A series of short pieces of writing forming different perspectives
around a common theme.
Teapot Tales No. 6: Lord Hanley
The long meadow grass was being scythed. Lord Hanley watched as a small gang of farm workers moved steadily across the field. A cloud of butterflies rose around them as they swung too and fro cutting the buttercup laden grasses on that hot summer’s afternoon. They were progressing well and would be rewarded with some extra cider at the end of the day.
Lord Hanley walked along a faint path through the cut grass towards a small hollow near the top of the field just below the oak wood. Here, a small spring emerged, its water held for a while by a small circular stone wall just a few inches high before trickling away down through the meadow.
Local folklore told how this used to be the centre of an ancient druid meeting place. There used to be a ring of eight chestnut trees surrounding the spring. Over the years the trees had died and the last was blown over the previous winter. A story describes how a young boy once went missing on a snowy night whilst checking some sheep. He had fallen very ill and was on the verge of death when a druid found him, took him back to the spring and miraculously cured him. Ever since then the spring had always been venerated by local people.
Lord Hanley unfolded a large sheet of paper he had been carrying under his arm. It was a map covered with ink script, notes, numbers and sketches. He held it up and looked at the landscape around him from different angles. He was happy. It would work. This spring would form the centre piece of his new walled garden.
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