Nov 15
All Hallows Eve…a tale…
NB: If you would prefer to hear me read the tale in a Welsh accent its part of this week’s Dodging Reality podcast.
All Hallows Eve was a special time in the little Hamlet not far north of St Davids, Pembrokeshire. Despite protestations from some in the area; Halloween was not an American invention but part of the heritage of all those who were Welsh from way back. Even the costumes were part of the ritual of the night when the spirits of the dead walked among those of the living. It was not a night to be feared despite what the local Christian chapel maintained. The night was one to celebrate the past and ones ancestors. It was a time to reestablish the chain of history from beginning to now.
Da was careful with the preparation of his elaborate wolf outfit.
Making sure that he did not miss one aspect of making it look as
real as possible. His outfit was inherited by generations of
his branch of the Davis family. He was now the proud wearer of the
skin, said to be that of the last wolf in the area, in the annual
grandfather before his death but liberally added elements of the
moves he made at his local metal club in Cardigan. He thought
himself as much Axel Rose as it was Druid.
All Hallows Eve felt like no other night, whatever the weather. Da
for his part felt part of something larger more natural than his
normal night. As he walked towards the clearing upon the edge of
town he saw all the Chapel families closing themselves in for the night.
He reached the clearing and walked towards the fire in the
traditional way; on all fours, joining the rest of the men in circle.
be heard. It would reach a fever pitch at midnight soon to be done
for another year. The Christian modern world shuddered in
anticipation of what was to come. No amount of loud praying would
drown the battle for the very soul of the community. The annual
battle between the evil spirits and that of the land of the living;
one that had happened every year since the Druids had stopped
sacrificing humans, cutting them up and tilling them into the soil.
Da knew of the time when Chapel and pagan did not cooperate and the town was almost destroyed by this conflict. It took the deaths of 1/3 of the town one ghastly Halloween to end the problem.
An uneasy, unsaid agreement had prevented any further massacres since then. The Chapelists stay out of the way while for those who practice the old rituals.
Da and his companions danced by the large bonfire compelling themselves from modern man to ancient druidic warrior. As midnight neared it was clear evil was in the air. A presence that filled the air with malevolence and hate.
The animals finally turned to face their foes and the battle across the realms began
