Bigstickasaurus
Photo of a large fallen tree trunk in a woodland. It has lots of bare branches sticking out from it like spines.
Quite a long time ago, people were much, much smaller than they are now. This is where our fairy legends come from, only so much time has passed that we’ve forgotten that the little people were actually us. Bigstickasaurus hasn’t forgotten though, he’s still full of the stories from when we were small. He even told me one.
In those days, we, the little people, would suspend ourselves from his spikes like ornaments on Christmas trees. Our ancestors would sit there, swinging backwards and forwards, shouting out ideas for a full moon show, practicing under cover of the new. The full moon shows were always spectacular and involved incredible circus feats. After they were finished, the little people would jump off their swings all at the same time, and perform synchronised somersaults as they landed. Then, after a prolonged series of curtsies and bows to a very loud round of applause, the little people would wander off back to their caves and burrows for feasts and celebrations.
That circus performance was actually only half of the action: it simultaneously served as a form of magical kinetic energy which woke Bigstickasaurus up. Once Bigstickasaurus was certain the little people were clear of his spiky arms and bulky breast, he would slowly stand up, beat his chest, let out an almighty roar and then amble off to explore the inner reaches of the Devil’s Punch Bowl which is near to Inval, where he resides.
Big Sticks from the surrounding areas would meet in the centre of the Bowl for gladiatorial games and other types of rowdy behaviour. Most of the Big Sticks had elegant mosses on their bodies which they would show off to each other, and demand that minor twigs and branches combed and styled them just so. As they crashed and dragged themselves through the undergrowth looking for nuts and seeds to ingest, they collected more and more mosses and lichen which would hold on tight so that they could grow undisturbed after the show.
The main event was the most exciting of all and involved the Big Sticks spinning round and around as fast as they could and firing the nuts and seeds they had earlier ingested out of their spike-stick arms, with the aim to knock out their opponents. Bigstickasaurus won this competition for the final forty-decades it was on, owing to his unusually large amount of spike-stick arms. Nevertheless, plucky Big Sticks from around Hindhead were always up for the challenge, and always graceful and humble in their defeat.
In the end, as dawn started to show its first light over the rim of the Bowl, the Big Sticks would start their slow amble home. Once there, they would settle down for a long and well-deserved rest. These competitions have been over for a long time, due to the A3 bisecting the area around the Devil’s Punch Bowl for a century or so. However, rumour has it that now the cars and vans are funnelled under the earth, the Big Sticks may rise again. I, for one, will welcome the show.