The Big Little Festival. Kellie Hailes

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СКАЧАТЬ the Spirit of the Marsh granting them the ability to play the rabbits away. They marched down the main street, the rabbits followed, and then they were never seen in those numbers ever again. Frankly, I think their playing was probably just terrible and the rabbits ran to save their ears. That’d explain why the local band, The Revolting Rabbits, all descendants of the original musicians, can’t play a tuneful note between them.’

      An idea sparked in the back of Christian’s head. ‘There could be something in that tale. But I have a question. What did the musicians have to exchange for the magic of the Marsh Spirit. or whatever it’s called…?’

      ‘They had to change the name of the town.’

      ‘From?’

      ‘Arrow’s Head.’

      ‘To Rabbits Leap?’

      ‘Yes. But despite much pleading it had to be Rabbits Leap without the apostrophe.’

      ‘I did wonder about the lack of apostrophe. I mean, it could be a statement, “Rabbits Leap”, because they do. It’s a fact. But it just feels… wrong.’

      ‘Oh, I know. It turns out the Spirit of the Marsh was a trickster who actually quite liked rabbits, but never said no to a deal. So it made us pay by having to explain our choice of apostrophe or lack thereof over and over again for nearly five hundred years.’

      ‘And no one’s made a deal since then I take it?’

      Jody shook her head, eyes solemn. ‘No one’s dared.’

      ‘Right. Well, then. We should do a recreation of that event. It could be the grand finale. We could have The Revolting Rabbits play the part of the musicians. The children of the village could dress up as rabbits. We could have a marsh spirit, complete with light show. It would be amazing.’

      ‘But no Welly-wanging.’ Jody folded her arms over her chest and tipped her head to the side, eyebrows raised.

      ‘It’s not big enough. Not exciting enough. It’s a no from me. And my word is final.’ Then it hit him… ‘You know… Rabbits Leap, no apostrophe, is a little place, but it has a big story to tell… there’s a name in that. Do you have a name for the festival yet?’

      Jody shook her head.

      ‘Well, how about… The Big Little Festival. It’s perfect, don’t you think?’

      Jody unfolded her arms and placed them squarely on her hips. As much as she appreciated his ideas, his enthusiasm, she hadn’t hired him to ride roughshod over their plans, what little there were, for the festival. She’d hired him to work with her, not to take over. Not to steal her opportunity to give back to the community in a meaningful way. And if this was how he ran things, with an iron fist, she was going to have to find another way to give back to Rabbits Leap. ‘You know, Christian, what I think is that I can’t work under a dictatorship. I think you can call the festival whatever you want, because I quit.’

CHAPTER TWO

       Buggery bollocks. Shit. Shit. Shit.

      Christian stared at the empty doorway where Jody had stood mere seconds ago. What had just happened? What kind of committee head just quit? And why the hell was she so hung up on this Welly-wanging business?

      Still, he stood behind his belief that it wouldn’t draw people in, and he refused to do anything that would jeopardise the success of The Big Little Festival, or, more importantly, jeopardise what would be left of his career once the pop-star debacle came home to roost square on his head.

      Fine. Jody was out. Next step? Go find Mrs Harper and Mrs Hunter and drag them back to the hall to finally nail down some plans. And his say would be final. There would be no democracy under his watch.

      He strode across the hall, stepped out into the sunshine and, squinting from its brightness, took in the lay of the land. Total chocolate-box. The kind of town people from overseas expected to see when they came to Devon. All whitewashed stone walls with thatched or tiled roofs. Flower boxes brimming with flowers, and a few weeds. That’d need to be sorted. He mentally began to put together a list of what would need to be done to the village to turn it from sweet and a little sad to something sensational.

      Bunting. Lots of it. Criss-crossing the main street. A big sign at either end with The Big Little Festival painted in jaunty colours. They’d need to have portable toilets brought in. They could possibly go at the back of the park. Perhaps with some kind of wall set up to give some privacy and hide their unsightliness.

      The street wasn’t wide, so he’d have to be economical with the attractions. Which would be what? He stroked his chin, soft spikes reminding him he needed to shave. He was back in the game. He had a job. Now was not the time to look like a down and outer.

      A cackle of laughter caught his attention. Mrs Harper and Mrs Hunter. It must be. Another cackle sent him speeding off in its direction towards a building with ‘Mel’s Café’ emblazoned on the window.

      He stepped through the door and startled at the jolly ting-a-ling of the doorbell. Who had actual bells in their store any more? Where were the electronic chimes? He took in the yesteryear British vibe, all mirrored wall art and china tea trios on display. Had he actually gone back in time? Had Rabbits Leap decided 1953 was a great year to stop moving forward?

      His suspicions deepened when he saw the proprietress. A petite woman with blonde hair, wearing a pink-and-red-rose-covered vintage frock, who was smiling at him in that polite manner that suggested she was wary of the stranger in her café, but would never be rude to a customer.

      ‘Hello? Can I help you?’ she asked. ‘Would you like to take a seat? Or would you like a moment to take a look at the cabinets?’

      ‘Um, actually, I was just looking…’

      ‘Marjorie.’ Mrs Harper’s squawk filled the room. ‘Look who’s tracked us down?! And he’s not looking happy… I guess Jody has filled him in on how things are going with the festival.’

      ‘Christian, stop staring at everything like a gormless wonder and sit with us.’ Mrs Hunter pushed out a chair and waved at him to join them.

      ‘Can I get you a coffee? Tea? I’m Mel by the way.’ The proprietress’s smile widened. ‘Welcome to Rabbits Leap. I hear you’re here to help with the festival.’

      Wow, word got around quickly in this place. ‘I’m here to do what I can.’ Christian attempted to return her smile, but the painful gut-twist had returned. Like a snake intent on wrapping itself into a knot. Many knots. ‘An espresso would be great, thanks. Oh, and a scone. Extra cream, please.’

      Mel leaned in and whispered conspiratorially. ‘They’ve got you stress-eating already? A word of advice. Just hold your ground. Don’t let them boss you about’. She straightened up and sent him on his way with a flick of her hand.

      Boss him around? Stress-eating? What did she think he was? A pushover? It would be him doing the bossing. No two ways about that. Christian settled into the chair Mrs Harper had made available for him and gave the women a curt nod. ‘Ladies, let’s get down to business. The festival is three weeks away. It appears nothing has been organised and time is of the essence. But first things first. Jody has resigned as head of the committee. I shall СКАЧАТЬ