The King's favourite - The story that won!
The King’s Favourite
Winner of the “Park & Write Competition, Theme for 2020: The
Adventures of Erle and Harper, The Victoria Park Stags”
Written December 2020
Copyright 2021
The
sun was setting in Ashford’s, Victoria Park and the iron beasts shone in the
dim light on both sides of Hubert fountain. As the real world was getting ready
to sleep the magical world was starting to wake up. Suddenly, fairies appeared
and flew down to circle the cast iron stags on both sides of the fountain. The
fairy Queen landed on their magnificent antlers. She examined the creatures and
knew they would make perfect gifts for the fairy King.
She
instructed her fairies to entice the King by only delivering the antlers to him
first. The fairy army men and women giggled as they set about the task of
unhinging the two stag’s magnificent antlers. They wrapped them up in gold silk
and left a sprinkling of fairy dust on the heads of each stag.
The
next morning passers-by could see the antler-less stags and they speculated at
how the creatures had been vandalised the previous night.
‘It
must have been thieves hoping to sell them to the highest bidder!”
“The
army must have melted them down for the war!”
No
one knew of course that fairies had been at work.
The
fairy King had been delighted by the stag’s antlers. They were magnificent and
the workmanship was flawless. He had placed them above his fireplace where they
sparkled and dazzled in the changing light. Everyone who came to visit him
would admire the marvellous pieces. The King couldn’t wait to meet the regal
creatures these antlers belonged to.
“Patience
my King, good things come to those who wait,” said the fairy Queen. She
twiddled her fingers and her army set off to collect the rest of her present.
The
army returned to find the stags had woken from their slumber and were walking
around confused without their iron armour. The fairy dust had done more than
they had expected!
The
stags called Erle and Harper, both charged at the slightest noise and blew hot
air out of their nostrils that left the fairies in a scattered heap.
Erle,
the larger of the two, charged at them recognising them as the culprits. The stags
may have been asleep but they had heard everything. Harper tried to slow Erle down
but his effort didn’t amount to much and the fairies kept being thrown all over
the place.
“Enough!”
said the head of the army and a thin mist descended on the two animals putting
them into a deep trance. They were once again wrapped in golden silk and taken
to be presented to the fairy King.
As
the stags were laid down in front of the King they were starting to wake up.
Chaos ensued as they charged and ran from room to room. They climbed on things
and continued to explore everything around them. The King was beside himself
with excitement as they continued to entertain him with their antics.
“These
beasts are the best present I have ever received! I love them” he laughed
heartily.
Hubert
fountain lay naked and bare in Victoria Park. It wasn’t adorned with
magnificent creatures anymore but just empty slabs. Its warmth replaced by a
vacuum that was never to be filled again. The locals were intrigued and stories
started circulating about the whereabouts of the beasts.
“They
were taken by witches to be used in their spells”
“They
were stolen by foreign agents to show their might”
No
one knew that Erle and Harper didn’t want to return. They were more than content
being the Fairy King’s resident pets. He didn’t just come to stare and admire
them once in a while like Ashford’s locals used to. He came to appreciate and
play with them every day. He made his castle their playground and gave them
food that made them grow stronger. If they were ever to be seen again no one
would have recognised them! Over time they had grown into huge animals and Hubert
fountain would have been much too small for them!
Erle
and Harper were said to have disappeared for good. Legend has it, if you hold
your breath for a few seconds on a moonlit night and concentrate hard on the
Hubert fountain you will see two faint golden silhouettes. They won’t be
stagnant cast iron stags though, but moving and breathing magnificent beasts!
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