The Spirit Stone Part One
The Spirit Stone Part One
by Nancy
Email seanachie28@worldnet.att.net
Kelly was running for her life. Ahead of her she saw a forest, and she ran
for the shelter of the trees. The wizened, old man draped in a black cloak
was getting closer every second. Kelly's heart beat like a hammer in her
chest. She knew that if the old man caught her, he would kill her. It
seemed that no matter how fast she ran, the old man continued to gain on
her. How could such an old man run so fast?
As she entered the forest, the old man gained speed and was almost upon her.
He was not actually running--he seemed to float slightly above the ground,
gliding swiftly and picking up speed with every passing moment.
With the darkness of the mist-enshrouded forest closing in upon her, Kelly
realized that she had made a fatal mistake. She didn’t know her way through
the forest and the old man seemed to draw additional power from it. Kelly
screamed as she felt his cold, bony hands grip her shoulders. She felt
herself being pulled to the ground with great force. Her last memory,
before unconsciousness overtook her, was of falling helplessly toward
darkness.
As darkness descended all around her, Kelly awoke trembling from her
recurring nightmare. It threatened to ruin one of the most pleasurable
times in her life, and she could not understand it.
Not too long ago, she found out that a more pleasant dream was coming true:
she would be visiting her relatives in Ireland. Kelly refused to let the
nightmare interfere with her joyful plans. She burrowed under her warm
bedspread, and resolutely tried to put the nightmare out of her mind.
Kelly Monaghan was a twelve year old girl who lived in New York City with
her Mom, Dad, and Dad’s mother whom she called ‘Nana’.
Kelly was not an early riser. She was never in a hurry to leap into the
day's
activities. But, today was no ordinary day. Kelly had waited for this day
for
what seemed a very long time.
Today, she would began preparing for her journey to Ireland. For as long
as Kelly could remember, she had been fascinated with the folktales Nana
had shared: stories of her ancestors in the ancient hills of Donegal.
Kelly’s parents had been born in America, but her grandparents emigrated
to this country from Ireland.
Not too long ago, her Nana and Granda had come to America from the very
beautiful and mystical Donegal. They left a son, John, a daughter-in-law,
Maureen and two grandchildren, Michael and Sean, behind in Donegal.
Granda’s health was not good and they thought that life in America might
help make him stronger. Working the farm in Donegal was
very hard work - Granda needed a more pampered life. So, Nana and
Granda gave their farm to John and his family, packed up their meager
belongings and headed for a new life with Kelly’s family.
Granda’s health, unfortunately, did not improve. Within a few months of
leaving his beloved Donegal, he died.
Kelly grew to be very close to her grandmother. Nana had such a great
sense of humor and was she full of stories!
Nana had told her the ancient tales and legends about sidhes, banshees,
Druids and fairy folk. Kelly’s imagination soared with each story. She
felt
transported to another time and place as if she, herself, were actually a
part
of the tales. Kelly wanted to walk the paths and roads where her ancestors
walked and to experience the countryside they loved so dearly.
Nancy is a well known writer and storyteller. Feel free to visit her at
Nancy's Celtic Mysteries.
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