The Story of the Little Fairy Boy of Leith

There was an old sea dog by the name of Captain George Burton living in Leith back in 1649. When visiting a friend, Maggie, at his local hostelry he was told the story of the little Fairy Boy.

Every Thursday at midnight this boy would go down to Carlton hill and enter through large gates that are only visible to those with the ‘fairy’ gift. There he would go down into the hill and play his drums for the fairies to dance and rejoice to. He would play faster and faster until he had worked up such a frenzy that the assembly within the cavern would be transported to France or Holland. Laughing, the captain asked ‘how could this be and how did he know where they were?’ She replied ‘why because the fairies have fur with pointy ears, the buildings look like flowers and the rivers are gold’

One Thursday he was walking past the hostelry when Maggie shouted down from the window pointing at a group of boys playing in the street ‘there he is, the fairy boy’ Approaching the boy he asked if he would like to join him and some friends to dine with him that evening, he agreed. When the boy arrived, the men decided to try and keep him distracted so to miss his weekly appointment at Carlton Hill.  However, at 11pm he managed to slip by his captors only to be seen in the street and brought right back. A second time, much closer to midnight, he managed to slip away again but this time the men decided to follow him. When he was out of sight they heard a piercing screams, as if the boy was being attacked, that slowly died away and the boy was never seen again. It is said that because the boy didnt arrive on time to play he fell fowl of the fairies wrath.

To this day they say if you are walking near Calton Hill on Thursday evening you can hear drumming coming from within.