Chapter 2

“Ir’ll fookin murder yon fookin dags if they’n mither me sheep, Yon toffy git. Take theeself awa!”

It was unfortunate that Krill’s first human was an earthy Yorkshire farmer. He took longer to understand the exact meaning of the words being spoken, though he could tell this creature (as he thought of him) was not happy. When his mind sorted through to find relevant similes in his own tongue, he was angry. This was clearly some serf, how dare he speak in those tones to him! He was tempted to let his dogs go and take these woollies to teach the man a lesson. But he didn’t, he needed to know where he was to find if there was a way back.

The stag had taken advantage of the confusion and distraction and had fled over hill and dale. He would be remarked by many a naturalist and not a few hunters and became a legend in the area. Being from beyond the barrier, he would live much longer than is normal for deer in this world, and that gave rise to the stories that there was a small herd of white deer. Aside from the stories, news items and his introduction of new DNA to the local deer, making them famously fleet of foot, he passes out of our particular story.

“Excuse me my man. Where would this be?” Krill’s use of English was precise and grammatical and sounded to the farmer exactly as he expected, some toffy-nosed bastard from ‘doon Sarth’.

“Ya don’t even kna tha’? Why this be-an Sarnsdale. You lost yur friends?”

“I suppose I have, but perhaps not in the way you mean” Krill was racking his brains, was there a fairy ring nearby? “Thank you, now perhaps a hostelry is called for”

“Yee’ll be after the Dirty Duck” Krill look bemused “Yee’ll know it as The White Swan down’t’ hill”

Krill rode on, the unicorn was unsettled but confident that its rider was in control; unicorns are calmer than horses. There in the dell was the pub known as the Dirty Duck to the locals. Krill reached into his past history and dredged up the fact that he needed some metal discs or paper sheets to exchange for a malted drink. “I am lost I fear, and have lost all my money; could I give you my ring as payment?”

In any normal faery story the publican would have tested the gold with his teeth and welcomed the drinker; but this was closer to reality and the publican told him to “Fook off yer vagrant”

A fellow drinker took sympathy and bought him a drink of Todshort Bitter. “Thank you my friend, this is truly a pleasant beverage. Can you tell me where this place is?”

“This is Elfood Parva” The name perhaps indicated an understanding that there were elf lands nearby. Krill drank gratefully as his dogs and unicorn lapped water from the stream. A young girl of three with her mother, heading up to the bus stop to wait for her brother to arrive, stopped and looked. She was young enough not to be fooled into only seeing what you expected. She saw a unicorn, she saw an elf’s ears, she saw five impressive dogs. She pulled from her mother and, before her mother could stop her, she stroked the unicorn. The creature turned, ready to strike if attacked. Krill called and the animal relaxed, the dogs crowded round the girl and sniffed her. They could tell she knew them, though the humans nearby did not.