by Moira Murphy
Wiklow
Moira Murphy
Wiklow © 2017 Moira Murphy
Published by Electric Moon Publishing, LLC: An author-friendly publishing place
www.emoopublishing.com
eBook ISBN: 978-1-943027-09-5
Paperback ISBN: 978-1-943027-08-8
Cover Design: Alyssa Busse, Electric Moon Publishing Creative Art Department
Interior Design: Alyssa Busse and David Ashby, Electric Moon Creative Art Department
All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, except brief quotations in articles, reviews or studies, without prior permission from the author. Contact Electric Moon Publishing, LLC for details.
Printed in USA
Digitally published by Electric Moon Publishing
www.emoonpublishing.com
Dedication
To my husband, for always supporting my dreams and listening to me read every chapter to him. To my Mom and Dad, for telling me I could do anything and buying me endless piles of notebooks. To my children, Penny and Seamus, never stop imagining and playing.
Table of Contents
Cover
Title
Copyrights
Dedication
One
Two
Three
Four
Five
Six
Seven
Eight
Nine
Ten
Eleven
Twelve
Thirteen
Fourteen
Fifteen
Sixteen
Seventeen
Eighteen
Nineteen
Twenty
Twenty one
Twenty two
Twenty three
Twenty four
Twenty five
Twenty six
Electric Moon Publishing
Chapter 1
Niko was having nightmares, again. He awoke most mornings with his heart racing and the image of his missing sister on his mind. Cami had been gone for two months. While this was not a strange occurrence, it was strange that she hadn’t made any attempt at communication in those two months.
Cami had an adventurous spirit that led her on wild excursions to new places and new people. She had been known to disappear for weeks at a time, but she always sent postcards and pictures of herself; smiling at the top of a mountain with her signature purple bandana taming her dark frizzy hair. She had a lust for experiencing everything the world had to offer.
Niko, on the other hand, had had too many adventures in his lifetime and didn’t have the same yearning as Cami. He was perfectly content to stay in Riverport the rest of his life, with the same people and same friends he’d had since he was ten. While Niko and his sister were as close to polar opposite as two can get, they shared a closer bond than most siblings. He had not been away from her this long since the time before he was adopted; a miserable ten years of foster care.
Niko entered the kitchen to see his mother, Ms. Ramirez, already at the table, hovering over a steaming cup of coffee. He imagined his own mother, who died during childbirth, would approve of Ms. Ramirez.
“I think I’m hallucinating,” she said.
“Why do you say that?” Niko poured himself a cup of coffee.
“Cami,” she began. “I would swear to you that I saw her come through that door this morning, smiling like she always did after a trip.” Ms. Ramirez’s eyes were sunken and dark. Her frizzy hair reminded Niko of Cami. He sat down across from her and smiled.
“I dream that all the time.”
“You do?” Ms. Ramirez looked up at Niko.
“Most mornings. I think it’s normal, and if not,” he took a long sip from his cup, “Well, at least we’re crazy together.”
“At least.”
Niko looked about the house, it was normally in spectacular condition. However, after Cami’s communication ceased, dirty dishes began piling up, clothing hid amongst the couch cushions, and clutter began to accumulate. After their coffee, Ms. Ramirez and Niko scurried around the living room trying to clean up the mess. Ms. Ramirez had invited over Cami’s closest friends, they’d be arriving any minute. She had a gift for them.
Tessa was the first to arrive. She held up a plate of chocolate chip cookies. Her long vibrantly orange curly hair with streaks of blue and pink fell below her abdomen; bristled as if perpetually windblown. Her fingers were stained with purple paint, as usual, and her brown eyes looked hopeful, despite the circumstances.
“Hello, Ms. Ramirez.”
“Oh, you’re so sweet, Tess.” Ms. Ramirez took the plate of cookies and ushered her into the kitchen. Yellow wallpaper adorned with various fruits and vegetables framed the large picture window above the sink.
“Coffee?” she offered Tessa.
Niko took a cookie from the plate and chewed it loudly.
“Yes, please.”
She sat down across from Niko.
“Good cookies, Tess.” He nodded to her.
“Thanks, Niko.” Tessa shook her head. “Tuck and Sully should be here soon,” she said to Ms. Ramirez.
“They are always late,” Ms. Ramirez said bringing creamer and a pot of coffee to the table. She handed Tessa a white and blue toile mug.
“They are,” she agreed.
Camila and her friends had been inseparable since the first grade; they had only just been separated by the graduation of high school. When it came time for college, the group, as commonly happens, drifted apart in just a few months. Tucker, Sullivan, and Tessa went to universities across the country. Niko stayed in Riverport working and apprenticing as a mechanic. And Camila never stayed in one place. When the police found her coat and her backpack at the top of Riverport Pointe, a hidden ravine in the forest near the Ramirez house, her family assumed the worst.
The doorbell rang.
Ms. Ramirez ran her hands down the black dress that hugged her thinning hips, took a deep breath, and opened the door. Tucker and Sullivan Corrick stood in the doorway; Tucker took up a bit more of the doorframe than his twin brother. They greeted Ms. Ramirez with a simultaneous hug.
“Cami left something for all of you.” Ms. Ramirez ushered them into the kitchen.
“What?” Sullivan asked, perplexed. “Why would she leave us something?”
“What do you mean? Why wouldn’t she leave us something?” Niko asked, as he lit up a cigarette.
“Why would she prepare for something like this?” Sullivan furrowed his eyebrows.
“With the lifestyle Cami led, she’s had a will in place since graduation,” Ms. Ramirez said placing coffee mugs in front of Sully and Tuck. She took one look at the cigarette hanging from Niko’s lower lip and plucked it out; extinguishing it in a napkin. She brushed his Italian black hair from his eyes, “You need a haircut.”
“So, what is it?” Niko took a sip of his overly sugared coffee and smacked his lips. Ms. Ramirez placed a large tweed-wrapped book on the kitchen table, the red cardinal salt and pepper shakers clinked together. She sat down. The book had orange, green, and blue stickers on the cover surrounding one giant word, in all capital letters,
WIKLOW
“Holy crap,” Niko chuckled.
“She kept it,” Tessa scoffed. She reached out for the book, and slid her fingers over the letters. Wiklow was a place they had created as children. The place where great battles took place, and wars were won. The place where monsters were conquered and wild animals were tamed. The place where the trees were always in bloom and families were complete. The children kept a record of their travels and wayfaring in Wiklow within this book.
“Wiklow,” Tessa whispered.
“Wiklow,” Sulliv
an laughed.
“Wiklow,” Tucker repeated.
Wiklow!” Niko grabbed Sullivan’s shirt collar and shook it excitedly. “Sully, it’s Wiklow!”
Tessa opened the first page where they had scribbled their names years ago.
“Niko, Sully, Tucker, Tessa, and Cami,” she read aloud. Ms. Ramirez smiled as a tear dripped from her eyelashes. Tessa lifted the cover of the book to close it.
“No…no. Keep going,” she said, swiping her fingers under her eyes.
Niko put an arm around her shoulders and motioned for Tessa to continue. He leaned into Ms. Ramirez’s ear and whispered, “It’s okay.”
Tessa opened to the second page of the book, a map of Wiklow, drawn by Sully. It was complete with a compass rose, a key, a scale, and a small signature by Sully in the corner.
“What a loser.” Tucker elbowed Sullivan.
“Hey, that’s a good looking map. I am the only one who paid attention for the entire sixth grade,” he replied.
“Yeah, thanks for helping us all pass that year, by the way,” Niko laughed.
Tessa flipped another page, a large picture of the five kids; Niko in the middle; arms outstretched, center of attention; his left arm behind the head of Cami, Sullivan in a piggyback on Niko’s back. Tucker and Tessa behind them, Tessa remembered that they were holding hands for the first time in that picture. She smiled. There had always been a mutual affection between the two, but nothing had ever come of it. They all remembered the day the picture had been taken well. It was the last day of school and they had planned a huge adventure for their start of summer. Cami planned the whole thing down to the minute; roasted marshmallows first, ghost stories, sleeping at Riverport Pointe (if parents allowed), and finish with swimming in the river (which parents did not allow). Cami was always pushing them to try new things.
“I took that picture,” Ms. Ramirez said. “You had all slept over, and left as soon as the sun came up. You took backpacks filled with food and tools. I remember that you all came back with no shoes. How could all five of you come back with no shoes? Your parents thought I was a lunatic, when I returned you shoeless.” She giggled.
Tessa flipped another page. These pages were completely blank except for two words in thick red ink, in Cami’s handwriting.
“Follow me.”
Chapter 2
“This is it. This is where they found her backpack and coat,” Sullivan said, looking at the ground, as if it had the secrets of what happened here. The sky was cloudless and the green grass was just beginning to peek out from the layer of dead grass and leaves that winter had brought. Cami had disappeared in February. The police had found her things in a remote place in the woods behind the Ramirez house. A thick trunked spruce sat on the edge of Riverport Pointe, taking in the view. Below a forty foot drop off was the Riverport River; calm and quiet, a strong current beneath the surface.
“Why would she come here in winter?” Tucker questioned.
“Why would she take off her coat?” Tessa followed. Now, at the start of summer, the sun warmed the skin quickly, while the breeze provided just enough relief that it felt pleasant. The four friends had brought a picnic to Riverport Pointe. As they sat munching on bread and fruit and sipping beer, Tessa skimmed through the Wiklow book.
She came to a story entitled Ratspin. It was a story they had written about Cami and Niko finding a giant in Wiklow. Ratspin, the giant, loved strawberries and had been caught stealing them from the people of Wiklow. The entire country had run out of strawberries because of Ratspin’s strong desire for them. The kids taught him how to plant the fruit, so that he could have all the strawberries he ever dreamed of, and leave the rest to Wiklow. Tessa smiled at Niko’s drawing of Ratspin picking strawberries; a small top hat upon his giant head, his ears sticking out, and his torn green shirt showing his belly button.
“Do you remember when Sully fell off the cliff?” Niko chuckled at the thought. He stood overlooking the river in an unbuttoned red Hawaiian shirt and khaki colored swim trunks. His shoulder length wavy black hair rustled in the breeze.
“Yes, I do. I still have nightmares.” Sullivan stood and joined Niko at the spruce tree, overlooking the river.
“If I remember correctly he didn’t fall. Cami pushed him,” Tucker corrected.
“I don’t remember how it happened. But that was the day she started writing in that book.” Sullivan pointed at the book. Cami would sit at Riverport Pointe at the close of each of their summer days filling it with the stories. Every adventure, every new friend, every great pirate battle was scripted into the crayon filled construction paper book. Cami never missed a day.
“We should go swimming,” Tessa interrupted, she felt a knot coming up her throat. All agreed and headed down the rocky path to dunk themselves into the water. The boys in their swim trunks and Tessa in her bikini top and jean shorts jumped into the cool river. Soon, their bodies adjusted to the cold and they were relaxing on their backs, Tessa on a yellow duck floatie.
Niko was happy they were all back together despite the circumstances. After spending most of his life seeing these people every day, going just a few months without them made him uneasy. They hadn’t all been together since their shared graduation party. The entire school came, not because they were immensely popular, but because between the five of them they were a part of every group. Tessa brought the artists and gothic kids, Tucker brought the jocks, Niko brought the comedians, Sully brought the smart kids, and Cami knew everyone in between. The Ramirez house attempted to hold the party, but there were far too many people, they poured out into the front and backyard. Eventually the neighbors called the police for noise complaints, the cops came, and when Ms. Ramirez grounded Cami and Niko, his only reply was, “Worth it.”
He smiled, thinking of a full summer month spent in his bedroom.
“How’s school, guys?” Niko asked.
“Good.” They all replied at once.
“Oh, come on. Give me more than that… Tessa?”
“Oh, it’s great.” She took a slurp of beer. “Just earning a degree that I’ll never use,” she sighed.
“What? What does that mean?” he asked.
“No one tells you when you’re a kid that your dreams and aspirations might leave you penniless and worthless.”
“What happened?” Tucker asked.
“I have been trying to get my portfolio done for the semester. And there’s this one painting I just can’t get right. I’ve been through a hundred canvases, and it never comes out the way I want it. I can see it in my head, and it’s… unfinished. It’s… colorless.”
“What is it supposed to be?” Tucker floated toward Tessa.
“I-I don’t know. It’s beautiful and scary. It’s dark and yet, brilliantly colorful. I see it in my head, and I just can’t get it on the canvas. It’s like… millions of stars underwater.” She’d been having the dream of the stars underwater since she was a child; always the same. Always a place she’d never been, always a body of water with bolts of color throughout.
“Oh Tess,” Sully smiled. “You’ve been trying to paint Wiklow.” He shook his head. “I saw it in the book.” Tessa was one of the lucky few who had known from childhood what she wanted to do with her life. She started painting masterpieces before she could swallow solid food. When canvases weren’t quite enough of a creative levy, she used her own body. Her clothes were overly filled with colors and patterns, her hair perpetually containing a spectrum of hues. Her cloth sewn sneakers were splattered with paint, usually matching her fingers.
After a brief pause, they all laughed, the sound echoing up the cliff.
“I’ve been thinking, I bet we could jump off that cliff and survive the fall,” Niko suggested.
“You first,” Tucker said sarcastically.
“Deal. Let’s go.”
“I was joking.”
“I wasn’t.” Niko rolled out his bottom lip and mimicked a baby’s voice, “Is da baby scared?”
“Get yer ass up there!” Tuck thrust his thumb toward the cliff.
Tessa , Niko, and Tucker climbed to the top of the cliff, leaving Sullivan in the water, in case of emergency. The breeze was growing stronger. Tucker wrapped the picnic blanket around Tessa as Niko pumped himself up for the jump.
“Now, you swear you’re going to jump after I do. If you see me survive that jump, you HAVE to jump.” He poked Tucker.
“Yes.”
“No pussying out.” Niko jumped up and down, jiggling his arms, like he’d seen the summer Olympics swimmers do.
“Yes.” Tucker rolled his eyes.
“No crying about the cold.”
“Yes!”
“You’re just gonna,” Niko looked over the edge “jump right off the-“
Tucker took off running towards the cliff at full speed. Niko slowly turned around just as Tucker plowed into his ribs; years of football coaching whispering in his head.
“Oh shiiiiii-!” Niko wailed as he plunged over the edge, Tucker followed behind him, cackling. Tessa trotted over to the edge on tiptoe and smiled as they fell. They hit the water simultaneously, scattering water in all directions, showering Sullivan, who chuckled at Niko’s shocked face as he hit the water.
Tucker and Niko were the typical brotherly love style of friendship. Occasionally fighting and tussling, but always returning to stand side by side against the world. Up until first grade, Tucker had been the only one to stand up for Sullivan. While, they were twins, Sullivan was significantly smaller than Tuck. And often the target of kindergarten ridicule. So, in first grade when he became the victim of Jennifer Peterson; the oversized fourth grade ogre with button up dresses that turned her body into something resembling a sausage. Niko took it upon himself to defend Sully in Tucker’s absence, they all became close. The three boys had been like brothers ever since.
Tucker now had short dark brown hair, and a scruffy beard; the spitting image of his father. His jaw was thick and his shoulders broad. He had already accrued almost half the amount of his father’s plentiful tattoos as well. He started in high school in Ben Prusch’s, aspiring tattoo artist, basement; home of the very illegal, very dangerous ‘Wonderful World of Prusch Tattoo’. His first was a leprechaun with his fists up; ready to fight and his second was a Yankee’s tattoo. Which was peculiar as Tucker did not follow baseball closely. His tattoos now framed his upper chest and back. Sullivan was the exact opposite of Tucker, a mirror of his mother; dirty blonde hair and blue eyes. He was tall and lanky, towering over most people. He was, from an early age, known as the smart brother, which was not something he found flattering.
