Welcome to my blog. Over the next few weeks I’ll be posting recorded versions of the tales featured in my latest booky — The Adventures of Mister Storyfella. Here’s the first one hot from the studio.
THE TWO TRAVELLERS – my version of a tale I first heard while touring the USA as a singer-songwriter in the 1980s.
Dartmoor Storytellers presents New Light – Stories for the Winter Solstice
The nights are long, and the sun is at its lowest point: after a challenging twelve months, we wait for the first spark of the new year, with weary bodies and wild hopes in our hearts.
Dartmoor Storytellers brings you an evening of Solstice storytelling online, with songs, merriment and inspiration, together with sounds and images of Dartmoor in midwinter. Settle down by the fire with your tipple of choice, and toast the season with stories from six fine storytellers from across the British Isles and stories from across the world.
Storytellers: Henry Everett, Clive PiG, Lisa Schneidau, Fleur Shorthouse, Tamar Eluned Williams, Colin Urwin
Sounds and images: Tony Whitehead
One ticket gives you access to a whole evening of storytelling:
7.00pm – 8.30pm: stories suitable for families (age guidance 7+)
8.30pm – 10.00pm: stories suitable for adults (age guidance 14+)
Stories will be told online via Zoom: the link will be sent through before the event, following ticket purchase.
Buy tickets here:
I’ll be re-mixing The Sun Owl – a tale from Arctic Canada
In the far, far north, near the top of the world, it seems winter will last forever. The sun has not touched the sky for many months. Where has it gone? Dark days and nights make life slower than slow, duller than dull, colder than cold, in the tundra.
Some say the sun is sleeping. Others think it’s become as heavy as a giant whale and will never fly again. Perhaps the sun has eaten too many seals?
Igulik puts another bone onto the fire. It cracks like an ice split, and the marrow sizzles and spits. His sister Nuniq, stares at the orange flames as if trying to suck the heat into her eyes to warm her body from the inside.
Usually, it is warm enough in the igloo to only wear a few clothes, but even though they are wrapped up tight in their caribou anoraks they are shivering. They’ve run out of seal oil for the lamp and stove, and all that remains to stave off the cold are a pile of animal bones, a handful of dung, and a few sticks of driftwood.
Mother and father have harnessed the huskies and gone out onto the sea ice to hunt. They’ve been told to keep the fire alive and not to fall asleep. If the fire died, the children might too. Nuniq strokes the ermine fur wrapped around her neck and hopes her father’s harpoon finds a seal soon.
Igulik is worried. What would happen if their parents didn’t come back? There was no food left. Sure, this was a bad winter, but the summer hadn’t been much better. Fewer fish, lemmings, caribou, seals, and whales than anyone could remember.
Outside, the wind whips around and around the igloo as if trying to lift and spin it into the air. Eddies of snow spiral above like swarms of manic white midges.
Winter is often the time when the old and sick die. But even the strong and young were suffering. Igulik was afraid that when their parents returned, they’d find their children frozen, stiff as sleds. He says none of this to his sister. Instead, he puts a piece of driftwood on the fire and tells her to lie down with him and to eat the time by telling tales.
They lie on their backs on the caribou hides with their heads by the fire and their feet towards the wall. They nestle together as flickering shadows dance above them and take turns to tell each other stories they’d heard from Angaluk, their grandmother. Stories about igloos catching fire and of winds that tear across the tundra and bite the heads off naughty children.
Just as Igulik drops a lump of musk ox dung onto the fire, they hear a sound outside. Expecting it to be their parents coming home with a seal for supper, imagine their surprise when they see the head of a fox poking through the entrance. It sniffs about for a few seconds and then looks at the light in the centre of the snow cave.
Igulik reaches for his spear. A fine pelt and meat for the huskies would be an unexpected prize for his family. But before he can launch his missile, something happens that’s very strange indeed.
Nuniq screams as the creature stands upright and walks towards the flames. This animal is wearing an anorak like them and has the body of a man but with the head of a fox. It stands staring at the warm glow beneath and reaches out its arms to the flames and yelps,
‘Fire!’
Brother and sister hold each other tight and look up at the strange visitor in their home. It was standing as still as a statue made of ice.
A moment later, another head pops through the entrance. The two ivory tusks of a walrus glint in the firelight. The creature rises up and walks towards the centre of the igloo. It stands, staring at the warm glow beneath, and it reaches out to the flames and grunts,
‘Fire!’
Brother and sister hold each other tighter.
A moment later, another head appears. The great furry head of a black polar bear pushes through the entrance. The creature rises up on human legs and walks towards the centre of the igloo.
It stands staring at the warm glow beneath and reaches out to the flames and growls,
‘Fire!’
Brother and sister hold each other tighter and tighter still.
A moment later, another head appears. The black and white head of an orca pushes through the entrance. The creature rises up and walks towards the centre of the igloo. It stands, staring at the warm glow beneath and reaches out to the flames and squeaks,
‘Fire!’
Brother and sister freeze in terror.
The four animal-headed humanoids slowly reach down to the fire and pick it up, cradling it in their eight hands. The light blazes in their eyes as their faces move closer to the flames. For a moment Igulik and Nuniq thought they were going to eat the fire, but then, watch in horror as their only source of heat and light is carried out of the house, and the igloo is plunged into cold darkness.
The two of them huddle together for warmth and comfort. They try their best to keep awake, but very soon their heavy eyelids get the better of them and they drift off to sleep.
Luckily, only a few minutes away, are the returning huskies and parents, with a couple of bearded seals tethered to the sled.
Zip-wire fast, they jolt to a stop. Strange scents whip the dogs into a yapping frenzy. The mother dashes into the igloo only to bolt out shouting. She pulls her husband into the house. They slap the faces of the children in the darkness. They are stiff and still, but then they stir. Their eyes open and their bodies are rubbed and hugged. Once revived, the children explain what has happened and the mother cries. The father exits the igloo and leans against the building. He looks up into the darkness and sighs,
‘No sun, no fire, no life. Sun gone too long. Gone far away. Not come back. If no come back, no eye in sky, we no see. No light, no heat. If long time last, body stop. We die. Spirit fly.’
But then a white shape like a ghost, looms at his face. A flurry of feathers fills the space in the dark. Two eyes, like fiery black holes in a tiny snowball stare into his own.
Is it a flying seal pup? No, it’s a new bird of the frozen land. An owl – a snowy owl. The first Arctic owl in the history of the world.
‘Krek, krek.’
The white owl’s eyes bore into the worried man’s mind. There’s a flash of understanding between these inhabitants of this hostile habitat. The owl disappears into the night.
Up and over the frozen world, the bird flies silently with wings as soft as a summer breeze. Eyes like torch lights pierce the darkness. Scouring the void. Seeking the elemental heat. The sustaining source of light and life in this primordial world.
And then, there below, light flows from a giant igloo’s smoke hole. Wrapped around the fire, sleep the grandparents, parents and children of the Half and Half. Creatures that are part like you or I, but also of the Other. Beings that existed before us. Animals with the bodies of humans but with the heads of beasts.
Silent as a shadow, the bird swoops into the igloo. The talons grasp the fire, as if it’s prey. The owl flies upwards and backwards with the bright ball of heat. It rises through the smoke hole and brings the light into the darkness.
Families emerge from igloos to watch in wonder at what appears to be a meteor slowly arcing across the Arctic sky. Most follow with their eyes but some with their feet. It leads them towards the igloo of Igulik and Nuniq. They arrive in time to see the ball of fire suspended above the house. The snowy owl is hovering above the smoke hole. They shield their eyes from the bright light.
‘Krek, krek.’
The white owl lets go of the flames and flies off, towards the east.
Inside, the half-frozen family stir. Igulik wakes to see fire floating down. Nuniq huddles close to the heat. Mother and father look at each other with relief.
Outside people are shouting and whooping.
A sliver of silver light has appeared on the horizon. No larger than a hair’s breadth. But light, none the less. The sun is returning from its wanderings. Winter is over.
It had been raining for days and days, and nights and nights.
Usually, Otter loved the rain.
He liked dipping in the ponds and zipping in the streams.
He loved swimming in the rivers and lolling in the lakes,
even surfing on the sea and hanging out with seals.
But this time, Otter thought the clouds had been crying for much too long.
“It’s as if the clouds can see what’s wrong with the world but they don’t know how to make it better,” he sighed.
Badger, too, didn’t usually mind the rain.
It made the earthworms juicier. But Mole had mentioned that the ground was becoming much too damp, and the worms were complaining that if it was going to be this wet from now on, they might have to get plastic macs.
Badger took his family to see Otter who was lying down in the entrance of his holt. Badger shook his head and his umbrella, stomped his feet and complained,
“I don’t like it, I don’t like it one little bit,” he muttered, as he took off his wellington boots and poured out litres of water.
“I’m soaked and I’m soggy.” he said gloomily.
He pulled off his socks and wrang them out.
Otter’s children were laughing and frolicking in the deep puddles outside, but Badger’s kids were sniffling and wheezing, coughing and sneezing.
“What am I going to do?” cried Badger. “We can’t go back home. Our sett is filling up with water. The furniture’s floating and the television has exploded. We’ll have come to live with you.”
“Oh, but you can’t,” said Otter. “My home’s too small for all of your family. And anyway, I live all over the place. Sometimes I sleep in the riverbank. Sometimes in a den in the woods. Sometimes in the hollow of a tree.”
“Well, that’s just not good enough,” said Badger.
“Why not?” asked Otter
“Because I want all of my friends to come and stay too.”
And one after the other, more creatures appeared.
There was Shrew, Mole, Vole, Prickleball, Rabbit, and Fox.
“Goodness me!” exclaimed Otter. “What a lot of friends you have. Wait, I do know somewhere. There’s a cave above the river just around the bend. Let’s go there.”
All of the creatures, splished and sploshed as they waded towards the cave.
At last, thought they, they’d be somewhere sheltered, and they could get a fire going and dry their sodden fur.
One hour later, they’re all cosy in the dry warm cave, listening to the rain lashing outside, staring into the flames, drinking hot chocolate, and playing shadow puppets with their paws.
But suddenly Shrew squeaked, “Look there’s a trickle of water coming into the cave!”.
“Don’t worry”, said Otter, “Fox can mop it up with his tail.”
“I’d rather not”, said Fox, “I’ve only just got myself dry.”
But nobody ever listened to Fox.
“No!”, Shrew shrilly insisted, “You all don’t understand: the trickle will turn into a stream, the stream will become a river, the river will become a lake, the lake will become a sea, the sea will become an ocean, and we’ll all drown!”
“We could always make a boat,” suggested Fox. But no-one listened to him.
“Oh dear, we’re not safe anywhere,” said Badger. “Soon we’ll all drown.”
“Who can save us?” they all cried.
“Not me,” said Otter. “I’m good at catching fish, but not much else.”
“Not me,” said Mole. “I’m only good at worm wrestling.”
“Not me,” said Vole. “I’m just good at looking cute and twitching my whiskers.”
“Not me,” said Prickleball. “I’m only good at rolling up in a ball and being juggled by clowns at the circus.”
“Not me,” said Rabbit. “I’m only good at eating carrots and having large families.”
Fox didn’t say anything, and I bet that doesn’t surprise you by now.
“Not me, says Water Shrew, “but I know someone who can.”
“Who’s that?” said Otter.
“There used to be other animals who lived amongst us, but one day some creatures upset them, and they all went off in a strop, and never came back.”
“Who were they?”, Otter wondered.
“They were Beavers. They’re eco- engineers. They’ll know what to do.”
“But where are they now?” wondered Otter.
“They live on the great lake at the foot of the mountain”, squeaked Shrew. “Hurry, before it’s too late.”
Otter shot off like a torpedo through the rising waters until he came to the lake at the foot of the mountain.
He saw a conical lodge built of sticks, stones, and mud in the centre of the lake, and as he swam towards it, he saw Beverley and Eva, the Beaver sisters, resting on the decking, rolling up lily pads into the shape of a cigars, on which they began to nibble.
“Help, help! You’ve got to come quick. Shrew says you’ll know what to do to save our friends. Their homes are flooded or washed away. They’re all sodden and soggy.”
“Are these the same creatures who laughed at us and our family because of our goofy orange teeth and squashed flat tail?”
“I’m sure they didn’t mean it.”
“Oh, all right. We’ll forgive them. After all, we like to keep busy, and so do the rest of the team.”
The Beaver sisters slapped their tails on the surface of the water and called out,
Beaver tail
“Come on, you bunch of eager Beavers.”
Immediately, dozens of Beavers popped their heads above water and reported for duty.
Upon hearing of the emergency, with a sense of urgency, they all ducked down below the waters and swam towards the cave.
Once outside, the Beavers donned yellow hard hats and hi-vis jackets. They did a quick recce of the area, then demarcated the danger zone with black and yellow tape. Then they surveyed the site, inspected the surrounding vegetation, height and width of trees etc., checked gradients and wind direction, and finally signed off on the health and safety assessment.
Then, they set to work. While some got their teeth into the lower parts of the trees, others sang to keep them company.
Orange chisel teeth
We’re a team of eager beavers.
Doing what we can
Felling trees with chisel teeth
To build a great tall dam.
A wall of wood with mud and stones
To prevent the flood
It’s our second nature
Building’s in our blood.
Timber! Timber!
The trees come crashing down
Timber! Timber!
Soon, you’ll be safe and sound.
We’re eco-system engineers
We’re brilliant for the planet
We can change the habitat
If you just let us plan it
We build dams and dig canals
We slow down the water
You should let us on your land
We can come and sort ya!
Timber! Timber!
The trees come crashing down
Timber! Timber!
Soon, you’ll all be safe and sound.
And very soon, a magnificent dam surrounded the cave, and the creatures were safe and sound in their sanctuary.
Eventually the wind blew the clouds away and a new day dawned.
When the waters receded, the Beavers made a hole in the dam and the creatures rushed out of the cave to thank their rescuers.
Otter proudly presented a whopping, fresh salmon to the Beavers, saying, “Tuck in. There’s plenty more where this came from!”, as a reward for all their hard work.
Upon seeing the great fish, Beverley and Eva put a paw to their mouths and retched.
“Yuk! Whoever told you we eat fish! We don’t each meat either. We’re herbivores. But we wouldn’t mind popping back into your cave for some hot chocolate and toasted marshmallows, please!”
Then, after having a good old sing song around the campfire, Fox asked.
“Would you like to stay longer? We’ve got a river and a little lake. You could build a lodge there. What do you think?”
And Shrew, Mole, Vole, Prickleball, and Rabbit, Otter and Badger all looked at Fox and said,
“What a good idea.”
And Beverley and Eva and all the other Beavers agreed.
The Superhero Beaver and other Beaver Tails Tues 26th October 10.30 – 12 noon £3.50 per child (1 accompanying adult per child) Courtyard
Heard the story about the beaver who saved the world? Do you know how the beaver got a flat tail? What about the strange case of the man who married a beaver? Hmm.
Join globetrotting storyteller and children’s author Clive PiG to find out in these and other stories from around the world as we celebrate the first ever reintroduction of an extinct native mammal to England: you guessed it- the beaver.
Listen to Clive’s animated and whimsical tales about great floods, forbidden love and, yes, beavers! Be inspired by RAMM’s new resident beaver to produce your own piece of creative writing.
A full mount and skeleton of a beaver from the River Otter will be on display, along with other beaver related objects. These individuals died naturally and have been prepared by ethical taxidermist Jazmine Miles-Long and skeletal preparator Jon Knott.
The Adventures of Mister Storyfella£5.99
Uncle Wolf£5.99
Jurassic Cove & Other Jolly Japes£5.99
Unicorn In The Playground£5.99
