The Rhythm of Life The Village church had rung in both Christmas and New Year, the peals echoing through the Wildwood even though the Wood’s inhabitants celebrated neither. Now the grey days of January had set in, days when it was easy to let the optimism of the December celebrations crumble in the face of … More For the twelfth tale of Flashmas the Wildwood gave to me …
Joan tells the Witch a Story ‘And it wasn’t a lie. I had spoken to the King and he hadn’t expressed any concerns whatsoever about my plan in the course of our conversation.’ The Witch grinned at Joan and topped up her mug. ‘He needs better councillors. How could they not hear what you weren’t saying?’ ‘If it wasn’t … More For the eleventh tale of Flashmas the Wildwood gave to me …
Hare goes a-leaping It didn’t matter that they’d been dancing the night before, every soul in the Wildwood rose well before dawn, wrapped themselves against the cold and lit lanterns and torches to light their way. Soon a procession was winding through the trees, following the path to the eastern entrance of the Wood. The … More For the tenth tale of Flashmas the Wildwood gave to me …
The Village Yule Ball Every year, the day before the Winter Solstice, the Village Hall was transformed into an extension of the Wildwood, decked out by the Wood’s inhabitants with holly and ivy, pine and mountain ash, hawthorn and spruce. This largess of greenery was finished off by an explosion of paper chains that the … More For the ninth tale of Flashmas the Wildwood gave to me …
Dragon has a Visitor Dragon doesn’t often come down to the Wildwood proper, preferring her snug cave system deep in the mountains where her minimal needs are fully catered for and she isn’t likely to be rained on. However needs must when visitors are expected and there is no milk for the tea. And she … More For the eighth tale of Flashmas the Wildwood gave to me …
Wren’s Wintery Wonderings Wren had always found the short days and long nights of winter caused him to be even more introspective than usual. Even the most inconsequential of thoughts could send him into a spiral of questions that, more often than not, he had no answers for. This year his wonderings had already included: … More For the seventh tale of Flashmas the Wildwood gave to me …
Goose goes a Wand’ring Goose had woken in a terrible mood and the discovery that the first snow of the winter had fallen on the Wildwood overnight did nothing to cheer her up since it seemed that most of it was covering her front door. How was she to keep the Village safe from intruders … More For the sixth tale of Flashmas the Wildwood gave to me …
Five Gold Leaves The trees of the Wildwood often talked amongst themselves. From spring to autumn their conversations were, for the most part, civil and focused on the coming and goings of the wood. But in winter, cold from root to topmost branch, they most often argued. About anything and everything they could argue about; … More For the fifth tale of Flashmas the Wildwood gave to me …
Allan Rues His Words The first glimmerings of winter had come to the Wildwood. The air fair hummed with cold, shrubs and trees glittered in the dawn light, spiderwebs looked like spun silver, and the tiny windows of the Witch’s cottage shone, resplendent with the frost-ghosts of ferns. The Witch, having dug out her winter … More For the fourth tale of Flashmas the Wildwood gave to me …
Fox’s Feathered Den The Wildwood is a real wood, with real trees and plants, inhabited by real animals and birds. And at the very same time it is The Wildwood, old beyond time, well spring of myths, legends, and folklore. If it pulls you into a story then it is the place where Once Upon … More For the third tale of Flashmas the Wildwood gave to me …
Kizzia Mildmay 