by JD MITCHELL
“What was that light?” Ali asked.
“It was me. I’ll explain later, we have to go.” He gave her a nudge toward the hallway.
“Yes, but what…”
Leigh cut her off with an impatient gesture toward the hall. “Ali, please.”
She begrudgingly pushed open the first door on the left. For a moment, she forgot about the stranger and became conscious of the state of her room. Her Nirvana poster peeled at the corner, limping slightly under the weight of the blue sticky putty. Painted quotations from Poe lined the walls between her Pearl Jam and Foo Fighters posters. Dirty clothes littered the floor and towered on the chair in the corner. It was a mess, but Leigh already saw it.
Resigned, she hunted in a clothing pile for a clean pair of jeans. “What’s a gon-can-whatever?”
“Gancanagh,” Leigh corrected pronouncing it as gone-can-ack. “It’s a love talker.”
“Let me guess, another spirit?” Ali asked annoyed.
“Fairy,” Leigh said. “It came to kill you… among other things.”
Ali stopped rummaging through her clothes. A chill raced through her. “Kill me?”
“It’s a nasty fairy. They seduce women. Once you touch it, you’re driven insane and die.” Leigh’s explanation almost sounded nonchalant, but a slight tremor in his voice betrayed him.
“What’s it doing here?” Ali accused. As far as she was concerned, creatures only appeared when Leigh was around.
“Fantastic question,” Leigh said. “One we can ponder in the car. Pick something and let’s go.” He pointed to the pile of clothes she was digging though.
Ali gave up on asking questions and spent a few minutes rummaging for her driver’s license and cash. She found both items crammed in the pocket of dirty jeans. Leigh was on edge the entire time, asking more than once for her to hurry. She settled on semi-clean jeans, a vintage foo fighters tee-shirt, and sneakers.
Once they were in the 1970s silver Camaro Leigh borrowed from his cousin he stopped looking over his shoulder. They sped out of her neighborhood and zipped through the streets toward the high school.
“Will you explain what’s happening?” Ali asked.
Leigh’s features tightened as he gripped the steering wheel. “Not sure.”
“Let’s start with why you crammed me into your cousin’s cliché car,” Ali snapped.
His fingers drummed the wheel. “Something took an interest in you. Not in a good way.”
“What do you mean something?” Ali asked. Her skin crawled.
“Fairies and spirits don’t collaborate, someone sent them.” He took his eyes off the road and looked at her. “When the kelpie attacked, I thought it was an unfortunate accident. But a gancanagh just showed at your door. Something’s wrong.”
Leigh took a hard corner, causing Ali to slip sideways in her seat. She gripped the sides of the car before deciding to buckle her seat belt. Heaven help him if he wrecks a second car with me in it.
“Who would care about me?” Ali asked once she secured the seat belt. “I’m boring.”
Leigh shrugged, his gaze intent on the road. “I have no clue.”
Did she insult some violent otherworldly creature? Craptacular. Who wonders that?
Ali shook her head. They’d start with the questions Leigh could answer. “What’d you mean when you said the gancanagh was there to kill me among other things?”
Leigh peered side-long at her. “I’ll spare you the details, but they’re carnal in nature.”
Another creature wanted to eat her? Then it clicked.
“Oh.” Embarrassment came over her. It explained her uncontrolled lustful thoughts.
“What’d the gancanagh look like?” Leigh asked.
She furrowed her brow. “Didn’t you see it?”
“They look different to women.”
Ali remembered its green eyes. Her would be killer was absurdly attractive. A chilling thought. “He was tall, with dark hair, and green eyes. Kind of muscular. What about you?”
“Just an ordinary guy. Nothing remarkable,” Leigh said.
“I don’t understand why we saw different characteristics.”
A small smile played at the corner of Leigh’s mouth. “The gancanagh knows what attracts each woman and impersonates her ideal type.”
“So that thing was my ideal type?” Ali asked. Spot on. No wonder she considered him, or rather it, to be drop dead sexy.
Leigh nodded. “They listen to your internal desires, then act.”
“It read my mind?” Ali asked disliking the invasion of privacy.
“Yes.”
Slumping back into her seat, she attempted to piece the situation together. “So whatever is after me, sent something to seduce me since the first two attempts failed?”
“That’s my guess. The whole catch flies with sugar and not vinegar mentality.”
Leigh drove the car down a side road. Trees lined either side of the car now. Ali scanned the unfamiliar foliage for dark figures in the shadows fearing another pooka.
“Where are we going?” Ali asked.
“Red’s house,” Leigh said.
The mention of Red reminded her of Jessica. She thrust her hand in her back pocket and fumbled for her cell phone. “I need to call my sister.”
Leigh’s face fell. “Could you hold off until we talk to Red?”
She grasped her phone. “Jessica will freak when she realizes I’m not at home.”
“What are you planning on telling her?” Leigh asked.
“Not to go home! What if that thing touches her?”
She opened her contact list and scrolled until Jessica’s name popped on the screen. Ali attempted to dial out, but the call went nowhere. Frustrated she stared at her phone.
No signal.
“Ugh!” Ali slapped the phone into her lap.
As if it would magically work, she looked at the screen again. The phone was in a dead zone, probably because they were in the heart of the woods.
“You’ll be able to call her once we reach Red’s house,” Leigh said.
Ali sighed. “I’m not sure which she’ll be more pissed about. The mention of a stalker in the house, or that I took refuge in the home of her loathsome ex-boyfriend.”
Leigh nodded but seemed unbothered. “Red mentioned something about them dating after we left the hospital.”
“I’m surprised he hung around to endure Jessica’s wrath,” Ali said remembering Jessica’s irritation.
Leigh shrugged. “Your sister isn’t so bad.”
She snorted. “You haven’t seen her angry.”
Outside the car, the trees grew thicker.
“Why are we going to Red’s house and not yours?” Ali asked suddenly.
“My parents aren’t home.”
She was reluctant to drive into the middle of nowhere, but she let it drop. Asking Red for help was better than being alone.
Ten minutes later, they turned onto an extensive driveway that cut through a large manicured lawn and led to a beautiful two-story home. The house was yellow brick with white shutters that framed large windows. Greenery–of the bush variety–lined a pull around driveway and lead to the front doors. It was a mini mansion. The house was only missing a fountain and a butler to open the door. This isn’t where she envisioned Red living. A shabby apartment complex was more in line with her expectations.
“What does Red do for a living?” Ali asked as she stepped into the pavement and looked at the perfect rows of pink flowers she couldn’t name. “Jessica would kill for a front yard in this condition.”
Leigh slammed his car door shut and jogged up the stone steps leading to the front door. “Family money.”
Ali followed him, taking in the details. The large wooden front doors featured intricate carvings of vines and odd animals. She wanted to inspect the detail out of sheer curiosity, but Leigh forced the doors open and rushed inside.
“Red!”
The sound of distant explosions, likely a m
ovie, came from a far room. Leigh yelled a second time, and the sound stopped. The house fell silent.
“In here!” Red’s voice echoed from down a hallway.
Leigh charged toward the sound of Red’s voice while Ali shut the door.
The ceilings inside were massive. This half of Red’s home didn’t have a second story, the first floor opened into the second floor creating a cavernous foyer. Large paintings hung on the walls. Most of them depicted battle scenes of gold-clad Roman type warriors and peasants. The paintings led to a large room where Red sprawled in a bean bag chair on the floor, playing a video game and wearing faded jeans and a plain gray t-shirt. His short blonde hair stuck up over a headset as he yelled at someone on the other end on the microphone to get to the high ground. It was one of those sniper war games, Ali wasn’t sure which one. From everything Ali remembered Jessica saying about Red, this made the most sense. The house didn’t fit him. He probably lived in something his grandparents decorated. The video game, chips, and bean bag chair, however, made perfect sense. Who even owned a bean bag chair anymore?
“What happened?” Red asked taking off a headset. He stared at Leigh, whose tough exterior seemed to melt.
Leigh pointed to Ali, and Red twisted further in his chair to see her.
“Hey.” She waived awkwardly.
“Ali, right?” Red asked standing.
“Yeah,” Ali said.
She assumed a conversation would follow, but it didn’t. Instead, Red put an arm around Leigh and turned his back to Ali. They began what sounded like a whisper war. Whatever Leigh’s expression, it wasn’t good judging by the way Leigh threw his arms out in defense.
“A gancanagh walked into her living room!” Leigh finally exclaimed loud enough for Ali to hear.
Red said something inaudible, and Leigh shook his head.
If they wouldn’t include her in the conversation, she’d speak to someone who would. Ali reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone.
Service.
Slinking back into the hallway, she dialed Jessica who picked up on the third ring.
“Hey where are you?” Jessica asked from the other end. Ali could hear her snacking on something crunchy.
“You won’t like the answer. Wait… are you at home?” Ali asked.
“I just got here. I thought we could do pizza and a movie marathon.” There was a brief silence. “Where are you?”
A hollow pit formed in Ali’s stomach; she should have tried calling Jessica sooner. “Leave the house right now!”
Jessica laughed. “What?”
“No time to explain. An intruder was in the house!” Ali ran back toward the other room and gestured wildly to grab Leigh’s attention.
“Did you call the police?” Jessica asked, the stern lawyer tone in her voice.
How to explain this… “There wasn’t time. Leigh took me to Red’s house and…”
Jessica cut her off. “What the hell are you doing at that creep’s house?”
Red and Leigh looked up from their conversation. Red’s face fell. “You let her dial out?”
Leigh rushed toward Ali. “I thought I blocked it.”
Ali didn’t know whom to address. Her angry sister? Or Leigh? She didn’t have to debate long; the phone went dead, and Leigh was at her side in a matter of seconds.
He swiped the phone out of her hand. “What’d you tell Jessica?”
She lunged for her phone. “Give that back!”
Leigh’s voice became firm. “What’d you say?”
“I told her to leave the house. That’s all!”
Leigh held her phone just out of reach and looked at Red. “Jessica is home. You know the gancanagh will come back.”
If Ali wasn’t worried, she would have found the expression on Red’s face comical. He exhaled loudly, then closed his eyes as if he struggled with the weight of the world. When he opened them, annoyance remained.
“Give me the car keys and Ali’s phone.” Red said as he grabbed both items from Leigh and paced toward the door.
“Why are you taking my phone?” Ali demanded.
Red laced up a pair of gray shoes. “I need to call Jessica and convince her to leave. I’ll have better luck reaching her if your name pops up on the screen.”
“Where are you going?” Leigh asked.
“To get Jessica. She’s not likely to listen.”
Ali had to give Red credit. He clearly remembered Jessica’s temper.
“Do you still live at your mom’s house?” Red asked looking at Ali.
Surprised, Ali nodded. She didn’t remember Red coming over, but she was also six when he dated Jessica. It was right after they moved here.
Red pointed at Leigh. “When I return, you and I are having a long conversation.”
Ali wanted to protest. That was her phone and her sister! Red’s irritation, however, suggested he wouldn’t care.
“I’ll go with you,” Ali said walking toward the door.
Red opened the front door. “Stay put.”
The front door slammed shut with such a force, a few of the paintings shook on the wall.
Six
Ali slumped into the couch and stared at the television. Leigh had the news on but wasn’t watching it. Instead, he gazed out the window toward the empty driveway. He reminded Ali of a sad puppy waiting on his master to come home.
The news reporter’s segment was on an underground tunnel from Northern Ireland to Scotland. Completed a few weeks prior, it was the first of its kind spanning twenty-one miles under the Irish Sea. It was a fluff piece where the reporter rode the train, all while smiling and asking about the technology used to make it possible. She couldn’t think of anything less entertaining, but what would she watch? It’s not as if she could concentrate on anything other than Jessica’s safety.
“It’s been over an hour.” Leigh said nodding toward the door.
Ali twisted her pinky ring around her finger, schooling her features. Her nerves were frayed, but panicking wouldn’t help. She shrugged. “Jessica’s stubborn.”
Leigh perched on the edge of the couch like a jack-in-the-box ready to spring. He picked up his cell phone, checked his screen, and slammed it back on the coffee table. They’d heard nothing from Red.
“What are they doing?” Leigh asked.
The gancanagh’s dangerous sneer flashed across Ali’s memory for the tenth time in five minutes. What if Red had been too late and Jessica was in the clutches of that monster? Chewing on her thumbnail, she forced those horrible images aside.
“Red probably needed to coax Jessica into the car,” Ali said.
Leigh’s leg bounced up and down in a quick motion. The vibration drove Ali nuts, but she bit her tongue.
“I can’t picture Jessica arguing with Red while you’re in danger,” Leigh said. He fixated on his phone again but didn’t reach for it.
Ali snorted. “Imagine it.”
Tense, she forced herself to sit in the chair and wait, even though she felt liable to burst from her own skin.
The news flipped to a story about adopting puppies. Their happy faces and wiggly butts were too much for her. Ali changed the channel to a Law & Order re-run, tossing the remote to the coffee table in front of her. A glass of dark beer sat before her on a napkin. She frowned. The white foam on top suggested it was just poured.
Did she just not notice or…?
A blurry figure to her right streaked behind the couch.
Pooka!
She hurled a pillow toward the movement. From the other couch, Leigh stood upright and was at her side in two strides.
“What?” Leigh asked.
The dark streak flew onto the nearby recliner. Ali scurried behind Leigh, using him like a shield. She pointed at the decorative pillow which was levitating a few inches above the chair.
“Oh,” Leigh sighed sounding disappointed. He crossed his arms and made his way toward the window. “It’s just Porter.”
Her heart thrummed in her ear
s and she looked from the raised pillow to Leigh. His dismissal should have calmed her, but there was no telling her heart to slow down. She eyed the pillow. Something cowered behind it.
“What’s a Porter?”
The pillow drooped revealing a tiny dark brown face with a long nose, pointy ears, and beady eyes. It resembled a short goblin, but somewhat cuter and hairless.
“He’s a Bwbachod.” Leigh said, his gaze penetrating the driveway once more.
“Boo-ba-shot?”
“Close enough,” Leigh said.
Ali scrutinized the creature as the pillow dropped further. Covering its dark skin was a red tank top and what looked like tiny white and blue board shorts. Its arms were longer than its legs, its hands hanging below its knees. It couldn’t have been taller than two feet.
She blinked a few times.
“Why is it dressed like its motto is surfs up?” Ali asked.
Leigh shrugged. “Red let him pick clothes from a doll catalog.”
Her gaze shifted to the beer on the table. “Is it the house butler or something? I think it brought me a beer.”
Leigh’s shoulders sunk as his eyes settled on the glass. “You better drink the beer.”
“What? No.” Ali scrunched her nose. She found beer disgusting.
“Porter will take offense and it’ll be hell around here for a week.”
She didn’t care if Leigh had to deal with an angry goblin; she wasn’t drinking beer. All the same, Ali raised a curious eyebrow. “Will it hide your shoes or something?”
To her surprise, Leigh nodded. “He’s done that. Porter has also refused to clean, burned Red’s underwear, thrown dirt all over the carpeting, overflowed the sinks, and left the refrigerator open until the food smelled rancid.”
She smirked, she liked this mischievous thing. “So, if I don’t drink its offering, it’ll do something to Red?”
Leigh pursed his lips. “Please, just take a swig and stop calling Porter it before he gets offended.”
Ali reached for the beer and sniffed it. The slight scent of coffee wasn’t so bad. A quick taste wouldn’t be the end of the world. She held the glass to her lips and sipped it. The bitterness made her grimace. Ali resisted the urge to gag and brushed the foam away from her nose.
