caused by naïve innocence, and a lack of mistrust.
The lorry speeds recklessly along country lanes,
mile after mile, a great speed it maintains,
soon it reaches the great hill of Pendleshire,
then races around the back, heading to the place so dire,
the slaughterhouse will quickly be upon the sheep,
the lambs remain silent, so scared some start to weep.
Then, without warning, flying around a bend,
the lorry hits a pothole, no one wants to mend,
the driver loses control, it rolls onto its side,
then careers violently towards a wall, and does collide,
through the wall it crashes,
then into the ground it smashes.
Minty is knocked out,
as the lambs are thrown about,
she wakes up, after a long sleep,
and hears only silence, not even a bleat,
the lorry’s door is open, the lambs have been freed,
none have died, a lucky escape indeed!
Minty walks cautiously out,
head hurting after a powerful clout,
the driver is gone, taken away,
she is alone again, to her dismay,
far ahead is the hill of Pendleshire,
to go above and beyond it, she must aspire,
for beyond the hill, can a magic meadow be found?
Minty can but wonder, but doubts begin to compound.
What if she finds no safe place beyond the great hill?
Then she must try to find the white windmill,
for there she feels safe, and hopefully windmiller Hew,
will look after a lost and abandoned young ewe,
but it is too late now, night time is falling,
wolves of the wild have started their calling.
Howl after howl fills the air,
a chilling sound, to warn and to scare,
Minty retreats back inside,
she will stay here the night, a good place to hide,
later on the lorry catches fire, giving Minty a fright,
she runs away, into the dangers of the night.
MOONLIGHT MASSACRE
Minty ventures forwards, into the blackest of blacks,
she must continue, there is no going back,
she crosses a field, through cold drizzly rain,
her fear grows and courage starts to wane,
because darkness has claimed the land for its domain,
so Minty must be strong for her courage too remain.
Wolves howl as they search the night,
they grow closer quickly, they must be hungry tonight,
suddenly the sky above is clear and bright,
a pathway forms before Minty, made from rays of
silvery starlight,
Minty races on, as fast as her little legs will permit,
through an open gate, into a field beautifully moonlit,
in the centre is a circular structure, made of stone,
hollow inside, a perfect place to hide and be alone,
Minty steps inside and quickly falls asleep,
It has been a traumatic day, for the young sheep.
But the wolves have picked up on Minty’s scent,
where she sleeps, cosy and content,
three large black wolves cross the land,
heading for Minty, with death at hand,
soon they find her, then pass through the gate,
side by side, their tender meal now awaits.
But something wakes Minty, so she runs away,
the wolves easily catch her up, and start to play,
they torment poor Minty, she has nowhere to go,
trapped by a hedge, the wolves approach oh so slow,
no escape to the left, no escape to the right,
now is the time for the end of Minty’s plight,
the moonlight is strong, shinning upon the wolves eyes,
they start to growl and terrorize their prize.
Step by step, they close in on their meal,
a moonlit massacre of a creature harmless and genteel,
Minty is so scared, she is unsure of what to do,
the wolves laugh, then charge the terrified ewe,
but a large moonlit silhouette appears in the sky,
over the hedge with grace and ease it flies.
A giant stag with enormous antlers,
stands over Minty, guarding her from her attackers,
it lowers its head to the wolves so near,
to show the deadly antlers of Deverell, the lord of all deer,
twice the size of a large stag deer,
he commands respect and to some, a great fear.
Four more stags jump into the field,
then surround the wolves, expecting them to yield,
the wolves know that they are no match,
and will relent to give up their catch,
the giant stag walks confidently forwards,
whilst the wolves take cautious steps backwards.
He speaks to the wolves in a deep distinctive voice,
with threat and intimidation, but gives them a choice,
‘This is my kingdom, you do not belong,
be gone beasts, or your death will not be long.’
Suddenly, a voice behind Minty says as gentle as
can be,
‘Hurry, come along with me, this is no place for
you to be.’
Darla, a beautiful doe deer leads Minty away,
into a place of safety, away from this dismay,
Minty and Darla disappear into some trees,
and into the deer kingdom, a haven from the night’s
cruelties.
The wolves have now started to retreat,
clever enough to know when they are beat,
even though the wolves vanish from sight,
the stags remain on guard, until the dawn’s new light.
So it is, Minty enters the realm of the deer,
sitting with Darla, watching a kingdom slowly appear,
out from the darkness, a new day dawns,
a meadow within the trees, with waking fauns,
polka dot mushrooms with sleepy eyes, yawn then sing,
giant butterflies wake, then take to the wing.
Goblin like creatures emerge from within the trees
bark,
a peaceful creature, and’tis time for them to embark,
on their daily task, their job at hand,
to keep everything clean and tidy, in this hidden land.
A golden light now covers the land,
Minty has questions about the situation at hand,
‘Is this a magic meadow, beyond next week’s back?’
‘No,’ replies Darla, quite taken aback,
‘What you see are the children of Gaia, ancient
and forgotten,
lost to the world, as it seeks its own destruction.’
Minty’s mind is a jumble, she is very confused,
so speaks to Darla, who seems rather amused,
‘All these creatures are new to me,
even yourself and the ones who rescued me,
although I think I know what you are,
I have only ever seen you from afar.’
‘If you have questions, then ask little one,
if you do not ask, a chance to learn has gone.’
Minty pauses then understands,
and so asks the questions her mind commands,
‘Are you a doe?’
‘Yes.’
‘A deer?’
<
br /> ‘Yes.’
‘A female deer?’
Suddenly, Deverell appears through the trees,
then stands before Minty, and regretfully decrees,
she may stay for one more day,
then must leave, and be on her way,
but he will not cast her out, without thought or aid,
and will assist as he can, for Minty’s escapade,
he will escort Minty to the gateway of Pendleshire hill,
there his lands end, but not his goodwill,
however, one month later Minty still remains,
all enjoy her tales of adventure, and the danger they
contain.
Minty says how she misses her friends on the farm,
and how they laughed and played, under the sun so warm,
Minty also speaks with sadness, about farmer Joe’s plot,
to cook her in his wife’s enormous cooking pot,
also how farmer Joe changed her name,
why would he do this? Minty does exclaim.
The lord of all deer grows fond of the ewe,
but knows that sadly, her leaving is overdue,
Minty must leave, there is no other way,
if spotted by man, that would bring chaos and disarray,
for this special place, a hidden land,
man would destroy, and turn into a place of the damned.
The lost lamb cannot stay, her time is past,
autumn is looming, she needs a home before winter’s blast,
where that will be, Deverell will never know,
maybe one day, she will find that magic meadow.
The day arrives when Minty has to go,
all the creatures wish her well, best of luck to bestow,
the giant stag and the tiny lamb, head for the hill yonder,
Minty’s adventure continues, what is next? I wonder.
A ROYAL HIJACK
Minty and Deverell reach the end of the deer land,
a long way to tread, but Deverell has done as planned,
the hill looms large, as they look upon the land,
just ahead it stands, across rural farmland,
today is overcast, cloudy and grey,
a cold wind blows, a typical Lancashire day.
Suddenly, Minty and Deverell’s attention is caught,
echoes on the wind, of a creature being sought,
sounds of barking hounds and horseshoe thunder,
shouting men, full of bluster,
a huntsman’s horn blows its commands,
as they hunt their quarry, across shire lands,
the hunt moves on, the sounds fade,
soon they have gone, chasing a creature dismayed.
Deverell looks down at the ewe,
then speaks words to help her continue,
‘The gateway is over the river, across a bridge,
follow the path and there it sits, upon a ridge,
if you get lost and cannot find your way,
seek out the river king, without thought or delay,
farewell little one, may good fortune follow,
and may you find your magic meadow.’
The giant stag watches Minty walk away,
he has grave fears for her, that he cannot allay,
lord Deverell vanishes back into the trees,
Minty enters a field, but stops and sees,
a wide river straight ahead, flowing strong,
through this landscape, where she does not belong,
Minty looks for the bridge to the other side,
she sees nothing but the river glide.
Minty walks further along the riverside,
it must be here somewhere, a bridge cannot hide,
soon she finds that to her sorrow,
the path she needs, she cannot follow,
the bridge is damaged and beyond repair,
the walkway across the river, is no longer there,
Minty stares in disbelief, the bridge is gone,
poor old minty, what a carry-on!
The day is long, afternoon is late,
and Minty still has the river to negate,
she walks along the river and sees straight ahead,
an island in the water, coming up from the riverbed,
Minty races forwards, she must find a king,
the king of the water, how exciting,
close to the island, sitting amongst long grass,
a bench is placed, for people to rest as they pass.
The island is surrounded completely by sand,
a small beach indeed, a golden band,
from island to shore, three large stones sit,
flat on top, a way to the island they permit,
but the gaps between are far and scary,
even great leapers should be wary,
as the water is cold, fast and deep,
a slip could give the river your soul to keep.
The other side of the river, an old mill stands,
disused and derelict, the march of time plays its hands,
a huge waterwheel still turns with grace,
a relic of life, with a much gentler pace,
standing upon the island, is a most splendid tree,
three trunks intertwine, while branches form a large
canopy,
red and green apples dangle like earrings,
from branches up high, a polka dot ceiling.
As Minty reaches the bench, something catches her eye,
a small bird from the tree does fly,
a flash of turquoise blue, with orange chest,
a long pointed bill, on the bench now rests.
Minty asks, ‘Are you a king? King of the water.’
‘Yes, I am the king,’ he says with much grandeur,
‘I am King Fischer, and these waters I keep,
why are you here? What do you seek?
Tell me your name, young sheep,
perhaps you are just lost, quickly now, speak.’
‘I am Lambshank, and I am indeed lost,
this river however, I know must be crossed,
but the bridge is gone, and is no more,
please, can you help me? I must implore,
I must climb Pendleshire hill, then cross it to the other side,
I only wish to find a safe place to reside,
so which way do I go, to climb the hill?’
‘The witch way is the path,’ replies Fischer, ‘A path
to test your will.’
‘The witch way?’ Asks Minty, ‘No, which way do I
follow?’
‘The witch way, is the way to follow.’
‘Which is the witch way? I do not understand!’
‘The witch way will appear before you, along a
path at hand,
past an ancient tower,
one of mystery and mythical power,
but the countless steps rising up from the land,
maybe too much for your little legs to withstand,
and without the bridge, you cannot pass,
but help me, and I will show you a secret underpass,
a tunnel under the water, to the other side,
then you can leave to find the hillside.’
Minty asks, ‘What would you have me do?
I am only young and little, but I will try to help you.’
‘My home is inside the island, in the river,
what I ask is peace and quiet for you to deliver,
for there is an imposter upon my land,
a gentle soul, but is now hard to withstand,
Hazel, the happy hu
mming hedgehog is stranded,
on this island, in a flood she landed.
She cannot leave, as she cannot swim,
unable to jump the stones, she is short on limb,
around my halls and chambers she flits,
a harmonious, happy humming she emits,
all day long, and into the night,
please help a king find peace and respite,
jump the stones, then sleep under the tree,
I have a plan that will work, I am sure you will agree.’
Minty jumps the stones with relative ease,
onto the island, where lives a king to appease,
up a small incline and towards the tree,
to the king’s plan she does agree,
King Fischer insists Minty stay the night,
his plan can wait until first light.
Day turns to dusk, dusk turns to night,
firefly bugs appear, giving off soft light,
thousands gather beneath the tree,
Hazel appears and comes over to see,
she sits with Minty, as the king arrives,
who lands on a branch, amidst the fireflies,
he looks at Minty, then starts to speak,
‘Come closer, I shall talk of what you seek,
the great hill has a dark and troubled past,
spirits linger there, of those wronged and harassed,
you must be careful on the Pendleshire hill,
those angry spirits will show you no good will.
A meeting long ago in a tower sealed their fate,
then taken to a castle, for their trials to await,
accused and condemned as witches of old,
for ten lives taken, imprisoned in dungeons; dark,
damp and cold,
waiting to die, for that was certain,
there was no escaping any wrongful accusation.
There is only one way to cross the hill,
if that be your path, but do not stop until,
reaching the other side, and the steps going down,
race to the bottom, daring not to slow down.’
Minty and Fischer chat long into the night,
Minty sleeps under the tree, without alarm or fright,
a new day dawns, fluffy pink clouds above,
’tis time to remove Hazel, with a polite shove,
Minty lies in position, as told by the king,
Fischer then disappears, for Hazel to bring.
Minty hears Hazel is on her way,
humming happily, at the start of a new day,
Fischer guides her to the correct spot,
atop the incline where Minty did trot,
The Lambshank Redemption Page 3