The Holy Grail
Children's Story
This is a story about a boy who is tormented by bullies, but his life is transformed when he makes a special discovery. He has to negotiate a dark and scary tunnel to make his discovery, but the discovery enables him to find inner strength and purpose which he hadn't realised he possessed.
Arthur ran along the beach to his favourite cave. He often went there when he was feeling sad or upset, and he always went alone. Months ago, he'd discovered the cave all by himself, and he'd never told anyone of its existence. It was his own special place, and despite the constant warnings about the dangers of high tides flooding caves, and rock falls blocking caves, Arthur felt safe there.
The kids from school had been at it again. This time they'd waylaid him on the way to school and had stolen his dinner money. Then they'd pushed him face down in the mud, and torn his new blazer. When the school bell had rung and they'd at last disappeared, Arthur had taken off. He knew it would be even worse if he appeared in school with tear streaks down his muddy face, so he resolved to spend the day by himself in his cave.
He'd never spent a whole day there before, and it felt like a real adventure. Arthur's spirits lifted as he squeezed through the tiny gap between the two great rocks blocking the entrance. This time he thought he'd explore the whole cave, not just the opening part. This time he'd go right into the darkness and down that tunnel he'd discovered.
Arthur felt his way cautiously around the wall of the cave. He switched on his torch to locate the entrance to the tunnel and felt in his pockets for something to mark his way, just in case there was a labyrinth of tunnels and he got lost. That packet of crisps the bullies had stamped into inedible crumbs would be ideal. Arthur opened the packet and dropped a little pile of crisp crumbs onto the floor. They were easy to see in the light of the torch, and it was a large packet so should last OK.
He crept slowly into the tunnel, his heart beating very fast. It was pitch black and really scary, but he kept one hand on the wall and the other firmly clutching his torch. The roof was very low in parts, and for once Arthur was glad he was small and thin.
After several hundred yards, the tunnel widened out into a large amphitheatre. Arthur gasped. There was a shaft of sunlight filtering in from somewhere high up, so he could see reasonably well. This new cave had a little stream meandering along the bottom, and stalagmites and stalactites grouped at various bends along the stream. At one point the stalactites met the stalagmites and formed huge pillars reaching from the floor of the cave to the roof, and they glistened and shone in the sunlight.
It was like fairyland, and Arthur had it all to himself. He spent the day happily exploring, and discovered he could easily climb out of the cave onto the cliff top if he followed the shaft of sunlight. He emerged into a little bushy copse, and marked the exit so he could come and go at will.
When it began to grow late, near the time he ought to be home from school, Arthur slipped back into the cave for one last look. He shone his torch around, to fill his mind with memories which would sustain him until his next visit. Suddenly, something gleamed oddly in the beam of the torch. Arthur scrambled down for a better look.
There, wedged between a couple of rocks, was a silver cup. Gently, Arthur eased it out, trying hard not to scratch it. Although it was mostly dirty, Arthur could see the cup was beautiful, covered in ornate engravings. Arthur rubbed it on his sleeve half expecting a genie to appear, and peered at it more closely. He knew immediately what it was, for he saw a similar silver cup used in church each week. But how had a silver chalice come to be in the cave, and how long had it been there?
Carefully, Arthur wrapped the chalice inside his blazer and took it home, resolved to clean it until it shone again. As he walked, he remembered the bullies and wondered whether he should take a long detour to avoid them, but strangely, he felt much more confident with the cup in his hands, and he walked with his head held high.
The bullies were waiting on the corner of his street, as he'd suspected they might be. But amazingly, Arthur didn't care. He didn't cross the road to avoid them, but walked purposefully straight through them, ignoring them. They were so taken aback they simply parted to let him through, somehow uneasily aware of his new confidence and inner strength. One or two half-heartedly called him names, but when that produced no reaction, they all slouched off, seeking better prey.
When his mother came home from work, Arthur had nearly finished cleaning the chalice. She admired it with him, and listened quietly to his whole story. They decided together to call the police, for it was obvious the chalice had been stolen and dumped, and was perhaps part of some larger haul.
The rest of the week was the best time Arthur had ever had. He made statements to the police, and before long newspaper journalists were interviewing him and taking his photo, which was on the front page of the next day's paper. After that, the local television studio rang up, and Arthur found himself on television. The council cleared away the rocks from the entrance to the cave and opened it up, and the television cameras took pictures of Arthur in the cave, Arthur discovering the chalice, Arthur showing the stalagmites and stalactites. He loved it. Especially as he was called a hero in all the papers.
A big haul of stolen church silver was discovered hidden in the cave and returned to the church authorities. The police arrested a gang of thieves whom they'd been tracking for months. The cave became a huge tourist attraction, for it turned out to be very old, and the stalagmites and stalactites were some of the best examples of their kind in the whole country.
After that, Arthur never had any more trouble with bullies. Everyone wanted to be his friend, and although his size didn't really alter, he never felt small and thin again. The chalice had to go back to its rightful home in a church far away, but Arthur didn't mind. Everyone else thought it was just an ordinary silver chalice which had been stolen, but deep inside himself Arthur knew it was really the Holy Grail lost and forgotten for centuries, for it had changed his life for ever. Arthur the nerd, bullied and derided, was no more. In his place stood King Arthur, head of the Knights of the Round Table, discoverer of the Holy Grail.
Arthur ran along the beach to his favourite cave. He often went there when he was feeling sad or upset, and he always went alone. Months ago, he'd discovered the cave all by himself, and he'd never told anyone of its existence. It was his own special place, and despite the constant warnings about the dangers of high tides flooding caves, and rock falls blocking caves, Arthur felt safe there.
The kids from school had been at it again. This time they'd waylaid him on the way to school and had stolen his dinner money. Then they'd pushed him face down in the mud, and torn his new blazer. When the school bell had rung and they'd at last disappeared, Arthur had taken off. He knew it would be even worse if he appeared in school with tear streaks down his muddy face, so he resolved to spend the day by himself in his cave.
He'd never spent a whole day there before, and it felt like a real adventure. Arthur's spirits lifted as he squeezed through the tiny gap between the two great rocks blocking the entrance. This time he thought he'd explore the whole cave, not just the opening part. This time he'd go right into the darkness and down that tunnel he'd discovered.
Arthur felt his way cautiously around the wall of the cave. He switched on his torch to locate the entrance to the tunnel and felt in his pockets for something to mark his way, just in case there was a labyrinth of tunnels and he got lost. That packet of crisps the bullies had stamped into inedible crumbs would be ideal. Arthur opened the packet and dropped a little pile of crisp crumbs onto the floor. They were easy to see in the light of the torch, and it was a large packet so should last OK.
He crept slowly into the tunnel, his heart beating very fast. It was pitch black and really scary, but he kept one hand on the wall and the other firmly clutching his torch. The roof was very low in parts, and for once Arthur was glad he was small and thin.
After several hundred yards, the tunnel widened out into a large amphitheatre. Arthur gasped. There was a shaft of sunlight filtering in from somewhere high up, so he could see reasonably well. This new cave had a little stream meandering along the bottom, and stalagmites and stalactites grouped at various bends along the stream. At one point the stalactites met the stalagmites and formed huge pillars reaching from the floor of the cave to the roof, and they glistened and shone in the sunlight.
It was like fairyland, and Arthur had it all to himself. He spent the day happily exploring, and discovered he could easily climb out of the cave onto the cliff top if he followed the shaft of sunlight. He emerged into a little bushy copse, and marked the exit so he could come and go at will.
When it began to grow late, near the time he ought to be home from school, Arthur slipped back into the cave for one last look. He shone his torch around, to fill his mind with memories which would sustain him until his next visit. Suddenly, something gleamed oddly in the beam of the torch. Arthur scrambled down for a better look.
There, wedged between a couple of rocks, was a silver cup. Gently, Arthur eased it out, trying hard not to scratch it. Although it was mostly dirty, Arthur could see the cup was beautiful, covered in ornate engravings. Arthur rubbed it on his sleeve half expecting a genie to appear, and peered at it more closely. He knew immediately what it was, for he saw a similar silver cup used in church each week. But how had a silver chalice come to be in the cave, and how long had it been there?
Carefully, Arthur wrapped the chalice inside his blazer and took it home, resolved to clean it until it shone again. As he walked, he remembered the bullies and wondered whether he should take a long detour to avoid them, but strangely, he felt much more confident with the cup in his hands, and he walked with his head held high.
The bullies were waiting on the corner of his street, as he'd suspected they might be. But amazingly, Arthur didn't care. He didn't cross the road to avoid them, but walked purposefully straight through them, ignoring them. They were so taken aback they simply parted to let him through, somehow uneasily aware of his new confidence and inner strength. One or two half-heartedly called him names, but when that produced no reaction, they all slouched off, seeking better prey.
When his mother came home from work, Arthur had nearly finished cleaning the chalice. She admired it with him, and listened quietly to his whole story. They decided together to call the police, for it was obvious the chalice had been stolen and dumped, and was perhaps part of some larger haul.
The rest of the week was the best time Arthur had ever had. He made statements to the police, and before long newspaper journalists were interviewing him and taking his photo, which was on the front page of the next day's paper. After that, the local television studio rang up, and Arthur found himself on television. The council cleared away the rocks from the entrance to the cave and opened it up, and the television cameras took pictures of Arthur in the cave, Arthur discovering the chalice, Arthur showing the stalagmites and stalactites. He loved it. Especially as he was called a hero in all the papers.
A big haul of stolen church silver was discovered hidden in the cave and returned to the church authorities. The police arrested a gang of thieves whom they'd been tracking for months. The cave became a huge tourist attraction, for it turned out to be very old, and the stalagmites and stalactites were some of the best examples of their kind in the whole country.
After that, Arthur never had any more trouble with bullies. Everyone wanted to be his friend, and although his size didn't really alter, he never felt small and thin again. The chalice had to go back to its rightful home in a church far away, but Arthur didn't mind. Everyone else thought it was just an ordinary silver chalice which had been stolen, but deep inside himself Arthur knew it was really the Holy Grail lost and forgotten for centuries, for it had changed his life for ever. Arthur the nerd, bullied and derided, was no more. In his place stood King Arthur, head of the Knights of the Round Table, discoverer of the Holy Grail.
