"Eh!, This is us!" A voice shouted out "Pipe down you lot."
The crowd quitened in time to hear the reporter say,
"...has ended in the county court today as a group of locals supported by their village council failed in their bid to stop the destruction of an ancient grove of trees in the middle of a local farmers field.
Alan Yoe, owner of the land finally received planning permission today to remove the grove which some claim dates back to iron age times and plant rape crops. Our reporter is David Anston."
A young smartly turned out man appeared on the screen his brown hair jelled across his scalp.
"Yes, Campaigners here at court to day have been told that the battle is over for what they claim to be an Iron age grove with possible druidic connections. The owner of the land Mr Alan Yoe claimed that position of the grove effectively blocked off a large corner of his land from his large harvesting machines. He also countered claims that the grove was ancient with claims that the trees currently there were no more than 50 years old backed up by an expert witness. I have here Trevor Ford who has been representing the Village Council here today..."
A Cheer erupted in the bar as the camera panned back to reveal a short fat balding white haired man in a tweed suit next to the reporter, "Trevooorrr!"
"Trevor, You claim the trees are much older that 50 years."
"Yes David, We have photographic evidence from the 1920's showing the same trees fully grown. What we have seen here today is very suspicious it shows that these trees have to be 50 years old and the judge has chosen to totally ignore that."
Here the journalist interceded
"And yet It was said in court that these pictures implied that the trees had not changed or grown at all in 50 years which is apparently impossible. That the shape of the newer trees must be deeply suspect."
The councilor swelled "Frankly David that's bloody stupid, how could we grow trees the same twice. It just doesn't go that way and it's barley the point. This is a special place for local people."
The camera panned back in towards the reporter.
"We asked Mr Yoe to talk to us but he declined instead offering a statement.
The court has confirmed that it is my right to remove a major obstruction to the farming process on my land. Also Although there may have been a grove on this site for many years it has been proven that the current tree are not ancient in any way."
Geers and boos erupted throughout the bar drowning out the reporters sign off. The Landlord turned off the set.
"It's very sad really." Mused a local school teacher to his drinking partner "That's what? hundreds of years of tradition ended? thousands?"
His friend looked at him "Well as local priest I shouldn't support of pagan practices but your always welcome to use the church hall."
"The teacher shook his head "No, It has to be there. I know you don't believe in her but the grove is where she is."
The priest frowned. "That's what I hate about this. It's desecration. It's like some one was knocking down a church. I know it's not my faith but it's still faith, but nobody dared to say that because it's not reconnised. but folks round here believe in her, looking after them. You know when the first Christians came over here they didn't tell people to stop doing these little ceremonies we just pointed out that they weren't gods and suggested that they were probably saint or angels. Which makes sense to me. It's not like I think I believe in nothing. I don't see why that means everybody else dose. Saint of local farmers... and stories."
The teacher looked in to his beer. "Do you reckon we'll get to do one more before he digs up the grove, It would be good if you did the last one. It would say something. You priests are meant to be good at telling stories."
The priest shook his head "He'll be wanting the field plowed now so it's ready to plant about the same time you do the ceremony. i fear you have told the goddess her last tale. Terrible really. The way he comes walsing back from America seems to think he owns the world. Doesn't realize we only get to borrow it for a bit."
He had been up the the field to look at where the grove had been. It had been a quick operation to remove it by all accounts. From what he'd herd, Mr Yoe had hired 6 men from out of the area to come in and do the job with all the heavy macheinary they could make use of. Rev Pipelock knew there was still a lot of feeling in the village and was pretty certain that enough of that had filtered back to Mr Yoe that he was afraid of interference if anyone found out what day it was happening on. It would have 3 men Mr Yoe included only the one day to do the work. With 6 men It was all done in two and a half hours and word didn't reach the village till they were leaving. Quite a few had gone up there then, but there was nothing left but a few holes in the ground.
James the local mechanic had been called to the farm next day to repair all of Mr Yoe's machinery most of which had one piece or another missing. It wasn't for several days that Mr Yoe had been able to get up to the Field, fill in the holes and plow it all in.
Nobody knew who had done it, but the reverend had been speaking to the landlord the night before last who was only to keen to tell anyone that would listen that when he'd been walking his dog up along the field he'd stopped to look in the holes and there in each somebody had planted a fresh tree. 6 Rown, 2 Oak like there had been before. The landlord had told this with great Glee.
"Can't wait..." He chortled "Can't wait to see the look on Yoe's face when he sees it."
Nobody had seen the look on Alan Yoe's face when he did see it. He'd gone back to the field to fill in the holes the morning after the vicar had been in the pub. The Landlord was far less gleeful that night when he'd appeared to collect the key to the church tower for Bell ringing practice and reported that when he'd walked his dog that lunch time the trees were uprooted on the side of the field, roots in the air. Nothing but a dark patch of soil left to show where it had been, like someone had spilled some dark liquid there.
The reverend wasn't sure why he felt the need to go up there. He was even more unsure where the urge to take a couple of bags of salt up there with him and stop the farmer growing anything there. He was sure why he had dispensed with that idea. The goddess had been a goddess of fertility at the most basic level. The tradition had been for centuries that each year somebody would go to the grove and tell a story to the goddess to persuade her to stay there and in return she would look after the fields and the village make them fertile. Killing the land that was her grove would have been totally against what she stood for. The priest had been a little suprised at his thoughts. It wasn't like it was part of his religion. He was quite sure god would understand why it mattered to him and after all he hadn't taken the salt, he had turned the other cheek.
As he unlaced his boots he was still angry. He had stood there and looked at where the trees had stood. They had been a thing of beauty. They meant something to people. They had been somebody's temple. Not a religion he really supported. There was only one god and worshiping anything else as a god was against all the teachings, but this was a temple, much like his church was. Destroying it was desecration an affront to belief. Alan Yoe Knew all that this place was. It had been kept out of court. It had always been semi-secret in a everybody knows kind of way. But he had known. There was nothing there now. Rev Pipelock had stood there for an hour. He wanted to pray but wasn't sure what to pray for. He couldn't really pray for the soul of a goddess could he? Maybe she was an angel? God would have to work it out himself he figured. God will know even if he didn't.
He left his boots in the hall, put the kettle on and settled down in his chair. He turned on the television and flicked to the Local news.
An image of a road appeared on the screen of a country road. The priest recognized it immediately but it took a couple of moments to work out where it was but then fear struck him. It was the main road up by Yoe's farm. Who had done what?
"It was along this One Mile stretch of road the sittings occurred. Six separate drivers reported seeing the young woman walking along the road seemingly covered in blood. Police at this point say although they are investigating the sightings at this point they believe it to be a prank."
A police officer appeared on the screen standing outside the police station of the local town. Underneath a caption proclaimed him to be Chief Inspector Clive Heston.
"We Searched the road side and the area around the road both last night and more thoroughly over the course of the day and no sign was found of anybody being present. Also the whiteness' also claim that she had Blood coming from a gashes right across her throat, chest, abdomen and legs. We are reasonably sure that anyone having sustained such injuries for real would not be capable of walking along the mile of road way the sightings stretched along. What I find a little more worrying is that of the six people who reported sightings last night only one actually stopped."
D.I.Ackroid was still scowling at him as his coleauge turned on the tape recorder.
"Recording starting at 12:27 D.I. Ackroid and D.I. Ericson interviewing Jason Alliston.
So Jason, tell us in your own words what happened last night on Engles road. For the record what time did it start?"
Jason took a breath "About half eleven" Jason never quite knew how to handle talking with a tape machine he had some strange urge to talk in proper BBC english but knew if he did that the cops would think he was being cheeky; a sure sign of guilt to them.
"I was on my way home from the pub."
"From the pub?" Ackroid raised an eyebrow "Driving?"
Jason felt little beads of swet form on his back. He couldn't believe it. Here he was helping them and the barstard was still trying to pin him for something.
"Yes Driving. But I didn't have any alcohol because unlike my friends who live in town and can walk home I live in the arse end of nowhere. Do you want my statement or not?"
"Please continue" Interceded Ericson before his colleague could say any more. What happened when you got to Engles road?"
Jason Took another deep breath.
"I was about 100 yards past that farm entrance near the town end of the road when I saw a woman in the headlights walking along the verge. She looked in a really rough state, I mean she should have been dead. She was cut across the neck and had blood pouring down from that there was a slice across her midriff which looked massively deep and I assume was bleeding but since the blood from her neck had soaked her... her dress I guess you'd call it down to to there you could only tell it was bleeding because there was more blood and then there was a cut across her dress at leg level but you couldn't see if her legs were cut because the dress was a flowy one and was too far out from them but it had blood all down the front she looked like she was having trouble walking because of her legs rather than the loss of blood mind."
D.I. Ericson who had noticed Jason turning a pale colour pushed a glass of water towards him.
"Could you give as a description of her? I mean apart from the injuries?"
Jason paused and thought "Not really." said Jason "Female... Black hair down to her waist... that had blood in it too... Beautiful I remember that but I can't remember a face... That sounds daft I know."
"Height?"
"Five and a half.. six foot... not sure... I was low down... In the car..."
"And what did you do?"
Jason seemed to come back together at this point. He knew where he was now it was all a whole lot less dream like from this point. "I Stopped the car. Picked up my mobile and got out. I couldn't see her, but it takes a few yards to stop. I walked back to find her. Quick like but I was looking in the ditch 'cos I guessed she'd fell in it or the bushes and I was dialing 999 at the same time asked for ambulance and police."
"But when we got there; and we were quite fast because I was only half way back here from the last sighting you were alone. Where do you think she went."
"I don't know I couldn't find her I went right to the drive and she was going to slow to have reached there I checked all the bushes. There's not even a way through there.... I don't know"
"Well at least you stopped." there was anger in D.I. Ericson's voice. "No other bugger did."
The woman gave him a dubious kind of look and flicked her head slightly shaking a piece of her long black hair from her face
"I don't think your taking me seriously farmer." She raised a hand, a noise began in the farmers head first formless but forming to a chord, minor but strange in some way. Other notes that he was not used to being in that kind of chord but yet in the right place and there was nothing more than pitch beyond that the noise was formless; No shape or volume. The Farmer felt himself being pushed backwards the light appearing around her hand was solid it had mass. It stopped. Alan Yoe was in total confusion. He couldn't explain any of it. It made no sense.
"Sit down." She commanded in the same soft, warm and thoughtful voice. "You do not understand what you have done. It is my time to tell a story."
The farmer sat unquestioning on a wooden chair at his kitchen table. Play along, see what happens.
"Once upon a time gods roamed the earth. Somebody once told me a story where they walked the earth but that was really quite rare for gods.
The gods gathered followers. They enjoyed the power they could wield over human souls and this served that cause. Then as those who still followed no god became rare the gods started looking to the followers of their fellow to increase their influence. Rivalries began and although some gods would fight openly and face to face most found this did not improve their influence and took to battling with their human subjects against the subjects of their rivals. This made much in the way of hate and war among the humans and although your race is quite capable of starting it's own wars the battles of the gods caused tenfold the misery and hate.
The lord of the gods has many names: Zeus, Jahova, I called him Odin as was he known by most of the gods of these parts. He was more powerful than the rest of the gods put together. He commanded that There would be only one god of men and that would be him and the rest of us would leave contact with the lives of men. To make sure he charged his second in command by the name of Satan to remove anyone who continued to interfere with man to hell.
I could only comply with the spirit of the command and not the letter. When I found this valley it was dry and baron. The hills conspired to force rain and water else where. With my power I made water rain hear and made water from the next valley rise up to springs that have irrigated the local fields for millennia. The people of this land worshiped me for this and offered sacrifice but what good are physical things to me. I asked that each year they come to a certain place and tell me a story. Mankind is great at stories. But, I could not leave when commanded. A village had grown up around the farms of the valley I had made fertile. If I went the village would starve. I was but a minor goddess. Not noticed in this time of upheaval. I returned to the Glade where they told the storied and became the Glade it's self. I hid there and kept the fields green from within. The Glade became all that was left of the small wood around it . A circle of trees that my followers made sure was not defiled and I kept the fields green. I replaced the glade and so nobody saw anything out of place. Every year still they came to tell me stories. Such stories. Then you tour me up and plowed me out!"
A silence hung between the farmer (still unsure of what was happening) and the goddess (Who knew exactly).
Alan Yoe was sure something bad was going to happen to him and he wanted it over with. He decided to move things along.
"So What exactly? I plowed you up. Your not hurt. Your a goddess this is nothing to you."
"You destroyed my place. I can't live there any more." A smile lit up her face. It was a smile of somebody about to do something very nasty to somebody they don't like. " I need to take another's place in the wheel. You destroyed my place. I shall take yours."
Blank incomprehension covered the farmers face.
"How?"
"You will die, I will live." It was a matter of fact answer.
The Farmer backed towards the kitchen draw. Knives, he had some big ones in there. He was going to finish what he started.
"Once upon a time there was a farmer who cared for nothing but money. He paid his workers poorly and never fed his dogs enough until one day mad with hunger they ate him..."