Earth, Fire, Air, Water: Writing at Greenway - Katherine Roberts

This month, we took advantage of the National Trust's free autumn tickets to visit Agatha Christie's holiday home, Greenway on the River Dart. You can stroll down through the gardens to the boathouse where her famous detective Hercule Poirot solved one of his murder mysteries in "Dead Man's Folly", which was filmed in the grounds. You can even sit in the author's favourite chair with a panoramic view of the river and watch seals basking at low tide on the rocks opposite. There is a lot more river traffic these days, but it is still a magical place. So what else would you expect to find in her garden than writing prompts to inspire today's authors?

I found this nature-inspired prompt on the path to the fountain where Agatha's much-loved pets rest in their peaceful little graves. It's one of my favourite spots in the garden and immediately brings water to mind, closely linked in my memory to the grotto further down the garden where a goddess called Kwan Lin waits to bless passing visitors. Water is, of course, essential to any garden, and you can see evidence at Greenway of an extensive watering system, perhaps once a series of ornamental waterfalls and ponds that made their way down through what is now woodland to the river.

WATER

Dancing light where copper glints in shaded pool of souls,

a journey begun.

Meandering through ancient terraces to drip amidst scarlet leaves

that float at the feet of she-who-offers-mercy to travellers now departed.

And onwards, over time-cracked stones, to a pond

guarded by sculpted bird knee deep in reeds,

then gurgling down forgotten pipes

to fill the historic plunge pool where bats sleep

and a refreshed river Dart ebbs and flows

to join the eternal sea.

Sorry it's short, but my writing has been more ebb than flow lately :-)

Out of interest, I asked Google Bard (an AI) to write something creative about water, and after a short 'think' it came up with this:

THE WATER WHISPERER

Anya was born with a special gift: she could whisper to water. She could hear its secrets and feel its emotions. She could also command it to bend to her will.

At first, Anya was afraid of her powers. She didn't understand them, and she was worried that she would hurt someone. But as she grew older, she learned to control her gift. She used it to help people, to heal wounds, and to bring life to barren lands.

One day, Anya heard a rumor of a drought that was devastating a nearby village. She immediately set out to help. When she arrived at the village, she saw that the crops were dying and the people were weak.

Anya went to the river and whispered to it. She told it to flow again, to bring life to the village. The river listened to her, and its waters began to rise. Soon, the crops were green again, and the people had enough water to drink.

Anya's gift made her a hero to the villagers. They called her the Water Whisperer. She continued to use her gift to help people all over the world. She became a symbol of hope and resilience, and her story inspired others to use their own unique gifts to make the world a better place. 

~

I quite like this little story, and guess originally a human wrote something similar... does anyone recognise it?

Please feel free to add your own creative efforts to the comments below!

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Katherine Roberts is an Aquarian who writes fantasy and historical fiction with a touch of magic for young readers.

Her award-winning first novel 'Song Quest' (1999) is set on a fantasy island and features mermaids whose songs can control the wind and waves.

Song Quest

You can find more of her books on her website

www.katherineroberts.co.uk