The Dream Weaver's Trail
They said they must first climb the hill and visit the Sun Web – on top of Dragon Hill. Here, they will learn how to wake the dragon, who will help them save their friends. Go to the Sun Web now!
When you arrive, behold the amazing rising sun! You must count the trees, turn round that number of times, clap your hands or whistle (if you can!) and call the dragon’s secret name: Erin Maddison! Then walk slowly and carefully down the little hillock to the Dragon Web.
At the Dragon Web, just below Dragon Hill, the dragon has awoken and invites the friends to climb onto her back. She says she will fly them to the Chaos Star, where their friends, Connie and Samantha, are trapped in the Chaos Web of confusion. Put your arms out to the side (like aeroplane wings), to keep your balance as you fly on Erin Maddison’s back. Fly to the Chaos Star Weaving now!
by the Beyond Earlston young people
Facilitated by Allison Galbraith
The sun rises at 7.30am on a cold, dry, windy morning.
A group of friends awake from a sleep that was plagued by dark nightmares. After texting each other, they discover that some of them are missing and that the ones who are still there have all had the exact same horrible dream: eight of their friends are trapped in different supernatural webs, unable to wake and escape from the nightmare.
The ones who were able to escape and wake know they have to take action. They agree to meet at Born in Scotland and start their search there.
They meet at the usual place, beside the Beyond Earlston Weaving, next to the sledging slope. From within the Beyond Earlston Weaving, they can hear Jenna & Rory calling out to them, telling them what they must do to save their pals from the nightmare web. Move closer to the weaving and stay really, really quiet... Can you hear their voices?
At the Chaos Star, Connie and Samantha have now become wise beyond their years, learning all the solutions to the world’s problems from the crystal library of knowledge. They tell their friends and Erin Maddison, the dragon, that they must fly swiftly to the Flower Web, where they need to rescue Klara and Lainie from the nightmare of the plant poison. Take a deep breath and jump as high as you can, onto the dragon’s back. Lift your arms like wings again and skip to the flower web.
The flower web sits in the midst of a poison garden, where Klara and Lainie accidentally ate powerful poisonous plants that have trapped them in a strange trance. Connie knows which flowers contain the antidote to the poison and they make up a potion to help revive their friends. Do you want to help with the magic spell to awaken them? Grab a few blades of grass and shake them wildly to the east, west, north and south. Then throw them to the wind! The girls awaken now, healed from the poisonous nightmare.
They start to run from the Sweetie Shop Web but stop when they realise that Henry and Michael are not with them. They turn back and look on in horror as Henry and Michael begin to fill their pockets with liquorice strips and strawberry laces. “What are you doing?” they all scream. “You never know when you might need something this powerful!” shouts Henry.
Finally, they must rescue the last of their missing friends – Hannah and Mackenzie, who are trapped in the Ocean Web next to the ancient fort. Can you find it? If you can, try to hop there on one leg. Switch legs if you get tired.
At the Ocean Web, there is only one minute left to save their friends from drowning before the tide comes in. Mackenzie and Hannah are trapped by old, discarded fishing nets and plastic bags, which have entangled their bodies and are holding them tight to the ocean bed. The friends need to free them from this plastic pollution nightmare! Even Samantha and Connie, who gathered much wisdom during their time on the Chaos Star, don’t know how to help the pair in the water.
Next, Samantha says they must fly, as fast as the speed of light, to rescue Michael and Henry from the Sweetie Shop Web. Go there now! Remember to keep your arms up for balance and run as fast as you can.
Here, in the Sweetie Shop nightmare, the two boys are being eaten alive by sugary treats as they ooze and ferment over their bodies. The boys’ teeth are beginning to rot and the confectionery is entering their bloodstream and dissolving their souls!
Everyone tries to pull Henry and Michael out of the web but they are stuck on giant toffees and chewing gum. Connie finds a discarded piece of sweetie paper on the ground, as she bends over to pick it up, she notices that it has some jumbled letters on it:
P P I L O L L O
and underneath it says “unscramble these letters for the Magic Word. Chant this word five times, after a healthy snack, to break the sweetie spell and free your friends”. Instantly Samantha knows what to do: she whizzes up a healthy smoothie full of green plants and fresh vegetables and adds a little bit of citrus zing. The boys drink the smoothies and everyone chants the magic word five times, as they pull one last time. Have you worked out what the Magic Word is? If so, say it loudly five times, with the others... Everyone manages to tear the boys away from the death-grip of the sweeties.
The waves are crashing all around them. Can you feel the ocean spray? The water is up to everyone’s chins! Suddenly, Henry and Michael remember their liquorice strips and strawberry laces. “Let’s weave them together to make a net!” they say. Help them weave!
With their new net, they lasso up all of the plastic rubbish holding their friends down and free them from the incoming tide. Can you lasso some of the rubbish to save the boys from their frightful fate?
With everyone finally free from the nightmare webs and reunited, the friends all cheer for joy. Put your arms in the air, jump around and shout “Hooray” three times. Erin Maddison, the dragon of Dragon Tree Hill, turns her great body around and flies all of the friends back to the Beyond Earlston Web. Here, she lets each person slide down off her back because everyone loves a good old slide down the hill, don’t they?
THE END
Pictures courtesy of Nicole Hume, Youth Worker, Stepping Stones Project (Beyond Earlston)