tell the girseach that the Court has upped and gone to Boyle?”
“Boyle in the County of Roscommon?”
“Aye.”
“Sure who would tell her that?”
“Not me.”
“Me neither.”
“But she might overhear us and if she did, I’m thinking, bedad, it wouldn’t be our fault now would it?”
“Not at’all. Not at’all. We couldn’t be held accountable if them ones takes to eavesdropping.”
“Right you are then.”
“And that’s that.”
The voices fell silent.
Katie uttered a little cry and made a dash for her bike, with Gwen close behind. Engine roaring, they sped away. Only when she had put some distance between herself and the Eating Place did Katie stop to look back. Behind the bushes, a herd of feral goats were grazing. With their scraggly beards, crescent-shaped horns, and shaggy coats they looked like old wizards crawling about on all fours. One raised its head to stare at her fixedly.
“Lord God above,” Katie swore softly.
She was gripping the handlebars so hard her knuckles were white.
Gwen understood.
“Scary, isn’t it?”
The first encounter was always a deep shock.
When they reached the farmhouse, Katie was still too shaken to talk. Sinking into the sofa, she stared into space.
Gwen brought her a cup of tea, then went to pack. Consulting her map, she found the town of Boyle in County Roscommon, though at first she had been looking for a place called “Boil.” When she returned to the living room, her friend was at the window, gazing over the mountains.
“I’m off, Katie. I’m sure you know why. Thanks so much for everything. Especially this. You heard what they said. If it wasn’t for you they wouldn’t have helped me.”
“No, no. Thank you , Gwen!”
Katie’s eyes shone with a startling light. Now that her initial terror had subsided, in its wake brimmed an irrepressible awe and delight.
Gwen saw how she herself must have appeared to Mattie and decided that “touched” didn’t look so bad after all.
“You can’t know what this means to me.” Katie’s voice shook. “To know that they are really and truly here. Sometimes I wonder why I bother to keep going. There’s so much work to do and never enough hands to do it. You build a wall, it falls down. You tend your cattle day in and day out, then one of them contracts TB and you can’t sell any. You sit up all night with a sick lamb and she dies in the morning. And now there’s the threat of mad cow disease as well. This year’s been the worst of all, with Da in the hospital and us not knowing if he’ll get well.”
“Oh Katie,” Gwen said. “I’m so sorry.”
Only now did she realize how hard her friend’s life was.
Katie waved away the sympathy and held her head proudly. “That’s farming. Nobody said it would be easy. I love it and I wouldn’t want to do anything else. But sometimes you need something to keep you going. A dream, or a vision of the future maybe. The fairies have always been my consolation.” Katie looked out the window. “And they called me their good neighbor!”
“They know a good thing when they see it.” Gwen smiled.
“I want to come with you.”
“No way. I’ve already got one to haul out of Faerie. I’m not going for two.”
Katie looked crestfallen, but Gwen’s words made sense.
“You’re right. I’d never come back. But promise me this. I said it before and I’ll say it again—if you ever need help you’re to call on me, right?” Katie pretended to spit on her hand and then held it out. “Make it a deal, like a true farmer.”
Laughing, Gwen mimicked her actions and they shook on the agreement.
“I’ll drive you to the main road. Do you know where you’re going?”
“Not really. But that hasn’t stopped me yet.”
ere you are now, love. Boyle.”
The truck driver pulled up the long vehicle on a narrow street. The air brakes hissed like a snake.
Gwen surfaced with a jolt.
“Sorry, what did you say?”
It had happened again! One
“Boyle in the County of Roscommon?”
“Aye.”
“Sure who would tell her that?”
“Not me.”
“Me neither.”
“But she might overhear us and if she did, I’m thinking, bedad, it wouldn’t be our fault now would it?”
“Not at’all. Not at’all. We couldn’t be held accountable if them ones takes to eavesdropping.”
“Right you are then.”
“And that’s that.”
The voices fell silent.
Katie uttered a little cry and made a dash for her bike, with Gwen close behind. Engine roaring, they sped away. Only when she had put some distance between herself and the Eating Place did Katie stop to look back. Behind the bushes, a herd of feral goats were grazing. With their scraggly beards, crescent-shaped horns, and shaggy coats they looked like old wizards crawling about on all fours. One raised its head to stare at her fixedly.
“Lord God above,” Katie swore softly.
She was gripping the handlebars so hard her knuckles were white.
Gwen understood.
“Scary, isn’t it?”
The first encounter was always a deep shock.
When they reached the farmhouse, Katie was still too shaken to talk. Sinking into the sofa, she stared into space.
Gwen brought her a cup of tea, then went to pack. Consulting her map, she found the town of Boyle in County Roscommon, though at first she had been looking for a place called “Boil.” When she returned to the living room, her friend was at the window, gazing over the mountains.
“I’m off, Katie. I’m sure you know why. Thanks so much for everything. Especially this. You heard what they said. If it wasn’t for you they wouldn’t have helped me.”
“No, no. Thank you , Gwen!”
Katie’s eyes shone with a startling light. Now that her initial terror had subsided, in its wake brimmed an irrepressible awe and delight.
Gwen saw how she herself must have appeared to Mattie and decided that “touched” didn’t look so bad after all.
“You can’t know what this means to me.” Katie’s voice shook. “To know that they are really and truly here. Sometimes I wonder why I bother to keep going. There’s so much work to do and never enough hands to do it. You build a wall, it falls down. You tend your cattle day in and day out, then one of them contracts TB and you can’t sell any. You sit up all night with a sick lamb and she dies in the morning. And now there’s the threat of mad cow disease as well. This year’s been the worst of all, with Da in the hospital and us not knowing if he’ll get well.”
“Oh Katie,” Gwen said. “I’m so sorry.”
Only now did she realize how hard her friend’s life was.
Katie waved away the sympathy and held her head proudly. “That’s farming. Nobody said it would be easy. I love it and I wouldn’t want to do anything else. But sometimes you need something to keep you going. A dream, or a vision of the future maybe. The fairies have always been my consolation.” Katie looked out the window. “And they called me their good neighbor!”
“They know a good thing when they see it.” Gwen smiled.
“I want to come with you.”
“No way. I’ve already got one to haul out of Faerie. I’m not going for two.”
Katie looked crestfallen, but Gwen’s words made sense.
“You’re right. I’d never come back. But promise me this. I said it before and I’ll say it again—if you ever need help you’re to call on me, right?” Katie pretended to spit on her hand and then held it out. “Make it a deal, like a true farmer.”
Laughing, Gwen mimicked her actions and they shook on the agreement.
“I’ll drive you to the main road. Do you know where you’re going?”
“Not really. But that hasn’t stopped me yet.”
ere you are now, love. Boyle.”
The truck driver pulled up the long vehicle on a narrow street. The air brakes hissed like a snake.
Gwen surfaced with a jolt.
“Sorry, what did you say?”
It had happened again! One
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