Once upon a time there was a badger called Sam. He lived on his own in Scotland, in the Highlands. He was the last offspring of the badgers in the mountains. On long winter evenings he felt so lonely; he just wanted to drink a cup of herbal tea with a nice badger lady and, of course, he wanted to create a family because he wasn’t getting younger through the years, and lonely old-age horrified him.

One year, when spring came later, winter was longer, darker and cooler than ever, Sam decided to find a wife at last. So in April he closed down his spacious, comfortable hollow and took to the road and in search of love.

He ate mushrooms and flowers, drank fresh creek water and slept in the fields. He lived this way for a fortnight, but he hadn’t even met another badger. He walked through the Highlands and the Midlands, he wandered over Inverness, Edinburgh and Glasgow, but he couldn’t find a wife.

He asked every animal he met: ”Haven’t you seen a badger lady somewhere?”

            And foxes, sheep, chickens and cows told him: ”It has been ages since we met a badger. We don’t know where they could be. We saw some passer-by badgers heading for the West. Go to the Land’s End, maybe you will find them there.”

Then Sam gave thanks to them for helping and left for the Land’s End. It took another fortnight to get there on foot. When he arrived, there wasn’t anything but wind, rain and storms, and he couldn’t see a single soul there. He became so desperate that he just sat down on a rock on the shore of the sea and began to cry. His tears dropped into the water as a string of pearls.

After a while, a dark spot appeared in the deep water. Then it became larger and larger and Sam recognized it at last. A whale came to the surface. The whale asked Sam: ”Who are you and what are you doing here?”

”I am Sam, the badger from the Highlands. I’m trying to find a wife because living without love is half-living. But here I am at the Land’s End and I rambled over the British Isles and I can’t find anyone. Foxes, sheep, chickens and cows told me that badgers were in this direction but I can’t find one of them. They lied to me.”

”No, they didn’t lie to you they were here,” said the great, old whale.

”But where are they now?” asked Sam.

”They moved to Ireland because the grass is greener, the water is sweeter, the beer is darker and people are happier than here on the British Isles.” said the old whale.

”Badgers are good swimmers, but they can’t swim miles until they reach the other shore.”

”No, of course not, clever, gentle badger. My family and I helped them cross over the Irish Sea and reach the other shore” said the great whale. ”If you promise,” continued the whale, ”that you draw in your claws not to hurt my back I will carry you across the Irish Sea and put you down near Wicklow.”

”I’m most grateful to you for that. I will be very cautious with my claws. Thank you great, old whale.”

And they left for the Irish coast. The trip seemed to be endless for Sam. His hands got cold so he could hardly stay on the whale’s back without hurting him. His eyes were bitten by the salty water and, in addition, he got seasick.

But after some time Sam could catch the sight of the Irish Isles. He saw the knolls of Wicklow in the shades of purple. As they got closer to white beach, Sam had the strange feeling of coming home.

The whale put him down on the beach and said: ”Good luck, little badger! God watch your steps! Good bye!”

”Thank you, old whale. I’ll remember you forever.”

            The whale swam back to the deeper sea turned back and waved his fin and disappeared in the blue water.

            Then Sam lay down on the sand and felt that his limbs came to life: he could see everything clearly again. He couldn’t take his eyes off the gentle slopes of Wicklow-hills.

            He started his journey in Ireland.

            One day when he walked alone on the road in a wooded valley he caught the sight of a pub. Night was nearly falling and he was hungry as well, so he decided to spend the night there.

            When he entered the pub he was so surprise that he couldn’t say a word. He found the first badger since his childhood, since his parents’ death. Then the badger said: ”Welcome to the Pub of Josh, wanderer! I’m Joshua Buck, the owner, the manager and the tavern-keeper all in one badger. What can I do for you?”

”I’m… I’m just… Oh, sorry but I have never been so happy in my life. I’m Sam, the badger from the Highlands.” And Sam told his story while Josh, the tavern-keeper just listened, and when he finished it Josh came from behind the counter and put his arms around him. He said:

 ”I’m really glad that you told me your story. C’mon, sit down, I bring you a pint of beer and a dish of meal. You must be very tired.”

After the fine dinner Sam told Josh: ”I feel myself a lucky badger that I found you but, you know, I want to find a woman, my partner for lifetime and I wonder if you can help me”

”Yes, I think I can help you. I have relatives and friends all around Ireland. But I think most badgers live in Dublin. If you go there you can make friends with them.”

”Thank you for the advice. Tomorrow I’m going to Dublin. It will take another three days I think…”

”Oh, no! You can go there by train. It takes only three hours not three days. But now let’s sleep. You will have a long day tomorrow. I’ll wake you up early. Follow me to your room.”

”Thanks. Good night!” Sam went to bed but he couldn’t fall asleep because he was so excited. He was watching the stars and wondered if he could find the love in Dublin.

            Then, after what seemed only a minute, somebody was knocking on the door ”Good morning, Sam. It’s high time you woke up; otherwise, you’ll miss the train.”

            He woke up, went down to the pub, ate his breakfast and left for the railway station. He said farewell to Josh and jumped up to the train, which was already moving off.

            He sat down in an empty compartment and lost in experiences. After a while he felt like he was being watched. As he looked up, he saw a stranger in a corner of the compartment. The stranger wore a dark cloak, which hid its face.

            Then the stranger stood up went to Sam’s seat and said ”Good morning. Shall I sit down?”

            ”Yes, of course, if you want,” said Sam vaguely. This man didn’t exactly inspire confidence.

Then the stranger took off the cloak and Sam could catch the sight of the most beautiful badger lady he had ever seen. He didn’t dare to dream of a beauty like this. Her eyes were a deep loch mystery and dark; her fur was silky and shiny and her smile was so beaming that Sam could have thrown his arms around the world just because the girl looked at him. 

She began to speak: ”Sorry to accost you, but you seem to be very familiar to me. Haven’t we met somewhere?”

”No… I don’t think so,” stammered Sam. He felt as his tongue was paralyzed. He wouldn’t have been able to spit a single sentence out. Then the girl continued:

”It’s strange, I really feel like that we have met. My name is Pamela McAteer. And your name?”

”Sam, my name is Sam. Did you say McAteer? Do you live in Scotland?”

”No. I was a kid when our family moved to Ireland. But before this we lived in the Highlands; I can still remember those wild mountains and clear creeks. We were wandering much with my sisters and brothers…”

”Yes, I liked climbing the mountains and when I reached the top I just sat down and felt…”

”…felt completely free!”  They said it all at once. They looked at each other and smiled. They felt that something got started between them and as they were talking they always cut the other short. Those three hours while the train reached Dublin seemed to be minutes for them.

And then as Sam had nowhere to sleep, Pam invited him to spend the night at her parents’ house. This house stood in Primrose Street in the greenbelt of Dublin.

In the evening during dinner they enjoyed themselves and they were talking much about Scotland and the British Isles.

The next morning Pam showed him the city, her favourite places and her friends.

Sam felt like that he had been a half man and with Pam life seemed to be perfect. He couldn’t know it, but Pam had got the same feelings.

Then one hot, August afternoon Sam popped the question:

”Pam, would you like to be my wife?” Then silence fell between them.

”I know that we have only known each other for a very short time and you don’t know much about me but I feel I know that you are my true love, the only badger completing me. I can’t live without you. You don’t have to answer now. Just think over it. Sleep on it.”

”Oh, Sam I have been waiting for this since we met. I couldn’t live without you, too. I would go for you or with you to the end of the world. I don’t have to think it over. I can surely tell you that ’yes’ I want to be your wife.” They fell into each other’s neck and kissed. Then they planned how to tell it to Pam’s parents and planned the wedding. They thought that they would move back to Scotland because that was their real home.

In the evening when they went home Pam told the big news to her parents. Her mother cried from happiness, and her father just smiled and piped quietly in the kitchen. Both were glad that their little girl would have a good husband from the homeland.

On the last day of August they kept the wedding, and after the whole badger society of Ireland celebrated together.

The next day they said a tearful farewell to Pam’s parents and left for home across the Irish Sea. But this time they went by ferry which was much more comfortable as Sam noticed it.

They got home and lived in peace and happiness until they died.

 

The End

By Eszter Kovács (Fráter György Gimnázium, Miskolc)