The Secret Of FlowerDawn (Dingaling-A comedy fantasy metal detecting adventure!)

The Secret Of FlowerDawn (Dingaling-A comedy fantasy metal detecting adventure!)

The idea for 'Dingaling', and chaining Imps to sticks to find lost pieces of metal came to me whilst I was out metal detecting.  Surprise surprise.  A Metal Detector itself is much like an Imp, in that you have to learn about its needs and wants, whilst being very, VERY patient.

Also, a metal detector, like an Imp, can be a petulant little bugger...

Metal Detecting itself is rather quite comical for me.  I love the identification part, and how so many people can see an object so differently.  This is what inspired the wizards Korak and Silverwinds many arguments.  I also love the fact that we are literally finding objects lost in the ground for thousands of years in some cases.  It's quite magical to think that someone dropped that item, and then I, a couple of thousand years later, picked it up.  What's the story there?  Did they drop it?  Bury it?  Were they attacked?  Killed?  It really fuels the imagination.

Also, we must remember that those people who owned those items literally DID believe in Dragons, ghosts, fairies, imps, wizards, witches, and a lot more!  It feels like it puts me in direct contact with their imaginations and beliefs.

There's also something quite surreal about it.  Wandering around a field, swinging a stick in all weathers.  There's comedy in it, definitely.

I'm lucky enough to have a lot of heritage and history in the area I live, so inventing stories based on fantasy comes quite naturally.  You're always a stones throw from a Castle or Keep here in Southern England, and loads of other fantastical places.  It doesn't take much to fuel the imagination.

It's easy to imagine fairies, Dragons and other creatures in the rolling countryside here.  It's nothing new.  People have been doing it for years.

Every location and character in this story are actually based on someone I've met, or somewhere I have been round these parts.  Also in the book are serious discussions and ideas transposed to the world in which it takes place.  Discussions concerning ethics, practice.  Public opinion, archaeological opinion.  All communicated through my little story.

I've throughly enjoyed writing this book.  If you're interested, I've started to do a spoken word version through Youtube.  Here is the link.  If you want a feel for the book, here's the introduction.  I hope you enjoy it:

The bearded men that look for precious metal handbook:

To involve yourself in the art of locating lost metals underground, you should first find yourself an Imp. This is no easy chore, as the mischievous little fellows will do their damn best to not get caught, and elude you. An Imp is a free creature from the natural realm, and will take some convincing. A character of considerable persistence will be needed to befriend said magical creature - normally, a fellow with a magical background whom has become accustomed to something being on fire due to bad spell pronunciation at some point in his career. Time, patience, and understanding are the keys to a favourable capture.

Recommended steps to advancement after capture:

Firstly, an Imp should be trained to sense and detect particular types of metal. This task alone can take a number of years. A well trained Imp should shout 'DINGALING!' when swung over Gold or Silver, or 'BUGGER!' when swung over an old rusty bit of iron. If you fail to train right, you're likely to spend the better part of your day digging up old horseshoes, and other useless metals - whilst swearing, mumbling and shaking your fists at the sky a lot.

Secondly, you must work on the sensitivity of the Imp. The nicer you are to it, the deeper it will detect. If it feels like it's not loved enough, you'll be missing important items beneath it. If your Imp cannot detect metal over an inch in depth, you should spend a week with it, feeding it cake, and telling it how much you love it. This should solve the problem, until you have to repeat the process again when said malaise arrises.

Also, you should keep your Imp as entertained as possible. If you fail to sing it a song, like it just asked, its recovery time will fail as it gets bored. This will cause your Imp to sigh a lot, and miss important items beneath it. If it asks you to do a little dance, you must do so if you wish to spend the rest of the day finding precious metals.

And finally, we have to train the Imp on how to grip onto the stick you will be swinging, as the Imp detects metal beneath it. This is a time consuming task, that normally involves long term shouting, and pulling at hair. If you try to achieve this too early in the process, the mischievous little creature is likely to tell fibs.

An Imp can be a petulant little bugger, so it is important t hat you adhere to its wants and needs for best performance. You need to become a friend for life to the creature if you wish to continue detecting.

Recommended steps to productive technique:

It is advised to not swing your Imp stick too fast, as your Imp may become motion sick. This will annoy the Imp, and it will refuse to detect.

It is advised to not swing your Imp stick too high from the ground, as it will effect the detection rate. This will annoy the Imp and it will refuse to detect.

It is advised to not swing your Imp stick in any extremes of weather. They don't like it. They will get annoyed, and probably won't detect.

It is advised to not swing your Imp stick too near other Imp sticks, as their detection frequencies can become mixed, causing them to argue. This can result in both of them sulking, and refusing to detect.

It is advised to feed your Imp as much as possible. Failing to do so, will annoy the Imp, and it will refuse to detect.

We hope this manual reaches you well, and puts you in good stead concerning the collection of hidden treasure.

Dig well.

‘Some things should stay hidden. Especially those things that have a very real impact on the lives of the people that are near it. Sometimes hidden things are meant to never be found, but sometimes, just sometimes, they manage to set up events in the real world, that will eventually bring their freedom. Some things, just need an audience.