The Wee Ones - Chapter 8

The Wee Ones

A novel

By Paul McCann

Chapter 8

 

Some Old Tunes   

 

Marty took a hike on a fine summers day up the Glen road to the hills by of Pharnell where the wild flowers have scattered themselves all the to the old well that sits there by the old ruins of William Sheerah’s cottage . It’s a pity about the old cottage ,

With a little work it could be renovated and liveable again but no one was interested in that as there was a sad  story about the place . William Sheerah’s had left the land a long time ago to go and look for gold in a  place where they say some had been found . Then when he returned he found his cottage had been burned by some squatters who had made some enemies in the town . So William just walked away and left the cottage and the town and never returned again . Some say , he had  found a fortune in gold and had no need to live in the old cottage anyway .

So there it was abandoned in the Hills of Pharnell..

Marty liked to go there sometimes, to  make wishes in the well and play some tunes on his fiddle by Blackthorns Bridge where the old stream slowly trickled by.

So on this fine day he had come to play some tunes where not many would go .

The sound of his fiddle brought a curious cow around to a glade where it chewed the grass and mooed happily away until a stray dog came over scattering the birds on the path by the bridge  . 

The dog looked agitated and troubled so Marty called out once then twice but the dog run away at speed .

“You’ll never catch him now , you know. “ 

Said a high pitched voice .

“Who said that”  Said Marty  .

“T’is only me , the wee one from under the Blackthorn Bridge “

Said the little creature who suddenly appeared at the feet of Marty there who  jumped back in a hurry , His hat fell off his head and he started wiping his forehead and blinking his eyes several times saying

 .“Am I going mad or what , sure I must been seeing things :

He said ‘

‘Sure you’re seeing me and I’m seeing you and I’m not mad at all “

Marty went into the nearest village and stood on a busy street corner and played the tune he had been given by the wee one . Immediately  crowds of people  had gathered around to listen to the tune .  Attracted to the tune they asked

him to play it over and over .

Someone in the crowd asked 

“What is the name of that there tune “ Marty replied , 

“I don’t know  , it was given to me by a wee one that I met on the Blackthorn Bridge “

Even more intrigued they asked him , “ What did the wee one look like “

“ He had a suit of green and a tall green hat , long golden coloured hair that fell around his face as white as milk and on his feet he had black brogues with a golden buckle and in his arms he played a fiddle with a bow that drew smoke from the strings and the music he played hypnotised me and I went into a deep trance where I saw hundreds of wee ones come with fiddles and pipes and squeeze boxes and they played a selection of tunes that I could never attempt to play .

They told me that it was a concert for my ears only and then as their  faded away  I awoke on the bridge and came straight into the village with that tune in my head to play for everyone to hear .

Marty played it again to the people who were there and as he did everyone started to dance . They couldn’t stop dancing and  Marty played it over and over until the strings were too hot to touch  .  The crowd applauded and cheered and filled his pockets with money . They asked him for more but he was too exhausted to play anymore . The news soon spread about Marty and his gifted tune and people came from near and far to have a listen. Every time he played people gave him more money and the fame of his tune was growing .

One day Marty took a hike back day up the Glen road to the hills by of Pharnell to the bridge where he had seen the wee one . He started to play the tune and the wee appeared ,

“So they like the old tune I gave you Marty “

The wee said and Marty shook his head and said ,

“Like it they’re mad about it , ever time I play that tune the people are giving me so much money , I don’t know what to say .“

The wee one stood on a large stepping stone under the bridge and there he filled his hat with  water and threw it over his head . Then he started washing his face and neck he returned back up to the bridge and said .

“All I ask in return is that you restore William Sheerah’s old cottage . The tune is yours to keep and the cottage as well .

Marty stood there on the bridge beside the wee one  and said.

“I’ll promise to do that”

The wee one smiled and suddenly another wee one appeared , He was wearing a gold tunic with a green belt . His shoes shone like the sun and on his head he wore a tall pointed hat . He had a long red beard that almost touched his feet .

“Hello there ” said the wee one  .

“I’m the wee one of the stream and if you could do me a favour I’d be very grateful and even generous for your trouble .“

“What is it I can do for you ?”

Marty asked .

“ As soon as you’ve finished restoring the old cottage , could you widen the stream and put some trout into it for me ?
 
“Ok sure I can do that for you “

Suddenly the wee one started dancing and  singing and playing a tune on a tin whistle . The tune was such an enchanting melody it sent Marty fast asleep and when he woke the melody was still in his head and he was compelled to run into the town and play it for the people there . Every one gathered around and soon they all began to dance and cheer to the happy little tune .

When they asked him what the tunes was called he told them the story about the wee one who had come from the stream and gave it to him .

The news went out about the new tune and soon people came from all over the country to have a listen and to leave money for Marty .

As time passed the old cottage was restored and Marty was living there and nearby there where already trout in the stream that were swimming around and when no one was around , in the silence the wee ones played their music on their fiddles and whistles . The laughed and sang and danced away to the old tunes that had never been heard .before by anyone but them

 

End of chapter 8

 

The Wee Ones

Link to chapter 9

https://www.abctales.com/story/mcscraic/wee-ones-chapter-9

By Paul McCann

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