container of red Play-Doh and handed it to Cathy.
“What’s this?”
“Sarah made an impression of the coin.”
“But how—”
“‘Twas the faeries who told her to.”
“I love you, Ronan Kelly.”
“I love you, Cathy O’Toole, now let’s go home.”
Chapter Five
Three days later, Ronan sat in the passenger seat of a tiny Fiat rental as they zoomed down a road in the countryside headed for Talamh an Óir, their childhood village in Ireland. The car was too small for Ronan to fit behind the steering wheel, so Cathy drove. A chill filled the air, and cloud cover as thick as sludge hung in the sky like an ominous foreboding. Plus, it seemed the closer they got to their village, the more gray the clouds became and the thicker the mist was coming off the ground. Cathy felt almost as if she’d gotten caught in a gray bubble, and hoped Ronan knew the way, because for some reason, nothing looked familiar.
“I thought our village wasn’t very far from the last town. I remember our road being hard to find, but this seems impossible. What happened to the white and green painted rocks showing us the way?”
A thick dense forest loomed off to their left, and the sea to their right.
“That ended awhile back. I think we’re on our own now.”
Cathy slowed down, cautious not to drift off the narrow road.
“This is weird, and spooky. I don’t have a good feeling about this.”
Suddenly, they lost all vision. A thick swirling mist engulfed them. As Cathy tapped the brake pedal to slow down even further, the car suddenly felt as if it physically dropped a few feet. Startled, she let out a little cry. Then, without warning, they broke through the gray shroud, and came upon the magical green tunnel of trees and vines that led to their town.
“There!” Ronan yelled, pointing. Cathy took the sharp turn, careening onto the path between the trees, taking some branches and leaves with her as she straightened out the car inside the deserted tunnel of thick green foliage. She stopped the car for a moment, not quite sure she should continue. Then slowly she started moving again, thinking this was probably not a good decision.
“I don’t remember it being this dense with leaves and vines, especially this time of year,” Ronan said, almost in a whisper.
“Me neither, but we’ve been gone a long time,” she answered in a whisper.
“I know, but this looks as if it’s hardly traveled on. The road itself has grown over with foliage.”
“I don’t understand. It’s the only way out to the main road. It’s as if no one’s driven here in years.”
It was almost as though the tunnel vibrated with multiple shades of green as twisted dark-colored branches wove their way under the canopy of leaves. It seemed as if it went on forever, and was as high as the sky. Neither Cathy nor Ronan spoke as they drove deeper into it, and instead focused their attention on the getting to the end. Cathy sped up a bit, wanting to be free of the confinement.
It seemed to go on endlessly, and just when she could feel her chest begin to tighten with panic, they broke free of it and the wall that once protected the tiny village from marauders, loomed before them in the distance like a testament to the scourge that had befallen their once vibrant home.
The world around them reflected the winter’s rain and the rolling hills were a deep green. But the dark gray skies still seemed ominous, and gave off a menacing feeling of evil lurking in the tiny village ahead of them.
They were home, but nothing seemed or felt familiar.
“Wow, this isn’t how I remember it at all,” Ronan said. “The sky used to be so blue it took my breath away sometimes just to look across the valley. I loved this place as a child. I was happy here. Now it looks isolated and sad. A nasty, cold place to live.”
Cathy pulled up the collar on her parka, as if it might protect her against the rain and cold.
“It’s the leprechaun’s scourge that’s on this
“What’s this?”
“Sarah made an impression of the coin.”
“But how—”
“‘Twas the faeries who told her to.”
“I love you, Ronan Kelly.”
“I love you, Cathy O’Toole, now let’s go home.”
Chapter Five
Three days later, Ronan sat in the passenger seat of a tiny Fiat rental as they zoomed down a road in the countryside headed for Talamh an Óir, their childhood village in Ireland. The car was too small for Ronan to fit behind the steering wheel, so Cathy drove. A chill filled the air, and cloud cover as thick as sludge hung in the sky like an ominous foreboding. Plus, it seemed the closer they got to their village, the more gray the clouds became and the thicker the mist was coming off the ground. Cathy felt almost as if she’d gotten caught in a gray bubble, and hoped Ronan knew the way, because for some reason, nothing looked familiar.
“I thought our village wasn’t very far from the last town. I remember our road being hard to find, but this seems impossible. What happened to the white and green painted rocks showing us the way?”
A thick dense forest loomed off to their left, and the sea to their right.
“That ended awhile back. I think we’re on our own now.”
Cathy slowed down, cautious not to drift off the narrow road.
“This is weird, and spooky. I don’t have a good feeling about this.”
Suddenly, they lost all vision. A thick swirling mist engulfed them. As Cathy tapped the brake pedal to slow down even further, the car suddenly felt as if it physically dropped a few feet. Startled, she let out a little cry. Then, without warning, they broke through the gray shroud, and came upon the magical green tunnel of trees and vines that led to their town.
“There!” Ronan yelled, pointing. Cathy took the sharp turn, careening onto the path between the trees, taking some branches and leaves with her as she straightened out the car inside the deserted tunnel of thick green foliage. She stopped the car for a moment, not quite sure she should continue. Then slowly she started moving again, thinking this was probably not a good decision.
“I don’t remember it being this dense with leaves and vines, especially this time of year,” Ronan said, almost in a whisper.
“Me neither, but we’ve been gone a long time,” she answered in a whisper.
“I know, but this looks as if it’s hardly traveled on. The road itself has grown over with foliage.”
“I don’t understand. It’s the only way out to the main road. It’s as if no one’s driven here in years.”
It was almost as though the tunnel vibrated with multiple shades of green as twisted dark-colored branches wove their way under the canopy of leaves. It seemed as if it went on forever, and was as high as the sky. Neither Cathy nor Ronan spoke as they drove deeper into it, and instead focused their attention on the getting to the end. Cathy sped up a bit, wanting to be free of the confinement.
It seemed to go on endlessly, and just when she could feel her chest begin to tighten with panic, they broke free of it and the wall that once protected the tiny village from marauders, loomed before them in the distance like a testament to the scourge that had befallen their once vibrant home.
The world around them reflected the winter’s rain and the rolling hills were a deep green. But the dark gray skies still seemed ominous, and gave off a menacing feeling of evil lurking in the tiny village ahead of them.
They were home, but nothing seemed or felt familiar.
“Wow, this isn’t how I remember it at all,” Ronan said. “The sky used to be so blue it took my breath away sometimes just to look across the valley. I loved this place as a child. I was happy here. Now it looks isolated and sad. A nasty, cold place to live.”
Cathy pulled up the collar on her parka, as if it might protect her against the rain and cold.
“It’s the leprechaun’s scourge that’s on this
Similar Books
