Gem Stones and Cross Bones

flatholm

Gem Stones and Crossed Bones

Albert the albatross

Met Gary the gull

From their perch

They search the blue horizon

And fly off to find

Where their spirits will guide them

And off and on, they swing in song

In the salty arms of the sea

In the up lifting palms

Of a rising swell

In the vapours which like volcanoes bellow

And toss them and turn them

Like pancakes in the air

Like Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire

They dance the midnight air

 

Until they alight on an island

And they’ve been gone for a month long

And the Briny had bind and bridled them

And like husband and wife

They endure much strife

Until the island may find and unbind them

Unwind in curls of curlews

And the coils of the spiralling vines

And the grapes dark juice

Like blood in vermouth

And fresh water they drink from the well

And the sluice will wash

Their feather downs on them

And that let it be said,

What cannot be said

Is that Albert was somewhat of a pirate

And Gary the gull did not know very well

And he went along like an innocent fledgling

To the plots and the schemes

Of the Trosse’s grand dreams

Of what he could stow on the island

And they came one day

To a ship all at bay

With a skull and cross bones a flag it

And as a swarthy swag

Albert swooped down onto a bag

And carried it off down beside him

And the ship’s crew blew

Their voices so blue

The whole sea could have come up from inside them

And they cursed the birds

And what was worst they swore

To track down and find them

Soon Albert and the gull

Had made land fall

And found the swarthy crew not far behind them

Jogging up and down in their boats

Mad as wild goats

Hopping in their rage to the island

Now the bag that Albert took

Was heavy as a book

Weighed down with the words of the lord

But when they opened it up

With a swift cut

They found there the work of no good book

Only that of an evil sword

For there in the black

Lay shining flax

Of gold as if thread to fine hair

And entwined around

A broach and a crown

With a ruby and a diamond set square

Now these gems had belonged

To a king for not long

For just after his coronation

He was mugged while on Royal tour

The jewels lugged to smugglers off shore

And the all the islanders said what an abomination

And these same pursuing pirates they were the culprits

But Albert could not preach from his high pulpit

 On which with Gary now he perched

For he too had become thief

But his life would be too brief

If to its rightful owners he did not make amends and be researched

So Gary stood true

To the Law which he knew

In his innocent way he must follow

And persuaded Albert likewise

To be as wise guys

And fly with him south to the king like the swallow

So off they went

Not soon enough had they vent

When the captain of the sailors he them espied

And taking direction and wind speed

Guessed what course correction they would need

And so in hot pursuit his ship smartly replied

Now to the islands of Fiji

The birds fondly journey

With cusp and a weight to their throw

For as the gull flies, so likewise the crow

(And less so the burdened Albatross)

So like a true cross

This martyred Albatross

Had to carry his weight for mankind

In the one hope to tell

That there would await no true hell

But a Kingly welcome in Fiji they might find

And just like a thief

Albert felt the relief

When he at last confronted his benefactor

And hoping his good news

Would prevent the King from his own abuse

Or shoot the messenger as malefactor

*****

Dropping the crown jewels

And broach at the king’s feet

Who now rode in a caravan of mules down the street

Instead of a crown of gold

He wore a crown made of reed

But his people still loved him for he was only good without greed

Albert spoke to Gary

Look how they tarry

They are in no want of jewels and gold

But Gary said to Albert

They won’t be fooled by the dirt

When they see their stolen crown as brass is bold

So they alighted in front of them

The caravan of mules

And their presence soon arrested it

Like they had brought from heaven some new rules

And between the gap

Albert emptied out the bag of jewels

And the King slapped his lap

And instead of a crown

He wore a hat made of reeds

But his people still loved him

For he was a good king far from greed

Albert spoke to Gary,

“Look how they tarry

They are in no want of jewels and gold.”

But Gary said to Albert

“Do not be fooled, this is no Port Talbot

And those jewels you carry there

Were stolen and not sold.”

So they alighted in front of them

The caravan of mules

And their presence soon arrested it

To a face down like a duel

And between Albert emptied the bag of the King’s jewels

And said here your Majesty, please take back what belongs to you and yours

Well the king was overjoyed

But asked these skyward buoys

Wherefore and how they came into their possession

And Gary smartly explained

That a Captain now complained

And pursued them both with a mad obsession

“He has sailed seven seas

Crossed pacific and Atlantic,

In a condition quite frantic

In his search for a purchase on his lost treasure

And it would be his pleasure

To tear us wing from wing

If he could only catch us at our leisure

But we have hardly slept

For this burden we have kept

To return it to the rightful King

But I fear you may expect

A visit from this prime suspect

At a day and hour soon in the offering

So king and country made their plans

And excited the caravan

To bring the jewels back to his fortress hold

Which though it be a meagre island in the chain of many

The King’s stronghold could not be said to be short of a penny

And for a goodly while the birds felt quite safe

Except for one day when the black flag was spotted bobbing in the bay

And they knew without delay

That come what come what may

The Captain soon would make his appearance in their stay

And sure enough at dead of night

With cutlass and flaming torch light

The terrible pirate gang made their press

And they scaled the high walls

And fired cannon balls

And brought to its knees the King’s fortress

But it was at break of day

On that terrible troubled bay

That the Albatross faced down the Captain

“You may step not forth

On this King’s berth

You must turn back and go the other way.

But the Captain’s steel cutlass sang

A song so close to the Albatross’s pang

That he feared stand long

Or the pirate’s path to cross

Then to his friends need

Came Gary the Gull of brave deed

And pecked the Captain on the nose

Oh what a bleed!

Now as every ship’s mate knows

The Captain’s red, red nose

Is about as weak as papyrus reed

And he hit him on the spot

That happened to be hot

With some Pacific Island type of Fever

And it burst and went on bleeding

All over the King’s ceiling

And the Captain ran off red faced

His crew in tow

 

So let that be a lesson

That it is a privilege and indeed a blessing

To say Bless You to a Captain

When he blows his nose

And even to a whaler

Who bewares an Albatross’s ill favour

And from then on he has been a friend to all good sailors

As this story shows

And your mind may begin to think

Whether Albert and Gary still do link

And a friend informed me who I know quite well

That they yet wander the big lonely drink

Like best buddies they give a wink

And happily climb up over the next sea swell

Larry of the Levels

Lazarus and the silver spy of the Levels

            The travellers’ tale began when The Voice of The Wind said to Eliza the forces of Stink the Mink will be wiped out when the ring of roses has been brought to the floor of reeds. Eliza Wood was a blind spider who webbed prophetic messages across tow paths, gate ways in hedgerows etc where they would be seen, by interested animals. Business had been going fairly well for Eliza for the past few hundred years but unfortunately he did not see the arrival of the mink coming. The general way of things he believed was that God had made the levels to be paradise and it would continue that way with the odd hiccough for the foreseeable future. Unfortunately the minks introduction proved a bit more than a hiccough in fact it left a very bad taste in the mouth and made a mess of all his prophesies. It used to be his signs read things like 'rejoice for a new dawn is come', and 'consider the Lilly isn't it pretty', then it turned to 'try and be an optimist', 'look on the bright side its not so bad'. In recent years his signs had read more 'the end is nigh', and 'repent your sins you are basically doomed'. His Friend the shield bug, Ralph Bernstein, tried to cheer him up saying its not that bad and at least you aren't an enslaved Rabbit. One day Ralph decided that something had to be done to help the levels and so crawled up to Eliza in his web and said Look Eliza you have to find a prophecy that actually works I can't stand to see you just mopping around like this. Eliza thought for a bit then climbed to the top most quarter of a nearby Scots Pine...and he listened to the wind. It told him there was a golden egg that held the secret of the levels its salvation from the Mink Dominion by Stink. There is a bed of Roses over near Godney at a Garden Centre. And In the Garden centre there is a sad eyed seamstress and she works all day and all night to make Rings of Roses. Unfortunately she doesn't sell many and so is very poor but in amongst the pile of dying rose rings which have been discarded is one magic ring that will not fade or die even unto the end of all time. If this one ring of roses can be brought to the golden egg then a new dawn will reign over the levels one of freedom for all animals except the mink, and will see the end of the cruel King Stink for ever. When Eliza had heard this he climbed down and told his friend Ralph who said - there you go now don't you feel much better now?

Lazarus McDonald had been chosen for this quest by Ralph, acting as a kind of casting director for Eliza Wood. Lazarus was an otter of some promise but had been frittering away his talents for fishing and hunting, by playing gleefully away down rivers and rills at the foot of the Mendips. He had made his living in the past through a number of outrageous schemes. One for instance was working as a bandit -for- hire by making raids on battery hen farms with a few wayward foxes. Another time he spent months lazing about near a fishery finding it a most easy way of life as the fish were practically willing to give themselves up to him. Though all this laziness had bored him and he had become increasingly over weight by his life style so it was a surprise when a tiny but self possessed Shield bug with the self confidence of a Lord of the Manor sidled up to him and recruited him.

Lazarus was standing behind a fence of a garden centre peering into the ring of roses production centre with his comrade Hubert Cherrybatten. Lazarus now upon seeing the stinking pile of dead roses was regretting his decision to join up. But the truth was that all the community of otters on the levels thought him a wastrel and wanted him out of their sight so it was his only option really to join a war party.

In front of him now was what seemed to be an enormous pile of rotting roses. In fact that was exactly what it was. The smell was really awful and there were a lot of flies buzzing around who had evidently laid eggs there. "But why do I have to go in there?" Because, the Brown owl, Hubert Cherrybatten said, you are the chosen one.

” Well it did not say anything about rummaging through rotting compost in the job description.” He protested.

“Stop being such a big girl’s blouse Lazarus McDonald and get in there.” There was something in the serious and stern way the owl pronounced his name that made Lazarus or Lazy Laz to his friends, feel compelled to jump in.

Sarah Sutton, who had made the rose ring, was sitting a way back previously with her back to them but with the scuffling sounds now turned and watched interestedly while an owl squawked at an otter who then proceeded to jump in her compost pile. Stranger things had been known to happen in the Garden Centre it was true, like the time a porthole to another universe opened up and Miss Sutton journeyed instantaneously to the prehistoric town of Clacton on sea bought a shell fish then returned, that had been about four months ago and it didn't involve an owl and an otter on speaking terms. Suddenly she saw the otter emerging black and slimy but with what appeared to be an intact ring of her roses. As unbelievable as this actually sounded the otter then ran off followed by the owl.

            So then the quest to travel across Meare began in earnest. The pair were soon joined by other animals the shield bug had recruited and they all met at the bottom of the lane of a place called Kirlegate and walked beside the gate. There was Samson Matravers the badger, who a fairly dark and difficult to fathom creature. There was Eliza Wood, the prophetic spider, a family of rabbits -Michael and Nancy Robertson and their boys Tony and Ned. A field mouse was there also by the name of Teddy Murdoch.

            To begin with they looked out across the estate of Kirlegate and pondered how to get to the Shapwick heath levels. This was a dark and foreboding place as they stared into its blackness a shiver of instinct which made them very fearful passed through them all. Their wild side kept the animals away from built up areas and so all of them felt a natural mistrust of their surroundings now.

            Lazarus was standing looking at his friends. This was the peoples state of Meare - it was a treacherous road and held many dangers. It was filled with people the good and the bad and had a criminal fraternity who ran a racket and were in with the peat barons, they cared not for the levels wildlife they wanted the mink to prosper because they kept the curious types from snooping in on their dealings and dodgy businesses.

Of the good there were some who stood up for the rights of the wild life but these were a precious few and their will to fight was crushed by the continual progress of the peat barons - unstoppable it seemed under law.

            Their enemy were the Mink and their leader King Stink the Mink. His tribe haunts the levels and besets its population with terror and destruction. The mink had already covered much of the levels, and had bred and bred. They were also greedy for wealth and power and had dug up much of the peat in order to sell it off to the people who lived nearby. The levels had practically become a city built of peat and filled with mink. In the middle of all this was Stink’s castle which stood set out alone in the bogs and lakes. It was an impregnable fortress built of peat, reeds and bird feathers all stuck together with fishy glue.

            The mink in their desire to conquer the levels had eaten many of the birds and wiped out many types of wild life. They had cut down trees fouled the landscape killed off small shrubs and flowering plants that animals like deer eat and enslaved the rabbits of the area in their peat works using them as digging labourers. All in all if a species of animal had not been enslaved by Stink and his mink then they had fled the area in fear of their lives, nothing much of beauty was now left of this once picturesque landscape, they had even poisoned the water to almost all except themselves and their dietary requirement -the fish. 

           

            The animals stood poised - a sound could alert the men folk who were wary of wild animals and kept pets of Doberman dogs and tabby cats to ward against their intrusion. The cats ate the wild birds and prowled the streets of Meare and were known to the animal travellers all around as the dreaded Meare Cats. Their strong hold was Meare Manor where they breakfasted, luncheoned and dined in great style and often invited their raucous cousins the Mink to come off the levels to join them, headed at the table by Stink the Mink. The head of the Meare cats was a cat called Moses, a mean spirited gypsy like cat who had two sons one Morris and the other Tobias.

Sometime later...Somewhere near the northern face of the isle of Meare.

Beckoning in the distance of a long forgotten pose

The brown owl scowls morosely at the rose.

By any other name it would but smell so sweet

And the name of this one went by

Was St Mary's Street

The cock eyed cockerel crew

Again

Yearning for his winter Hen

And above the church tower the weather vein

Wheeled and squealed in a mild sunny breeze

The village was drowsing as men cut lawns

The sound of drilling rang out

While mothers hung laundry out doors

It was a good day for washing

And the shabby tabby cat lazed

Sprawled out on

The tar pitch roof of the granny annex

Warming itself in the rays

Lazarus observed this scene here

With the cool serenity

Of one who knows his destiny is to travel across

The Great Plains and estates of Meare

And far from loathing the prospect of danger

Coming from many quarters

He courts it like a suitor to the otter king’s pearly daughters

Starlings chattered in ever amassing flocks

As the animal troops look to the West

Of the eastern Glastonbury Blocks

The Tor faced back at them the sun its

Glimmering halo

And stretching between vast plains of country side

Thick with streams of alder and willow

And next to these Lazarus spied

The dark moors of Shapwick heath

Now shrouded in shadow

As if beset by some dark ineffable force

Yet this must be their final goal.

"Long will be our journey guarded the owl Hubert Cherrybatten

And many our foe,

The road will be dark

And every day the enemy grows

But end in sight there will be

Even when times seem darkest,

Even then the floor of reeds (Rush) will call

The Ring of Roses to it."

As he stared across the levels which once were his home, a monologue began in his mind and he was lost in remembering more innocent times, before the rise of the mink:

The Reeds which mark the water's edge

Do stay to unburden my night

In them I have all hope of day

And think my future bright

They are the Natural statute

Upon which are written Nature's Laws

And they mark the edge of an otter's emotions

How he conquers all his fears

My heart is proud

Will see me through dark night

I will not stoop to fear

Though I feel close to tears

That nature has absorbed from me

She will not let it near

The mighty oak stands in the bog

Myrtle sweetly smelling sways

Pigeons flock across the corn

On long hot summer days

The sun pours down its virgin rays

Upon this holy ground

The earth its hold

As natures song sings on and on

In this place which has my mould

The midnight swans move on the lake

The drake's song is clear

The twilight to the heaven turns

A wheel on celestial sphere

Ladders turn into the sky

Where silhouettes of silence roll

Into passing cloud shadows

As into Nature's folds I fall

As if carried by spiralling sparrows

The animal troops led by Lazarus chose to travel through the gardens of Meare, as the lamp lit pavements were too obvious a route and the Meare cats would spot them, at least, that was the plan.

            Lazarus crawled up to the fence and looked over a black current bush into the garden. Then they snuck in. A light was on in the kitchen as old Ann the retired teacher was pottering around, she had yet to let Tobias the fearful nine- paw high cat back in so he was somewhere around. A crow came down from above in the frozen sky but Mr Matravers threw a piece of shingle and knocked it down. Then as if as a swarm more crows began dive bombing the animals and Lazarus lead them all into the safety of a potting tunnel. The crows flew off and the animals exited the garden onto the pavement.

            There was an amber glow to the estate, the tarmac road and drives seemed to suck the sound out of all living things added to this the layer of ice frosted curb edges and chilled the feet of the animals. The rabbits were shivering in the semi circle that they all made around Lazarus awaiting his command. "We must make it across the estate - the other side is Down's orchard and beyond the farmers' fields until we reach Shapwick heath."

“But what of Tobias and Moses asked a timid rabbit at the rear

We shall have to face them when our time comes.”

“And what of King Stink and his hoards? How can we hope to fight him after marching across those fields day and night we shall all be exhausted?” -Asked Nancy -Michael Rabbits wife.

There will be time enough for rest once we have passed our immediate obstacle - said Owl and that is the Meare estates and its Meare Cats.

Yes these are no mindless rabble of buffooning stoats and weasels we will be facing. Said Mr Matravers they are a highly organised collective of vicious Pets and their owners are all members of Neighbour hood watch. Even now their spies may be watching us.

Well that leaves nothing for it said Lazarus than to start right away the sooner we get moving the safer we will be.

Yes indeed Mr Otter I second that, we shall be much better in our spirits once we have passed out of this dark and gloomy cul-de-sac. - said Michael Rabbit.

At this the smaller rabbits started to giggle at the look Nancy Rabbit was giving her husband - as if to say one of these days father - you will have pushed this family too far. Even though after this, they all knew that she would forgive them and that to keep moving would be for the best.

           

            The animals began moving off in the direction of the opening of the Main Meare to Glastonbury road and felt their way along the edges of the plank board fencing that lined the pavements and meant a barrier between them and what ever lurked in the gardens beyond. Even though, Michael rabbit still felt a slight uneasiness and an itching began in his nose as they moved further and further into the unmarked territory of Kirlegate. And almost imperceptibly as he was feeling this and Lazarus too by this time, a fine mist began to descend on the troop. Before they knew it the entire road had become a blur -the other side now seemed a million miles away as a swirling fog enveloped them. Try as they might they could not walk without stumbling and then stumbling lead to falling and disorientated they came to a stop. Looking around Lazarus saw that one road seemed to lead to another and the whole appeared to him as a maze.

All we have to do said Mr Matravers is to follow the fence line surely. And yet it was not as simple as there appeared to be any number of nooks and crannies false ways and cul-de-sacs leading to who knew where. Oh we should never have come this way muttered the field mouse. Only a lion would have attempted walking through this terrain and at dusk too. Nothing much remains of our path; I can hardly see the tail in front of me let alone be sure of my or his footing. 

The owl gave a twit-woo at this and flew up into the circling fog out of sight in a minute he had returned to say that the fog was thick and was covering most of the levels but a bank of clear air could be seen on the road - if only they could get to this.

Lazarus commanded: We will go forward I will be at the front and Michael Rabbit you bring up the Rear. With this they moved on...

Moses had been settled in one of the big luxurious armchairs at Meare Manor. A roaring fire and his owners rich brand of pedigree cat food had lulled him into a sleep in which he was coughing and spluttering in a dream. In it He was Stink the Minks butler and personal maid and had been charged with scrubbing him down in a bath. No matter how hard he scrubbed the Stinky mink just would not lose hid foul odour. Moses feeling he was losing his master affections rapidly kept pouring more and more suds into the bath to make it better but this resulted in the whole room filling with soapy bubbles. Eventually the whole wing and then whole of Meare Manor was filled to the brim with bubbles and Moses was in a raving panic being carried away down out onto the street and into the Brue in a sea of soapy foam! He awoke to his own voice screaming -no more Bubbles Sire! Please No more Bubbles! And the rap taps tapping of a rook on the window. His owner hearing only the sounds of an annoying meaoow! Bellow forth threw a determined slipper at him and he scarped away behind the curtain. Now at this time, to inform the reader, I should mention that Moses had been planning a party and banquet in Stink's honour at the Meare Manor to commemorate his rise to the king of levels. This was to be held when his owners were mercifully away on a holiday cruise around the Mediterranean.

            Still here now again, what was that sound, a rap pa tap tap. The window! Moses sidled up to the glassy pane and lifted it a little to let the cool evening air rush in and with it the fog. Then as mysterious as a ghost, the large black rook revealed itself once the fog veil lifted. Sir- the rook spoke in that rough military way of a soldier. “A Party of animals has been spotted entering the valley of Kirlegate, wild animals sir with what appears to be an otter at the head of them.”

“Animals, Wild animals you say well there cannot be any of them left surely King Stink has eradicated them or else brought them under the whip in one of his slave camps?”

“Sir they are as wild as the day I was born, if you'll pardon the expression and they mean to cross the whole village that is what my spies have heard.”

"Well we can't have that can, we Leopold?" No we can't a sly faced Siamese cat said sidling up beside him around one of the ornamental armchair feet.

“You as head of ravens And Spy Master Rook will inform my son Tobias of this that is his district And I will be damned if a son of mine can't stop a few rebels from going against the herd. Mark my words they will rue the day they decided to cross the estates of Meare.” With this, the Rook left in flap of feathers and Moses had shut the window pane.

“You are aware that Stinks visit is only hours away and we can't have a scene like this upsetting the apple cart Moses?”

“Yes. Thank you, Leopold, quite aware and nothing that these scoundrels are playing at will deter me from my preparations. Now how are the decorations coming, they both walked off into the hall way talking on the banquet and how it was to be achieved.”