Shade of Pale by Greg; Kihn

spirit of Fiona’s company.
    â€œThe Banshee. Let’s see; where should I begin? According to W. B. Yeats, the Banshee is an attendant fairy that follows the old families, and none but them, and wails before a death. The keen, or caoine , the funeral cry of the peasantry, is said to be an imitation of her cry.
    â€œThe Banshee has been around in myth and legend since the fifth century. She’s been called the Bean Si, the Bean Nighe, the Washer Woman, even such quaint things as the Little Washer by the Ford. There are dozens of variations. She haunts certain Irish and Highland Scottish families.
    â€œLegend has it that she appears sometimes as a woman washing the bloodstained clothes of those about to die, usually by a desolate stream in the woods.
    â€œThe most widely believed mythos is that she is the ghost of a woman who died in childbirth. I did my doctorate on Irish myths and legends, and the Banshee has always been one of my favorites, maybe because she’s a woman and we women get so few good avengers.”
    â€œAvengers?”
    â€œYes. You see, in a way, the Banshee is the avenging angel of womanhood. I’ll tell you why I say that, but this is pretty esoteric stuff; are you sure you want to hear it?”
    Jukes nodded.
    â€œI just did an informal scan on the university’s data base, based on what Dr. Howard told me.” She blushed. “He … he said you’d be inquiring about the Banshee, so I thought it might be fun to do some homework.”
    Jukes got the distinct impression that Will had exerted the same type of pressure for them to meet on her as he had on him, and with the same subtle message—matchmaking.
    Fiona cleared her throat and went on. Jukes was captivated; he thought she was intelligent and pleasant, more so every minute.
    â€œAnyway, I looked back at every Banshee reference I could find in the mainframe and correlated those references to the rise and fall of the great clans, and here’s what I got. The Banshee usually puts in an appearance where there has been some wrongdoing to women. Fascinating, isn’t it?
    â€œGarret More Fitzgerald, the Earl of Kildare, was said to be a tyrannical woman beater, and the Banshee is referenced there by several accounts. His nephew Conn More O’Neill is said to have suffered the same fate, as well as many others of that particular lineage.
    â€œThe most notorious was Ulick Burke, who beheaded his wife, who was, incidentally, the daughter of Kildare. He was said to have lived in fear of the Banshee for many years until she took him. That was around 1504.
    â€œFor centuries she stalked the families of the great ruling clans. Names like Geraldine, Butler, Burke, and O’Brian and others. In fact, it is said that the Banshee has visited virtually every clan in Ireland over the years, and also many of those in Scotland. Once she gets your number … it’s all over. The blood of the great families still runs in hundreds of thousands of their descendants all over the world.”
    â€œI had no idea. Tell me. What does she look like?”
    â€œFirst of all, most of the people who see her die, so that cuts down on eyewitness accounts, but as far as I can deduce from what documentation exists, I’d say she has long red hair and always appears crying. She wears a gray cloak over a green dress, but that can change, depending on which family history you follow. There have been conflicting accounts over the years. She sometimes appears beautiful, other times horrible.”
    Jukes was listening intently. He hadn’t touched his soup. “You talk as if she really exists, as if you know her.”
    Professor Rice smiled. “Do you believe in ghosts?”
    â€œNo, but a lot of people do.”
    â€œCorrect. Science can neither prove nor disprove their existence. So, I guess it’s anybody’s ball game. Since the Banshee is a type of ghost, who’s to say? All I can tell