THE beach cleaning volunteers in Beach Buddies will this morning be meeting at Glen Mooar, near Kirk Michael.

They will get together at 10.30am.

There is lots of parking close to the beach and a good, flat stretch of beach to cover. This is an easy beach to clean, with good access so it’s good for all ages and very flat and safe.

There may be a few nesting birds, so please beware of the chance of finding oyster catcher eggs, which can easily be mistaken for pebbles.

Beach Buddies provides litterpickers, gloves and bin bags and disposes of the rubbish afterwards and recycles where possible.

A nine-year-old boy fell 12 feet from a car park and impaled his leg on a metal reinforcing bar on Friday night.

Crews from Douglas fire station were sent to help an ambulance crew at the scene on Westmoreland Road, Douglas.

The boy had landed in a confined space between the car park and a steep embankment.

The boy received medical treatment from paramedics, however he could not be moved due to his leg being impaled.

Fire crews used hydraulic cutters to cut the section on which the boy was impaled.

A short section of the reinforcing bar was left in the child’s leg and was removed later at hospital.

Crews used specialist line rescue techniques along with a basket stretcher to bring the casualty up a steep incline and back on to ground level where he was transferred to a waiting ambulance and taken to Noble’s Hospital for further treatment.

It thought that the child’s injuries are not life threatening.

A three-year-old child is undergoing treatment in hospital in England after being involved in a serious traffic collision.

The accident happened at about 5.15pm on Saturday on Derby Square, Douglas.

A red Peugeot car was involved.

The child was taken to Noble’s Hospital with what have been described as serious injuries.

The toddler has now been flown to Alder Hey Hospital, Liverpool, for further treatment and remains in a serious condition.

The police are investigating and anyone who has information about this incident should contact police headquarters on 631212 or talk to any police officer.

PUPILS at one island primary school have been learning the guitar in a project that will be extended to other schools.

During the spring term, Mark Whear, head of guitars with the Department of Education and Children’s music service, taught a class of 25 nine- and 10-year-olds at Arbory Primary School the rudiments of the instrument.

Over 10 weeks, and playing guitars loaned to them by the music service, the children learned about the instrument’s parts, the correct posture to adopt to play it, playing techniques, music notation and performance etiquette.

‘Each week I had 50 minutes to work with the class, which included tuning everyone’s guitar and ensuring that everyone had made some progress by the end of each session,’ Mr Whear said. ‘Our aim was to perform five pieces of music, in different styles, including rock ’n’ roll, jazz and classical. The music became more complex to play as children progressed.’

Pupils showed off their new-found prowess, performing at an awards assembly watched by the entire school.

‘The pupils performed brilliantly and they made me and their class teacher, Daphne Snidal, and headteacher, Jonathan Ayres, proud of them,’ said Mr Whear.

Mr Whear and his guitar colleague Phil Jennings have held similar courses at Manor Park and Cronk-y-Berry primaries and are now rolling them out to more schools, among them St Thomas’ CofE, where Year 5 and 6 pupils will begin learning the guitar this month.

There’s a similar, successful project to introduce whole classes of primary pupils to the violin.

The projects form part of the an initiative, launched in 2009 to raise the profile of music in schools and develop teachers’ skills. Soundstart – whole-class instrumental teaching – was introduced as part of the scheme, initially with short courses on ukuleles and traditional whistles, the latter written, devised and delivered with the Manx Heritage Foundation.

A more ambitious programme at Anagh Coar School, initially sponsored by the Malcolm Scott Dickinson Trust, now sees every Year 5 pupil learning a wind band instrument for the whole school year. Soundstart now has two wind bands and two whole class string projects in different schools and more projects (including a whole-year guitar scheme) starts in September 2013. In all Soundstart projects, the class teacher learns alongside the children, developing their own musical skills.

After their courses, pupils have the option to continue learning their instrument.

Many of the musical skills learned in Soundstart can be easily transferred to other instruments should a child wish to learn one in the future.

THE Sayle Gallery, on Harris Promenade, Douglas is looking for a full-time manager/curator and an artist in residence.

Director Damian Ciappelli said: ‘As the job title ‘manager/curator’ suggests, it’s a very varied role, encompassing admin, sales and liaising with the gallery’s artists, patrons and the general public, as well as curating exhibitions and the shop - so the ideal candidate will have great time management skills and an enthusiastic, unflappable and welcoming approach.’

The successful candidate will play a key role in continuing the development of the gallery.

The Sayle Gallery opens seven days a week and the manager’s 36-hour contract would involve some weekend and evening work – as well as liaising with the volunteers who assist at the gallery.

Alongside this role, there is an artist in residence role available which is open to arts graduates who wish to develop their work in a gallery environment. The role attracts a £10,000 bursary for the applicant.

Damian said: ‘our two most recent artists in residence – Sarah Hendy and Hazel Walsh – were able to juggle their own work whilst dealing with the challenges of a hands on role within the gallery.’

‘Working in the Sayle Gallery, both on my own wearable art and in other roles, means that life is never dull,’ said Sarah.

‘It’s been fun talking to visitors about my art and then shifting into another gear to talk about some of the other artists who display and sell work through the gallery. I’d recommend the artist in residence post to any artist who would like the space to develop their own work, but still have the company of other staff and visitors.’

Details of the manager/curator role and the artist in residence are available from the Sayle Gallery at saylegallery@manx.net and the closing date for both is May 20.

THE number of livestock lost as a result of the snowfall in March now exceeds 15,000, the Manx National Farmers’ Union has said.

It includes more than 6,500 sheep and 8,000 lambs which have been collected by the Department of Infrastructure for disposal since March 25.

The number of dead animals has continued to rise as they are recovered from under the deepest snow drifts in remote areas.

MNFU general secretary Belinda Leach said that ‘consequential losses’ – such as animals aborting the lambs or calves they are carrying – were still happening.

But she added: ‘We are not now expecting that number to rise at all significantly.’

She praised the DoI’s ‘swift response’ in waivering the fee for collecting dead animals – the charge comes back into force this afternoon (Friday).

Mrs Leach said farmers were ‘exhausted’ after the extra work to trace and recover their livestock during what is always a busy time in the farming calendar.

And the weather – in particular the slow rise in ground temperature – has continued to pile pressure on farmers.

Cattle are being kept inside because there isn’t enough grass for them outside, and cereal crops ‘are way behind in development’.

Mrs Leach said fodder was harder to find, and that farmers were working cooperatively.

She said the looming TT festival was also putting pressure on farmers – while they always try to get the first cut of silage done before the surge in visitors to the island so their tractors and trailers aren’t on the road at the same time, this year, the crop won’t be ready until then.

She added: ‘They’re also trying to get fencing in a sound condition before the TT and the general increase in traffic it brings.’

‘There’s quite a lot of pressure at the moment,’ she said.

Government support to the industry will be direct emergency support, interest-free or low interest loans and support for the Meat Plant.

A couple whose flowers were stolen from their chuch the day before they were due to marry were given lots of offers of help.

The flowers were taken from inside Kirk Braddan Church on Thursday afternoon and the got married on Friday.

Priest-in-charge Rev Daniel Richards said: ‘Thankfully, Kirk Braddan’s flower ladies handled the situation superbly and the whole day went very smoothly.

‘I believe the bride, groom and whole wedding party were very pleased with the result.

‘Thank you to all those who offered their help, but special thanks go to Gail Macadam for rescuing the situation and Robinson’s the florists for replacing the missing flowers.’

Twenty avalanche Roses and 20 blue roses were taken from inside Braddan Church between 12.30pm and 3pm on Thursday.

The dyed navy blue roses can leave traces of dye on hands.

Anyone with information is asked to call Douglas police or Kirk Braddan on 675523.

The Chinese government sees the Isle of Man as a ‘bridgehead’ into Europe, says the Manx government Minister who led a recent trade mission to the Far East.

During a five-day visit to Beijing, Guangzhou and Shanghai, the Manx delegation had a series of meetings with Chinese government officials and decision makers in major Chinese businesses and key business associations.

During the trade mission, Mr Shimmin exchanged a signed statement of co-operation with the chairman of the China Banking Regulatory Commission, Shang Fulin, in Beijing.

This document, which was presented on behalf of the island’s Financial Supervision Commission, is a necessary first step to enable Chinese banks to establish an operation in the Isle of Man.

Mr Shimmin spoke about the visit in the regular ministerial press conference with journalists last week.

He said that the Manx government was committed to forging stronger links with China, one of the world’s fast growing economies.

It hoped to build on the Isle of Man’s unique Customs relationship with the UK and EU to allow us to become a conduit for Chinese imports into Europe - a view shared by the Chinese authorities.

Mr Shimmin told the Examiner: ‘The Chinese government sees the Isle of Man as bridgehead into Europe.’

He said Chinese businesses had shown ‘enormous interest’ during the trade mission in the island’s ability to provide a ‘one-stop shop’ for Chinese exporters seeking to establish a trading hub for the UK or Europe.

Last month, the island welcomed the Chinese Ambassador to the United Kingdom, His Excellency Liu Xiaoming on a three-day visit.

Mr Shimmin said his department was committed to facilitating more trade delegations to China as well as hosting further visiting delegations to the Isle of Man.

There will be four Chinese delegations to the island in the next three months alone, he revealed.

Levels of staff sickness absence across government have been cut by nearly 10 per following a crackdown.

The move has been welcomed by Chief Minister Allan Bell who launched a review 12 months ago of high levels of sick leave which was costing government nearly £14 million a year in lost productivity.

Latest figures show that in the 12 months to the end of March the average number of days lost per employee had fallen from 7.68 to 6.94, a reduction of 9.6 per cent. This had resulted in a saving overall of £1.3 million.

Figures for 2012-13 show that the average number of days lost per employee was highest within the Public Transport division and Whitley Council.

Some 29 per cent of absences started on a Monday.

The most common reasons for absences were stress, anxiety, depression, operations, hospitalisation and ‘musculoskeletal’ which together accounted for 46.4 per cent of days lost. Long term absence accounted for 59 per cent.

Mr Bell said: ‘It is clear the action I requested to address staff sickness issues is having an effect. The vast majority of our staff are dedicated and conscientious, and most cases of absence are genuine. But there has been concern about the system being open to abuse by a minority.’

A boarding house keeper found that travel agents in England knew very little about the Isle of Man when she did her own market research.

She was so frustrated she went to Newcastle city centre to try to drum up business.

Today’s Isle of Man Examiner, which is in the shops now, has the full story.

The paper also features a news story about an author who has written a book about Osama Bin Laden. He wanted to give a talk about it in Onchan Library but he is not being allowed to. Find out why in today’s paper.

The Sefton debate continues to dominate the news and we have more from Economic Development Minister John Shimmin MHK about the issue.

This week’s Big Picture is of the linkspan after it was damaged by the Ben-my-Chree. We’ve devoted a whole page to it so you’ll be able to see the extent of the damage.

As another bus strike looms, possibly during the TT, we talk to both sides of the dispute.

The back page is dominated by Mark Cavendish’s latest success.

The paper also has the latest Guild results and news about the winner of the Cleveland Medal.

It might be a bank holiday today, but the Examiner is in the shops as usual.

A long-awaited reshuffle of political posts in government will be unveiled this week by Chief Minister Allan Bell.

He insisted that this will not be a major reshuffle, suggesting that there will no changes in the cabinet line-up.

Mr Bell announced back in February that he was considering a reshuffle in the spring after the Legislative Council elections.

Those elections saw Geoff Corkish elevated to the upper house, sparking a by-election in the Douglas West constituency.

Mr Bell said he had used the election as an opportunity to review the positions of a number of members.

He said he was looking at Ministers as well as political members of departments.

Mr Bell said he had now spoken to all members.

He joked: ‘We are now close to white smoke!’

But he added: ‘This will not be a major reshuffle. It’s a fairly limited review based on the obvious consequences of the Legislative Council election.

‘This has been an opportunity to review the positions of a number of members to ensure they have the right level of experience and are making the right level of contribution.

‘I’m considering the whole of government, looking at all members including Ministers. I have now spoken to all members and I will be making an announcement early this week.’

Four candidates will contest the Douglas West by-election which takes place on Thursday May 23.

They are Clive Phillip Dawson, a semi-retired consultant, social worker Quintin Gill, John Skinner, a retired fire officer and financial analyst Christopher Thomas.

A fifth candidate, taxi driver Martin Moore, decided to withdraw his name before nominations closed.

Elections to fill four vacant seats in LegCo took place on March 18. Tony Wild and Juan Turner won back their seat with new members being Geoff Corkish and Manx Labour Party member Michael Coleman.

CORONER of inquests John Needham has said the Isle of Man should introduce a national speed limit.

His call came during the inquest into the death of motorcyclist Davy Jones, who died last May when he hit the back of a bin lorry on the Cronk-y-Voddy straight.

Mr Needham said that the island’s stance of having derestricted roads could be contrary to article two of the European Convention on Human Rights.

For the full story, see this week’s Isle of Man Examiner, on sale now.

POLICE are appealing for witnesses to an accident which occurred shortly after 4pm on Sunday in the area of the Mountain Mile.

The collision resulted in the death of a local man who was riding a motorcycle. His name is not being released at this time to allow for all family members to be notified.

The Mountain Road was closed for several hours between the Bungalow and the Hairpin following the incident to allow for initial investigations.

Enquiries are ongoing and the officers would like to speak to anyone who was in the area at the time and saw anything that may assist in the investigation.

If you can help, contact police headquarters on 631212.

The Sefton loan and land purchase deal is ‘good news for the taxpayer’, Economic Development Minister John Shimmin has insisted.

Speaking in public for the first time about the controversial deal, Mr Shimmin maintained the £1.3 million loan and purchase of the Middlemarch site for £3.2 million was not a bail-out.

And he defended the way that an earlier loan of £450,000 to the Sefton Group was not initially made public.

Mr Shimmin, who was leading a trade mission in China when the deal was announced last month, told the Examiner: ‘It’s not a bail-out.

‘We’ve been talking to the Sefton Group, as we talk to many businesses, for a long period of time.

‘I’m fully supportive of what we’ve done in government which I believe does not just protect the jobs and the interests of the Sefton Group but is actually very good news for the taxpayer.

‘What we’ve done is acquire a parcel of land in a prime location in the centre of Douglas below the market rate. We’ve got a five per cent return plus on that investment and a £1.3 million investment as a loan to a company which employs many people and were certainly the business not to have been supported there would have been significant extra costs to the taxpayer.

‘So again we are getting a return on the investment of taxpayers’ money, we are protecting local jobs which is an important part of our role and certainly the team work between the Sefton, ourselves and other parties to ensure the long term viability I think is a really good news story.‘

‘I regret the fact that a number of people have picked this up as being something which is untoward. It is something within our normal powers and as we’ve been saying for many years now, things have changed, we’ve got to take a few risks, we’ve got to do things a little bit differently but actually I think this is something which is good news for the taxpayer to protect businesses and jobs.’

Mr Shimmin said the £450,000 loan made last year was to deal with a cashflow issue. ‘That is something which we do in order to facilitate businesses to repay their debts. The second part of it was the acquisition and loan that was worked up in the last few months. Again it’s been all parties working together. If government hadn’t come in there would have been a breakdown in some of the other opportunities available so what we think we’ve done is assist a company to get back onto a level playing field so it can now be successful, as it has in the past, into the future.

‘This really actually is protecting a good business in the Isle of Man in a way which is appropriate and within the normal terms.’

Asked why the original £450,000 loan wasn’t initially made public, Mr Shimmin replied: ‘The spotlight has been put on this. This is what we do in government at times. We come to arrangements with businesses and quite often we give grants out which are non-repayable. Therefore the taxpayer doesn’t worry about those grants because they see it’s linked to jobs and employment. That’s what this is.

When you have a cashflow situation caused by events within a certain business they come to talk to government, be it the tax office, Treasury or my department.’

In the House of Keys, Social Care Minister Chris Robertshaw MHK, a former shareholder and director of the Sefton Group, insisted he had no conflict of interest - as he had absented himself from any discussions or votes in the Council of Ministers about the bail-out.

He told MHKs: ‘For absolute clarity I sold out my holding in the Sefton in 2005 as I was deeply uncomfortable with the rest of the board’s determination to engage with Mr Graham Ferguson Lacey and the significant credit line he then enjoyed with certain banks.’

Mr Robertshaw said he had sold 2,000 shares retained for ‘sentimental reasons’ after he was elected as an MHK in 2010.

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Mezzo soprano Elizabeth Townsend picked up the top award at the Guild – the Cleveland Medal.

Elizabeth, aged 22, of York Road, Douglas, was ‘absolutely shocked’ to be claimed the winner of the Manx Music Festival.

The music graduated from the University of London has always been interested in the Guild and wrote about the music festival and the importance of the Cleveland medal in her dissertation.

Elizabeth is the second youngest winner of the medal. Speaking of her achievements, she said: ‘I was very surprised that I did win. The thing I wanted most from the final was to enjoy myself. I just wanted to make my parents and singing teacher proud of me. I hope by winning, I achieved that. I’m really looking forward to singing on Tynwald Day.’

On Saturday night Elizabeth sang Gentle Morpheus, Son of Night by Handel and King David By Howells, she beat stiff competition from Jane Corkill, Michael Corkill, Terence Qualtrough, Jane Mayne and John Qualtrough to win the prize.

Eleanor Shimmin taught Elizabeth piano from the age of 11 and singing from the age of 14. She said: ‘She is a very talented young lady. She was a natural on stage, Elizabeth didn’t get very nervous during her performance. Afterwards she asked me if she gets to keep the award, I said “it’s yours”.’

Guild results, see page 24.

Representatives from the company will travel to Geneva to promote the Isle of Man as the premier jurisdiction for business aviation and to showcase the market leading services that Equiom provide.

Attending this year will be VAT director, Steve Cain, aviation consultant, Captain John Hills, tax director, Ali Stennett and manager of Yachting and Aviation Services, Lisa Osland. Steve Cain is already actively representing the Isle of Man and its interests in this growth sector, and is well placed at the forefront of all changes and incoming policies via his role as a member of the European Business Aviation Association’s (EBAA) VAT Focus Group.

Steve was sought out to join the group which meets regularly in Brussels to discuss the latest issues, and as such is able to address any concerns in relation to VAT and tax changes in order to protect the unique proposition the island offers.

Steve said; ‘EBACE is an essential business aviation event for Equiom, providing a global platform to meet industry friends, colleagues and clients in addition to seeking out new opportunities. Change is constant within the industry and clients need to have peace of mind that their provider understands the issues and is able to provide bespoke solutions tailored to meet their individual requirements that are also compliant with the latest legislation.”

Equiom has won international recognition through its range of comprehensive services which includes the establishment and management of ownership structures which can be provided in a number of jurisdictions including the Isle of Man.

EBACE which is jointly hosted by the EBAA and the NBAA (National Business Aviation Association) is Europe’s premier aviation event and regularly attracts over 12,000 attendees and 500 exhibitors from around the world. The 2013 show is set to be the biggest to date with an extended exhibition area in addition to the usual features which include a static aircraft display.

For further details of Equiom’s services or show plans visit www.equiom.im.

MAJOR improvement works to Creg-ny-Baa corner are to be carried out but not until after the TT is over.

In the meantime that section of the road is to be patched to ensure it is fit for racing when the TT festival begins on May 27.

Clerk of the course Gary Thompson said rigorous checking of the course was being done and a number of areas were being patched but the heavy snowfall seemed to have done relatively little lasting damage.

‘There will be some patching at Creg-ny-Baa and then once the TT is over there will be some more resurfacing done,’ he said.

He added the course inspection officer Shaun Counsell had been checking the road and resurfacing had also been requested at Braddan and at Bedstead where the surface had become polished.

Potentially the biggest worry was the damage caused to fences and security of livestock where heavy drifts, particularly on the mountain had destroyed fencing and allowed animals to escape from fields.

Time has also been spent clearing debris and fallen trees from the area between Cronk-y-Voddy and Kirk Michael – one of the worst snow affected sections of the course apart from the mountain.

resurfacing

Time has also been spent renewing black and white paint on kerb stones and resurfacing in the braking area between Bircham Avenue and Parliament Square in Ramsey is also being completed.

Inspections with former TT winner Richard ‘Milky’ Quayle have confirmed weather damage is less than was feared, he said.

The Department of Infrastructure has said major improvements will be carried out to the Creg-ny-Baa corner in the autumn.

These will involve removing the worn shellgrip road surface and replacing it with standard surfacing. In addition the camber round the bend is to be improved.

Director of highways Richard Pearson said this would compensate for the removal of the shellgrip, which is prone to wearing out quickly, and may even see corner speeds at that point increase.

It suggested the improved camber could also have the added benefit of increased safety for spectators at that point. Whether the work would be completed over three weeks with just an off-peak daytime road closure or over two weeks with a complete closure is still being decided.

Work scheduled to be done at Ramsey Hairpin and elsewhere on the mountain may be completed at the same time to minimise the disruption to drivers using the mountain road.

What do you think?

opinions@newsiom.co.im

I winced, wondering if anyone heard me.  I scanned the broken twig beneath my foot, and then the landscape around me.  I breathed a sigh of relief.  The mist didn’t help but I could still make out shapes of leaf-less trees hiding my prize.  An old abandoned house, its gutter had snapped off and been buried in the undergrowth, shattered windows sat on once painted window ledges, the decayed and hazardous door frame didn’t possess a door.  But I didn’t care. 

As I approached it a deep growl whispered from the darkness of the hall.  I didn’t make any sudden movements; instead I very slowly dropped to my knees and pulled a chicken leg from my black waterproof coat pocket fastened with a button.  Almost immediately the growling stopped and a grey fuzzy snout poked out of the hall.  Then a head with a pair of set-in yellow eyes came out into the daylight; shortly followed by a body, legs and tail, completing a scruffy grey dog.  It took one look at me and bounded forwards, stopping short and sitting upright.  I gave it the chicken leg stroking it as it ate. 

I stood up and looked the house up and down, considering how I would approach.  When I finally made up my mind, I continued.  Then I came to three muddy steps leading to a tatty door mat.  Firstly looking back at the dog before proceeding up the steps, a deep breath escaped my frozen lips, warming them a little.  I walked inside meeting a red carpeted staircase, thick dust settling on its bannister.  Then I placed one foot on the stair and a hiss came from behind me.  I thrust my hand into my pocket and removed from it a cheap box of matches; I took one and struck it.  The flame danced on the wooden stick and raced to burn my fingers.  For a short period of time it illuminated my surroundings showing a very skinny black cat with leaves and solid lumps of mud and sticks stuck to its fur.  It arched its back and showed me its teeth. 

I finally turned back around, relieved again.  I then started up the long and winding spiral staircase, accompanied by the black feline.  When we got to the top I confidently strode into the room in front of me and sat down, I allowed the fuzzy black cat onto my lap and gazed out of the window.  Anyone could tell that behind my sapphire blue eyes I had secrets; I was brought to my attention with shouts and screams, then I realized: my past had caught up with me,  and I must leave now.

In the beginning, la-Kreinto (an all-powerful being, parallel to your “God”) made the world, Tero. The people rebelled; la-Kreinto made demons. The most repugnant, foul demons one could ever imagine. The people conformed; la-Kreinto made Infero, a blisteringly heated plain for the demons to dwell. Infero was situated away from the people, but close enough to remind them of His power. Only la-Kreinto forgot that as the people evolved, the demons evolved. And as the people grew stronger, the demons also grew stronger…

C-R-A-S-H! The walls separating our village, Acantrio, from Infero collapsed with a thunderous roar. Shrill screams of panic erupted throughout Acantrio as masses of demons poured in, like water from a flood. I was glued to the spot in terror, forced to watch in revulsion as the repellent creatures swarmed out of the hellish pit, Infero and into the luscious forestry of Acantrio.

“Run Timema!” cried mama, her eyes locked in mine. There was so much emotion visible through her eyes that I was drowning in those deep azure pools. I wanted mama to stay, for her strong arms to hold me, for her solid body to protect me; but she ran. I watched as her figure was swallowed by the surrounding thickets, sickle in hand. I watched as she found papa. I watched as they fought the demons together. I watched as they both fell; as they both died.

Before the trauma of those scenes sunk in, I heeded my mama’s last warning; I ran.

I waded through bushes and trees, my head whirling. Surrounding me was a dense army of foliage; each tree, each bush, each plant was an irate soldier out to destroy me.

Within a short time, I ran out of trees. This was alarming. All of Acantrio was vegetation. Bushes, plants, thickets, they were my life. The scarcity of verdure was disturbing.

Without warning, a giant beast flew towards me and abruptly became immobile just before me! It was letting out a low groan. Was it injured? I didn’t think so. Unexpectedly, a man jumped out of the creature!

“Get in! We haven’t much time. We must get as many people on board as we can. Then we can journey to safety, to Ĉielo!” he yelled. Before the last echo of his booming voice faded away, a multitude of people swarmed into the clearing, like locusts. They all clambered into the huge wooden beast!

The man with the loud voice approached me. Petrified, I tried to back away from him; he caught me.

“Don’t look so scared. There’s room in Carriage 13; you’ll be safe soon!” I didn’t feel safe with him but I meekly let him steer me onto the wooden demon, which I learned was a “train”, a mode of transportation. I followed him awkwardly into the last carriage. He stalked off without even a wave. I shuffled self-consciously on the uninviting bench I was perched on, feeling the piercing gaze of the carriage’s two occupants stabbing me; their eyes, daggers. With a tremendous jolt the train became mobile. I stared out the window and let my mind wander to the fleeting images rushing by…

After only 20 minutes of travelling, the lights in Carriage 13 began to flicker. A feeling of vertigo, so strong that it seemed to be sent from la-Kreinto, swept over us, as we were plunged into darkness. Once the light returned we found that Carriage 13 was not attached to the train! It was gone, on its way to Ĉielo; we were not. We didn’t know how we got into this predicament; all we knew was that we needed to get out.

“I don’t know what happened there, but if we have any chance of getting to Ĉielo before the barrier goes up, we have to start making our way there, now!” stated one of the passengers of Carriage 13. He was a boy in his late teens, who had the dreamiest eyes…

“Errmm, w-w-what barrier, Savanto?” murmured a slightly older woman.

“The train is headed to Ĉielo, the Capital of the World. A day after the train arrives in Ĉielo, giant barriers, like flood walls, will be put up, so the demons won’t be able to get in. So we only have a day to get to Ĉielo before we are stuck here, at the mercy of the demons” explained Savanto (the boy) gravely.

“What will we do!?” I cried, forgetting my bashfulness. Savanto grabbed my hand and squeezed it reassuringly. I looked up into his eyes, pleadingly; he returned my look with a strong gaze.

“We’ll make our own way there!” he declared. He said it with so much conviction, that I had to believe him.

And that’s where you find us now; Savanto, the woman (Necerta) and me, in a forest somewhere between Acantrio and Ĉielo. Unlike Acantrio, the trees in this forest are dead; they’re a poignant reminder of the irreplaceable home I once knew. We’re sitting, gazing up into the stars, trying to forget the trauma of the day, but we know, we can’t. I feel guilty; I haven’t cried. I genuinely do feel sad; more than sad. It’s as though I’m drowning in a sea of anguish. Yet, I can’t cry. Is it disloyal to my parents? Would they feel as though I don’t love them, by not revealing my heartache? These questions cause images of them unravel to from my mind, like thread from a reel; their smiles, their laughs, their cries.

A sudden change in the wind brings me out of my thoughts. The wind had been warm and wispy, not strong enough to be considered even a breeze. Yet now, it lets out a monumental roar, urging its brigade of icy precipitation to charge upon us. It unsettles us all. Necerta’s grip on my hand tightens and Savanto leaps up and looks around, like a meerkat on alert.

A malicious howl reverberates through the woodland. A demon. Without wasting a second, Savanto throws Necerta and me to the ground and runs towards the lone demon. He charges at it, wielding a branch and jabs it in the demon’s eye. The creature falls; Savanto falls.

“Savanto!” I scream, a torrent of tears pouring down my face. I reach his side and see there is a wound in his head. He is bleeding, heavily. Necerta shakes him. He doesn’t move.

“He’s dead” she swallows. I shake my head adamantly, gulping back my tears. He can’t be; he isn’t! I can tell. This isn’t the end of our journey together, it’s only the beginning…

Nestled deep in a sandy rut, the small fox lay with his back toward the stinging sand which was being constantly pitched at him by the wind. The wind chuckled mischievously as he flung sand hither and thither. With his beady eyes tight shut, the fox waited for the wind to tire of its game, and move on, as he knew sometime it would. The desert, and all the creatures that called it home, knew this wind too well. He screamed as he darted between cacti and the rocks he had carved since before anyone could remember. He challenged the life of everything that moved, crawled or stood still. Hours passed, and the wind himself grew tired of the hot white sand. The fox crept from his den. He knew the game was up as the wind gave a last shout of laughter, and was gone.

The wind slowed as he left the desert, and turned westward. He did not disrupt and harm as he had done before, but calmed to a slow, heavy breeze that caressed the sloping hillsides. He flowed down valleys and rose above mountains. He stole moisture from rivers and lakes, and carried it with him, until at last he flowed down to the shore, and graced it with huge raindrops, falling upon ocean and trees as he moved along the coast. In the distance he saw a building, and some men on a jetty, loading many different crates of furs, gold and spices onto a vessel. They were hot with the work, and he cooled them as he bustled by. He left the boat and travelled further. Behind him the boat departed, with royal blue sails and a brass figurehead shaped like an eagle, facing out to sea. The wind enjoyed the waves that licked up when he flew faster, and the tall palms bending as if to try and follow. The wind carried leaves and birds, water and heat along with him as he graced the shores of Africa. On the fifth day, the wind grew restless, and with a hush, turned towards the open ocean, picking up speed. As he raced across open waters, white horses danced beneath him, and leapt up to touch the swift, fresh air. This wind was not angry like the wind of the desert, nor was he lethargic and heavy as the coastal breeze, but he felt spritely, and new, enjoying the expanse of the shallow turquoise sea beneath him, and the thin white clouds that rode high above. Twisting and turning, the wind danced merrily towards pitch black cliffs rising far away upon the horizon.

The wind now reached the shores of the volcanic island of Madeira. Seabirds nested on the sunburned cliffs, then launched themselves onto the buffeting back of the wind, to scout for lizards or insects warming in the sun. The island was a haven of tall, green palm trees, and the stark contrast of black sand beside blue waters. The wind, however, did not recognise this. All he thought was where he would go next, ever deciding, living solely in the future. It skipped over the land below, blanking out the wonderful goings-on of everyday life on the isle. Iguanas chased each other on hot rocks, and small mammals hurried about the grasslands with twigs and tall stalks. Fish fluttered about in the shallow lagoons. The wind brushed past, towards a single dock jutting into the sea. This was built for trading vessels to stop and restock fresh water from an underground spring, or collect exotic fruits from bushes near the shoreline. Moored up alongside was a large schooner that rested deep in the water. It was familiar, with royal blue sails and a brass figurehead, shaped like an eagle. The wind did not like familiarity, he was used to travelling to ever new places, and his love of the new made him fickle. The wind was not a constant, he was unpredictable, and he liked it very much. The wind was not going to see the boat again, following him about like that, always being where the wind went. No, the wind made up its mind to leave. Leave before the ship could pack up and catch him, so off the wind went, once again gathering speed and heading for the vast blue ocean.

The Atlantic looked infinitely deep from above. As he journeyed further out, the wind began to see how lonely this place was. It was an infinite expanse of mottled, icy water, unfathomable and seemingly endless. The wind peered down, marvelling at the creatures he saw; porpoises leaping extravagantly, jellyfish with their trailing fronds pink and red, and even a mighty blue whale calling for its mate. All these things made the wind feel small, and somewhat powerless. The wind sped up, flicking from side to side like a sea snake. The waves were brought up beneath him, and crashed as he moved away. He brought clouds to him, and the sea darkened as they congealed above and blotted the sun. It went from stark daylight to a murky darkness in minutes, and the wind intended to keep it that way, for it was his way of showing power over all; he was stronger than the water, stronger than the oceans, stronger than every landscape over which he flew.

Far off in the distance, something appeared. It was bright, bobbing up and down on the sea, with blue sails and a brass figurehead shaped like an eagle. The wind raced toward it, for how dare the ship return! How dare it follow the mighty wind! As he got close to it, the wind could see sailors scurrying around, he could hear their shouts to “Man the sails and prepare for a storm!” The wind felt mighty as he built himself into a fearsome gale. Revelling in power, he threw huge waves at the vessel, and soaked it through. More waves and a surge of water took a sailor and washed him overboard. The wind had claimed a life, and craved more. Rain lashed the deck and made it a treacherous rink, sending more men to their graves. Terrified, some of the sailors ran below decks to wait the out the storm. The rest bravely protected their ship, but the wind kept up the onslaught, and the boat tipped this way and that, sails almost touching the icy sea. At some point in the battle to stay aloft, the main mast snapped under the strain of its sodden sails draped around it, and sank into the sea, to be lost forever. The wind gave a final gust, and the boat rolled. Victory. Sailors were trapped by the torrent of water flooding the cabins, and the lucky were knocked unconscious immediately. The wind waited for any sign of life, and, upon seeing none, he calmed, and observed his handiwork; shattered wood bobbed, scraps of sail floated just under the surface, and bodies lay about like battered islands. The wind gave a final shriek, and moved on.

Ten days after wrecking the boat, the wind reached land. It had not arrived at a quaint, sandy island as it had before, but a bustling port with tall trading vessels and the stench of seafood. People carried boxes stacked high with rope and clothing. The wind flowed through alleys and up cobbled streets, cooling soldiers in bright red coats, marching past beggars and townsfolk. The wind followed these paths, until the city thinned, and he found himself in unspoiled grasslands. As a gentle breeze now, he brushed the reaching arms of mighty oak trees, and swept pollen from flowers below. He travelled northwards, and saw neither sight nor soul for days and days. Gradually, the climate cooled. The wind noted the absence of insects, and he now carried tiny flakes of snow, like small jewels, depositing them on the thin branches of spruce trees. Wolves roved the forests and hills in packs. Their coats dark against the snow..

The forests were alive, stirred by the wind as it whistled further and further towards the arctic, continuing on its unending journey, shaping earth and sea as it pleased.

Far away, in a warm, sandy hole, a small fox slept through the stifling noonday sun. He was curled nose to tail, as still as the tall rocks that rose above the dunes. Nothing moved but his whiskers, which stirred gently with his breathing as his chest rose and fell.