by D. S. Elstad
“Thank you, Dad, this means so much to me, more than I can say.” I managed to get the words out without crying but felt the tears welling up in my eyes.
“You’re welcome, love,” he replied gently stroking my cheek. “Care to put it on?”
“Yes!” I removed the velvet-covered cardboard inset, turned it over and untwisted the wire holding the chain into place. I lifted the serpentine necklace and studied the Triquetra charm close up. It was eerily similar to the one in my dream. It gave me pause and I stopped breathing for a second.
“Do me the honor, Dad?”
He held up the necklace and fumbled with the clasp. After a few seconds of grumbling and fidgeting he finally placed it around my neck. I grabbed the Celtic symbol and held it tightly in my hand, tracing the edges with my fingertip. I recalled Bram’s explanation of the symbol and that it carried different meanings for whoever had it. I wondered what it meant for me.
Chapter Nine
Our visit with Uncle Eagan was perfect. From his melodic Irish brogue to his tweed jacket and driving cap, he fit the image I had in my mind of an older Irish gentleman. He had such zest for life and a funny sense of humor that time spent with him was something I treasured.
He and Dad traded one-liners during dinner that had me laughing so hard my side hurt. It seemed the more time Dad spent around Eagan, the more relaxed he’d become. His own understated Irish accent returned with more sharpness and clarity as he joked around. I loved it.
After dinner we sat in Eagan’s music room listening to him masterfully play the piano and sing. He had been a professional musician and often toured the U.K. with his group, The Kinsmen. He shared stories of his times on the road and some of the adventures he’d had there. One time in particular, when he was in Dublin, the group had just wrapped up a ballad. “I was commenting on the sorry state of today’s young musicians, when lo and behold, out of the depths of the darkened room, who should appear but Bono himself, applauding and raising his glass to toast the group.”
He chuckled and held his pipe to his lips inhaling a long breath then discharged aromatic smoke circles into the air. I watched in delight as he raised his pipe and inserted the mouthpiece into one of the vanishing rings. “That’s a three pointer there,” he noted, pleased with his expertise.
As our time with him was drawing to a close, he sat down between Dad and me on his burgundy-colored sofa. He grabbed hold of my hand and draped his other hand over Dad’s shoulder.
“Jack, m’ boy, you know I love you like the son I never had,” he said in a boisterous voice.
Dad looked incredulous. “You have a son, Eagan… John, remember?”
“Ah right!” Eagan chuckled, “Johnny boy, I forget about him sometimes.”
Dad laughed heartily, shaking his head.
“But seriously, lad,” Eagan continued, “I’m hoping you have plans to go see Conor before ya leave.”
The room grew so silent you could hear the proverbial pin drop. Dad stood up and paced behind us. Eagan shot me a glance and a wink of the eye. I sat there hoping Dad would do the right thing and agree to see Grandpa. I knew I had to go again…I’d promised him I’d come back. I wanted it to be with Dad, but was prepared to go alone if I had to.
“I know it would mean a great deal to your father, boy. Time for building bridges, what d’ya say?”
I looked up at Dad, still pacing behind us. He rubbed his neck then returned to the sofa with Eagan and me. “Willow, can you give us a few minutes alone?”
Eagan shot me a serious look and nodded. Without even answering, I left the room knowing full well that Dad was going to try to get out of seeing Grandpa.
I decided to go into the kitchen to see Meriel and thank her for a delicious dinner. As I closed in on the doorway I heard muffled voices from inside. One was Meriel’s but I had no idea who she was speaking to. I stayed just short of the doorway and listened. There was still no answer regarding the mysterious circumstances surrounding Grandma’s death, and since Kelleigh had said that Meriel was one of the last people to see Grandma alive and had reported that she was fine, I decided it was ok to eavesdrop, at least to see if Grandmas name came up. I leaned against the wall so as not to be seen and lowered my head, trying hard to pick up bits and pieces of the conversation.
“Aye, they’ll be leaving tomorrow,” Meriel said in her squeaky high-pitched voice.
“What does Eagan say about… the garda?” A deep, gruff male voice asked with emphasis on the garda.
“He’s working with them but wants to keep quiet about it all. No need to worry Jack while everything’s still just speculation.” Her voice faded in and out as she moved around the kitchen.
“Aye, but the lad has a right to know, don’t he?” came the unknown voice followed by a raspy cough.
The sound of footsteps drew near so I quickly backed away. Just as I reached the door to the sitting room where Dad and Eagan were, I saw Meriel pop her head out into the hallway. She looked around, then caught sight of me standing there. I had my hand on the doorknob so as to appear to have just stepped out of the room. She smiled and waved her little finger. I smiled back and turned to go the other way. The front porch was lit up so I stepped outside and took a seat on the rocking chair.
The night was cool and damp and the air had a kind of herbal smell to it, like eucalyptus or menthol, cough drop-like. I sat there rocking, thinking about what I had overheard, wondering what the heck a garda was and realizing that there were questions surrounding Grandma’s death. It was almost impossible to wrap my brain around that when I was still wrestling with the whole shapeshifting thing.
I hoped and prayed that there had been some kind of mistake about Grandma and that people were just being gossipy and jumping to wrong conclusions. But I had a feeling in the pit of my stomach that wasn’t the case. Something was amiss with her passing and part of me feared it may have something to do with my new found ability.
The clouds began to grow thick and block out the moon. While my eyes adjusted to the varying degrees of light I sensed movement to my right. Quickly I turned my head to see what it was and caught a glimpse of something rushing into the darkness. The shape was imperceptible, but the movement was not. The grasses growing in that area were still rustling from whatever had just disturbed them. I stared out at the darkness, trying to distinguish any motion at all.
I had the sense that whatever had just been here, very near to me, was the same thing that had been at our hotel just a few days earlier. I walked over to where I had seen the flash, hoping to catch sight of some kind of track, but there was nothing, not even flattened grass. What the heck is going on? This trip to Ireland had exceeded any expectations I might have had about what an interesting country it is…it was way beyond interesting.
As I stood there in the darkness I saw headlights approaching the house. I half expected them to continue down the road, but instead they pulled into Eagan’s driveway. The lights dimmed and I could make out the word “Garda” on the side along with lights on the top, much like a police car.
When the man stepped out of the car, I saw he was in uniform. He was definitely a police officer. He pulled a case out of the back seat and made his way to the front door. Looking my way, he reached up and tilted his hat, smiled and asked if Eagan was in. I shook my head yes, wondering what he had in the case.
I sat back down on the rocking chair, with a knot growing in my stomach as I thought about why the police might be paying Eagan a visit and all the while knowing full well it had something to do with Shannah. I pulled out my phone and began texting Kelleigh and told her what was going on. It took about ten minutes for her to get back to me and when she did she had a thousand questions. I didn’t have any answers.
After about twenty minutes the policeman came out of the house, stood on the porch and lit up a cigarette. He looked my way with a stern expression then got into his car and drove off.
The screen door opened. “Willow, come on in here,” Dad or
dered, holding the door open. I walked in and took my spot on the sofa. Eagan had a serious expression on his face and looked extremely pale.
“What’s going on?” I asked, anxious about the change in Eagan’s demeanor and the seriousness of a visit by the police, or garda.
“Willow, it looks like I’m going to need to stay on for a few more days. Something urgent has come up,” Dad looked back at Eagan then to me. Perspiration lined his brow and worry filled his eyes.
“Urgent?” I asked.
“You just saw the officer that was here. Well apparently, there’s going to be an investigation… into the cause of Shannah’s death.” Dad stammered, stumbling over the words. He stepped to the end table and took hold of a glass of water, downing it all in one gulp.
“I think it may be best if your Dad stayed on here for a few more days while the garda try to figure this out,” Eagan stated, regaining his composure.
So Kelleigh’s suspicions were right, and there was something more to Grandma’s passing. I fumbled around in my head for the right words.
“What are they thinking…that she was murdered or something?” The words just spilled out without any editing.
“No!” Eagan and Dad shot back simultaneously. Eagan sat beside me and took hold of my hand, squeezing tightly. “No, darlin’, the police are making sure they cover themselves since a statement was made to them saying that Shannah hadn’t been ill and no cause of death was ever recorded. They’re just doing their job.” Eagan glanced over at Dad and forced a small grin.
Dad put his arm around my shoulders, “It’s just procedure, honey. They should’ve done this right away but sometimes when it’s the death of an elderly person and there’ve been reports of illness, generally the police don’t get involved. The assumption is that the person died from their illness.”
“Well, who made a statement saying that she wasn’t ill?” I bit my lip thinking about Meriel and wondering who it was she had been talking to in Eagan’s kitchen.
“We don’t know. The authorities don’t have to tell us who made the statement. They just need to investigate it and come up with the cause of death,” Dad replied, gripping my shoulder firmly.
“How do they come up with the cause of death when she’s already been buried?” My imagination was running away with me and my heart began pounding at the sound of my own question.
“For now, they’ll just pull all her files, question her doctor. He saw her two days before she died. They ought to be able to come to a conclusion based on that,” Eagan answered as he moved closer to Dad and me, wrapping us both in his arms. “It’s nothing to worry about. The garda really should have done this before. Let’s not fret.”
“What about Grandpa, does he know about this?”
“Not yet. No reason to worry him right now. It’s all just conjecture,” Dad replied, shifting his eyes to the floor.
“We all saw how frail Conor was at the funeral. Losing Shannah has taken a hefty toll on the old boy. I don’t think news like this will do him any good. I’m convinced it’ll all resolve itself without any problems.” Eagan paused and rested his eyes on Dad. “Jacky’s staying on will be of comfort should the situation become more complicated.”
Dad and Eagan locked eyes for a few moments, leaving me wondering if there was something they weren’t telling me. I bit the inside of my mouth as I tried to process it all. What did Eagan mean, “Should the situation become more complicated?” How could it become any more complicated?
“Plus the garda needs him to act as Conor’s representative until they close the whole matter,” Eagan continued, turning his attention my way. He grasped hold of my hand once more before sitting back on the sofa.
“So you’re going to have to travel home alone, Wils, but I’ll be along as soon as all of this settles.” Dad also eased back onto the sofa, resting his head on the cushion, looking exhausted and more than a little shaken with the change of plans.
I inhaled slowly and closed my eyes for a brief second. “Dad, please, I think I should stay with you. I really want to see Grandpa again and you may need some help. Let me stay with you.”
Dad tilted his head then briskly shook it no. “No, Willow, it’s better for you to head home. I’m going to have to be running around; who knows what the police will need from me. I don’t want you to deal with what may lie ahead. It’s a strange situation and you don’t need to be involved.”
“But I am involved, Dad. Those are my grandparents and you’re my dad. I want to be here for you. I don’t expect or want to get involved in everything but I feel like I need to be here. Please, Dad. I don’t want to leave you alone to deal with all this. No offense, Uncle Eagan; I know you’re here but…” I added as I looked up to see Eagan watching me intently.
“None taken, darlin,” he answered softly nodding his head. A trace of a smile crossed his lips.
Dad reached up and brushed my hair back behind my ear, just like he used to do when I was small. “We’ll give your Mom a call when we get back to the hotel, see what she thinks.”
“Ok.” I felt relieved. Dad was too tired to argue and I knew most likely Mom would agree that I should stay.
Dad and Eagan sat for a few more minutes figuring out a schedule that would work for the both of them. Dad wanted to get in on the investigation and told Eagan he planned to check in with the police first thing in the morning.
While they sat there talking, I replayed in my mind the conversation I had overheard in the kitchen. It told me that Eagan knew about all the mysterious circumstances surrounding Grandma’s death. I wondered why he would want to keep that from Dad, but quickly came to the conclusion that he himself wasn’t really worried about the whole thing and saw no need to upset Dad. It made sense to me; plus, it made me feel better, instead of thinking that Eagan was hiding something from us. Within a few minutes we were heading out the door.
“Well, if you do go home tomorrow, best give me a hug now, sweetheart.” Eagan smiled and reached out, pulling me in. “I surely hope you’ll be staying with us for a few more days.”
I smiled and kissed him on the cheek. “Me too.”
Back at the hotel Dad quickly got on the phone with Mom. They spoke for about half an hour before he handed the phone to me. “She wants to talk to you, hon.”
“Hi Mom,” my voice quivered. I felt so anxious about this thing with Grandma and was really missing Mom.
“Hi, baby.” Her voice sounded so close. “Things are pretty confusing there, huh?”
“Mom, you have no idea, I mean you really have no idea,” I hoped my tone would get the message across that there was much more going on than what she was being told.
“More than this investigation?” She picked up on my clue.
“Yes,” I mumbled.
“Can you tell me about it?”
“Not really, not yet.”
“Hmm, are you ok though?”
“Yes, there’s a lot going on Mom, it’s crazy.” I tried to choke back the emotion in my voice.
“Well then it’s probably good you’ll be coming home. How are you feeling about flying alone? Worried?”
“Honestly Mom, I think I should stay with Dad. This whole thing about Grandma is wearing on him, I can see it. Plus I’ve only seen Grandpa one time and I promised him I’d visit again and there’s some other stuff going on.” I rambled on for another ten minutes about all the reasons why I needed to stay – but at the same time leaving out the real reasons I needed to stay. Part of me wanted to go home so bad. It was starting to feel like I’d been here forever. I missed Mom, my friends, my own bed, my life.
“I think you’re the best judge of where you need to be right now, honey, and if it’s there, well then, that’s where you should be. I’ll call the school and let them know. I’m glad you’ll be with Dad. Losing his mom was bad enough but now having to deal with this…it’s going to be hard on him. I love you so much for recognizing that. You’re growing up to be an amazing young woman.”
>
I held onto the phone imagining it was Mom. This time away from her made me appreciate the kind of woman she was, the kind of mom she was. After a long good-bye I finally turned the phone over to Dad who dialed the airlines and postponed our flight.
Chapter Ten
After we unpacked, Dad suggested that I lie down and relax before I got together with Kelleigh, Quinn, and Bram. We were both exhausted, especially Dad. The news about his mother had really wiped him out. As I watched him sleep I felt myself begin to drift off.
The dusky sunset had transformed the sky into a palette of purples, reds, and pinks. The colors were vibrant and fluorescent. I stood in the middle of the clearing in the forest. The trees became luminous with the crimson light dancing upon their branches, the forest floor giving way to long, twisting shadows of gray and indigo.
The breeze picked up and spun the dry cracked leaves way up into the fading light. My shadow stood tall and long, lengthening into the depths of the forest, crawling over boulders and fallen trees, finally setting anchor on a tall evergreen. The sounds of the woods became amplified with the setting sun. I raised my arms and began spinning slowly in the clearing. I began to mumble an incoherent chant. As the light faded, the face of the forest changed, from red and purple and pink to emerald green, indigo, and pitch black. The shadows grew small and disappeared, only to be replaced by deformed shapes and angles.
In the middle I stood, still spinning, arms extended. Then slowly, one by one, the brethren of the forest, the keepers of the woods, appeared. Each one took its place in the clearing, one to the north, one to the south, one to the east, and finally, the large gray to the west. I stopped spinning and began my transformation. I stood in the center of the circle and in unison we sang the song of the night, the howls of unity, the song of transformation; and overhead, a screech pierced the night.
I opened my eyes and focused them across the room on Dad, still lying on his bed, snoring deeply. I looked at the clock…I’d only been out for fifteen minutes. It felt much longer. I sat up and took note of this newest dream. It was definitely Killarney Park, the clearing where I had my first changing experience. The gray wolf was there, along with three others and the screeching bird overhead. This time there was no sense of urgency, but one of camaraderie, of being a part of this pack. It was already beginning to fade from my memory, try as I might to recall each and every detail.
