Aluredian
45
A long time ago
by Todd Barrett, 61
In a time long ago, much different from today,
there lived many people in a small town in
Somersetshire. The people who dwelt in this
town had long had a reputation for thinking
themselves better than anyone else; especially
those who lived close by.
Every year there took place an archery contest
in which archers from all across the Quantocks
came to compete. However, in recent years the
number of contestants had dwindled
significantly. The reason for this was Norman
the Great, Norman the unbeatable archer.
By the time the competition came round again,
Norman had won ten years in a row. No other
archer from any dwelling could even come
close to beating him. It was April, the month
of new beginnings for the Somersetshire
people, and the nearby village of Kingston St
Mary thought they finally had an archer who
could beat Norman. His name was Trevor.
The day of the competition came and the
people of both towns came out to watch.
The people of Kingston St Mary were used to
being taunted by the people from Norman's
town and today was no different. Cries of
"We're going to beat you" and "Go home,
you're not good enough!" rang out from the
other side of the archery field.
It came down to the last shots of the day.
Norman was up first. He strutted up to the
line, attempting to look calm and collected, but
failing. His shot was wide, striking the outer
ring. Cheers from the Kingston side erupted
but were soon quiet as Trevor stepped up to
the line. He held the bow steady and gently
drew back the arrow. It stayed in the air for
what seemed like an age before smashing
through the centre of the bullseye. Triumph at
last for the Kingston people and they began to
shout. "Taunt On! Taunt On!" Henceforth and
to this day, the town which Norman shamed by
losing the archery contest has been known as
Taunton.
George Lang A2
Harriet Kean AS
Archie Rose AS