One, Two, Three, Four, Five

I have a wee piece on page 30 of Issue 33 of The Pagans of North Magazine, 'One, Two, Three...' I was inspired by the nursery rhyme which goes on 'Once I caught a fish alive...' and was surprised to discover the original was about catching a hare... Much more in the folklore nature....

One, Two, Three...

‘One, two, three, four and five,

I caught a hare alive,

Six, seven, eight, nine and ten,

I let him go again.

From Tales of Mother Goose 1729. The modern version changed hare to fish and added a second stanza.

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Hold on tight, damn it! It's just one bloody finger, and a small one at that. We've all been through this. What do you mean "What will happen if you don't do it?" I don't know - maybe nothing, or maybe the world will burn. How does that sound? All those innocent people writhing in agony as the Ancestors weep and the earth itself shakes with fury...all because you couldn't handle a little pain.

Fine, give it to me then. I've opened its mouth - quick, quick, put it in. Holy Taranis, what's with all the screaming? I've heard newborns make less noise when they enter this world. It's done, it's done...now hold still while I bind your hand. This poor creature has been out of its field for too long because of your bloody twitching.

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