Read The Extremely Epic Viking Tale of Yondersaay Online
Authors: Aoife Lennon-Ritchie
Tags: #Vikings, #fantasy, #Denmark, #siblings, #action-adventure, #holidays, #Christmas, #grandparents, #fairy tale, #winter
The Extremely Epic Viking Tale of Yondersaay
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. The author makes no claims to, but instead acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of the word marks mentioned in this work of fiction.
Copyright © 2016 by Aoife Lennon-Ritchie
THE EXTREMELY EPIC VIKING TALE OF YONDERSAAY by Aoife Lennon-Ritchie
All rights reserved. Published in the United States of America by Month9Books, LLC.
No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
EPub ISBN: 978-1-942664-67-3 Mobi ISBN: 978-1-942664-68-0
Paperback ISBN: 978-1-942664-52-9
Published by Tantrum Books for Month9Books, Raleigh, NC 27609
Cover illustration by Meaghan McIsaac
Cover design by Najla Qamber Designs
The Violaceous Amethyst
“This is a great adventure story. Kids will really enjoy the mystery, danger and wit. It’s a fun book and would really be a great one for families to read together.” - Amber Frazier
“I would definitely recommend this book to my students and others at my school. I would also recommend it to educators to use as a read aloud, to add into their classroom libraries, or recommend to their own students to read. I would also recommend this book to adults who love to read children’s books.” - Vanessa Ramos
“I liked the relationship between Dani and Ruairi. It felt like a real sibling relationship in that they picked at each other at times, but ultimately they loved each other and worked together.” - Holly Bryan
Ruairi | Roo-ri and Rooa-ri are two ways to pronounce this old Irish name. |
Yondersaay | Yon-der-say |
Róisín | Row (as in row your boat) - sheen. Row-sheen |
Róisínín | Row-sheen-een |
Fjorgyn Thunderbolt | Fee-yorg-in |
Vallhala | Val-hal-ah |
Violaceous | Viol (like in violin)-ay-shuss. Viol-ay-shuss |
Rarelief | Rare-leaf |
Dudo | Dude- oh |
Silas Scathe | Sigh-lass Scathe, rhymes with bathe |
King of Groenland | Groan-land |
Harofith | Har (like in Harry)-oh-fith (rhymes with ‘with’). Har-oh-fith. |
Odin | Oh-dinn |
Hamish Sinclair | Hay-mish Sinkler |
Eoin Lerwick | Oh-win Ler-wick |
Hjorvarth | Hee-yor-varth (like Garth) |
Asgrim Finehair | As-grim Fine-hair |
Isdrab Graylock | Iz-drab Gray-lock |
Brokk | Rhymes with lock |
Tiuz | Tee-ooze |
Docteur Tchopemov | Doctor Chop ‘em off |
Fritjof | Fritt-yoff |
Jarl | Yarl |
YONDERSAAY
“Ruairi!” Mum shrieked over her shoulder as she reversed the car out of the driveway. “Is that homework on your lap? It’s the last day of school before the holidays. Please tell me I’m not going to get a call today.”
“It’s not homework, Mum –” Ruairi Miller said, careful not to let his parents see the sign he was writing.
“–It’s extra credit,” Ruairi’s big sister, Dani, put in. “It’s part of a very important and good project that Ruairi and I are doing for Mr. De Villiers.”
“That’s nice, you two … Mr. De Villiers,” Mum said, swerving the car in too wide an arc onto the road, “Is he that lovely man who starts wearing Christmas jumpers the day after Halloween?”
“That’s him,” Dani mumbled.
“Ah yes, and he’s forever singing that one Christmas song. What is it now?
The Holly and the Ivy
,” Mum said, and started to hum.
“
Deck the Halls
,” Ruairi and Dani groaned in unison.
“Fa la la la la, la la la la!” Mum sang.
“Mum, no! Please!”
Dad, in the passenger seat, came up from his smartphone and boomed, “’Tis the season to be
jolly
—”
“Fa la la la la, la la la la!” Mum and Dad sang together.
“See what you’ve started,” Dani shot at Ruairi.
Mum and Dad sang on while Ruairi leaned over and whispered to his sister. “Mum’s right. He is a lovely man. We don’t need to do this, Dani.”
“He needs to learn a lesson, Ruairi,” Dani said. “It’s a hundred degrees out there; I’m sure you’ve noticed we don’t get snow or holly or even decked halls in South Africa at Christmas. Because why?”
“Because it’s summer time in South Africa in December,” Ruairi said.
“Right! We’re in the middle of
summer
! Every year, it’s the same. From November first to the end of school, we get a fa-la-la-la-la-ing reminder that we’ll never have a white Christmas, chestnuts roasting on an open fire, boughs of holly—”
“–Or bells that jingle,” Ruairi said, wistfully.
“Or bells that jingle! It’s a slap in the face, Ruairi; it has to stop. Plus, it’s a joke. I’m absolutely positive he’ll find it funny. And he’ll be proud of us, Ruairi, he loves it when students work for a long time to get a project just right.”
“First he’ll laugh, then he’ll be proud?” Ruairi whispered as loud as he could over the atonal crooning of his parents in the front. “I’m not so sure about that.”
“Sing we joyous all together, Fa la la la la, la la la la. Heedless of the wind and weather, Fa la la la la, la la la la” wafted from the front seat like a bad smell.
“This is fun,” Mum said, screeching the car along the avenue of the wood surrounding their school. “We should do a Mr. De Villiers and start singing Christmas songs on the first of November every year.” She did a U-turn by the school gates and sang one final fa-la-la while she stopped the car.
As the children bundled their school bags, school shoes, and their “project” out of the car, Mum said, “Wait, neither of you have Mr. De Villiers for anything—”
Quick as lightning, Dani said, “Mum, why are you dressed in a lab coat and Granny’s old reading glasses?”
“Audition.”
“Break a leg!” Dani said, slamming the car door shut.