Paul rode his skateboard as he hurried home before it got too dark. School was busy as usual but it was not a problem thanks to his grandpa's encouragement and Mira's coaching. Today is February 2nd (also known as Groundhog's Day) and the prediction was he saw his shadow for six more weeks of winter. Paul never really believed in Puxatony Phil's so-called predictions because they were only correct 39% of the time (Paul personally believed the groundhog predictions weren't correct at all but mere guesses). As he continued on down skateboarding down the sidewalk he reached a fork in the road. To his left was a trail led into the woods. Paul knew this was a shortcut to his house and he been through there hundreds of times already; so he decided to take the forest trail. As he disappeared into the forest he heard voices singing something. He continued skating until he noticed several 10 foot tall figures (more or less) all holding torches. He wondered what people in the middle of winter were doing here until he took a closer look. They were all dragons singing in Draconic (their native language). Male dragons were all standing in a circle and clapping their hands. The females were inside the circles in white, long dresses doing a dancing ritual. In the very center was the dragon princess, Jasmine, who was wearing a tiara made of twigs and clutching a straw doll. Paul to a step closer to get a better glimpse of the merrymaking. SNAP! All the dragons stopped celebrating and looked in Paul's direction. "Ah, it's just a human, he can't see us." one of the males said.
"I know he can see us, don't you all see that expression on his face? He would have walked right on by if he couldn't see us. He must have indigo vision." another male pointed out. Paul saw the males wore nothing and he couldn't believe how strong and muscular they were!
"Uh, I was just passing by; I am not looking for trouble." Paul assured them.
"Likely story!" said the second male.
"Will you leave him alone? He's just a kId!" the first male argued back.
"It's alright, he's with us." a green female dragon pushed through the crowd. She was wearing a white dress like all the other females. Her horns and underbelly were yellow. "The princess personally knows him and has the asura Mira protect him."
"See, no harm done." the first male said. The second snorted back at him with his arms crossed.
"Mandrake, Wormwood, let us resume our celebration. I'll talk to the human." Mandrake, who was the first male, nodded and returned to his position. Wormwood muttered something about how no human could be trusted and went back to where he was originally standing. Rosemary faced Paul. Sorry about Wormwood. He is very paranoid around your species. He still believes humans try to hunt dragons for sport or out of fear but beneath all that he is a nice guy. Anyway, welcome to our festival."
"Is this a wedding?" Paul asked.
"Nope, nobody is getting married." Rosemary replied.
"Then is this some kind of--." he hesitated as he looked uncomfortable. "A mating ritual?"
Rosmary's eyes grew as wide as saucers, "Hell, no! None of that is going on here or even permitted during this festival. Sometimes our children come here to see this celebration." she said. "However; this is a fertility festival called Imbolc."
"Is it like Groundhog Day?" Paul asked.
"Actually yes, the thing you humans do in Pennsylvania was a part of the festival but the only way real way to tell if an animal is predicting the weather is only if the animal is cognitive enough to glimpse the future." Rosemary added, "And the human must be cognitive enough to understand the animal at the same time."
"No wonder the groundhog winter predictions are inaccurate." Paul muttered.
"Yeah, why don't we sit down on this log and I'll tell you more about the customs of Imbolc." Rosemary and Paul sat down on a nearby log. "Imbolc is an ancient festival celebrated in places like Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and the Isle of Man. Imbolc is an old Irish word meaning "in the belly" referring to when sheep were pregnant with their young." Rosemary said.
"So this is a fertility festival." Paul said.
"Yes, it is a holiday that celebrates the fact that women continue on the cycle of life. Many of these festivals were feminine oriented, but guys weren't unincluded, the men played important roles too. Imbolc is also known as Oimelc or Lady Day. Traditionally, women and men dressed in white and the girls went on parade through the village. People 'cleansed' their houses by dusting their floors and windows by brushing them with reed sticks to clear out the dangerous rakshasa energy. During the eight holidays, the veil between your and our world get incredibly thin so anyone strong enough to penetrate through the barrier could interact on a physical level, unfortunately pretas and rakshasas try and sometimes succeed in breaking into the human realm. As a ley finder I have to make notes about any breakouts that occurs during all festivals. I still get to celebrate; however."
"Doesn't that happen on Halloween?" Paul asked. "Monsters come out at night when it's Halloween, people say."
"Halloween was based off of Samhain and that is one of the eight festivals just like how Yule became Christmas and Ostare became Easter." Rosemary said. "When paganism was vanishing in Europe, it was changed to a holiday called 'Candlemas' a day that recognized the Virgin Mary as being a virgin and being pregnant with Jesus. Candles were placed in shops, homes, all over the floors and streets that people had to make sure to watch where they were walking in order to avoid accidentally knocking down a candle and starting a fire. That is where the nursery rhyme 'Jack be Nimble' originated from as a way to describe the extreme caution of everyone watching their step."
Paul gave thought about that. "Alright then, what about the straw doll that Jasmine is carrying?"
"That is a St. Brigid's Doll, Brigid was the Irish goddess of fire. She was one of the most well-known of the Celtic deities at the time. Later, when the church took over, she was so popular amongst the villagers that they couldn't suppress their belief in her so she was fashioned into a saint. She was especially revered because her gift of fire to humankind protected them from rakshasas and pretas. They even made a cross made from reed called a 'St. Brigid's Cross' that was made from reed. St. Brigid Crosses hung in the kitchen were believed to protect the house from fires. Only an unmarried woman was allowed to carry a doll or dress up as Brigid. The dolls were carried from house to house to bless their homes. Sometimes offering to Brigid were left at small springs called 'clootie wells'. Drinking spiced wine and divination practices were also performed not to mention a big feast. Farmers carried torches through their farmland beckoning the goddess Brigid to bless their land and of course, bonfires were set up to burn all night long. What you were hearing during the merrymaking were hymns and rhymes praising Brigid for granting dragons our fire. People also made beds for the girl playing Brigid to rest for the night as symbolic for letting the fire goddess to stay for the night." Rosemary raised her head and noticed the setting sun. "You had better get home before any night creatures come after you." She handed him a St. Brigid's Cross. "The reed has magical properties that will prevent any creatures from breaking into your house. Just warn Dr. Oswald not to get too close." she chuckled.
"Thanks, Rosemary, for your lesson, invitation, and Imbolc gift." Paul smiled.
"Your welcome." she grinned and nodded back.
Paul rode his skateboard the rest of the way through the forest and through the streets until he got back to his house. As he stepped onto the porch, he began to see three foot long, black, fuzzy, caterpillar creatures emerging from the ground. He rushed through the front door and closed it. His grandpa walked towards him and asked, "Well, how has been your day and what are you carrying?"
Paul looked at the St. Brigid's Cross and realized it was sent by Rosemary into his realm. "It's a gift from a friend." Paul answered. "May I hang it in the kitchen?"
"Sure, go ahead." his grandpa replied. Paul entered the kitchen, stood on a chair, and hanged the gift on the wall. Mira entered the kitchen and noticed Paul.
"Something tells me he has an interesting story to tell." she chuckled to herself.
The End
I hope you enjoyed this short story!
"I know he can see us, don't you all see that expression on his face? He would have walked right on by if he couldn't see us. He must have indigo vision." another male pointed out. Paul saw the males wore nothing and he couldn't believe how strong and muscular they were!
"Uh, I was just passing by; I am not looking for trouble." Paul assured them.
"Likely story!" said the second male.
"Will you leave him alone? He's just a kId!" the first male argued back.
"It's alright, he's with us." a green female dragon pushed through the crowd. She was wearing a white dress like all the other females. Her horns and underbelly were yellow. "The princess personally knows him and has the asura Mira protect him."
"See, no harm done." the first male said. The second snorted back at him with his arms crossed.
"Mandrake, Wormwood, let us resume our celebration. I'll talk to the human." Mandrake, who was the first male, nodded and returned to his position. Wormwood muttered something about how no human could be trusted and went back to where he was originally standing. Rosemary faced Paul. Sorry about Wormwood. He is very paranoid around your species. He still believes humans try to hunt dragons for sport or out of fear but beneath all that he is a nice guy. Anyway, welcome to our festival."
"Is this a wedding?" Paul asked.
"Nope, nobody is getting married." Rosemary replied.
"Then is this some kind of--." he hesitated as he looked uncomfortable. "A mating ritual?"
Rosmary's eyes grew as wide as saucers, "Hell, no! None of that is going on here or even permitted during this festival. Sometimes our children come here to see this celebration." she said. "However; this is a fertility festival called Imbolc."
"Is it like Groundhog Day?" Paul asked.
"Actually yes, the thing you humans do in Pennsylvania was a part of the festival but the only way real way to tell if an animal is predicting the weather is only if the animal is cognitive enough to glimpse the future." Rosemary added, "And the human must be cognitive enough to understand the animal at the same time."
"No wonder the groundhog winter predictions are inaccurate." Paul muttered.
"Yeah, why don't we sit down on this log and I'll tell you more about the customs of Imbolc." Rosemary and Paul sat down on a nearby log. "Imbolc is an ancient festival celebrated in places like Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and the Isle of Man. Imbolc is an old Irish word meaning "in the belly" referring to when sheep were pregnant with their young." Rosemary said.
"So this is a fertility festival." Paul said.
"Yes, it is a holiday that celebrates the fact that women continue on the cycle of life. Many of these festivals were feminine oriented, but guys weren't unincluded, the men played important roles too. Imbolc is also known as Oimelc or Lady Day. Traditionally, women and men dressed in white and the girls went on parade through the village. People 'cleansed' their houses by dusting their floors and windows by brushing them with reed sticks to clear out the dangerous rakshasa energy. During the eight holidays, the veil between your and our world get incredibly thin so anyone strong enough to penetrate through the barrier could interact on a physical level, unfortunately pretas and rakshasas try and sometimes succeed in breaking into the human realm. As a ley finder I have to make notes about any breakouts that occurs during all festivals. I still get to celebrate; however."
"Doesn't that happen on Halloween?" Paul asked. "Monsters come out at night when it's Halloween, people say."
"Halloween was based off of Samhain and that is one of the eight festivals just like how Yule became Christmas and Ostare became Easter." Rosemary said. "When paganism was vanishing in Europe, it was changed to a holiday called 'Candlemas' a day that recognized the Virgin Mary as being a virgin and being pregnant with Jesus. Candles were placed in shops, homes, all over the floors and streets that people had to make sure to watch where they were walking in order to avoid accidentally knocking down a candle and starting a fire. That is where the nursery rhyme 'Jack be Nimble' originated from as a way to describe the extreme caution of everyone watching their step."
Paul gave thought about that. "Alright then, what about the straw doll that Jasmine is carrying?"
"That is a St. Brigid's Doll, Brigid was the Irish goddess of fire. She was one of the most well-known of the Celtic deities at the time. Later, when the church took over, she was so popular amongst the villagers that they couldn't suppress their belief in her so she was fashioned into a saint. She was especially revered because her gift of fire to humankind protected them from rakshasas and pretas. They even made a cross made from reed called a 'St. Brigid's Cross' that was made from reed. St. Brigid Crosses hung in the kitchen were believed to protect the house from fires. Only an unmarried woman was allowed to carry a doll or dress up as Brigid. The dolls were carried from house to house to bless their homes. Sometimes offering to Brigid were left at small springs called 'clootie wells'. Drinking spiced wine and divination practices were also performed not to mention a big feast. Farmers carried torches through their farmland beckoning the goddess Brigid to bless their land and of course, bonfires were set up to burn all night long. What you were hearing during the merrymaking were hymns and rhymes praising Brigid for granting dragons our fire. People also made beds for the girl playing Brigid to rest for the night as symbolic for letting the fire goddess to stay for the night." Rosemary raised her head and noticed the setting sun. "You had better get home before any night creatures come after you." She handed him a St. Brigid's Cross. "The reed has magical properties that will prevent any creatures from breaking into your house. Just warn Dr. Oswald not to get too close." she chuckled.
"Thanks, Rosemary, for your lesson, invitation, and Imbolc gift." Paul smiled.
"Your welcome." she grinned and nodded back.
Paul rode his skateboard the rest of the way through the forest and through the streets until he got back to his house. As he stepped onto the porch, he began to see three foot long, black, fuzzy, caterpillar creatures emerging from the ground. He rushed through the front door and closed it. His grandpa walked towards him and asked, "Well, how has been your day and what are you carrying?"
Paul looked at the St. Brigid's Cross and realized it was sent by Rosemary into his realm. "It's a gift from a friend." Paul answered. "May I hang it in the kitchen?"
"Sure, go ahead." his grandpa replied. Paul entered the kitchen, stood on a chair, and hanged the gift on the wall. Mira entered the kitchen and noticed Paul.
"Something tells me he has an interesting story to tell." she chuckled to herself.
The End
I hope you enjoyed this short story!
Category Story / All
Species Unspecified / Any
Gender Multiple characters
Size 100 x 100px
Comments