The Wee Ones And The Bonfire

By Paul McCann

 

 On the seventh day of the seventh month about half a mile from the Fairy Glen on the path to Ambersglow you would find the Village bonfire being built . Around the bonfire stack you would be sure to hear the laughter of the boys and girls at play .

As the story goes the fire was lit to keep away the mischief makers .
or the Wee ones as some often called them .

If there was one thing the wee ones 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 the boys cut down the Oaks Trees that stood by the lake of the Green Glen . A number of the boys would then drag back the felled tree back to the bonfire .The girls would then cut off the limbs and branches and begin to stack them up in a pile . 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 wee ones of the Glen had come and stolen the wood from the bonfire .

Rory who was one of the child leaders liked to make sure everyone else knew that he was in control of things .
Each night it was Rory who picked the six guards of the stack .

Excitement was growing and 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 . These were easily driven off by the kids .

But as the big night drew near it was then that Rory took a more forward role with the guarding of the bonfire .

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 wee ones usually left it until the last moment before making their move to steal the Bonfire wood .

 

During the year Rory had put a lot of thought into keeping a step ahead of the wee ones and had spent months studying about their magic and now knew best the proper way to combat it .

 

Rory had more than enough knowledge and tricks up his sleeve to defeat the wee ones and as the final night closed Rory sprinkled some salt and oatmeal on his head to protect him from their power .

 Then he placed  a dozen candles around the bonfire to ward off their advance . Last of all he got ready the music and craic .

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 wee ones  came out to dance to the tune along the path into Ambersglow .
The first wee one 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 wee ones 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 wee ones  dance and sing under the light of the moon .
Then a few of them approached the hut where he was on duty and said ,t
“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. "

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

"I'll set the hounds upon you then."
Said Rory who definitely had the little men worried .

“Be have 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 his waistcoat he pulled out a shining bugle horn and with a deep breath he trumpeted out a blast from
it . The call ushered a huge fairy cavalcade that came galloping from the depths of the Fairy Glen .
Hundreds 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 wee ones 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 mists 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 white powder in the direction of the little men .
Immediately this sent the wee ones into a deep sleep .

While they slept Rory put a few of them into a hessian sack he had brought and now the wee ones were his prisoners until the morning light when of course all their power vanished .

 

It was a well known fact in the mystic that any fairy folk held prisoner at the dawn of a new day were answerable to their captors unless the Fairy King himself intervened .

 

And so it was at this very dawn when a bargain was made between the fairy King for the return of the wee ones Rory had in the sack .

The deal was a wish of Rorys choice and it was on the Fairy Kings honour to make the wish come true within the space of that day .
After all was agreed Rory set free the wee ones and now with the morning sun in the sky Rory wished 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 athletes .
Sure enough it was a magic night all right . Everyone was having a great time of it . 

 

The bonfire was alight and the flames leapt high into the night sky licking the edges of the moon . It was a wonderful sight and as the flames began to settle and flicker out the people placed in potatoes in silver foil at the bottom of the bonfire . There were sausages and skewers with meat , there were chestnuts and even some marshmallows placed in with the dying embers around the bottom of the fire .

People sat eating and drinking away . Singing songs and reciting poetry .

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 track 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 . "

The End