Ring Around the Rosie Page 2

  Aaron froze. "What?"

  A small pained smile crossed Shay's lips. "I'm going home today."

  "Oh. I see." He didn't know what to say. "You coming back?"

  Shay shook his head. "No." He grinned suddenly. "Don't worry. We can still see each other."

  Aaron blinked in confusion for a moment. "Oh right, you have a web cam?"

  Shay laughed hysterically and he found himself joining in.

  "Done!"

  They both turned, staring in surprise at the empty box. The six kids had polished off two dozen chocolate cupcakes in minutes. "Oh, man," Aaron said. "I hope none of them get sick."

  "They'll be fine," Shay said with another laugh. He swung his arms out. "Time to dance again!"

  They played more music for a while, the chocolate quickly kicking in as the children ran around in sugar induced craziness. When they were so wound up Aaron felt certain they would explode, Shay lowered his pipes.

  "Are we ready for some magic?"

  The children erupted into a chorus of, "Yes!"

  The boy laughed again and held out his pipes. "Hold these." He then stood up straight, a wicked smile lighting his eyes as the children gathered around excitedly. He held out his arms to show nothing was in his hands and then pulled them to his chest quickly before twisting his arm in a flourish and holding out a rose.

  Aaron raised his eyebrows, impressed. The rose was long-stemmed with a closed perfect red bud. He clapped his hands along with the children, managing not to squeal with delight.

  Shay bowed and grinned. "Thank you, thank you."

  "More! More!"

  "As you wish," the boy replied. He cocked his head to the side. "Would you all like to help with the next?"

  "Yes!"

  He turned. "Aaron?"

  With a rueful smile he decided to play along and gave a nod of assent.

  A giant grin spread across Shay's face. "Perfect!" He turned on his heel, moving to the center of the clearing. Crouching down he stuck the rose into the ground. "Come stand here, Aaron."

  Aaron complied, taking a position next to the rose. Shay stood to the other side and beckoned the children to him. "Make a circle and join hands around us. Very good!" He turned and held out his hand. "Pipes please."

  Aaron returned them with a grin, wondering what would happen next. He and the children watched Shay expectantly, waiting.

  "Now it is time for the best magic of all. Time for an adventure. Are you ready?"

  He and the children all shouted their agreement again.

  Shay raised his pipes and began to play.

  A smile crossed Aaron's lips before he raised his flute to play along. Everyone knew Ring Around the Rosie. The children laughed and began skipping around them, singing the words. Around and around they went over and over as he and Shay played the song again and again.

  Suddenly, Aaron noticed something different about the music. He listened carefully. He was right, the song had changed. Shay acted as if he didn’t notice, but he'd definitely changed it. Aaron hadn't noticed at first, he'd been so caught up in trying not to laugh at the children singing, skipping, and dropping to the ground at the end, only to scramble to their feet quickly to start all over.

  A chill came over Aaron as he caught the faint change in tone to the song Shay played on his pipes. He glanced over and saw the boy watching him. Shay winked and nodded, indicating him to follow. With a faint smile and a shrug he did, changing the melody and notes slightly. It was still the same song, just with a few minor changes and undertones. The children didn't even notice. They played it the different way again and then began a third round.

  "Ring Around the Rosie..."

  Suddenly, the rose opened. He stuttered over a note and Shay flashed him an irritated look.

  Shay had mentioned magic. Had he been serious? Magic didn't really exist.

  A sense of dread began to creep through him as he continued to play. The children were dancing a circle around a rose.

  "A pocket full of posies..."

  Every one of them had filled their pockets with Shay's handmade posies. Suddenly he wanted to leave. He wanted to stop playing.

  He couldn't.

  The rose burst into flame.

  "Ashes, Ashes..."

  The rose quickly burned to ash. A spiralling wind came out of nowhere, picking it up, and spreading it within the circle and over everyone. The children laughed in delight at the "magic" as the song slowed, yet they still continued to dance their circle until the ash suddenly dropped.

  In a panic Aaron looked over at Shay. Except...it wasn’t really his friend anymore. His face had changed, his ears were...pointed! Aaron’s breath caught in his throat. An elf?

  Shay smiled at him, a magical glow rising in his eyes. He finished the song and lowered his pipes...

  A black hole opened up beneath them all and–

  We all fall down...

  History of Ring Around the Rosie

  This children's rhyme has been sung at some point by most children for hundreds of years. The first written record of the song is in the 1881 Mother Goose book. Its origins and when it was first written no one knows, though it has been passed down to children by word of mouth for centuries.

  Though the title and lyrics vary, children sing and dance around in a circle holding hands until the end, when they all fall to the ground. There are many different versions of the song, varying in different regions and countries as it is sung all around the world!

  Many believe the rhyme is about the Black Plague which struck in the fourteenth century taking millions of lives. One of the first symptoms of the disease was a round red rash (first line of the song). Posies are small bundles of flowers, often thought to bring protection against sickness, or also placed on the bodies of the dead (second line). The third line lyrics vary in different versions, some say "Achoo Achoo", thought to represent sneezing (another symptom of the plague) or "Ashes Ashes" (burning the bodies of the dead). "We all fall down" would of course represent coming down with the plague.

  Though the popular belief is the song is about the plague, some scholars disagree saying people are only trying to make sense out of nonsense and the song doesn't mean anything. Because of the many different variations, all of which can't fit to describe the plague, this is certainly possible. For all we know... it could be about fairies.

  Whatever the song is about, it will certainly be enjoyed by many children for centuries to come.

  Other Works by Jen Wylie

  Jump (short story)

  Sweet Light (novel)

  Dark Madness (novel-coming soon!)

  Broken Aro (novel-coming Oct  2012)

  Immortal Echoes

  -The Forgotten Echo (novella)

  -The Untouchable Echo (novella- coming soon!)

  Tales of Ever (YA novella series)

  -Banished

  -Fire Girl

  -Shadow Boy

  -The Lost Tree

  -Dragon Rising

  -Sanctuary

  Author Bio

  Jennifer Wylie resides in rural Ontario, Canada with her two boys, Australian shepherd, a flock of birds and a disagreeable amount of wildlife. In a cosmic twist of fate she dislikes the snow and cold.

  Before settling down to raise a family, she attained a BA from Queens University and worked in retail and sales.

  Thanks to her mother she acquired a love of books at an early age and began writing in public school. She constantly has stories floating around in her head, and finds it amazing most people don't. Jennifer writes various forms of fantasy, both novels and short stories. Sweet light is her debut novel.

  www.jenniferwylie.ca

  Acknowledgements

  Super special Thank You's to Sean, Julie, and Gale for their help and input on the story. You guys are the best! And to Christina, who created a cover that made me go squee!