Happy St David's Day

Happy St David's Day to all my Welsh friends.

And of course Happy St David's Day to everyone else as well.  March the 1st is a special day in Wales, flags will be flying and people will be wearing daffodils or leeks (sometimes both. I've just put my Welsh Dragon Flag up outside the house and am wearing a daffodil.  Sadly not a real one - there's been a daff in bud for weeks, but it didn't quite make it for today, and is still in bud, it will probably be a day or two before it's in full flower.  I have a lot more daffodils in the garden, but alas they're also still in bud.  The snowdrops are in bloom though, their sweet, pure little white bells having survived the snow and chilly days.

Hapus Dydd Gŵyl Dewi Everyone!

By the way do you know why there is a red dragon on the Welsh Flag?

Owain Glyndwr raised the dragon standard in 1400 as a symbol of revolt against the English Crown, the dragon was brought to England by the House of Tudor, the Welsh dynasty that held the English throne from 1485 to 1603. It signified their direct descent from one of the noble families of Wales. The green and white stripes of the flag were additions of Henry VII, the first Tudor king, representing the colours of his standard.

My Favorite  story  of its origins though, is connected with the Arthurian legends.

King Vortigern was advised to build a fortress and eventually came to the mountains of Eryri, in Gwynedd. On the summit of one of these, which was then called Dinas Ffaraon, they discovered a fine place to build a fortress.

However, as fast as he assembled the materials for his fortress they would disappear. Vortigern called his wise men together and asked them the cause of this marvel. They replied: "You must find a child born without a father, put him to death, and sprinkle with his blood the ground on which the citadel is to be built, or you will never accomplish your purpose."

They eventually found such a child, Myrddin Emrys and brought him to the King.

The boy cautioned them not to kill him, and  told them there were two dragons, a red and a white, which fought each other, eventually the red one overcoming the white. He said "the red serpent is your dragon, but the white serpent is the dragon of the Saxons, who occupy several provinces and districts of Britain, even almost from sea to sea. At length, however, our people shall rise and drive the Saxon race beyond the sea whence they have come; but you must depart from this place where you are not permitted to erect a citadel, you must seek another spot for laying your foundations."

Vortigern saw the wisdom of his words. The boy’s life was spared; he became famed afterwards as the great magician, Myrddyn or in English, Merlin.
  

and if you'd lie to find out how they've been celebrating in my native land, you can do so HERE

'STARQUEST'    'CHILDREN OF THE MIST'  (The sequel to Starquest)  Dancing With Fate      'Freeread':'A BARGAIN WITH DEATH

                  Also available on Kindle

Giveaway and Book Blast for Rickard B Demille and his novel 'Hellfire'

I'm very pleased to Welcome Rickard B Demille to my Blog today - as part of his Virtual Book Tour Cafe tour - especially as his debut novel 'Hellfire' is set in my own native Wales!

An International Debut Dagger Award Finalist.

“Packed with action, emotion and suspense.” --Crime Writers Association

“A must read for any fan of the thriller genre” -- Joe Nassise, Internationally best selling author Of Eyes to See and the Templar Chronicles

US Marine Travis Deacon always loves catching some R&R. And he loves being in Wales to catch it, until his best friend, SAS Major Gareth Jones, dies in an "auto accident." When Travis asks too many questions about Gareth's death, MI5 steps in and tries to send him back to Afghanistan. Then, the international terrorist who killed his friend, tries to send Travis to hell. 

It gets worse when Detective Sergeant Dee Jones, Gareth's sister, arrests Travis to find out if he’s involved. Together, convinced that Gareth was murdered, Travis and Dee search for the killer. They dodge terrorist assassins and British agents in their search across Wales for the truth. Suddenly, the murder investigation becomes a frantic race to prevent a terrorist attack that could change the world.

“Strap yourself in for Rickard B DeMille’s  HELLFIRE, a page-turner full of humor,  reluctant romance, and plot twists that will  have you writhing in your seat.”
  --Margaret Bailey, author of Diamond in the Sky and the Waves of Amber trilogy

---

I was born in Las Vegas, Nevada to Rickard and Anita DeMille, who also provided five younger siblings for my amusement- four brothers and a sister. After graduating from Las Vegas High School I attended Brigham Young University. After my freshman year I spent two years in Venezuela and Colombia doing missionary work, then returned to BYU where I graduated with a BA in Spanish. Since then, I’ve focused my efforts on BS.

After college I was commissioned an Officer of Marines. I became a Combat Engineer, and ran my battalion’s computerized maintenance system. Soon after leaving the Corps, I moved to Houston, TX, where I resumed working with computers. I’d also picked up three kids along the way - Rick, Dave and Rob. Ten years later, I moved to Dallas, re-married the wonderful Tracy Ellis, and picked up two stepsons, Mark and Matt. I also began working with a group of exceptional Welshmen. It’s been over twenty years, Tracy and the Welshmen are still in my life. In those years I’ve also earned a Masters of Ministry and a Masters of Divinity from the Golden State School of Theology. Preparing a masters thesis rekindled my passion for writing.

A few years ago, I began to write seriously.  Since then, I’ve had short stories and articles published, in print and online. My work has been published by BeWrite, Darklines, Eros and Rust, and others sites. One of my short stories was published in the Australian anthology ADUMBRA. I also write screenplays and finished 18th in the 2010 Writer’s Digest Screenplay competition in 2010, and 16th in the 2011 competition.

Recently I finished my first novel, HELLFIRE (formerly A MURDER IN MUMBLES), a thriller set in Wales. HELLFIRE was a finalist in the 2010 Debut Dagger contest sponsored by the Crime Writers’ Association in London, and the 2010 SouthWest Writers contest. In 2011, I signed a contract with Transit Publishing, and HELLFIRE was published in February of 2012 as an eBook. In July of 2012 HELLFIRE was republished by MacDonald, Barclay and Co. in both paperback and eBook formats. 

I published my Masters Thesis entitled BIBLE STUDY: DEFENDING DANIEL, an examination of the historical, archaeological and linguistic context for the Biblical book of Daniel. I have already begun work on a sequel to HELLFIRE, currently titled COYOTE MIDNIGHT, which is set in Texas.

My Website is: www.rickardbdemille.com
My blog is: demillewriter.wordpress.com
The Amazon link is: http://amzn.to/NE1ysW

---

a Rafflecopter giveaway








'STARQUEST'    'CHILDREN OF THE MIST'  (The sequel to Starquest)  Dancing With Fate      'Freeread':'A BARGAIN WITH D
Also available on Kindle
 

Today and over the weekend , I'm over at my good friend Sky Purington's blog, together with the hero and heroine of 'Dancing With Fate', Terpsichore and Myrddin. http://skypuringtonwrites.blogspot.com/  If you get a moment please pop over and say 'hello'. I'm giving a download of my book to two randomly drawn commentors. Thanks,

 








 'STARQUEST'    'CHILDREN OF THE MIST'  (The sequel to Starquest)  Dancing With Fate      'Freeread':'A BARGAIN WITH DEATH'

                  Also available on Kindle

Monday's Words-DANCING WITH FATE IS AVAILABLE AGAIN!

Not your usual Monday's Word post I know, but I thought I'd cheat a little today as I'm rather excited.

I love legends and mythology, and when, a few years ago, I was contracted to be one of nine authors to each write a story about one of the Greek muses, for The Wild Rose Press, I decided to merge a few other legends with the Greek mythology and send my muse, Terpsichore to 5th Century Celtic Wales.

The series was published in 2008 and and having regained my rights I'm re-publishing the story.  I've made a few changes to the original novella and have republished it with Smashwords, complete with a spanking new cover designed by my dear friend and crit partner, the talented author Miss Mae.  I can't stop looking at that cover, it portrays the mystery and seductiveness of my heroine, who has a penchant for bathing in waterfalls, perfectly, while hinting that she has a spark of mischief as well. (Please be patient with me while I ramble on, I have a special offer for my faithful readers at the end of this post)

As a horse lover, I had to include a couple of horses in the story.  One is Harri, my black Welsh cob and the other is my much loved little endurance mare Sal, who sadly passed away three years ago at the grand old age of 34

A fellow Muse Author Masha Holl made this lovely picture of Terpsichore and Sal


How about a blurb? I hear you ask - OK, here it is:

When Terpsichore, the Greek Muse of Dance, is assigned to revisit 5th Century Wales, and help the people regain their love of dancing, her task seems simple enough. She is unaware there is a hidden agenda. Before she can return to Olympus, her path crosses that of the mysterious Myrddin, and her heart is lost.

But Myrddin is promised to another. His mind is set on the dangerous task that lies before him, and the woman he has sworn to save. Nevertheless, he cannot deny the growing attraction between him and the beautiful stranger he meets along the way.

Terpsichore and Myrddin face a deadly force that threatens to part them forever. Is she destined to lose the only man she has ever truly loved? Is there nothing she can do to save him? Finally, when all seems lost, in desperation she finds herself DANCING WITH FATE. 

Special Offer 

To Celebrate, I'm offering an introductory discount of 30% off the normal price.  To take advantage, you'll need to join Smashwords  at http://www.smashwords.com/

(Don't worry, it's free and  quite painless)

Then go to:

http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/53249

and at the checkout enter the code XX58M

Easy!  I'm keeping the offer open until Wednesday so you have a couple of days to get your copy.

(Rating sweet to mildly spicy)

ISBN: 978-1-4580-1111-4

Cymru am Byth (Wales For Ever) HAPPY ST DAVID'S DAY

As always on March the First, I'm missing my homeland. I have my Welsh flag flying madly in the the high wind, and am wearing a daffodil and the leek brooch given me years ago by my Aunt. This year the first daffodils are also bravely showing their golden faces.(Sometimes they don't manage to bloom before the 1st March at all.)
Ok, for those of you who are not Welsh (and I suspect the majority of people reading this blog fall into that category,) I'll tell you why March 1st is such a special day to those of us born in Wales.

St David's Day (Dydd Gŵyl Dewi Sant) is the feast day of Saint David, the patron saint of Wales.The date of 1 March was chosen in remembrance of the death of Saint David on that day (a Tuesday) in 589, and has been celebrated by followers since then.
The date was declared a national day of celebration within Wales in the 18th century.

Although the Welsh Assembly was not successful in having March 1st declared a National Bank Holiday, there are still celebrations all over the Principality, with special chapel services, lunches of Cawl (a clear lamb soup with leaks and potatoes, with cheese and bread) and Eisteddfordau,  concerts of singing and recitation, held in many schools and village halls.

The Red dragon shown over the map of Wales in green

The Flag of Wales (Welsh: Baner Cymru or Y Ddraig Goch, meaning "The Red Dragon") incorporates the Red Dragon of Cadwaladr, King of Gwynedd, from c.655 to 682, along with the Tudor colours of green and white. It was used by Henry VII at the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485 after which it was carried in state to St Paul's Cathedral.* The red dragon was then included in the Tudor royal arms to signify their Welsh descent.

The flag was granted official status in 1959, but the red dragon itself has been associated with Wales for centuries; indeed, the flag is sometimes claimed to be the oldest national flag still in use, though the origin of the adoption of the dragon symbol is now lost in history and myth. A plausible theory is that the Romans brought the emblem to what is now Wales during their occupation of Britain in the form of the Draco standards borne by the Roman cavalry, but it could be even older. The green and white stripes of the flag were additions by the House of Tudor, the Welsh dynasty that held the English throne from 1485 to 1603. Green and white are also the colours of the leek, another national emblem of Wales.

Wales and Bhutan are at present the only countries to have a dragon on their flag, though the Chinese flag also featured a dragon during the Qing Dynasty

The oldest known use of the dragon to represent Wales is from the Historia Brittonum, written around 830; the text describes a struggle between two serpents deep underground, which prevents King Vortigern from building a stronghold. This story was later adapted into a prophecy made by the wizard Myrddin (or Merlin) of a long fight between a red dragon and a white dragon. According to the prophecy, the white dragon, representing the Saxons, would at first dominate but eventually the red dragon, symbolising the Celts, would be victorious and recapture Lloegr. This is believed to represent the conflict in the 5th and 6th centuries between the British Celts and the invading Saxons. A version of the tale also appears as part of the poem 'Cyfranc Lludd a Llefelys' in the Mabinogion. One twelfth century account of this is Geoffrey of Monmouth's Historia Regum Britanniae, where he states Merlin's prophecies.

The red dragon is popularly believed to have been the battle standard of Arthur and other ancient Celtic/Romano-British leaders. It is particularly associated in Welsh poetry with Cadwaladr king of Gwynedd from c.655 to 682.

In 1400 Owain Glyndwr raised the dragon standard during his revolts against the occupation of Wales by the English crown. Fifteen years later the English crown, under the rule of Henry V, used the red dragon standard itself during the Battle of Agincourt. The English forces during the battle utilised Welsh longbowmen, along with their own archers. In 1485, the most significant link between the symbol of the Red Dragon and Wales occurred when Henry Tudor flew the red dragon of Cadwallader during his invasion of England. Henry was of Welsh descent and after leaving France with an army of 2000, landed at Milford Haven on 7 August. He made capital of his Welsh ancestry in gathering support and gaining safe passage through Wales. Henry met and fought Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth Field, and in victory took the English throne.*

The oldest recorded use of the dragon to symbolise Wales is from the Historia Brittonum, written around 830, but it is popularly supposed to have been the battle standard of Arthur and other ancient Celtic leaders.

The Welsh Flag is the only flag of the constituent countries of the UK not to be used in the Union Flag. Wales had no explicit recognition in the flag because Wales had been annexed by Edward I of England in 1282 and, since the Laws in Wales Acts 1535-1542, was considered to be a part of the Kingdom of England. There have since been proposals to include the Dragon or the flag of Saint David (itself a cross) on the Union Flag, but these have never met with much support.

The leek and the daffodil are both emblems of Wales and they share the Welsh name Ceninenis.

The leek is known to have been displayed as a Welsh emblem in 1536 and in Henry V, Shakespeare acknowledged this as an ancient custom.

There is a nuance - no more than that - for girls to wear daffodils and boys to wear leeks on St David's Day. There is a link between the leek and the daffodil. In Welsh the daffodil is St Peter's leek Cenhinen Bedr.

According to legend, Saint David ordered his Welsh soldiers to identify themselves by wearing the leek on their helmets during an ancient battle against the Saxons, which took place in a field of leeks. The leek also appears on the back of the  pound coin in Wales.

So that's why I'm proudly wearing both my daffodil and a leek today!

I'm back

Hi folks

I've had a wonderful few days at my homeland in Wales, and today we made our annual visit to the Christmas Tree Farm to purchase our tree.

I have some pics which I will post in a day or two.  I'm getting very excited because my dear friend Sharon Donovan has her latest book release tomorrow, Wednesday 15th December.  'Charade Of Hearts' published by the Wild Rose Press in their 'Jewel Of The Night' series, starring her  hunky, delectable and ever so yummy virtual butler, Oliver. And guess who's coming to this Blog on Thursday?  Please be sure to visit - I'll have a copy of the book to give away to one lucky commentor.

Sharon's throwing a release party for Oliver - visit her at:

http://www.sharondonovan.blogspot.com/
   

St Dwynwen's Day

Last week I posted about St David, Wales' Patron Saint. I thought I'd tell you about another Saint, this time a woman, St Dwynwen. I know it's a little late, but she is actually the Welsh equivalent of St Valentine.

                        

January 25th is St Dwynwen's Day - the Welsh Valentine's Day!

There are several legends about St Dwynwen, this is one of the most popular:

Dwynwen was the beautiful daughter of Brychan Brycheiniog. She fell in love with a prince called Maelon Dafodrill, but unfortunately her father had already arranged that she should marry someone else. Dwynwen was so upset that she could not marry Maelon that she begged God to make her forget him. After falling asleep, Dwynwen was visited by an angel, who appeared carrying a sweet potion designed to erase all memory of Maelon and turn him into a block of ice. He then gave three wishes to Dwynwen.
Her first wish was that Maelon be thawed; her second that God meet the hopes and dreams of true lovers; and third, that she should never marry.

Dwynwen became a nun, fulfilling her wish to never marry, and left for the island of Anglesey to build a Church. This is referred to as Llanddwynwen, literally meaning 'Church of Dwynwen'.

Isn't that a romantic (if rather sad) story?

Belated Happy St Dwynwen's Day!

The lighthouse and cross at Llanddwynwen

(Picture courtesy of Wikipaedia)

                                                       

Interviews and Blogs

If you're in a Halloween mood, come on over to Sharon Donovan's haunted Blog where today I'm talking about the ghosts of Nanteos Mansion in Wales. Tomorrow I'll be telling some chilling true tales about another old Welsh mansion, Gregynnog. Come and join me at:

http://www.sharondonovan.blogspot.com/

I'm also interviewed by Clover Autrey at the Examiner:

http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-22800-Fort-Worth-Romance-Novels~y2009m10d24-Futuristic-romance-with-Hywela-Lyn

A taste of Wales

Everyone who knows me, knows how much I love and miss my native Wales and perhaps this short clip, taken from a longer film, and featured on the website 'Americymru' will show why.

The lake in the clip is called Llyn Briane, and is part of the route of one of the Welsh Endurance Horse rides. The little round boat is called a coracle, and has been used by river fishermen in Ceredigion for centuries.

Real Life landscapes and their place in Fantasy ( Classic Romance Revival Blog Carnival)

Welcome to my entry in the Classic Romance Revival Blog Carnival. The theme is SETTINGS - SIMPLY SCENIC OR SPECIALLY SIGNIFICANT. I'm very excited to be part of this wonderful event.

If you've read my post on Monday at Classic Romance Revival, you'll know that the settings for both my novel Starquest, and the sequel Children Of The Mist were very important for both books. It was the same with my story in the Wild Rose Press's series 'Song Of The Muses'. For me, the setting is as important as the characters themselves. It's where the heroes and heroines live, breathe - and fall in love.

Although 'Dancing With Fate' begins (logically enough) in Ancient Greece, it swiftly moves on to 5th Century Wales. It's natural I suppose, that I should be so inspired by Wales, where I grew up and lived most of my life. Its mountains and lakes are beautiful and mysterious, and the country is full of its own myths and legends which add their own atmosphere to the landscape.

Much of the land is still wild and uspoiled and it was easy to picture it as it might have been sixteen hundred years ago. Why this time period? Well, I love the idea of living close to nature, without the hustle and bustle of modern living. There was another reason too - King Arthur was born around this time and some of the Arthurian legend is woven into my story. Many parts of Wales are named after him and his knights - for instance the name of the 3,000 ft mountain in Snowdonia, Cadair Idris is translated as The seat of Idris. or 'Arthur' As well as lakes and mountains, of course, Wales is full of spectacular waterfalls. A certain waterfall plays a very important part in 'Dancing With Fate'. The muses were, after all, water nymphs, and Terpsichore, the muse of dance, is no exception. In fact, she takes every opportunity to bathe in one, regardless of who might be watching!

Wales has inspired nearly everything I've written and for me, settings are vital not only to ignite the spark to write but to set the stage for my characters to act out their lives.

The festival is giving away prizes. I've contributed a PDF copy of ‘Dancing With Fate'. For all the other blogs in the carnival, and for more information about how to qualify for the prizes, see the

CRR BLOG

Thanks everyone - I hope you'll take part in the Carnival and enjoy visiting all the Blogs!

PLEASE NOTE:

This is a Classic Romance Revival GROUP event. You MUST have commented on EACH and EVERY blog in order to qualify for a prize.

Visit each of the blogs and leave your comment.

Don't forget to add your email and name so we can contact you if you're a winner!
You may comment more than once.

New Review for Dancing With Fate

I had another lovely review from Writers and Readers of Distinctive Fiction, this time for 'Dancing With Fate'. The reviewer was the very talented author, Cindy Green so I was even more pleased that she like my 'Muse Story'. This is what she said:

"If you haven’t yet started to read the Song of Muses stories then I suggest you start now with this one by Hywela Lyn. This is the first time I’ve been able to read anything by this author, and I am very much looking forward to reading more from her. Her flow of language pulled me into the story from the very beginning and forced me to continue reading until I had reached the end. Her description of the world of the Greek gods was very well done and insightful. I enjoyed Terpsichore, Muse of the Dance, immensely. Her independent spirit and sensuality is just what a daughter of Zeus should be. I completely loved the plotting of the story and the true task this Muse had before her. The action was orchestrated with just enough description, the dialogue and description vivid and captivating."

Dancing with Fate is a well-written story that reached out and grabbed me from the get-go. I thoroughly enjoyed it and recommend it as a memorable read."

CINDY GREEN

You can see the review HERE


In addition, my novel 'STARQUEST' is available at Fictionwise at a 50% discount. Or you can purchase it from my publisher, The Wild Rose Press with the chance of winning a Sony E-book reader and still get a discount of 20%. So either way you have a bargain and a good read for the longer evenings. The 20% discount and Sony Contest also apply to 'DANCING WITH FATE'.

And there's more. A FREE read. Yes, I did say 'Free.' My short fantasy romance 'A Bargain With Death ius also available at The Wild Rose Press and you can download it for nothing - no catch, and while you're there take a look around there are lots of other Freereads waiting for you. Enjoy!


A BARGAIN WITH DEATH

Miranda’s true love lies dying. To save him, she goes in search of Death himself, putting her very soul in danger. Will she save the life of her beloved? Or will her sacrifice be in vain? And what if her surrender is more than she bargained for?

DANCING WITH FATE is available NOW

I am thrilled to announce that 'Dancing With Fate, the sixth book in the anthology 'Song Of The Muses' is released today. The next three stories will be released during August and they will be available as three paperbacks of three stories each in October.

I am also running a contest to win a waterdrop shaped pendent on a silvery chain. The details are in Terpsichore's My Space blog and also on the contest page of my website at http://www.hywelalyn.com/

I will be posting a short extract from 'Dancing With Fate' but meanwhile here is a trailer for a 'taster'. There is a link to the details and purchase page' in the title of this post.

When Terpsichore, the Muse of Dance, is assigned to revisit the land of Wales, her task seems simple enough. She is unaware there is a hidden agenda. Before she can return to Olympus her path crosses that of the mysterious Myrddin, and her heart is lost.

Myrddin is promised to another. His mind is set on the dangerous task that lies before him, and the woman he has sworn to save. Nevertheless, he cannot deny the growing attraction between him and the beautiful stranger he meets along the way.
Terpsichore and Myrddin face a deadly force that threatens to part them forever. Is she destined to lose the only man she has ever truly loved? Is there nothing she can do to save him? Finally, when all seems lost, in desperation she finds herself DANCING WITH FATE.

DANCING WITH FATE RELEASED 1ST AUGUST

I am thrilled to announce the released of 'Dancing With Fate' the sixth story in the series 'The Song Of The Muses' anthology and the third in Book II. The third and final book with the last three stories will be released over the next few weeks and then they will be available in print in October.

There is a link to the purchase page and 'blurb' for 'Dancing With Fate' in the heading.

To celebrate, I am holding a contest. Details are on Terpsichore's My Space page

www.myspace.com/Terpsichoremuseofdance

I will also post them on my website.

To whet your appetite, here's a trailer:

The legend of Devils Bridge

I've been thinking a lot about my home in Wales, recently. More homesick than usual for some reason. My nieces and nephew are growing up so fast and I feel sad that I’ve missed so much of their childhood, although I see them several times a year, but it’s not the same.

I used to live near a well known beauty spot called Pontarfynach, or Devils Bridge. It is really three bridges, built over a spectacular and beautiful waterfall, which rages down into a deep pool known as the Devils Punchbowl. The first bridge was built by the Monks of Strata Florida, (where the Holy Grail is reputed to have been hidden for a while) in 1075. In the 18th Century it was deemed to be unsafe, and a second bridge was built, over the first. The third bridge being built over that in 1901.

I thought it would be nice to share the legend of how the first bridge was built. There are a few versions, but this is my favourite:

There was an old woman who had a cow of which she was very fond, and which provided her with all the milk she needed. Early one morning she was distraught to find that the cow had somehow managed to cross the river and was now grazing on the bank the other side.

The old lady looked at the swirling river and wondered how she would be able to get her cow back.

“What the Devil can I do now?” she asked aloud.

Suddenly there was a smell of sulphur and a cloud of thick smoke, out of the middle of which appeared Old Nick himself!

“You called?” he smirked.

The old lady was made of stern stuff,.and after a moment’s hesitation, she explained her predicament.

Satan grinned wickedly.

“That’s easily sorted,” he said craftily, “I can build you a bridge – but it will cost you.”
“How much?” the old lady asked uneasily.

“Oh nothing much, just the soul of the first living thing to cross the bridge,” the Devil stated cunningly, knowing full well that she would have to cross the bridge herself to get her cow.

“Done!” said the old woman.

The Devil waved his arms and there, spanning the falls, was a beautiful new stone bridge.

The Devil laughed nastily, “now for my payment he said smugly.

The old lady was not as naïve as she appeared. She put her hand into her apron pocket and drew out a crust of bread which she had put there for her breakfast, and threw it across to the other side of the bridge. Immediately her little dog ran across the bridge and gobbled it up. Satan knew he had been outwitted, the soul of a dog was of no use to him; he scowled furiously and disappeared in an even bigger cloud of foul smelling black smoke, than the first, and was never seen in those parts again.

The old woman crossed the lovely new bridge, and having retrieved both her cow and her dog, made her way home, humming softly to herself. The bridge can still be seen to this very day.