*
… “It isn’t remoteness that’s the link to holiness,” said Bark Jaw-Dark.
“What is it then?” said PC 963 Kraas.
“It’s isolation… which inevitably leads into solitude. That’s supposed to be a negative but it isn’t. People who spend a great deal of time alone cease to be lonely, in fact they only get lonely when you put them back in a room full of people, so what is it they are then missing?”
“Getting a bit deep aren’t we?”
“I don’t think it is all that deep,” said Jaw-Dark. “It’s like you said earlier, it’s just natural.”
“I said that?”
“We take ourselves too far away from our natural state and we get lost.”
“I think that pint is long overdue,” said Kraas. “So what’s your final opinion on the birds?”
“Oh, the birds,” said Jaw-Dark watching one last Heron gliding in to land, “they’re most definitely in on it.”
Extract from But ‘n’ Ben
***
***
Chapter One
The Devil’s Door-Knocker.
” …to the Ogham Stone of Fergus mac Roigh
Then to fast for three nights and three days…”
A Hag Load of Lard
“Arbor Low!”
The tyres of the Silver Bullet screech like the death throes of a thousand pigs… her torso pitches and rolls and then rocks uncomfortably, eventually settling to a wobble as Wen just about makes the corner, takes it and then straightens her up.
“Sanctuary!”
“Of sorts…”
“…And a chance to gather our thoughts.”…
*
Day One…
The gathering was as warm and full of friendship as always and the evening went well, though it ended in good time as Don and I needed to find a hotel for the night. Between the uncertain health of the car and the even more uncertain and unseasonable weather, we haven’t booked anywhere in advance, so we set off in the general direction of Chester, with temperatures plummeting.
We feel Chester, at least, is attainable, even if Scotland becomes an impossibility. It doesn’t look promising and we are half expecting to have to return to the Field of Sheaves and abandon the trip. If that is, we can get back across the hills with the snow. It is that or head south…
The roads were getting dodgy so we checked into the first place we found… right under the landing path for Manchester airport.
Late autumn sleet has fallen and frozen so the footpaths are treacherous… all we can do is wait and see what the morning will bring…
*
…The contribution tin is closed and locked so we leave our gold pieces on the top of the lid.
“Too early even for farmers,” smiles Wen grimly.
We move naturally into ritual mode as we approach the maw of the recumbent circle. So much has happened since we were last here, although we have still not made it up to Fin Cop as instructed.
“Maybe that’s why things have gone wrong.”
“Have they gone wrong? We don’t yet know that for sure. We just need to know what to do!”…
*
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