Isle of the Faeries

Revelations

Breena

      Fiona and Declan come home with dragging feet and tired eyes. The MacFarlanes still haven't recovered from their son's death and have yet to find a replacement so Declan has been working a ridiculous amount of hours. Fiona has been going into town early with Declan most mornings, she plays with her friends in town during the day and works at the Iron Bells until Declan's shift is over. I am going to have to talk to Marta about cutting back her hours, Fiona is still a kid after all.

      Dinner is quiet and there is not much to eat, we've been putting the money that Fiona earns away in a tin above the fridge to save for the winter but at this rate we might need to start using it sooner. My paper route and the sales of the eggs and milk pay for the animals feed. But the chickens will stop laying soon and we'll be having to look into getting the cows bred in the spring so I will probably need to look into another job in Rell.

      The morning of the thirty first dawns cool and clear. The animals are skittish as if it is the first day of the Trath again, only it is actually worse. I decide to leave the cows, sheep and chickens in for the day just to be on the safe side. I will have to take Caleo into Rell with me for the paper route since Declan has the truck.

      My mother told me once that when she was a child the entire island used to shut down on the thirty first, everyone stayed home and locked their doors. But over the years people stopped taking such precautions and now that I have been made aware of what lives in the shadows, my eyes have been cleared, I suppose the changes have come from the cloudy eyes of much of the island; they no longer see much of the danger they are in.

      Even just doing chores in the barn I find claw marks on the door that look like they could belong to a black dog. My fingers flex around the iron rod reflexively but I don't think it will be much use today. I line the windows and door of the barn with a line of salt and hang a branch of holly over the door, Scottie follows me around tense and watchful, after the odd run in with the Black Dog I feel better with him around.

      By the time I feel alright about leaving the animals alone to do the paper route Declan and Fiona are long gone - despite my pleas for them to take the day off - and I am running very late. Caleo is twitchy and jumpy as I am tacking her up, her ears are pricked and she snorts at the breeze. Scottie trots along beside us as we head down the road to Rell. Rell is teaming with people; cars on the streets and people on the sidewalks; slipping and sliding through the shadows are the Sidhe. I watch as a lanky, long armed creature knocks cups out of three people's hands and ties their laces into knots as they are distracted. Most of the people out walking are hoping to catch a glimpse of a faerie but they are clueless to the fact that the faeries are walking among their shadows.

      Scottie growls low in his throat when any of the wandering Fay happen to look in our direction and they scamper off. Caleo on the other hand is difficult to control, in her fear she has become somewhat unresponsive and hard in the mouth. I talk to her quietly in an attempt to calm her nerve and it works to an extent. When I get to the post office I don't want to leave Caleo tied out back like I normally would so I dismount and knock at the door until Walter the post master comes out with a bag of papers. I thank him and get back on Caleo urging her down the street to our first stop, the faster we get done the faster we can get home.

      Only things don't go according to plan. The tourist choked streets slow our progress as I try to guide a prancing, shying Caleo through the people without trampling anyone. Once off the main street the crowd thins and Caleo settles a bit - or at least she does until a mailbox spontaneously catches fire as I open it. Then she flies sideways.