Suddenly we are 5 days into 2025, and perhaps considering our New Year Writing Resolutions. One of them should be entering a short story to the Frances Copping Prize Fiction Competition.

The competition is open to everyone, members of Hay Writers’ Circle and non-members too. Pieces of 500-1500 words on any fiction theme are accepted. Closing date for entries is Tuesday 7th January 2025. Prizes are awarded for first, second and third place.

This year we are delighted that Adele Evershed is our judge.

The entry form and full competition details can be found on our Competitions page – CLICK HERE.

Let it Snow …

With a seasonal turn in the weather, what better way to feel inspired than to read “A Fireside Tale” by Hay Writers’ Circle member, Michael Eisele.

Thank you to Michael for sharing this piece for everyone to enjoy here.

A Fireside Tale
By Michael Eisele

I wouldn’t blame you for not believin’ me. Maybe my clothes come out of a dumpster and I ain’t been washing too regular, what’s that to you? Lots of other fellas is on the bum. Living like this, sleeping rough like we do, it probably don’t seem like much of a life, but there’s boooze when you can get it and even in the Winter a bunch of us huddle together around an old oil barrel and burn stuff to keep from freezing to death.

So it was that kinda night, snow coming down heavy and all you know. It was me, Joey, Davey and old Mark, and we was around the can arguing about whose turn it was to scrape up some more wood, when this guy come out of the night with this big dog. I’m talking Big! A couple of us, Joey and Davey, had dogs for company, like, but them mutts took one look at this one and whined and hid behind us. Which was funny ’cause this guy was no giant, maybe some shorter than me even.

‘Name’s Luke,’ he says without waitin’ to be asked. ‘Could we maybe join you fellas for a bit? ‘

‘You wouldn’t have a load of firewood, would you, ‘ says old Mark, not the friendliest guy at the best of times, ‘I prefers oak but I’ll take anything, night like this.’ Sacastic like, you know?

That got a laugh and right in the middle of it this guy Luke says, ‘Got something better.’ He made like throwin’ an’ I swear there was nothing in his hand but that ol’ fire burned up hotter than I ever seen it before, I mean it like lit up the whole lot and that oil can turned cherry red. Talk about warm!’

So we made him some room, and that big dog just hunkered down next to him in the snow and went to sleep. After a bit Luke looks around and says, like to himself, ‘Yep, this is the place.’

‘Place for what?’ I says, ’cause it was just some old abandoned railroad yard.

‘You’ll see,’ says Luke.

Then old Mark says, ‘Well Mr. Luke,’ sarcastic like always, ‘we thanks you for the fire, could it be you got some booze on you as well?’

Luke he didn’t turn a hair. ‘Got something better.’ he says, and reaches into his pocket and pulls out this funny lookin’ bottle.’ Try some of this, boys.’ he says and hands it to me ’cause I was nearest.

Well, booze is booze, no matter what it come out of, so I tipped back my head and took a swig. Next minute my eyes was waterin’ and I was near choked. Seemed like the world was spinnin’ for a minute and then like this wonderful feeling come over me, an’ I weren’t cold no more.

We passed that little bottle around, an’ ever one had a taste, an’ here’s the thing. It was like no one could drink it dry. Allus seemed to be more, and when it come round again, Luke put the stopper in and put it away. Then he looks down and says, ‘Looks like your firewood is getting’ all wet,’ and picks up some sticks from beside the can, which I swear wasn’t there before. ‘Here, fellas,’ he says, each of you take one to keep it dry.’ Which made a sort of sense so we done that.

Just then I seen something moving way back in the snow and before I could say anything three of the biggest guys I ever seen in my life come out of that snowstorm. I mean to say they was huge, and all covered with frost, beards and all. One of them grins kinda nasty and says in a voice like it come out of the ground, ‘Well, well, if it ain’t the great Lukey himself. What you doin here?’

Way he talked sounded foreign but somehow I could understand him. It was kinda

like my old Grandpa used to talk, him that come over from Iceland originally.

‘Come to stop you. ,’ Luke says, in the same way. Well them three guys acted like that was a funniest joke in the world. Haw haw haw they went.

Then the first one points to us and says,” I suppose these is your heroes? You come down in the world since Assgard, Lukey.’ Dunno what he meant by that.

Anyway, Luke he didn’t seem bothered, just snaps his fingers like a pistol goin’ off.

‘Stand up, men, and show who you are.’ he says, or something like that. I looks around at the bunch of us and they was lookin’ back like what the hell is this? But I got to my feet anyway and all the rest did the same.

Then Luke, he looks around at us four bums and he says, ‘Now show what swords you bear.’

I went first ’cause I was nearest, and I didn’t know what else to do but I held up my stick and so help me I was holdin’ this big old sword, shinin’ in the light from the fire! ‘This is Scofnung,’ Luke says,, pointing at me, ‘ He who is cut by it can never heal. ‘

The three big guys went sort of bug eyed and went back a step. Then Luke pointed at Joey, and as soon as he done that Joey had a big old sword also. ‘This is Damsjiel, blade of heroes,’ he said, and then he went round to all of us and we all had swords in our hands, and he named each one in turn. ‘Gram, bane of evil’, he says pointing at Davey, and then he points at old Mark who’s standin’ there holding this sword like he can’t believe what he’s doin’, ‘This is Angurvahel, who bears it can never fall in battle.’

S’pose you’re thinkin’, how can he be rememberin’ all this? Let me tell you, mister, if you’da been there you wouldn’t have never forgot it either.

Now them three big guys by now is all huddled together, lookin’ worried and talkin’ amongst themselves. Finally the biggest one says, ‘This was just a friendly visit, Lukey, we didn’t mean no harm. ‘ Or somthin’ like that.

Then Luke he says, ‘And I suppose Fenrir, Aegir and the rest ain’t waitin’ back yonder till you calls them?’

The big guy sort of puffed himself up and says, ‘Well and if they was, do you think your guys can handle them, no matter what swords they bears?’

Luke looks around at us standing there like dumbells with our swords in the air, and he sorta purses his mouth like he’s thinkin’ it over. I dunno about the rest but I was startin’ to feel a little nervous. I mean those three guys was huge, and they had swords too and big sharp lookin’ axes in their belts. Then Luke says, kinda casual like, ‘I forgot to mention, I didn’t come alone. My dog come with me.’

Then the three guys all went ‘haw haw haw’ again, and one of ’em says, ‘ You really expect us to worry about some Dog? Bring him on!’

Now, all this time that big dog of Luke’s was just laying there sleepin’ in the snow and the way it was comin’ down, by then all you could see was this mound with his ears stickin’ out. The biggest of the guys says, ‘You was allus all talk, Lukey. ‘ And he pulls this big axe out of his belt and takes a step forward, and the two others done the same.

Luke he didn’t budge an inch, just lookin’ around casual like he forgot somethin’. Then he nods like he suddenly remembers what it is, and snaps his fingers again. ‘Fenris’ he says, quiet like. And this big dog a’ his gets up and shakes off the snow, an’ by God if I ‘da thought he was a size before that wasn’t nothin’ to how he looked in front of those three frosty guys.

Suddenly they didn’t look so big any more, and the first one says, ‘Aw come on, Lukey, no need to get all het up, we was just fooliin’, wasn’t we boys?’ An’ the other two nodded sort of nervous and said ‘Sure, we didn’t mean nothin”

Then this Fenris rumbles deep in his chest like thunder an’ his eyes light up with the firelight an the fur on his neck stands up till he looks half again as big. Luke says, ‘Go back where you come from, Hrunnir, and take your boys with you. Don’t ever set foot in this world again.’ Fenris takes a step forward, growling , I mean you could feel it shake the ground.

The three frosty guys step back then, step by careful step, all the time their eyes was on Fenris and I swear they was lookin’ smaller and smaller the whole time. The one Luke called Hrunnir shoves his axe back in his belt and then they all turn and go back the way they come, an’ the snow was comin’ down thick an’ fast and they just seemed to melt into it an’ fade away.

Next minute all three was gone, and call me a liar but we no more than turned around but Luke and that dog a’ his was gone as well. Maybe back to that Assgard place for all I know. We looked around, the four of us, and there we were standin’ like donkeys with nothin’ in our hands but some old sticks., and the fire was burning low so we throws them in.

Well that was what happened, true as I’m sitting here. Say, you couldn’t spare a couple of bucks for a fella down on his luck, could you?

The End

And Finally

Happy New Year from Hay Writers’ Circle.

May the year ahead be filled with writing dreams fulfilled.