The boat journey to the island wasn't long, but the walk was. After twenty minutes, they arrived at the lighthouses.
It was awkward walking with two men holding his arms. The hooded stranger tripped a number times along the way.
The mayor stood with delight, waving his arms and encouraging the crowd. Before them stood a huge wicker statue...
"What is that meant to be?" asked the hooded stranger, with a sense of panic as he started remembering the end scene from a movie.
"That is our Wallaby. They have flourished here on the island since the 70's. We thought it was an interesting representation of the uniqueness of our isle."
"...and the tourists love it," mumbled the hooded stranger, sarcastically.
"Actually, we don't know.This is our first year with Wally."
The hooded stranger started to struggle again.
"You can't do this! You can't put me in there!"
"In there?!" The mayor was startled. Then realised how this all looked.
"God no! that is just for spectacle. This isn't "The Wicker Man!"
Some people in the crowd laughed. One of the men holding the hooded stranger give a gentle chuckle.
"What the hell is going on?" thought the hooded stranger to himself.
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The original idea, I wanted the island to be like a cult and the hooded stranger was being forced into this festival sacrifice. But as I started the inktober challenge, I started to worry that I was painting the real Isle of Man in a dreadful light. The reality is I met a lot of lovely people there (except the bus drivers... something weird about the few I met).
Instead of suggesting a nasty underbelly to the island, I'm trying to play on their "for the tourists" aspect, since the island heavily depends on the tourists every June, and maintains a certain image solely for them.
As a result of the slight change in presentation, I'm regretting having the hooded stranger on his knees here.
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[SPOILER]
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I'm becoming a little self-conscious as to how this is all looking to my friends in the Isle of Man. This isn't a "Wicker Man" story (even though that is the primary idea that came to mind at the time). This is pretty much a Kaiju story, like last year's.
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