The Piskey Party

The dunes or Towans as they are called around Lelant are perfect for picnics and parties, leading down as they do to the long length of beach at the Hayle estuary. So it is no wonder that we are not the only folk to take advantage.

Richard and Alcey were down on the Towans, their rug spread out over the sand, the bottle of tea firmly wedged in between the marram grass. Alcey had made a spread to be sure, ham fritters, pasties and hevva cake.  Alcey had already lain back and gone off to sleep. Richard drank from his own flask and was feeling drowsy.

Through half slitted eyes he saw a movement in the dunes nearby. He thought he would check it out, so he slid on his belly until he could peer over the top of the closest sandhill.  He rubbed his eyes, as he couldn’t believe what was before him.

A snow white tablecloth was laid over the yellow sand. Pretty shells were used to hold the edges down giving a party atmosphere. The cloth was full of dainty dishes that looked so good, Richard felt his mouth watering as he looked from one to another. He was sorry he had eaten so much of Alcey’s food that there wasn’t much room for anything else, but he was sure that he could manage a mouthful of the berry fool, or the chestnut pie or the mushroom tart or even the green salad. There were so many things that his eyes grew bigger and bigger.

It was a merry sight, indeed. Around the cloth sat piskeys, dressed in their finest: caps with bell flowers that nodded and tinkled in the breeze, jackets and trousers in the brightest of colours. They passed around jugs of silver filled with clear liquid and ate off golden plates that reflected the shimmering sun’s rays that Richard was quite dazzled. He couldn’t help but gasp at the wonder of it all.

As the sound left his mouth, his heart fell, for the whole scene disappeared so completely he was bereft. He crawled back to Alcey who had woken up.

'You fool,' she cried when he told her what he’d seen. 'If you had but touched the tablecloth, the piskeys would have had to leave everything behind. Everyone knows that the piskeys can’t bear to have any of their things handled by humans. Those gold and silver items would have been ours.'

Richard shook his head sadly. He was thinking of the mushroom tart, the berry fool and the chestnut pie. Ah me.