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Pooka's
Beltain Basket Pooka
rolled and rolled, back and forth, crushing the tender young catnip leaves
with his body and releasing their intoxicating scent. He purred loudly
and, if you must know, drooled slightly.
He didn’t even care that his normally shiny clean, black fur was
now covered with garden dirt! His
catnip was growing, right where it did every year.
Life was good! He
staggered to his feet and a growling in his tummy sent him to the kitchen
window of Elsie’s cottage. He
leaped to the sill almost misjudging the distance and tumbling backwards
into the bushes. Elsie
was busy at the little wooden table weaving honeysuckle vines into a
basket. She glanced up as her
cat thudded heavily to the floor. “I’m
hungry!” said Pooka. “Into
the catnip again?” she asked. He
gave her a loopy grin. Elsie
laughed and shook her head. “There’s
some stew in your bowl.” “Yes!”
Pooka cheered. He headed for the bowl next to the stove, and then paused.
“What are you doing?” “Making
a basket,” Elsie said. “Why?”
asked Pooka. “Don’t we
have enough baskets?” “A
May Basket?” “Mmm-hmm,”
Elsie nodded. Her deft
fingers wove the tendrils of vines in and out of the wooden supports. “In the old days, people gave them to each other as
presents.” “Just
the baskets?” asked Pooka. “No
silly!” Elsie said. “After you make the basket, you fill it with
flowers and goodies!” “I
want a May Basket!” cried Pooka. Elsie
just laughed. “Well,
tomorrow is May Morning so who knows?
Maybe you’ll get one too!”
The
next morning, before the dawn had broke, the little witch kissed her
sleeping cat. He was curled
up in a little black ball on the patchwork quilt of her bed.
He batted her face away with his paw.
“Too early!” he growled. “Hmmm…”
Elsie stood there for a moment, then leaned down and whispered in
his ear: “May Morning - Rise and shine!” Pooka’s
head popped up. He was
suddenly awake. “Happy Beltane!” he said. Elsie
hugged him. “Happy Beltane. Now,
come on – we have errands to run before the ritual’s begun!” The
little cat scampered down the stairs and into the kitchen ahead of his
witch. On the table were
several honeysuckle baskets and he just KNEW that one was for HIM! He
leaped onto the table and poked his whiskers into each basket until he
found it. Sure enough - Fish,
a catnip-filled ball for him to bat around and thick, sweet cream as well!
Pooka felt he’d died and gone to Summerland.
Overcome with happiness, he rubbed his little black body against
Elsie. His tail slapped her nose, but he didn’t notice and she didn’t
care. “Happy
May Day!” she grinned. Together,
in the early hour, they delivered baskets to their special friends.
Nathan and his grandmother found theirs filled with flowers and
little cakes and herbal tea bags. Edgar,
the crow, found shiny tinsel and small gold chains intermingled with early
crab apples. And for Thistle, the fairy, there was Sweet Woodruff
wine in tiny bottles, candied violets and Rose Pastilles. Afterward,
they all headed for the sacred hill and danced around the pole erected
there in ages past. They
picnicked, sang songs and played games. The sun’s bright face shone over
the green hills and everyone knew that the warm and growing half of the
year had begun! -The End- Did you know? The
ancient Celts divided the year into two parts – Winter, the cold, dark
half began at Samhain and Summer, the warm, sunny half began at…… You guessed it! Beltain! Back
to the Pooka Pages for Pagan Kids
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