Billyos Final Fling

Dunreece is the main village on the Highlands . It has a large community of ten thousand people there and the main industry is tourism . Tinder Bird sits on the quiet side of Dunreece . Most of the tourists to the highlands never set foot in Tinder Bird . There is enough in Dunreece to keep them amused . 
The few hundred people who live in Tinder Bird would dearly love to attract some of the passing tourists but have not ever managed to do so . 

The community in Tinder Bird had built some interesting Log Cabins to accommodate visitors . But all their efforts to lure some tourists had failed .
Things were getting desperate in Tinder Bird and some of the people were moving out . Most of them were looking at Dunreece and others even had decided to leave the Highlands completely . 

Dunreece had one big problem . A boy by the name of Billyo . 
Down the street and along the pavement he would run as fast as the wind was he . Brushing past people before they could see him . Billyo was so fast that he had become dangerous . 

Billyo’s parents were issued an ultimatum by the people of Dunreece . 
They had to control their boy or leave the town . 
Billyo’s Mother and Father were distracted and tried to keep him indoors but it was like trying to catch a shooting star . 

One night after dinner his Dad said , 

“Billyo its time for bed .“ 

That was the cue for Billyo to begin another running game . 

“Come and catch me first Dad “ 
Billyo said . 

His Dad ran upstairs and downstairs and around and around the garden until eventually he laid his hands on his boy . 

Out of breath and ready to loose his temper , Billyo’s Dad said.  

“Billyo . All this running around is going to have to stop .” 

“No ! ” 

Came the reply . 

“All right then in that case I’m going to have to send you to Tinder Bird to live with your uncle Bobby .” 

Said Billyo’s Dad 
The reply came back. 

“Oh goodie lets go Daddyo. “ 

“Right then go grab your school bag and some clothes, and I’ll meet you at the front door . “ 

Billyo thought he was going on a holiday and never realised that he was being sent away from his family home in Dunreece to live with his relatives in Tinder Bird . 

When Billyo walked up the road there was a tear in his fathers eye . 
His Dad had no choice . It was the only solution possible . 

He hoped that by sending his boy to live with his brother in Tinder Bird the people in Dunreece would adopt a better attitude towards him . 
It was a long walk to Tinder Bird but not for Billyo who was there a long time before his father who eventually got there . 
Billyo greeted his Dad at the entrance to Tinder Bird . 

“What kept you slow coach ?” 

With a tear in his eye Billyo’s Dad put his hand on his boys shoulder and said, 

“Right son . Listen now . There is no escape and no way back to Dunreece until you learn to slow down . Until them you’ll have to live with your Uncle Bobby and help him out around the place .“ 

There was stunned look on Billyo’s face . He stood there like a statue . 
After a few moments it sunk in and his Dad took him by the hand to his brothers house . He opened the front gate and walked up to the front door . 

“Well if its not young Billyo . Hello how are things?“ 
Said Bobby who stood in front of the door with an apron on and his glasses perched at the end of his nose . 

There was no response from Billyo . 

“How’s business Bobby ?” 
Billyos Dad asked breaking the silence ? 

“As ever . I’m run off my feet .“ 
Billyos uncle Bobby was a special kind of man . 
He was a cobbler and the only one in the Highlands who still made all his shoes by hand . Tinder Bird was a quiet place and ideal for him to set up his shoe making business . 

“Have you the kettle on Bobby ?” 
Said Billyo’s Dad . 

“Sure Tommy come in . Don’t stand out in the cold , come in . 

Inside Bobby Mc Breezer’s house were boxes and boxes of shoes . 
There was a healthy smell of leather that clung on to the air . 
A fire was burning in a fireplace and in front of the fire on the floor was a pair of pyjamas . Bobby McBreeze pointed to them and said , 

“ Put those on Billyo while I get a cup of tea for your Dad .“  

The two brothers left Billyo to put on the pyjamas . Suddenly there was a knock on the front door of the cottage . 

Billyo answered it and in came a very small fairy like creature . 
Woosh it went up the walls . Swoosh it went along the ceiling . 
Zap it went like a bolt of lightening around the room . 
Screech it came to a stop in front of Billyo . 
The with a swish and a slap in fell in front of Billyo’s feet . 

“ Wow .“ 
Said Billyo . 

“Have you seen fiddles ?” 
Said the funny creature . 

“Who .“ 
Billyo replied . 

“Fiddles . I always loose her when I have a fit of fastness . It scares her and she runs away . The thing is I terrify her with my speed .“ 

“I have the same problem .“ 
Said Billy . 

“Do you . I’m so sorry . I’ve lost lots of friends because I can’t slow down . 
But I do have another magic power and that is to remove speed from other people . If you can help me maybe I can help you .“ 
The fairy said . 

‘You mean you could slow me down ?” 
Said Billyo . 

“Yes . If you help me find Fiddles .“ 

“What does fiddles look like ?” 
he asked . 

“She’s a kind of grey haired furry little creature .“ 
Came the reply . 

“Well . I haven’t seen it . So tell me who are you ?“ 
Asked Billyo . 

“I’m the Fleetfooted fairy of the Highlands .“ 

“Really . How do you do Fleetfoot . What sort of a fairy is Fiddles ?” 
He said . 

The fairy replied . 
“Don’t be silly Billy . Fiddles is a cat , not a fairy .” 

“Fiddles is a pussy cat?” 
Came the reply . 

“Of course . We’ve been friends for ages .“ 
Said the little fairy . 
“I can find fiddles for you just leave it to me .“ 
Billyo told Fleetfoot to hide while he called his Dad into the room . 

“Dad could I have a cup of warm milk please ?” 

“Sure son ,that’s easy . I’ll get you one .”  

He returned to the room with a mug full of warm milk and handed it to Billyo who took a seat by the fire and put his feet up . After his Dad left the room Billyo placed the warm milk outside the front door and waited . 

It didn’t take too long and the sound of licking and purring was heard at the door . Billyo opened the door and lifted the cat into his arms . 

“Fiddles . Its you .” 
Fleetfoot was so happy to have his friend back again . 
He looked at Billyo and said , 

“I will keep the promise that I made and this very night you will be cured from the excessive speed and from now on you’ll have no more problems at your feet “ 

That night a heavy storm fell all over the highlands which resulted in Billyo and his Dad staying overnight . 

During the night as they all slept the fleetfoot fairy brought some magic leather to Bobbys workshop . Then he whispered instructions on how to make magic slow shoes for Billyo . 
In the middle of the night Bobby sleep walked into his workshop and made the magic shoes for Billyo . 
The storm was still around in the morning as Billyo awoke . 
He found the new shoes with a note attatched . 

As promised Billy . When you put on these shoes a change will begin . You will slow down and become like everyone else . 

The storm raged outside while Billyo sat at the table for breakfast . 
Billyos Dad couldn’t understand what was going on . It was amazing . 
Billyo was sitting still for once eating breakfast at the kitchen table . 
At lunch it was the same . All day it continued . 

Billyo showed his Dad the note and told him about what had happened . 
Bobby was inspired and began to think big business . 
The storm went on for a week which gave them time to think up some new plans for tourism in Tinder Bird . 
All that week nothing changed . Billyo remained the same . 
He walked around like normal people . 

“It really must have been the shoes .“ 
Said Bobby .His sign above the front door said . 
“Tinder Bird home of the magic shoemaker.” 
When the storm passed they both said goodbye to Bobby and returned to 
Dunreece . Everyone who saw Billyo couldn’t believe it was the same person . 

Other people heard about what had happened to Billyo and before long rumours spread all over the country about the magic in Tinder Bird . 
Buses were now arriving to Tinder Bird . 
There was now new hope in Tinder Bird . 

It was almost impossible to battle off the customers and tourists from Tinder Birds who put themselves on the map . 

Everyone who had left the town now wanted to return . 
Tinder Bird these days has a very successful tourism trade and people come from everywhere to experience a special kind of magic of the highlands . 

By Paul Mc Cann 
The End

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