We ran across the wild fields towards the woods, jumping and brandishing our branches, which to the call of our fancy became magnificent gleaming swords. We ran battling our imaginary foes, we were fighting some evil warlords who were trying to steal the kingdom. Together we tore, desperately hoping to reach the safety of the trees where our legion of bowmen could come to our aid.
We darted through the trees, until we came to our special climbing willow, scrambling up with laughing delight, we had made it. I perched myself comfortably on the long stout branch next to Harry, waiting together with baited breath for the foe to pass us by. As we sat there, he wrapped his arm protectively about me and resolutely said;
“Fear not fair Lady, I, The White Knight will defend you from the evil foe.”
Then like a magician, sporting a mischievous grin, from his pocket he produced a crumpled paper bag; I intrigued, peered into the bag, and laughed;
“Why, they’re sherbet lemons.”
“Lady Emily these sweets will keep us safe, they are magic and will make us invisible so that we can steal away back to the castle without being caught, to regroup and fight another day.”
I smiled as he placed one in my outstretched hand, and we popped them into our mouths pulling our faces into odd expressions as we began to suck the acidy lemon sweet. The tingling sensation going through my mouth told me that the magic was working, the fairy dust infused centre made us invisible. But the magic meant that we could see each other.
So grinning conspiratorially, we each took another before we ran back to our parents who were calling for our return to the real world, a world of boring adult things. They would have had a fit to know we were eating sweets before dinner, they certainly would not have seen the importance of them in our war.
They were adults and did not see the hordes of angry armies in the fields outside our homes; they did not see the fairy folk playing in the cowslips on the green, nor the fearsome dragon sleeping in the church tower.
They were grown up and had long since left magic and fancy behind.
They no longer knew the sheer clandestine joy of magic sherbet lemons.
Clara Lucea
Are you a new visitor to The Iris Tribune and missed the last part of We Six? Find it here. https://theiristribune.co.uk/we-six-sailors-rest/
