Solstice Among The Stones

I couldn’t believe we’d made it here, my friends and me. I also couldn’t believe all the people who were here either. I looked around at the crowd in amazement.

I was still a little jetlagged from traveling from the USA to the UK to spend the Summer Solstice at Stonehenge with my two best friends. We had woken extra early today to come here to watch the sunrise on the longest day of the year at one of the most mystical places on the planet. Obviously, we weren’t the only ones with this idea, as people of all kinds had packed the place. 

Of course, we weren’t allowed to touch the stones as you had to get special permission to do so. The stones were almost 5000 years old, and that many people touching them would cause them to wear down and break. I understood why, but I hoped to touch them and feel their energy one day.

“Can you believe all the people here?” Rowan asked, looking around, her eyes wide.

I shook my head, grinning at her. 

“It’s a madhouse, that’s for sure,” Willow said, looking around at everyone in wonder. 

 I couldn’t stop grinning. The energy here was amazing! Over to my left, I spotted a woman in a long white dress with a sunflower crown. She was holding her hands in front of her as she chanted. To my right, I saw a shirtless man with antlers on his head holding a large drum. It looked like he was gathering others for a drum circle. A group of people dressed in white robes walked through the area, led by an older woman wearing a flower crown. 

 An older man with a white beard and an oak leaf crown walked by us. He wore a flowing green robe and carried a staff. Walking next to him was a younger man dressed in a red robe with a holly crown. He also carried a staff at his side. I nudged my friends and nodded at them. 

 Rowan’s eye lit up, and she nodded, saying, “I wonder if they are going to reenact the legend of the Oak King and the Holly King.”

 “It sure looks like it,” Willow said, smiling at them as they continued toward the stones.

 “That would be fun to watch,” I said, nodding, and continued to look around at everyone.

 Rowan nudged me as she spotted a group of extravagantly dressed people walking by. They wore bright, colorful clothing and jewelry, and they laughed and sang as they walked to get closer to the stones. We all smiled at their joy and exuberance. 

 Not everyone had dressed in ritual wear or other finery, but my friends and I had decided to join in with those who had, wearing our ritual robes over our street clothes. We all wore tennis shoes since we knew we’d have to walk toward the festival. Otherwise, we’d be barefoot.

 We made our way closer to the crowd, and I could feel the energy getting stronger as we neared them. Rowan was on my left, and Willow was on my right. I reached out to take both of their hands. They grasped mine and squeezed them, so I knew they were just as excited as I was.

 Holding hands, we made our way into the crowd, so we could find a decent spot to watch the sunrise over the Heel stone. I hoped we’d be close enough to see it happen. 

 I could feel the energy ramping up and glanced toward where the sun would rise. I could see the sky was getting lighter and squeezed my friends’ hands harder. They responded in kind. It was almost time.

Turning my head to Rowan, she turned her head to me, and I could see the excitement on her face. I looked at Willow, and she had the exact same expression. I turned to look forward again to see the sky lightening. 

 “It’s time, Old Man,” a male voice called out from ahead of us. “Fight me!”

 “You think you can take me? Today, on the day of my highest power?” another voice called out.

 We craned our heads to look over the crowd and saw the two men we’d seen earlier dressed as the Oak King and the Holly King standing in front of the Heel stone, poised for battle. 

 “Ooh! We were right! They are going to reenact the legend!” Willow said, her face lighting up with excitement.

 “It is time for you to rest now, Old Man,” the Holly King told him. “It is my turn to take power.”

 “If you want my power, you’ll have to fight me for it,” the Oak King said, rushing at him with his staff raised high.

 The Holly King blocked his staff, then swung out with his own, connecting softly with the Oak King’s ribs. The Oak King staggered back, holding his side as he acted like he was in pain. Then he rushed toward the Holly King once more.

The two men battled as the sky got lighter behind them. The crowd cheered them on as they fought. Finally, the Holly King struck the final blow, sending the Oak King backward and falling to the ground. 

 The crowd cheered as the Holly King held up his staff over his head, then went over to help the Oak King to his feet, just in time for the sun to peek over the horizon. 

 Cheers erupted from the crowd, and various groups starting chanting different prayers. Rowan, Willow, and I chanted our covens’ Solstice Sunrise prayer while holding each other’s hands. 

 Then we turned and hugged one another, shouting, “Happy Solstice!” 

 From the crowd, someone yelled back, “Happy Solstice!”

 The rest of the crowd picked up the saying, and shouts of “Happy Solstice!” rang throughout Stonehenge.

 “Let’s do this again next year,” I said to my friends, who nodded vigorously. 

 “Definitely!” they both said at once, then laughed.

 I joined in, and our laughter rang out through the stones.