by Olivia Swift
“Tomorrow at seven at the grove,” Branna told them and they split up for the night. Magda told Dana that she would set up a video session with the café and also when Rula had time to get Rosie there to join in.
Finally, there were just the six of them sitting in the living room.
“It will take some planning, but I think Barbara will help and Tom seemed quite keen. We would have to charge whoever wanted to come along and make sure there was something to enjoy on the walk,” Jonno said.
“More themes for the cottages,” Magda added. “A magic glen, village cottages, bronze age information.”
“If we find an underground stream, you could make a wishing well,” Sam said.
“Oh, thanks everyone. It is so good to plan these things,” Branna told them.
“But work tomorrow,” Sam said and stood up.
Katie and Declan said they would just take a walk around the site before coming in. Magda smiled and took Sam’s hand.
“I am so glad they are a couple at last,” Magda said as they went across to the bungalow. She asked if he needed them to help at the cottage the next day. He said the day after might be better and she gave a sigh of relief.
I must be getting old, she thought to herself as she called Rula to catch up. Her friend said the café was fine and the cats were acting normally.
“No more messages from Crystal,” Rula laughed, “but we have some other news.” Magda waited and Rula said that she, Mikey and Bart had collected the keys to the bank.
“Woohoo,” Magda said and called through to Sam to tell him the news. He came and joined the video chat.
Rula sent some photos that she had taken inside the building.
“Just as a record of stepping inside for the first time,” she said.
“I am dying to get back now,” Magda said. “We have another ghost walk at the grove tomorrow and after that, I think Katie and I are the cleaners for the new cottage. I’ll take photos and let you see what they have done.” She added with a grin that Katie and Declan were out for a walk together. “Declan is so much more relaxed, especially since he met a man who also sees what he does.”
“I will talk to Rosie tomorrow and see if we can set up a video meeting for both sides of the family.”
They finished the call and sat with hot chocolate. Katie and Declan came back hand in hand and Magda made them hot chocolate as well. They saw Rula’s photo and toasted the new venture.
The next day, the men went off to the cottage and Katie decided to take some shots around the site. Then she settled with a sketch pad and started to jot down some ideas for paintings. Magda was glad to have a lazy day and watched TV.
When they came back, the men were pleased with the progress which had been made. All of the deliveries had arrived. Magda had left buckets and cleaning things when she had been there two days before.
“We’ll have the séance at the fairy glen tonight and start cleaning up the cottage tomorrow,” Magda said. “I think the first bookings are for the week after next.” She looked at Katie and asked if they could see the sketches. Katie smiled and handed over her sketch pad.
“Oh, Lord,” Magda cried out and handed the picture she was looking at to Declan. “Isn’t she clever?” He smiled and nodded and then stopped short. “What?” Magda asked.
“What made you do the grove like that?” Declan asked and Sam looked over his shoulder to see the picture. There was a circle of bending willows and a pool in the center. At one side was the outline of a shadowy figure about to step into the circle. It was a woman, slender and young. Katie looked a bit puzzled.
“Just my usual imagination about how the scene could be arranged.”
“I thought I saw the possibility of a young woman there but said nothing,” Declan told her. “You just put on paper what I saw in my head.”
“Oh, heavens,” Katie answered. “I was never psychic before.”
“But,” Magda hesitated, “Sam and I often know what the other one is thinking. It’s the same sort of thing. It’s a beautiful scene. It will be fantastic in watercolor.”
They had a quick dinner of Guinness marinated roast eef sandwiches on toasted potato bread, then wrapped up warmly to go for the ghost walk. Everyone met at the grove of willows. Barbara went through her introduction as they stood in a rough circle wherever the trees and undergrowth would allow.
“Can either of you men see anything tonight?” Barbara asked. “I can feel something, but I don’t know what it is. Wild animals again maybe?”
Tom said there was nothing yet and no wild boar as far as he could tell. Declan said nothing and Katie felt his hand tighten a little.
“Is anyone there?” Barbara called. “Please come and talk to us if you are there. We mean you no harm.”
“Was this a place of magic?” Magda asked. “Was it a circle of willow trees?” The wind rustled gently through the branches.
“Make a noise please, if you are there,” Barbara called and there was the sound of a snapping branch.
“That could have been natural,” Sam said. Barbara asked again and the same snap sounded.
“Please come forward,” said Magda.
Declan asked if Tom could see the outline of a figure.
“Just coming out of the trees and very faint,” he answered. Then both men drew in a breath as the figure stepped into the open space and was holding a little girl by the hand. Declan told Barbara what he could see.
“Oh, thank you,” Barbara said. “Is she your beautiful daughter?” There was the very clear snap of a branch.
“Was this group of trees a special place for you?” Jenni asked and they heard another sharp sound. “Did the willow trees provide medicine that helped you?” Jenni added. Another snap but Barbara said that she felt a quick pang of fear. “We won’t harm you,” Jenni added. “I make creams and lotions from plants.”
“Did your family live here?” Magda asked and felt a warm finger of air brush across her cheek. “Thank you,” she went on and asked if the family lived in the cottage. There was another snap and Declan said that the mother and the girl came around the circle.
“They disappeared from view, but I can feel the touch of warm air,” Tom told them and in turn, each of them felt the fingers of a warm and friendly breeze whisper across their faces and move away.
“That was just magical,” Branna said. “This has to be a magic circle.”
Barbara brought them back to reality with a visualization and Sam asked if they wanted to dowse for water. Both Michael and Sam tried in the center of the group of trees and both had to move to one side of the area for the pendants to work. Then they moved in a line and said that the water probably ran across one side of the place but might have broadened into a small pool.
“I think maybe a pool might re-emerge here at some point,” Jonno said looking at his wife.
“We have a magic circle. How wonderful,” Branna said.
“A bronze age burial, a cottage and a magic circle,” Magda said.
“Families through thousands of years,” Katie added, as Declan took her hand.
12
Branna was over the moon with the discoveries and asked if Tom would like to be a part of any ghost walks and séances they might do. He said that he would be happy to, along with Barbara and Jenni.
“Can I see the sketches you made?” Branna asked Katie, who offered to bring them over the next morning.
“I can sort of see what I would like to do but it would help to see it drawn,” Branna said.
“Bronze Age picnics, séances in the barn, ghost walks, a magic circle and a wishing well. We have to uncover the stream,” Jonno added.
The chat about what could be offered to visitors was enthusiastic and interesting and continued for some time. Eventually the group said goodnight, promising to meet again and plan some events.
Katie told Branna that she would make a proper painting for her of the magic circle.
“If Declan describes the woman and
the girl, I can try and make them real for you.”
“Wonderful,” Branna said and hugged the artist.
“Work tomorrow, you lot,” Sam said and ushered the other three back to the bungalow. They sat with hot chocolate and talked over what they had seen and heard.
“To be truthful,” Declan confessed, “I have seen what they needed to see and will be glad to just do normal work tomorrow.”
“Must admit, I feel the same, and if the girls are there to help, we might make a lot of progress,” Sam agreed, and Magda said she was keen to see the new bathroom and kitchen.
“The grey wood effect on the floor going all the way through is really good,” Sam said. He and Magda left the other couple to say their good nights.
“This place is lovely and quite amazing with the way they are developing it,” Magda said.
“But?” Sam asked as he slid under the covers. Magda sat on the edge of the bed.
“I just feel that there is something I should be doing at home.” He lifted the covers and she slid into his outstretched arms.
“You are just missing the café. It’s your pride and joy after all.”
“I might call Merle tomorrow and just tell her how I feel.”
“In the meantime, will a cuddle help?” he asked, and she wrapped her arms around his waist. “It will be good to have you and Katie helping now the rough work is done.”
They set off in the morning and opened up the cottage. The ground floor was as they had seen it last time apart from the stored furniture still waiting to be unpacked. The staircase had a beech handrail and there was a beech door that opened into the attic. Magda ran up the stairs and opened the door. Then she stood stock still and pulled out her cell phone. Katie ran up as well and pushed her inside so that she could see.
The men had done an amazing job and apart from the doors that Declan was about to hang that day, the loft conversion spread out before their eyes. Magda snapped photo after photo as she walked through the loft apartment that now looked positively enormous.
The grey wood effect flooring spread throughout every room and the open plan living and kitchen area sported gleaming kitchen cupboards, counter surfaces and appliances. The tiles on the walls were grey, black and white, with touches of red. The cupboard doors were black and the surface tops white.
“I will put up the curtain rods today and you can hang the curtains,” Sam said. “When we saw that you had chosen soft furnishings with some red, we added the red tiles to the splashbacks.”
“In the bathroom as well. You are two clever guys,” Katie called as she looked in the bathroom.
“If you can start unpacking the furniture, Declan will hang the doors and I will do the curtain rods,” Sam told them. The four of them set about bringing the place to life.
“We need red bathmats for the bathroom floor,” Katie said.
“And there are not enough dishes if six people stayed at once,” Magda added. “We need a list and a trip to the store to buy the rest of the things.” The beds, sofas, table, chairs and bedside night tables were unpacked, and the wrappings disposed of. The two men came and started to carry them up the stairs. The girls managed the smaller items.
Magda brought the curtains and slotted them onto the poles. Katie put up pictures and then started a list of what was still needed.
“Let’s go out and buy something to eat. We can buy these extra items at the same time and then finish off,” Sam suggested.
“Pizza place just down the street,” Declan added.
“It does look fantastic. You’ve done a fabulous job,” Katie told them. She clicked one more photo as the furniture was now in place. Then she made Sam and Declan stand in the room and took another shot of the two builders in their creation.
“If they find we have missed something, Branna will fix it,” Magda said.
They locked up and went for a pizza. Magda said that she had really gone off meat lately and asked for cheese and tomato. They sat and talked about what would be needed in the bank building.
“Magda feels that she is thinking about back home and the café,” Sam said.
“I do love my café,” she confessed. “The hot chocolate is okay here but nothing like what we make at home.”
“It will take a few more days to finish off this place. We can have a couple of lazy days and then travel home,” Declan added. “Must agree, that although Ireland is beautiful, I miss the cats and the wide-open spaces.”
“Those darn cats,” Magda smiled. She flicked on the camera to check on Crystal and of course, the cat was looking directly at the camera. “She’s pulled down those old photo albums from the shelf.”
“She wants you back as well, I guess,” Katie said. “Tonight, I will paint this picture for Branna. There is something exquisitely magical about that grove of trees. I can do the ones to sell when I get back home.”
They had a stroll around the street and found a store that sold everything they required. The man said that he would drop it off the next day. Katie carried back the towels and bathmats and put them in place.
“We do need photos tomorrow when the other furniture is back here,” Magda said. “For the website pictures.”
“I’ll do those on a different camera,” Katie answered, and they started to clean the downstairs, as the furniture had all been taken up to the loft. “I hope Branna likes it as she has to look after it.”
They were pleased with the day’s work and headed back to the campsite. The ghostly motion sensor gates let them inside. They found that Jonno had dug down in the fairy glen and found the track of the stream. He had hired a man who did landscapes to come the next day and help him carve out a pool shape.
“I’ll just get a preformed one and then we can spend some time making the edges look romantic and fairylike.” He added that the landscaper was pleased about the running water. “It apparently saves installing electricity lines for a pump.” He took them over to see what he had found where he had gone down about two feet to find the stream. It was a very small trickle of water but enough to fill the pool and keep it that way.
The man had suggested cutting back the trees to make a circle more obvious and to add steppingstones so that visitors could walk to the pool and keep their feet dry.
“It will be so romantic,” Katie said.
“We will put a white fence around like the rest of the site but maybe add mossy covered stones and an imitation ruin.”
“Wow,” Magda said. “You are really going for this.” Jonno said he had enjoyed finding the water and went back to the main office. The four visitors went back to the bungalow.
Declan was very quiet. Magda and Katie both asked him what was wrong as soon as they sat down in the living room. Sam handed him a beer.
“I saw that Hoffstander man in the circle. He looked terribly angry.”
“I guess he is still hanging around from last week,” Magda remarked. Declan shook his head.
“I think he might cause trouble. I don’t know why I feel that, but I do.”
“Maybe he thinks we should have gone straight back to America to find his other great granddaughter. Maybe he’ll go back there once we leave,” Magda said.
“Don’t say anything to Branna and Jonno. Just let them enjoy their new garden feature,” Katie advised. “You can see him, but they can’t.”
Katie put her paints and materials on the table and found a strong piece of artist board for the willow circle picture. Magda flicked on the camera to check on the cats. Crystal was watching as usual. Sam and Declan sat at the gaming chairs and had a good-natured competition.
Magda went into the bedroom to leave Katie in peace and quiet. She glanced over her shoulder as she went and saw a delicate wash of pale green taking shape before her eyes.
She called Rula and asked how the café was doing.
“Just fine. I think the customers are missing you and the stocks are getting down but no problems as yet.” Magda showed her the pictures of the loft apartme
nt and said that they would finish in a couple of days. Relax for a day and then start to get ready for home.”
“Bart found out a few more facts that made him curious and thinks that maybe the other Hoffstanders in the area might be related as well. He is still trying to figure it out.”
Magda told her about Declan seeing Mr. Hoffstander in the fairy circle and how he looked angry.
“He hasn’t said anything to Branna. She’s enjoying the newfound willow circle so much and they are making a pool in it and fence around it.”
Rula suggested that it might all go back to normal when they returned home.
“The loft is wonderful. Miss you, Magda,” Rula said with a smile and Magda waved and blew her a kiss.
“Miss you too,” she hesitated, “and to tell you the truth, I think we’ll all be glad to be on home ground again. Ireland is lovely but it isn’t home.”
They ended the call and Magda looked at the cats again. Crystal had found the jacket with the buttons.
13
By the next day, the painting was dry and looked very magical and dreamlike. The slender woman had a hint of color in her hair but was otherwise in shades of green. She held a little girl by the hand. The trees were in strong relief and made the circle seem like an enclosure.
“I love it, Katie,” Magda told her. They took photos of the print and went to take the original to Branna. She was enchanted and put it carefully away until she could buy a frame. They asked if they could make prints and she said she would be delighted.
Jonno had helped the people who were leaving and Branna was preparing for new arrivals. So, they left them to it and went back to the cottage. There were supplies in the cottage so they made coffee. Sam and Declan finished off some minor things and then they waited for the storage people.
Aunt Alison’s cottage reverted to its comfortable self. They took more photos and stood back to admire the work.