Tale of Eire

This is the result of a writing challenge I had given myself. To write 1000 words in 15 minutes. I cleaned it up and this is what came to be.

In the time before time there was found in the great northern sea an island of nothing.  This land had no green hills, nor low rolling clouds to travel lazily above them.  There were no streams of gentle flowing waters or tall coast lines being pounded by mighty waves.  There were no songbirds filling the air with their gifted music.  There was not even a breeze of fresh, cool air to stream across green grass in rolling waves.   However, one day, a prince from the land of Tir Na Nog set foot on the shore of the flat desolate island.  He looked around slowly.  His keen eyes were able to see all parts of that land, from the very point he stood to the distant shore hundreds of miles away.  A slow smile crept over his face until his white teeth beamed in full grin.  He had found what he had been searching for in more years than he can remember.   His name was Eire and his love was for all things fresh, green and full of beauty.  This bleak land he stood on would become his palette and he would make it a land of magnificence second only to that of Tir Na Nog itself.

Eire reached down deep into the sand until he felt the very foundation of the island.  Grabbing hold with mighty hands, he began to pull upward.  Slowly, the entire shore on which he stood began to rise.   A wall of solid rock spanning miles along the beach rose up until it was hundreds of feet high.  The foaming blue waves of the ocean began their relentless assault on the newly created cliff line.  Eire circled the entire island, repeating the process, thus creating the great rising cliffs where he would.   Still standing at the ocean’s edge, he then he turned his gaze back towards the land.  He reached out again with his mighty hands and grabbed a tight hold of the cliff.  Then, taking a long deep breath, he knelt down and with one great motion - stood abruptly and shook the fabric of the land like a great blanket.  Akin to great waves of the surrounding ocean, the land rippled outward before him.   The enormous rolling waves of land left in their paths subtle hills and vast mountains across the once flat and boring terrain.   

 Then with a great leap he flew through the air landing in the center of the island.  He began running this way and that with his strong hand dragging in the earth behind him.   Sometimes his hand dug shallow and sometimes deep.  Thus, he gouged troughs throughout the land.  The troughs were very wide in some places and quite narrow in others.   Eventually he found his way back to the edge of the ocean.   There, he paused, just before reaching the waves of the beach.  His face broadened in a smile once again for he knew what would happen the moment he completed the work of the trough.   He stepped forward and dragged his hand in the sand so that the trough found its way to where the ocean waves landed.  Immediately water surged in and began flooding the grand channel.  The swift clear liquid raced through the countless ditches filling them to the edge until across the land great rivers flowed and branched out into smaller rivulets and streams.  In a short time, the entire land flowed with cool, clear, life-sustaining water.  Some of the rivers and streams found their way to cliffs and cascaded off into the bright blue ocean.    Others wound smoothly across the land to low lying beaches and there, merged gently with the sea.  Eire touched his finger into the cool water near the river’s mouth and behold, another great work began to take place.  Along the rivers bank, at the place he stood, green grass began to grow.   It moved like a great shadow traveling along the rivers edges and expanded outward across the land.  Yet, unlike a shadow, the color was bright and vibrant.  It was the very color of life itself.    There was more to be done.

 Eire knelt down once again.  In a great heave, he jumped up to the sky and brought his mighty fist down hard on the sun.   This caused a great shower of glowing sun embers to fall to the green land below.  Each small ember burned down into the ground and became buried in the dark earth under the bright green grass.   Eire took a deep breath and exhaled warm air across the full expanse of the island.  One by one, small green plants began sprouting out of the ground where the sun embers had fallen.   Beautiful flowers blossomed as they strove to reach the very sun they had been born from.   The blossoms were of all different shapes, colors, scents and sizes, but all had something in common:  they shined with the very warmth and joy of the sun itself.  They speckled the land from coast to coast and Eire smiled at the gentle beauty of it all.   Yet there was still more to do. 

He reached into the ocean and with a great splash sprinkled water high up into the sky.   This water did not fall to the ground, but instead, it turned to mist and became great billowing clouds rolling slowly in the blue sky.   Eire smiled as he wiped his hands off.  He was happy with his work thus far, but weary, so he laid down to rest.  As he slept, he dreamed.  His dreams were filled with creatures of various kinds:  Deer and foxes, cattle and pigs and many others.   He dreamed them in his mind, and as he did so, they came to existence on the green isle.  When he awoke, he found the island full of life.  His bright teeth could once again be seen through his broad smile and his blue eyes twinkled delighted in all he saw.   Looking out across the land at all of the walking and grazing animals, Eire began to tap his chin in deep contemplation.

He had decided in his mind that there was something missing.  There was one more work to perform.  He closed his bright blue eyes and began to whistle.  It was a quiet and slow tune, but full of vigor and life.   As the song grew louder and the tune quickened, a great rainbow appeared.  The spectacular arc of colors straddled the green isle from coast to coast.  Soon, another song could soon be heard as well.  This new song seemed to emanate from the very heart of the vast rainbow.  It wasn’t the same tune, but it was one that complimented Eire’s song - making for a spectacular harmony.  Then another song joined in and yet, another - until the land was filled with the beautiful chorus of music flowing from the rainbow.  The song grew louder and louder until finally reaching its peak, the great rainbow burst forth.  Out flew birds of every type, size and shape.  Their colors and songs were as varied as the colors of the rainbow.   They dispersed across the island to build their homes and from that moment on, birds could be found singing from trees and cliff tops, rivers edges and from the security of bushes and shrubs.  

The island was a work of peace and beauty:  A beauty that would endure to the end of time.   Kingdoms would come and go in this land.  Legends would be born and forgotten " but the beauty of the land would endure.   Eire’s work was done so he finally sat down to rest, even as the sun took its rest in the west.

 

Author's Note

I don't claim to know that much about Tir Na Nog or Ireland, it's just what came into my thoughts as I was writing freely. So if you are Irish, forgive me for being so far off the mark! :) Other than that, feel free to post thoughts and critiques freely. Thanks!!!