Bear Naked

Chapter Seven

The attempted kidnapping was the talk of the town for several days. Contrary to Officer Leidulf's prediction, the cops did not find the man. No one had caught the license plate on the van. The man's description had been publicly posted, along with a police sketch, but that hadn't turned up any leads either.

As Halloween rolled around, there were a few scattered appeals by the media for safe indoor Halloween parties. There were no other incidents with the kidnapper, and the talk didn't come to anything. However, the police were out in force on Beggar's Night, along with several neighborhood watches.

Connor came over early that day and walked with Amanda and Hunter while her brother trick-or-treated. They ended at the base of the hill leading up to Jay's house. The entire group was waiting there for them, and they climbed the hill together to go to the Toumi's Saimhain bonfire party.

Both Jay and Courtney were dressed as fairies, complete with wings and makeup. Amanda's heart raced for a second when she saw them, but she quickly fought down the sense of panic. None of Connor's friends had shown any inclination to tease or demean Jay yet, but after years of watching kids tease him, it was hard to trust that these kids were truly different.

In fact the closest thing to a negative comment came from Brianna, who pointed out that Puck belonged at Midsummer's Eve, not Saimhain. Jay positively squealed with joy and hugged her repeatedly for "getting the reference." The two ended up quoting lines of Shakespeare at each other throughout the night.

The Toumi's served hot apple cider and apple cinnamon muffins. They had set hay bales in a semicircle around the bonfire along with stacks of warm blankets and quilts to wrap up in. Connor found one large enough to wrap both himself and Amanda in and quietly slid his hand into hers.

As she stared into the fire, she thought about the dinner at his house nearly three weeks ago. It had been a test, she knew. He had wanted to see how she would react to their unusual family arrangement. He wanted to know if she was going to freak out over it before proceeding to date her.

And this night was her test for him too. Her family life wasn't exactly normal either. He had met Uncle Darren once. But she wanted to know how he would handle this. This was her life. It was a life filled with bonds every bit as tight as family but defying easy description. It was a life where they gathered out of doors, called upon the spirits of the land, and then beat on drums until late in the night.

For Amanda's family, and Jay's, Saimhain was not just a superstitious day of ghosts and demons, nor was it about dressing up and collecting candy. It was the day they honored their dead. Jay's father gave a short speech, asking for the blessing of the land and the spirits and then bidding the departed of the year safe journey to the other side.

There was a fair-sized crowd and several people came forward to give eulogies for friends or family they had lost, to offer pictures or other tokens of their departed loved ones for the altar, or to tell stories of those who were gone. Uncle Darren was there as well. He spoke briefly about his brother, Amanda's father, and then he played a long, sad instrumental piece on his fiddle.

When he was done, Lee Toumi motioned to Courtney, who rose and sang a surprisingly deeply pitched version of the old Irish tune, "Mo Ghile Mear," a sad-sounding song in the old language of that country. Several drummers were present, and afterward, they took up a simple but compelling rhythm. Jay and Courtney danced wildly around the bonfire to it. A few of the others rose and joined them, adults and kids alike. Erica and Tanner dashed around the fire quickly, laughing. Brianna went out there too, and Jay led her through a simple belly-dance routine.

During summer camp-outs, the drumming might go all night. But it was late October, and as night grew, it turned bitter cold. Besides, it was a school night, and there was only so far they could bend the rules. By nine thirty, they were all trudging home, and by ten, Amanda was in bed.