Free Dark Ritual by Patricia Scott Page A

she retired digging into Lower Milton’s past history.”
    She paused for a moment thoughtfully. “I have stacks of books and documents that Louis wrote. They cover the family history of most of the local people who were living here then. They’re in the small library she fixed up in here. Her work dealt mainly with the Druids and the Celts; they are all part of it.”
    “Interesting.”
    “You might find it hard to swallow.”
    “Try me.”
    She shook her head. “I did rather take it for granted that all these old customs like Corn Dollies, the Man in Green, and pagan beliefs date far back to the ancient burial site on Kilernee Hill. But I chose to ignore it as you do. I’m a bit of a coward, I suppose.”
    “I’d hardly think that of you.”
    He stirred his coffee slowly and viewed her face in profile. Her blue green eyes, which reminded him of opals, were serious and focused on the garden out there. She pushed back her rich chestnut curls with her hand. She obviously knew something that troubled her. Then she came back to him, grinned wryly, leant over and patted his hand.
    “Sorry. Wool gathering.”
    He asked her quietly, “Is it something you don’t want to think about?”
    She nodded. “Could be.” She laughed nervously. “It’s not devil worship. But it’s something pagan and strange that belongs to the past history of this place. Do you know anything at all about these pagan customs that were carried out here? The Mayday celebrations for instance?”
    He grinned back at her. Here he thought he was on familiar ground. “Yeah. May poles, kids dressed up fancy and dancing round them? A pretty girl picked to be Queen of the May.”
    “And you bathed your face with morning dew on May the first.” She laughed. “Everyone knows about that.”
    “Yeah — most do. But there’s more than just that then?”
    She nodded. “There’s more. And not so innocent. May was originally celebrated as Beltane, and the Celts as pagans made the most of it as spring. All the lads and lassies here made whoopee, when they went into the woods and picked the darling buds of May.” She grinned back at him.
    “Like the Druids they worshipped trees and fertility,” she continued. “And Kilernee Hill was brought into it quite a bit. The trees were thick up there and that old oak tree that they’re trying now to save is really ancient... I think it was used in their ceremonies.” She leant forward and her eyes held a serious look in them. “And in their Beltane celebrations the Celts chose their May Queen and a May King from the most beautiful young ones and they — sacrificed them.”
    “Sacrificed them!”
    “Yes, it was all about sexual initiation and fertility. And there have been two similar deaths since in the village during the nineteenth century. Barely a few years apart. Nobody was found responsible and no one was charged.”
    “So I heard. Is there more I should know? Go on...”
    “You probably wouldn’t know it but the Fox and Goose pub was once called The Green Man. I saw a picture of the old Inn sign. My Aunt showed me an old photograph. It’s really spooky. It gives me the creeps to look at it. It’s so well... sinister . It shows a man’s eyes looking out through a mass of green leaves. I can find it for you if you like.
    “The sign and name were changed apparently earlier in the nineteenth century. It caused a lot of agro round here according to my great-great uncle. Could be after those deaths...”
    This captured his attention immediately. “It’s strange but all true then.”
    “Yes, I think so. They believed that the crops harvested for the following year would be good, if the pagan ritual was carried out.”
    “Most country folk believe in the old folklore, don’t they?”
    She nodded. “They do. Especially here.”
    “So there’s more...”
    “These were pagan Harvest festivals that they celebrated. Along with Beltane the Mayday ceremony. And like I’ve said, in them someone