Monday 13 October 2014

Story for Ollie



Once upon a time in the middle of Ireland there was a great big field, an enormous field that touched the the sea on each side. 
Each of the seas were a different size, the one on the left was a little sea that touched England. The colour of this sea was bright blue and from a high flying plane a small boy was able to see boats going backwards and forwards between the two countries.

The sea on the other side was green with great big waves and nothing but wave after wave for miles and miles, though it was rumoured that after thousands of miles there was another country, but as none on this side have ever seen it - well perhaps it may not be there at all, at all!

A boy who is called Ollie was on the plane taking his Mummy & Daddy to Ireland for a holiday to see his Grandpa & Granny and  their dog Toby. It was to be a special treat for his parents as they had been ever so good to him for the past twelve months,by taking him out a weekends and running errands for him.
Ollie knew that they enjoyed going on planes for he knew that it was the quickest way of going to see Grandpa & Granny.

They flew directly to Dublin from Birmingham without having to stop on the Moon as many other planes had to when flying in from other places and planets.

Ollie had a special job to do once he got Ireland, for there was a man in the big field who owned a red tractor which was driving around and around in circles not knowing how to stop. Which is why Grandpa phoned up Ollie for his help.

It was a special help that only the two of them could do together. It involved sprinkling special dust in front of the tractor before it would stop.
Grandpa’s legs would not go fast enough to catch the tractor but he knew no one better or faster than young Ollie.

The man in the tractor was getting ever so hungry because he had been going in circles for weeks on end and had only managed to catch a few of the sandwiches that Grandpa threw at him every day. It being Ireland he wasn’t thirsty because it rained every other day and caught the rain water in a bucket and drank from it. With the remainder he was able to wash his face and clean his teeth.


Eventually Ollie’s Daddy managed to locate the car that took them to Granny & Grandpa’s very old cottage, that some people said was in the middle of nowhere; Ollie didn’t like that description very much because quite logically every where was in the middle of somewhere.
There are some very silly people about with the silliest of sayings, for as Grandpa had often said to Ollie "why even the fairies know where we live."

Granny too agreed with this sentiment for she like Grandpa was on very good terms with the Fairies. Granny was also friends with the old Wizard who lived beneath an Ash tree just along the road from them, in a large house that was bigger and older than where Granny & Grandpa lived.  
The Wizard’s house had stone stairs and low doorways. His customary greeting to the callers that he liked was ‘Mind your heads!’.
To those he didn’t like, no warning was given and when they banged their heads he would spin them around to point them in the other direction. And so they would find themselves back at home. Such was the strength of his Magic.

Granny had been to visit the Wizard to get from him the Special Dust that Ollie was to sprinkle in front of the tractors wheels to stop the engine.
There were of course careful instructions on how this was to be done, of what to carry the powder in, for it could not be anything made of metal nor could it be made of cloth. Only an earthenware bowl that had been washed in the moonlight, licked by Toby and blessed by the chief Fairy would do the job. And only Granny could carry the bowl while Ollie, using a spoon made of green holly, sprinkled the potent dust in front of the tractor wheels at noon.

Soon Ollie and Granny had done their jobs exactly to the Wizards' instructions. The tractor stopped and Grandpa helped the man down off the tractor and took him home in a wheel barrow for the poor man was totally exhausted.
He slept soundly in his bed for nine days waking only each morning as the cock crowed and then went back to sleep again. On the ninth day he awoke had his stir-about ( porridge) for breakfast and cycled on his bike to Granny & Grandpa’s cottage, where he found Ollie and gave him a big shiny red tractor all of his own.

28 comments:

  1. I'm positive Ollie loved this tall tale ... so special.

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  2. Birgit H said: Oh that was an awesome sweet story!
    That was wonderful to read and I wear a big smile now!
    Thank you!

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  3. Wonderful telling of our adventures with Ollie.
    My back has only just recovered from carrying that bowl of special dust :)

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  4. This afternoon was a perfect storytelling time, its cold, wet & windy! Ollie loved the story so many of his favourite things in one story, including of course Grandpa & Granny .... I think he's rather hoping for a series of short stories ..... As is Snapdragon! Xx

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    1. I would loved to have seen his face during the telling and there may well be a few more odd yarns to come, depending on the fertility of my imagination.

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  5. What a wonderful story, I'm sure Ollie enjoyed it as much or perhaps even more than I did. How lucky he is to have a Grandpa who's such a good story teller. My Irish Grandpa use to spin yarns too.

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    1. Thank you Janet, am so glad that you enjoyed Ollies story :)

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  6. I liked your magic tractor story, Heron. Most rural children here in West Cork can tell you what make and model of every passing tractor. I love the vintage Ford tractor especially!

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    1. Thank you Dave. I thought that you being a small farmer would appreciate the story and I just hope that you will never ever have to use our services :) hehe !

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    2. Nobody can tell a good story better than an Irishman.

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    3. That is a very unfortunate comment to make Ms Weaver because I am not Irish ! :) however, on their behalf I will say thank you !!!

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  7. Carmen said:
    I wish I could go to the wizards house, too! It sounds most interesting and I would make sure, not to bump my head!

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    1. Thank you Carmen x.
      If my memory serves me correctly, then you were in the Wizards house many years ago with JW

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  8. wonderful story. look forward to more to come.

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  9. Love a story involving faeries. I found this recently Mel and thought it was so special. http://theirishfairydoorcompany.com/
    I remember going to the faery rock for picnics with my mam as a kid and trying so hard to see if I could see them. xx

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    1. On seeing faeries there is a rumour that a person is more likey to see them if they have partaken of acid or magic mushrooms, in their past.
      So I guess that you as a child did not see any.

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  10. I am beyond delighted!! What a pleasure to read this morning. Thank you so much!!
    And I am now demanding more stories of Ollie and his magical family.

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    1. My sincere thanks to you Carol.
      Oh goodness me! Am not sure that supply can meet the demand, I think a certain amount of patience is required of you young woman :)

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    2. I will try, very hard, to be patient! ;)
      x

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  11. What a truly lovely story to send me of to the land of nod with tonight. This is really delightful, Mel. More please! And how did you know I had a thing for tractors…..?

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    1. Am very glad that you liked this story Val and your comments are greatly appreciated. In regard to 'tractors' didn't you write a farming story ?

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    2. I did! You're right, but there were no tractors involved. I couldn't afford one then and just had half a Renault 4 and a Beetle to manage with :)

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