onsdag den 17. juli 2019

Words for Wednesday - Easter Holiday 4

In June 2019 WiseWebWoman is providing the prompts. 

I continue the story where I left off yesterday.
I did not use all the words, in fact only two or three of them, but maybe, just maybe another chapter will pour from my holiday--infected brain. The prompts this week a photo and two times four words:

School
Highway
Redhead
Crow

Yarn
Spider
Knife
Beer


If any of you wonder - especially after checking up on Easter Fire in Wikipedia - No we do not celebrate Easter with fires in Denmark, Wikipedia is wrong there. We celebrate the birth of St. John the Baptist - the vigil that is - on June 23th. Only almost nobody knows that's what we're celebrating.

Josta reluctantly left the room, Kalle rose, cleared his throat and begun: "Ever since ... well forever, we have been celebrating the victory of Light over Darkness at Easter night. We make a great, big bonfire, the oldest among us recite an ancient text and light the fire with flint and tinder.  It has to be a new fire.
We all are solemn and just stand looking until the fire burns brightly. Then people start dancing and singing. Some leap through the fire, it is supposed to clean the jumper from evil, illnesses and such, almost everybody do it. Only not the very small or very old. I still remember being allowed to leap for the first time. It was great.
Standing in the fire is something for the young, foolhardy or brave. You really stand inside the fire, the sport is to get out before your spellpower gives in, else you get burned. No, Knud, no one ever died. some of the older witches and wizards stand by, ready to save your skin, if not your face."
"Let's go and read the poster," Marja said. "We'll learn no more from sitting here."

They poured into the barn, the other four teams were there as well. All milling around in front of the poster. Veronika found her sister, Fiona. Not a hard job as she had one leg in a cast and both arms in a sling. Veronika put an arm around Fiona's waist and gave it a squeeze. "Now, you're not doing any jumping this year are you?" "Not with these," Fiona answered with a wry grin, lifting her arms. "But maybe I could fly through the fire. Would that count, you think?" Fiona began giggling, and Veronika looked at the poster: Big letters stated:
 Easter Fire ~ Saturday
The poster was split in two. The left part said
Jump through the fire
- If you wish to jump through the Easter fire, you must sign your name here below. Apprentices under 12 years of age as of Easter Sunday need their parents' written approval.
The right half said almost the same. Only the age limit was higher. They needed to be 14 or more to stand in the fire without their parents' consent.

"You can't do it, thank God: I was almost certain you would." Veronika said in a lighter mood.
"I can." Susan said.
"But do you want to?" Knud asked. "I can even stand in the fire if I want to. But I don't know how to do it, or if I should do it at all."
"You do not need to make up your mind right now." It was Martine, the Japanese-looking Norwegian witch. "This poster will stay here until Friday when the last school bell chimes. If you need a permission, you can hand it to any of the professors."

"Oh, I hope I cam have Mum's permission to jump through the fire," Heidi said as she, My, Rosa and Kirstin sat in a sunny nook between two strawbales eating their lunch. "I've done it for three years already, but only at home."
My, a redhead and the smallest of all the apprentices, looked at her with envy. "My parents always say I'm too small."
"So do mine," Rosa said. "What about you, Kirstin? Are you allowed to jump through the fire?"
"I will this year. Mum and Dad said that after the 'Icelandic plague' as you call it, we all need cleansing in the Easter Fire."
"Great!" Rosa said. "I'm off to write to my parents, maybe they did nor think of it!"

10 kommentarer:

  1. Jumping through fire, what a great concept, but dangerous I would think but kids are up for anything.

    XO
    WWW

    SvarSlet
    Svar
    1. Kids will be kids, even magically gifted ones.

      Slet
  2. I really liked this. Standing in the fire reminded me of the 'walking across hot coals' which at intervals becomes popular as a 'team building' exercise.

    SvarSlet
    Svar
    1. So true, I never saw anybody walk on embers, but it sounds scary.

      Slet
  3. Wow.....walking through fire.....I can't imagine doing that.

    SvarSlet
    Svar
    1. I'm sure you could with a bit of magic making you fire proof ;)

      Slet
  4. That's something i am not sure i could do, if i were in their shoes!

    SvarSlet
  5. It sounds like it will be a fun evening, altho I'm not sure I would be able to walk thru it or even stand in the fire, with or without magic.

    SvarSlet
    Svar
    1. Well, for the kids from wizarding families, it is a tradition, they see their mum, dad, grandparents aunts, uncles and bigger siblings doing it every year, when they turn 10, 11 or 12 and are allowed to, they mostly walk eagerly through the fire. Standing in the fire is for daredevlis and young ones proving their mettle or impressing friends, foes and darlings.

      Slet

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