The winner, junior category is Chloe Kavanagh

Chloe Kavanagh fiest prize in The Flying Pig on the N2

Lightning and flying pigs by Chloe Kavanagh

7th of October 2014 - The Blayney Radio station

Monaghan’s historic statue of St.Maeldoid’s pig has been erected on the N2 bypass at Castleblayney, it’s shining silver exterior is sure to catch the attention of anyone passing by, but how will it fair with the hostile and stormy weather set to sweep the country with incredible force in the next coming weeks. The artist who created our very own “flying pig” assures local county council the pig is fit for any conditions, but locals are skeptical.

1st of November 2014: 12:15a.m. - The Blayney Radio station

Torrential rain, strong winds and lightning sweeps over the county of Monaghan tonight adding to the spooky atmosphere that is created on no other but Halloween night. Meteorologists are warning People to stay in tonight as lightning has already caused severe damage in some areas particularly in the Castleblayney region with one teenage girl being hospitalized after being struck by the force. We’ll keep you updated throughout the night but for now sit tight and keep safe.

31st of October: 5:pm

Along with many other houses in Orla’s area, just of the N2 bypass at Blayney, the power had gone some hours ago and with her parents caught up at the garda station she had dug out her old battery radio in hopes of entertaining her younger brother and distracting herself from the fact she would now be stuck in the house all evening, when she should really be out with her friends. The weather was shocking, Orla had never seen the likes of it before. She had fiddle with her radio in hopes of getting “iradio” or “2FM” but it was no use, the weather was just too bad to pick up the signal and the only channel she could hear was the Local Blayney radio station, which she was pretty sure was recorded in a shed in the back of some old man's garden. Eventually the nasally voice of the presenter had become too much for her to listen to for any longer so she shut it off. Bored and frustrated Orla threw herself back into the cushions of the coach. Her little brother rammed toy cars into the pillows by her feet, talking to himself the way little kids do. The wind howled outside and the lightning danced across the sky with violent jolts. It was going to be a long night

8p.m

Branches tapped the windows and the moon casted wicked looking shadows as it shone through the trees. Orla had a bad feeling in the back of her head but she put it down to the bad weather and lack of electricity. Her brother, having become afraid of the shadows and paranoid by the tapping of the branches, was now under the table with a pillow on his head. She smiled at him, he was a sweet kid with an incredible imagination however on nights like these it tended to get the better of him and he would resort to hiding away from everything. Light lit up the sky and thunder shook the ground, all of a sudden there was a zapping sound followed by a series of clatters. Orlas heart jumped in her chest. Surely it was just the lightning hitting a telephone pole or something, nothing to worry about. Her brother however, wasn’t so sure and was in hysterics. In an attempt to settle his nerves she said she would go and take a look outside. Throwing on her coat and hat and with her brother hanging from her leg she stepped outside.

8:30p.m

It was eerily quiet, the only light came from the dull glow of the moon as it peeked through the storm clouds. The lightning had stopped very suddenly, which seemed weird to Orla. She walked around to the side of the house, everything was very still. Out of nowhere the sky lit up with a brilliant white light. Confused her and her brother turned around. In the sky above them was the statue of St.Maeldoids pig that had been placed on the hill behind their house. It was radiating electricity that flashes zapped from it’s silver coat. They stared in awe as it drifted past them, they didn’t dare make a sound, afraid of drawing it’s attention to them. It floated down into the valley by the N2 and towards the town centre. Orla grabbed her brother's hand and darted inside, bolting the door shut. What had she just seen? Why was the pig glowing?! Why was it flying?! So many questions ran through her head as she desperately tried to think of what she could do.

Now 9:30 p.m.

“He must have attracted the lightning Orla, because he’s made of metal! He absorbed it!” her brother squealed. She looked at him with wide eyes, “that can’t be true, it doesn’t work like that” , “it is” he continued “Think about it, the lightning just suddenly stopped, it doesn’t normally do that, the pig must have become somehow charged by all the currents it was struck with.” “How did you come up with that, it must be some freak illusion or a trick of the light” She insisted. “No Orla, we saw it, he was flying!”, this was all too much for Orla to comprehend, how does a pig just magically start flying, “Aliens? No, that can’t be it” she thought. What her brother was saying made somewhat sense but it couldn’t be possible, all the same they had to tell warn the town.

10:00p.m.

Orla grabbed her phone and dialed the station's number. “Dad! There’s a flying pig that is radiating electricity and it’s heading towards town.” she gushed. “Orla what are you talking about? Don’t be silly. I’m swamped with calls right now, I didn’t think you would try to pull something like this.” her father scowled, “No Dad I swear, I’m not making this up!”, he cut her off “No Orla, I expected better of you.” With that the line went dead. “What do we do now?” her brother asks, “we have to stop that pig.” Throwing their coats back on they grabbed their bikes and were off flying down the road, following the giant floating orb in the sky.

10:30p.m.

The road was empty, no one daring to venture out in the wild weather. It made it easy for the two kids to weave down the road quickly. A few neighbours had seen the mysterious light and stared up at the sky in utter disbelief.

11:00 p.m.

They were nearing town, the pig zoomed and weaved its way through buildings, zapping any branches or light poles in it’s way. He was drawing the attention of people now, they saw him fly by as they peered out windows and stood at their doors. Their mouths hanging open in shock.

11:30p.m.

True to the pigs legend, he was heading towards Muckno. He ducked through the gates, electricity sparking off him. He floated up towards where the old monastery used to be, and found it gone. He surged with energy as he saw his home was now in ruins. Fury in his eyes he turned back towards the town. Orla freezed, she knew people would get hurt if he wasn’t stopped. In a desperate attempt to distract the pig and save the town she let out a loud scream, waving her arms frantically in the air.

12:00p.m.

The pig turned on her, electricity crackling through the air. Sirens were ringing now, but all Orla saw was the blinding white light charging towards her then, darkness.

12:30a.m. - The Blayney Radio station

The young girl, who was struck by lightning just half an hour ago is said to be in bad condition, the girl appears to be in a hallucinogenic state as she woke from her unconscious state shouting about a “flying pig”, her parents, both gardi in their local station found her at the scene and rushed her to hospital. It appears she left her house to meet up with a group of friends, despite the unruly weather and advice from her parents and indeed meteorologists. Her physical state is stable but her mind is in disarray  from the shock of it all. We send well wishes to her and her family and ask everyone to stay safe in their homes and out of this horrible storm.