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Meg
gazed anxiously at the darkening sky; the wind whipping round
the farm buildings and the trees casting ominous shadows filled
her with apprehension. John had gone out to bring the animals
home from the upper fields before the storm became violent.
Out in the upper field John and his old dog, Bess struggled
against the elements until, at last, the cattle and sheep
were safely penned. The lightning and thunder became more
ferocious as John turned into the farmyard.
"Come Bess" John said, patting his faithful dog,
"let's get in by the fire".
As the storm raged Meg began to hark back to the day she and
John had been married and to some of the stories that his
relatives had related about the farm being cursed.
The story of the curse began some years before when the farm
was much larger; the owner had been the local squire, owning
a large estate nestling under to the Stretton Hills. The house
was much larger and more elegant than the rather plain, three-storey
house that now occupied the ground. The squire had a son,
Hugh, a handsome, headstrong young man who enjoyed life, especially
riding round the nearby hills.
After his rides, Hugh would call at the local inn to exchange
banter with the other villagers. One day on one of his usual
trips to the inn he noticed a stranger sitting alone in a
corner. The man was shabbily dressed, with a large, wide brimmed
hat and voluminous cloak which he pulled around him. Hugh
taunted the stranger, making remarks about his mode of dress,
addressing the stranger as Mephistopheles.
"Many a true word is spoken in jest, sir" muttered
the stranger as he left, "I curse thee and invoke the
elements to rise against three and thine until my honour is
sated."
This did not worry Hugh as he was convinced that curses were
not reality. A few days later, as he rode across the hills
Hugh noticed a gypsy encampment and there among the gypsies
was a shabby stranger, accompanied by the most beautiful girl
he had ever seen. Her hair was a black as a raven's wing and
her eyes so deep that one could get lost in their depths.
As Hugh approached, the girl mounted her horse and rode away,
Hugh followed but could not catch the steed that sped like
the wind across the hills.
Morosely, Hugh returned home and told his father about the
gypsy girl and stated that he would marry her. Forbidden by
his father to see the girl, Hugh began to make enquiries about
her in the village. The local people told him that she was
called Lilith and also that she was known to be a witch, this
made Hugh laugh as he did not believe in witches. The villagers
believed that Lilith practised the black art of necromancy.
One of the locals had witnessed arcane rituals taking place
around some of the ancient graves.
Lilith was said to ride like a being possessed every day across
the hills at sunset. Hugh began to follow and he finally caught
up with her when her horse stumbled and she fell. The two
became friends and planned to marry. The squire, however,
had other ideas and sent his men out to the encampment. They
began to burn the caravans, ignoring the pitiful screaming
of the women and children. Litlith jumped onto a hay wagon
and began to dance. A blazing torch was thrown onto the wagon
that burned rapidly and as the flames enveloped her the gypsy
girl laughed, calling out that she would return!
When Hugh found out what fate had befallen the gypsies he
grew ill with grief and died (of a broken heart some people
said). The squire lost interest in his great estate, which
on his death passed to his brother Jack. A much smaller farmhouse
was built and some of the land sold when Jack decided to marry.
The bride, a local schoolteacher, had ideas of travelling
abroad once she had given birth to son called John and went
off to the Americas leaving the child in his father's care.
Even then, although a dedicated farmer had taken over, the
farm did not really prosper; life was always a struggle against
the elements.
On the topmost field there stood two yew trees reputed to
be over one thousand years old. Originally there were three
but now only two remained, lightning had destroyed one just
before the old squire died.
As he grew older John helped his father on the farm, trying
to make a good living for them both. He had many good ideas
for varying the crops and started to make the farm prosperous.
Then came a shock, his mother had decided to return from America.
When this news was broken to John he began to panic at the
thought of a mother he could not even remember. Preparing
the house was a chore, as he and his father had managed without
the luxuries that ladies liked to have around. Just as everything
was ready, news came that the ship upon which his mother was
travelling had gone down in a storm and there were no survivors.
John did not feel grief, nor did his father, life went on
as before. Suddenly, John's father decided to marry again,
although he was getting on toward old age. The bride-to-be
was quite a wealthy lady of decent class and manners and John
did not object. So the wedding was planned.
This was to be a lavish affair, all the villagers would be
invited and the wedding would take place on the farm. An small
army of helpers came to bedeck the farm and to prepare a wedding
feast, baking puddings and pies, roasting chickens and sides
of pork. No expense was spared on the instructions of the
bride to be. Large trestle tables were set outside on the
lawns and plenty of wines and ales would be available. The
tables were laid with fine linen cloths and silver dishes
(the remains of the old squire's wealth) and a large wedding
cake set in the centre.
The guests duly arrived together with the parson. It was a
beautiful sunny day so nothing could go wrong. The ceremony
over, the guests sat down to eat. Suddenly the sky darkened,
forked lightning illuminated the dankness, followed by a loud
clap of thunder that reverberated through the nearby hills.
The heavens opened and it began to rain.
Within minutes a torrent poured down the hillside, carrying
away the wedding feast, the bride, groom and most of the guests.
It was said that a flash of lightening struck on of the two
remaining yew trees and as it did so a figure appeared to
rise from the burning tree. A gypsy girl who laughed at the
destruction laid before her.
Meg shuddered as she recalled the ancient tale and opened
the door for John and Bess to enter. After John had eaten,
Meg told him of her fears about the curse and John laughed
and said it was just local superstition. The storm raged all
night and when morning came Meg looked see if the old yew
tree still stood and relieved to see the branches still waving
in the wind.
The rain had ceased and John was about to go out and see what
damage had been done when another clap of thunder shook the
farmhouse and the lightning started again. Meg looked toward
the yew tree on the hill, it was in flames.
What was that figure among the flames? Calling to John, Meg
could make out the figure of a gypsy girl, dancing and beckoning.
John started for the door. "I must go to her" he
said, "It is my destiny."
"Wait, John," Meg called out. Fetching her bridal
veil and the paper flowers she had carried on her own wedding
day and giving them to John with her blessing. She knew he
would not return.
Watching with great sadness as John walked up the field toward
the blazing tree. Meg saw John walk into the flames where
the gypsy girl was waiting. They began to dance, Lilith wearing
Meg's wedding veil and carrying Meg's flowers. Dancing until
Meg could see them no more. The flames died down and the sun
came out. At last the curse was lifted!
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