 The Old Man
The Gateway (To the Kings magic kingdom)
The Owl (with my mum)
The Dragon
Storytelling at East Carlton Park: The King’s Folly.
ONE: CASTLE.
Once upon a time there lived a King called Cedras who ruled over a land named Mundania. He dwelt in a tall, thin tower made not out of ivory but wood. There he stayed with his faithful servant Ogri and an owl who usually sat perched right on the top, looking out over Cedras’s lands. The owl did not have what you would call a proper name; it was simply called Story Owl. And in fact, it was Story Owl who first told me the story that I am about to tell you.
King Cedras remembered that years before when he was a child magic existed in Mundania. All kinds of wonderful things might happen every day – and usually did. Children would believe at least six impossible things before breakfast, and just as many after that. Dragons flew through the sky or might lie curled around the roots of great trees, under which amazing hoards of treasure lay buried – the seeds of a million ideas that had not been thought of yet. The spirits of those trees and of flowers and even rocks could speak their thoughts in your mind and the world seemed bursting with great adventures.
But all of that had long since vanished. Cedras’s mind now was filled with worries for the future. Would enough taxes come in to pay for his armies and to maintain the great walls that had been built around his kingdom against invading enemies? Would the men who wanted to be king try to overthrow him and take away his power? Would tomorrow bring some unexpected disaster? Would he fall ill? Would Ogri or Story Owl desert him…?
So the king’s mind whirled with dark thoughts, so that he was rarely happy.
Then on a morning very like this one Story Owl hooted from the highest turret of the castle, letting King Cedras know that somebody was approaching.
TWO: OLD MAN
Before the visitor even reached the door of Cedras’s castle the king sent two armed soldiers to meet him – just in case. Hurrying a few steps ahead of them was Ogri, who reached the great door first, dragged it open and confronted the stranger. ‘What do you want?’ he demanded in a rather unfriendly way. But Ogri’s grumpiness faded as he saw standing there before him an old man with a long white beard and a flowing blue robe – An old man, and yet one with eyes that sparkled mischievously like the eyes of a child.
‘I have come to see the King,’ the old man said. And his voice was so gentle and so friendly that Ogri argued with him not but instead bade him welcome into the castle.
Meanwhile Cedras made sure he was sitting proudly on his great oak throne in his magnificent throne room. More armed guards stood as still as statues nearby. The king was dressed in his finest regalia; his chains of power, his crown of authority, his rings and bracelets of wisdom, his weapons of strength… Though when the old man entered and stood before him, King Cedras felt rather silly and overdressed.
‘Mighty King Cedras,’ said the visitor. ‘I have come to bring you a message that was given to me by a butterfly dreaming it was a man – or perhaps it was a man dreaming he was a butterfly. Anyway, the message is that something priceless has been stolen from Mundania.’
‘What!’ yelled Cedras. ‘I didn’t hear of this! Who has done it?’
‘Ghosts,’ the old man replied.
‘Ghosts?’ King Cedras shuddered. ‘And what is it that they have taken?’
‘Ah,’ the visitor smiled. ‘That you must discover for yourself by following me now…’
THREE: ARCHWAY.
There was something about the old man’s manner that made King Cedras trust him. At first though, out of habit, he was going to put on his Armour and bring all his bodyguards with him. But then he realised how foolish it was, for what help would all that be anyway against ghosts?
So instead Cedras decided to take only his faithful servant Ogri and Story Owl (who noticed just about everything and would remember all that happened).
They set off and the weather was very much as it is now. They talked of this and that and that and this. Story Owl entertained the others with jokes about pirates and Ogri spoke at length about his family (which was very very boring).
Presently King Cedras noticed a glorious archway spanning the path up ahead. ‘When you go through,’ the old man explained, ‘you will be entering another realm. Here you can begin to understand what your kingdom has lost, and we will be a little closer to finding those who have taken it.’
‘But what has been lost? And just who are these ghosts who have taken it?’ the King wanted to know.
‘Patience,’ said the old man. ‘But now it is time to choose whether you will go underneath the arch and, touch wood, pass through safely – or go round. What you decide of course will be very important…’
FOUR: WITCH
So the old man, King Cedras, Ogri and Story Owl stepped through the archway. Nothing much seemed to have changed, and the King was about to say so when he noticed how beautiful the trees were as they came into full leaf. And each tree was different, he saw. In fact, the closer the King looked the more he realised that every single leaf and flower and blade of grass was different; each being just itself and nothing else.
‘And I’ve also noticed,’ he said as his thoughts now tumbled out in words, ‘what a lovely view there is, just about whichever way you turn. And Story Owl, did I ever compliment you on your fine feathers…?’
Story Owl wondered if Cedras had perhaps taken in a little too much fresh air, but then the old man winked at him knowingly and the owl wisely understood that what was happening to the King was just what the old man intended.
They walked on and soon came to hear the voice of a crone, and ancient old woman, muttering to herself. A moment later she came into view, the hunched body of a witch mixing ingredients in a bowl. ‘What hubbly bubbly potion are you making there old witch?’ asked the King.
She looked up at him with eyes that seemed as old as time and yet as fresh as the present moment. ‘Ah,’ she replied in a cracked voice, ‘I’m mixing up Worrier’s Pie. Would you like to know what I’ve put in it?’ she asked. But even before the King could answer she began to tell him…
What do you put into worrier’s pie?
A wringing of hands, a moan and a sigh,
A grey pair of glasses, a heart that is sad,
A future you’re sure will always be bad.
The worst that can happen, and boredom and doubt
And nerves that are frayed and a bad tempered shout.
Hubbles and bubbles and troubles and toil
And thoughts always frightened and blood on the boil –
And never the value and always the cost
And the knowledge of fine opportunities lost –
‘Wait, wait stop!’ wailed the King. ‘This is terrible. You can’t cook up worrier’s pie in my kingdom.’
‘Just as your Highness pleases,’ said the witch, stirring it. ‘What would you like instead?’
‘Some happiness pie perhaps,’ suggested the old man.
‘Ah yes.’ The witch scratched the wart on the end of her nose. ‘But what could I possibly put in that?’
FIVE: DRAGON
This question gave the King and his friends much food for thought as they walked on. It wasn’t long before the land beyond the archway revealed yet another strange but marvellous sight – a dragon. The King was tempted to turn around and run all the way back to his castle, slam the door bang shut, hurry up the long spiralling staircase to the very topmost turret and then shut himself in there forever and hide…
But then he remembered what the witch had said, that we can all decide what to put in the pie if we give it some careful thought.
So instead King Cedras took the lead and approached the dragon, who opened one golden eye to see who had interrupted his slumber.
Because he was getting into the habit of noticing things more, the King now saw the way the sun gleamed on the dragon’s brightly coloured and highly polished scales. And he grew aware that the dragon’s great warm breathing smelt of the deep woods and of ancient years. And that eye, the wonderful glittering eye seemed to hold a thousand astonishing dreams.
Then the King caught himself falling under this lulling spell and laughed out loud, startling everyone. ‘Wait a minute. Wait just one good old-fashioned common sense minute! This is a fairy tale for goodness sake and we all know that dragons don’t exist and fairy tales aren’t true!’
On hearing this the dragon smiled (this was something the king had never seen before!’) and spoke in the gentlest and most beautiful voice Cedras had ever heard…
‘Fairy tales are more than true. Not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten.’
SIX: OWL
As the friends walked on the King thought that perhaps there was more to dragons than that. Yes they could be beaten, but there would always be new dragons and so there would always be a need for new heroes.
A little way on Story Owl suddenly gave a cry of delight and an excited flutter of wings. ‘ There along the way,’ he said. ‘ Do you see what I see?’
Indeed they did. Story Owl flew on ahead and perched cheekily upon the beautifully carved head of an owl.
‘Most impressive,’ said the old man. ‘Do you realise that this wood came up out of the earth as a sapling, grew to a mighty tree. And from one of its branches the owl was carved. I wonder,’ he added thoughtfully, ‘if it was there all the time, just waiting to be found?’
‘Well whether it was or not, someone’s been messing about with it.’
‘What’s that! Who?’ asked Story Owl. ‘Who? Who?’ this being a question that all owls ask themselves very often. But whoever it was, someone, some woodland elves or sprites had tried to ruffle the owl’s wooden feathers, put his beak out of joint, take that smile off his face and make him look the other way.
‘I will not stand for it!’ said Story Owl crossly. ‘The great sculptor made me, but I will shape myself from now on. I will carve out my own life!’
SEVEN: TREE SPIRITS
‘The trouble is,’ the old man said as the group left the carved owl and moved on, ‘The trouble is that those naughty elves do not understand the spirit of the woodland.’
‘The spirit?’ asked King Cedras. ‘Why what do you mean?’
‘Every place has a spirit – the spirit of a place is called its genius loci. Now some places flourish when they are loved and cared for and treated with respect. In such places the spirit is strong and you can feel its energy. But elsewhere, in forgotten corners or where people have damaged the ground, the spirit is weak and the breeze blows empty and cold even on a sunny day.’
‘This must certainly not happen in Mundania!’ King Cedras proclaimed with great determination. ‘Look, these woodland spirits are tall and proud and strong. How can we make sure they stay like that?’
‘Why it’s easy,’ the old man told his friends. ‘As long as people come here and appreciate the land, the spirit of this place will never fade.’
EIGHT: ‘EASTER ISLAND’ HEADS
Soon afterwards the walkers came upon three heads sticking up out of the ground. They looked rather serious and severe. King Cedras wondered how he might cheer them up: after all, he didn’t want people calling his kingdom Glumdania.
On mentioning this to his friends, Story Owl suggested telling the gloomy heads a few jokes…
- What’s worse than finding a worm in your apple? Finding half a worm in your apple.
- What do you call a dinosaur that’s fallen down and grazed its knees? I’m-so-soreus.
- What do you call a T rex with a machine gun? Anything he tells you to.
- Patient: Doctor doctor I keep thinking I’m invisible. Dr: Next!
- Patient: Doctor doctor I keep thinking I’m a pair of curtains. Dr: Oh pull yourself together.
- Customer: waiter waiter there’s a fly in my soup! Waiter: Keep quiet or everybody will want one!
- How did the Vikings send secret messages? By Norse code!
NINE: LIZARDS
Laughing until they thought they would burst, the group of friends walked on and before long came upon two great serpents facing each other in a quiet corner of the woods. Story Owl, whose hearing was very sharp, heard them talking to one another before the others could make out a sound.
One lizard said to his companion: If I were a spider I’d build a web to the moon.
To which the other replied: If I were a sound I’d be a beautiful tune.
If I were a butterfly I’d grow as big as a kite.
If I were a rainbow I’d glow and glitter all night.
If I were the sun I’d shine every say.
If I were a path I’d go the right way…
[What would be? What would you do?]
If I were a river I’d run to the sea, said one of lizards. Then they both had the same idea at the same time –
But today I think I will simply be me.
TEN: HOODED FIGURE
The king and his friends knew that their journey was coming to an end. They had all enjoyed their walk and King Cedras had learned more about his land today than ever before.
He had also learned quite a lot about himself and so made a very important decision. ‘You know,’ he told the others, ‘I am fed up worrying and hiding and trying to be something I am not. From now on I will simply be me and live my life the best I can!’
‘Well done Your Highness,’ said Ogri smiling. Story Owl gave a hoot of delight.
‘You have found what you might have lost forever,’ the old man said. ‘But there is still the problem of the ghosts who tried to steal what is most precious to us all – our true selves, the spirit inside. We must always be on guard against them.’
‘How will I recognise them?’ Cedras wondered. And at that the hooded figure who had been listening nearby spoke out –
Beware the ghosts that haunt you
And the demons who will taunt you,
Always there but rarely seen –
They are the spectres of despair
And the spooks of couldn’t-care,
The phantoms of perhaps-I-will,
The shades of might-have-been.
King Cedras understood the wisdom of this and decreed there and then that to drive these ghosts away he would rename his kingdom – Fundania!
Steve Bowkett, April 2011 |
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