The Irish Tales

Chapter Eight.

(The Hound Who Wouldn’t Sing.)
　
One fine, furry night, when the moon was full and the mice were even fuller, having raided the grain store at old man Cooper’s place, Jay and Patsy were deep in conversation about the Berkely Hunt and puppy walking and other such arcane but fascinating details.

On the bedside table, sat two large fairy cakes, with a nice slice of cherry on top of each.
They were once two ugly, slimy monsters who had hoped to invade Jay’s dreams and scare her silly, but Patsy had simply yawned, pointed a finger and said, "Cake-mix!" and with a flash and small bang, they turned into a pair of delicious cakes, tasty and wholesome to eat.

Jay was all for eating them there and then, but Patsy urged restraint.
"Food late at night, will come back to bite, " she recited solemnly. Jay wasn’t quite sure what this meant, but didn’t argue. Nobody argued with Scaremonsters. Not unless they wanted to become fairy cakes.

Anyhoo, talk turned to the wondrous sound of hounds giving tongue and the way their singing could indentify them instantly to an afficianado, when Patsy’s face became slightly sad.

"I love to hear the hounds sing. Which is why I feel a little sad when I think about Bravura."

Now, a whole bucketful of questions race through Jay’s mind on hearing this, but instead of asking them, she merely snuggled her raggy and waited. And sure enough…..

"Bravura is one of the Berkeley’s finest ; fleet, fit and fearsome when on the scent."
Patsy paused, sighed, then went on..
"And yet, now he cannot sing. Not a note. He is as silent as a glass of water. And nobody knows why."

Now, for a hound not to sing, something terrible must have occurred and both Jay and Patsy were silent as they turned this over in their minds.

Patsy because she was thinking deeply, Jay because she was thinkly deeply as to how she might tuck into one of the fairy cakes with out Patsy noticing.

"I have it !" yelled Patsy, sitting bolt upright and hitting her head hard on the roof beam.
Jay tumbled out of bed in shock, not forgetting to tuck the cakes in her raggy.

"We shall visit the pack tonight, in disguise, and get to the root of the matter !"
"In disguise as what ?" asked Jay not unreasonably.

Patsy waved this small objection away testily. "Oh, I’ll think of something when we get there."

And so it was the Jay jumped on Patsy and Pasty launched herself into the night sky towards the kennels of the Berkeley Hunt.

And that is as far as we shall go, until a good night’s sleep refreshes us both.


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