From his hiding place behind the throne, Will watched until every villager had dropped off to sleep, including the May Queen and her attendants. Silence fell like a curtain on a theatrical performance. He wasn’t sure what to do: stay and keep watch over Willa’s sleeping neighbours or return to the cottage to help her. […]
Tag: Shut up and write
The Wrong Daisies
Will’s mouth gaped. What had just happened? Willa used her wand to stir the drops of potion that remained in the cauldron. Everything was as it should be: she could see tiny pieces of daisy petals, willow bark, nettle leaf and yellow buttercup pollen. She ran to the door to look at the forest of […]
Daisies Everywhere
The villagers were not surprised when the stone goblin disappeared from beneath the willow tree, or when Will moved in with Willa. What might have bothered them was that he was less than half her size, although his face looked older. Willa was quick to point it out when she released him from the weather […]
Kindness in the Time of Corona
In these days of pandemic, I no longer rely on friends or the kindness of strangers. I take my daily walk alone, plodded laps around the football pitch, no cheers or claps, while spectral goalposts lean towards each other longing for the raucous fuss and bother of a game. I stop to admire silver petals, […]
Hello Mr Magpie!
“Why ask the willow for a branch when my husband can saw one off for you?” asked the shopkeeper. “That’s not how it works,” replied Willa. She paid for her shopping, grabbed her basket, and left. Soon two magpies appeared in Willa’s garden, carved from driftwood she collected from a local beach and painted by hand. […]
Back Under the Willow
Time passed under the willow. The weather witch did not return and the stone goblin, believed by the villagers to be a sleeping gnome, was still propped against its trunk. Over time, dogs and cats sniffed at him, robins perched on his head, but no magpies visited. He soon disappeared beneath a clump of brambles […]
The Willow Tree Goblin
Long ago, a goblin lived beneath a willow, where daylight was green, and leaves rustled in the breeze. His name was Willow – Will for short. He was friends with a magpie that landed on the topmost branch each day to share gossip. One day, as Will watched a robin build a nest, the tree […]
writing in north norfolk 