the slaughterhouse, it will not be long,
I heard him say that, just last night,
laughing and joking with great delight,
his wife says she will slow cook you in a pot,
the biggest cooking pot she has got!
They call you Lambshank now, with a grin,
and ready the pot to cook you therein,
farmer Joe sang together with wife,
dancing around with a large carving knife,
“Oh Lambshank, Lambshank, meat on the bone,
mint sauce and gravy, the best is always homegrown,
carrots, sprouts and spuds, put into a pot,
lovely leeks and peas, with sweet shallots,
Lambshank and chop, diced chunks too,
oh what a fine stew to be made from you.”
Keep it secret Minty, no one must know,
that you know of farmer Joe’s plan to let you go,
your friends are safe, not part of the plan,
you must be smart and flee when you can,
if farmer Joe is told you are aware,
there can be no escape, only great despair.’
Ginger then turns and runs away,
leaving poor Minty in shock and dismay.
Minty has an uncomfortable and restless sleep,
as terrible dreams do creep,
inside the lamb’s innocent mind,
visions of torment, from one thought kind,
how could farmer Joe be so cruel?
Playing out such a pretence, she feels like a fool.
Three days pass, no sign of the cat,
Minty is scared, where is the cat at?
Minty wonders this, day and night,
while Ginger laughs at Minty’s plight.
Day four is gloomy, a blanket of white covers the sky,
Ginger heads for the meadow, with more words to falsify,
Minty stands alone at the meadow’s edge,
nibbling on some leaves, on a nearby hedge,
Ginger speaks
quietly as he nears the lamb,
‘I am sorry for not visiting you, I really am,
but Jasper and Sammy, those pesky dogs,
have been watching me like watching watchdogs,
thanks to them time is short,
and I have shocking news to report,
just the other night, farmer Joe said to wife,
“’Tis time to sharpen the carving knife,
the lorry is coming to take Minty away,
soon she will see her very last day.”
But have no fear, I have a plan,
but you must leave quickly, run as fast as you can,
through the wood, to the other side,
soon you will find a magic meadow to reside,
the grass is oh so sweet, blessed by fairy folk,
flowers sing and sway, under a summer’s cloak,
you will be safe and protected from farmer Joe,
as he is too scared to go.
He says, “The Weeping Willow Wood is cursed,
with spells of old,
by dark fairy magic, the wood is controlled,
how can a wood be only one tree?
Powerful spirits lurk, waiting to catch thee.”
But this is nonsense and untrue,
I promise there is nothing there to harm you.’
Minty stops chewing and looks into Ginger’s eyes,
a magic meadow beyond the woods,
this is a great surprise!
Minty’s mind is racing, a chance of escape,
but she has doubts about the unknown landscape,
‘Is this place far, may I ask?
I am only little, my legs may not last.’
Ginger smiles, his plan is working,
he answers Minty, while softly smirking,
‘It is not far for you to abscond,
just past round the back, of the back of beyond,
then into the middle of next week,
after a palaver, here you will find what you seek.’
Once again Ginger turns and runs away,
leaving Minty to dream of safety, in magic lands not
too faraway.
The following day, Ginger finds Minty
in the meadow with friends,
playing near the wood at the meadow’s end,
he calls Minty over so they can speak,
‘The lorry is coming for you today,
it draws near as we speak,
quickly, go into the wood and flee for your life,
before you end up in the pot of farmer Joe’s wife.’
The Lambshank Redemption Page 1