▪ ▪ ▪ ▪
When I finally reached them they were standing in another, but different, clearing under the trees. Declan was pulling Kate’s arm toward him, and Liam was pulling her other arm in the opposite direction. Kate was still crying now, somewhat out of physical pain, but mostly out of emotional pain.
“I don’t understand. What’s happening Liam?” I shouted over Kate’s shrill screams.
“I really don’t know, Sarah. I just know that I don’t love you anymore,” he said still staring at Kate. I stared coldly at Kate.
“What did you do Kate?” I yelled at her in absolute anger. I was bitter and hurt and hysterical. I sat down and put my face in my hands. Kate somehow managed to free herself from the two vultures and ran away again. I heard her screaming as she ran.
“I don’t want either of you! Just leave me alone!” I heard Kate yell.
I lifted my face from my hands. I was alone-very alone. More alone than I had ever felt in my entire life. It was dark and cold, and now the scary forest noises that had always been there, had turned into startling and spooky sounds. I wrapped my hands around my body and shivered. I couldn’t move. I was lost and had nobody and nowhere to go.
I thought for a long while about what could have happened. After a long while of sulking, I stood up.
“There’s magic in this forest. I know it. How else can you explain this?” I said to myself feeling upbeat and certain of the fact. I began walking in the direction where Kate, Liam and Declan had run. I picked up pace, running then sprinting toward where I thought they had gone. I had left my flashlight behind and it was very dark, but I was determined to find them and fix this unusual, romantic, tangle.
As I ran, the light appeared by my side, almost as if it was guiding me. It whisked through the forest dodging branches left and right. Anxiously, it glistened above me and although I was breathlessly panting, I heard a faint whisper.
“I will put back what I have done, so the four lovers will love the right one.”
I smiled as we moved together as I knew this amazing creature was going to help me.
“As I tried to make better, what I only made worse, I must quickly find them to change love’s curse.”
I heard the sound of Kate’s hysteria as we came closer to Declan, Liam and her.
When we reached them we stood silently, as the four of us watched the light, completely enchanted.
The fairy was now ready to amend what she had done. She flew around us chanting in a quiet murmur.
It planted a kiss on each one of our heads as we drifted off into dreamland. It flew off instantly into the starry night’s sky.
▪ ▪ ▪ ▪
As the sun slowly rose over the Devil’s Bit, an orchestra of creatures awoke. Each one sang, buzzed, or hummed their morning tune. Foggy morning dew formed on the tree leaves, as the warmth of the sun made the cold nights chill disappear. The sun’s bright light peeked through the breaks in the tree branches, flooding the clearing with creamy, yellow warmth. I awoke in the comfort of Liam’s arms. I smiled at him as I watched him still sleeping, the movements of his chest rising and falling. I touched his shoulder to wake him and he opened his eyes wide and smiled down at me.
“I could wake up to your gorgeous eyes everyday, no problem,” he said pulling me closer and squeezing me tight.
We looked over toward the Kate and Declan. Declan was holding Kate, just as Liam had been holding me. They were awake and smiling at one another.
The four of us looked around, trying to remember how we’d arrived to this unfamiliar place and where we were, but none of us could recall.
Declan and Kate, and Liam and I, shared our first kiss beneath the magical trees of the incredibly enchanted forest. We were interrupted by the noise of our classmates awaking nearby and remembered we had to get back before the Miss Dwyer noticed we were missing.
“How are we going to explain this to them?” I asked looking at Kate in bewilderment. There were no words or any reality for that matter to explain what had happened. Confusion struck the forest, leading us all into the disorder. After a passionate goodbye, we watched the boys head back out of the forest and smiled to ourselves.
“I don’t think I’ve ever felt this perplexed, but genuinely blissful at the same time,” Kate said to me. We went arm and arm back to our classmates, to find some way to explain last night. However, even if we could explain, would they ever believe us?
Chapter 16
We ran toward the noises of our classmates waking up to the morning sun.
“Hey, Kate and Sarah are missing!” I heard Colleen’s voice roar.
“Ooo, they’re going to be in trouble!” Maeve screeched along with her.
Kate and I looked at each other in fear of what Miss Dwyer was going to do to us. When we reached the campsite everyone was silent. They stared at Kate and me with dark eyes that shot through my body like a bullet. Miss Dwyer stood in front of them tall and stern.
“Where have the two of you been?” she asked crossly. “You can’t just wander off like that. Do you have any idea how dangerous that was?”
Her lip was twitching as she yelled at us and I couldn’t help but laugh inside. She had her hand on her hip and had stuck her wagging finger so close to my face it was almost touching my nose.
“You think this is funny, don’t you?” she asked seriously.
“No Miss. I don’t think this is funny,” Kate said, switching over to teacher’s pet mode.
“Miss Dwyer, please let us explain,” I said hoping she would agree to hear me out.
“You have an awful lot of explaining to do,” she said with her lip still twitching frantically. Then the twitching stopped and she planted a sly grin on her face.
“I think you should wait though. You can explain it to me and Principal Mulroney first thing tomorrow morning.”
Kate and I looked at each other in fear. When Miss Dwyer got angry her lip twitched and it was bad enough, but when Miss Mulroney got mad, her entire body twitched and she spat all over you. I dreaded having to explain what happened, especially sense I had no idea, but at least I had the bus ride back to school to make up a complex, and believable lie.
“Come along girls, let’s make our way back down,” Miss Dwyer said as she began rolling her sleeping bag up and precisely counting how many girls were present.
The walk down the Devil’s Bit was the longest awkward silence I had ever experienced.
“Hey,” Kiara whispered making her way over to where I was. “What happened last night?” she said, seeming intrigued.
“I’m honestly couldn’t tell you. I walked off when I wouldn’t sleep and then crazy and mysterious things happened,” I said to her.
“Like what?” she said begging for more detail.
“I truthfully don’t remember anything. I woke up under a tree in Liam’s arms, and Kate was in Declan’s.”
Kiara gasped. “Oh! He was surprising you. How romantic,” she said dreamily. “I’m still confused though.”
“You’re confused?” I asked sarcastically. “I do remember one thing though,” I said. “I barely remember this creature; a little flicker of light really. It could fly. It did strange and unusual things. I honest to God think it was-” I leaned into her so I could whisper the next part in her ear.
“A fairy.”
“You’re delirious,” she said laughing. She put her arm around me, satisfied with the fact that she would never understand.
“It’s no use. They’ll never believe us,” I said looking over to Kate. She shrugged and kept walking.
The rest of the way down the hill we all stayed perfectly silent. Every time I looked over at Kiara she would chuckle but I just ignored her. The bus ride back to school was also silent, except for Kate and I trying to compile a story. Thankfully it was Sunday so we couldn’t go straight into the school to get yelled at some more. We would have to wait for school the next morning when we could get called down to the office to get lectur
ed. I was extremely tired from the walk down the bit and I couldn’t wait to get home and into bed. I thankfully hitched a ride with Regina so didn’t have to walk.
The house was silent. I searched every room but no one was home. I figured Grainne and Aisling were at work, but I had no idea where Una or Jack could be on a Sunday. It was kind of nice that I had the house to myself. I hadn’t had much space or time of my own since I had come to live there and it was a pleasant change. I brought my things up to my room and threw them on the floor along with Aisling and Grainne’s clothes that were scattered everywhere.
The last thing I remember was my head hitting the pillow.
▪ ▪ ▪ ▪
I woke up to the sound of Aisling and Grainne rushing about the room packing their things to go back to college. I looked at the clock next to my bed. It read seven o’clock. Aisling threw the curtains open.
“Mornin’ sunshine!” I moaned rolling over in my bed and hiding my face in my pillow.
“How are you this cheerful in the morning?” I asked her grumpily.
“Don’t tell me you’re still tired. You went to bed in the afternoon yesterday!” Grainne added.
“So how was the camping trip anyways?” Aisling asked. I didn’t feel like explaining the whole story when I could hardly even recollect it myself. I decided on a simple answer to satisfy them and hope that they wouldn’t ask questions.
“It was great,” I told them getting out of bed and rushing to the bathroom to take a shower.
I dreaded walking into school. I met Kate outside the door and we decided to endure it together. Before we had taken our coats off, Miss Dwyer spotted us and demanded we follow her to Principal Mulroney’s office.
There were two chairs placed directly in front of her desk and she ordered us to sit down. Miss Mulrouney did not look happy, and her body was already beginning to twitch with anxiety.
“I’ll give you five minutes to explain yourselves,” she said sternly.
Kate and I had decided ahead of time to go with the truth. We would explain as much of it as we could and accept the punishment together.
I started off by explaining how I couldn’t fall asleep. I basically told her the story I told Kiara, with a few modifications. When I got to the part about the enchanting light, her eyes widened, but surprisingly, she didn’t laugh. Miss Dwyer had a similar reaction.
“I honestly have a very blurred memory of what happened that night. I remember the light, and I remember waking up under a tree. All I know is that there was a whole lot of confusion in that forest, but somehow everything ended up all right and I know nothing dangerous happened. It was very irresponsible for us to wander off and I’m sorry.”
The four of us were silent for a while as Miss Mulroney and Miss Dwyer processed the information I had given to the best of my knowledge. I was nervous to hear their response. What if they thought I was on drugs or something? Miss Mulroney stood up from her seat and looked down at Kate and me.
“Girls, I don’t know exactly what happened last night and I don’t think we’ll ever know for sure. This isn’t the first time I have heard a story like the one you have told, however, you must realize that sleeping under the trees of the Devil’s Bit, on a starry, moonlit night in the woods, can often lead to magical dreams.”
Miss Dwyer opened the door to allow Kate and me to leave. She said nothing as we left the office. Kate and I looked at each other in complete and utter bewilderment and headed back to the room for our first class.
I assumed that Miss Mulroney had some understanding of what had happened because she was familiar with the ways of the Devil’s Bit, and we took our “non-punishment” with relief.
▪ ▪ ▪ ▪
The last week of school went by quickly, and as the weekend approached I was sad, because it was my last. I had three great nights out with my girls, Aisling and Grainne, and Liam. I was leaving Tuesday morning and spent all day Monday saying goodbye to people, getting presents for my mom and dad, stocking up on tons of Cadbury’s chocolate, and packing.
Saying goodbye to Liam was something I had been dreading, although I’d been preparing myself since the day we had met. I was fully stocked with tissues and I had written him a letter to read after I was gone.
To Liam:
My six months in Thurles were amazing. I had some of the best times of my life here. I learned so much about myself and my past while living here and being around my family. I made friends that I know I will never lose and a first love I will never forget.
Love always, Sarah
p.s. Missing you already. See you at Christmas!
Tears welled up in my eyes as I re-read the letter to myself before placing it inside a crisp white envelope. I wrote “Liam” on the front, and carefully placed it inside my bag. We were meeting at eleven o’clock on Monday morning at our spot by the river where we often met after school. Out of nervousness I had arrived early and was sitting in my usual nook in the tree watching the water slowly pass. I remembered all the times I had spent with him. It would be so hard to leave. Only three minutes had passed and I heard him walking toward me. I stood up from the ground and turned around and smiled widely. The sight of him made me want to burst into tears despite my smile. He put his arms around me and we stood in silence for a while. We sat down and looked at the water. We had nothing to say to each other. It was almost awkward.
“I’m going to miss you,” he said pulling out loose grass blades as he stared down at his hands.
I crawled toward him and pressed my lips up against his as tears began streaming down my face. I pulled away and he wiped my cheeks with the back of his finger.
“Don’t cry. Please don’t,” he said begging me. I nodded okay. “You’re beautiful,” he told me. I looked up at him, my eyes soggy with tears, my palms moist with sweat, and my nose dry from the weather. I smiled.
“I love you,” I said quietly.
“I love you more,” he said in return. I wiped the remaining tears off my face and searched inside my purse for the envelope. I handed it to him.
“Don’t read it until I’m gone,” I demanded. He put his arms around me once more and we sat holding each other. Then he let go and pointed at something that was under the tree.
“Is that you Claddah ring?” he asked curiously grabbing it from the grass.
“It can’t be,” I told him. I lost that ages ago,” I insisted. He handed it to me and I looked at the inside rim where my father had it engraved.
It read “Sarah” on the band. I gasped in shock.
“I have no idea how this got here,” I said, my eyes wide with surprise.
I thought of what Biddy had told me on the morning when I first discovered I had lost it. She was rambling on about fairies and how they had probably taken it when I needed help. Now that I no longer needed help, it had re-appeared. I remember thinking she was slightly delirious that morning, however, now I had a little more faith.
I lifted his hand and slid it right onto his pinky. “You don’t actually have to wear it,” I laughed, “but I want you to have it.” To my alarm and disappointment he slid the ring right off his finger. Then he surprised me once more. He slid it back on his finger, only this time with the heart pointing toward him.
“I’m taken,” he said looking up at me. My face grew red with excitement.
It took time to make myself get off the ground, and then more time to let go of his hand. He walked slowly away, then stopped and ran back to me. He kissed me and assured me everything would be all right. When he really walked away I stood watching him get smaller and smaller as the distance grew between us. I cried when he turned the corner of a building and disappeared from sight.
I walked out into the town, where crowds of people were hustling about. I made my way across the street. I had asked Kiara, Kate, Sinead, Deirdre, Amy, and Mairead to meet me in ‘our spot’ in the back corner of the upper level of Hayes Hotel. We’d had a mass on the last night of school where we sang songs from ou
r music class, and many of us gave speeches. I recited a beautiful reflection. I spoke the words from my heart to each girl in my class and the teachers. I was going home a changed girl for many reasons. I had grown and learned so much about myself. I had made new friends and met and became close with my family members. I would be going back to Syracuse a different person, and I wanted to make sure they knew I was grateful for their openness and willingness to befriend me, and I wanted to thank them for all their generosity when I first arrived.
“I just said goodbye to Liam,” I told them.
“Aww,” they all said in an exaggerated way. They hopped off their stools and hugged me at the same time.
We were all sad, and clearly exhausted.
“It feels like I just arrived yesterday,” I said as my lips automatically turned down and formed my sad face.
“Time does fly by, doesn’t it lads,” Kiara said, their heads nodding in agreement.
Time does fly by, I thought. It was over. The story had ended and I was going home. No, I was going back to Syracuse. Here, in Ireland I had my heritage, my culture, and my true happiness. Now, Ireland was my home.
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