by Alan Fisher
Eamonn and Aine turned to one another, both at a loss for words. Hearing their thoughts, only now could Ena fully grasp their heartache and was reminded of his own pain.
“I promise you both I will make this right, but first you must decide.” Ena waited for a response on whether he should cast the spell or not. Turning their heads back towards Ena they nodded with approval.
“Quickly, gather everything of Tomas’s and bring it here. We must hurry, I’m sure he’s close.”
Sensing the unease in Ena’s voice Aine and Eamonn shot into action collecting all of Tomas’s belongings. Little by little, clothes, tools, childhood toys, and other trinkets were stockpiled on the floor next to the stove. Aine placed the final item on the pile, a hand carved wooden horse Tomas played with as a child; as soon as she opened her grasp it began to kindle. A fire suddenly ignited and spread to all the other items. Burning fierce and hot it quickly consumed all that lay on the floor without damaging anything else in the kitchen. In just a few short moments the final flame flickered out and the stockpile was gone. No ash remained and Ena had disappeared.
“Yes, what can I do for you?” Eamonn questioned his wife.
“I’m eh, I’m not sure really,” she replied.
“Well I’ve a lot to do here before we open so let’s get to it.” Eamonn went back to his chopping and stirring, while Aine stood for a moment in a slight daze just looking at her husband, unable to fully collect her thoughts. “Okay, I’ll make sure all is ready.” Aine walked through the doorway once more and went back to work.
Bran and Sceolan charged towards the edge of the great Forrest as Fionn and a band of Fianna warriors galloped on their horses behind them. As they broke the treeline the hounds stopped. Frantically moving in a circle, they sniffed the ground, the air, and even the tracks they had just followed. As Fionn and his men approached they could see that the hounds had taken them as far as they could. He dismounted his horse and scanned the vast countryside that lay before him.
As he gazed out, Oisin also dismounted and stood beside Fionn. “The trail has gone cold, what should we do, Father?”
Raising his hand to his face, Fionn stroked his beard biting on his thumb for just a moment. In the distance, he could see smoke rising out through the thatched cone roof of the cookhouse.
“I’m hungry, let’s eat.”
A Guilty Feeling
E na perched himself high on a shelf hidden away in a corner of the cookhouse eating hall, his little feet dangled, swinging back and forth. The spell had been cast on time and he was now observing Aine and Eamonn as they went about their work. Eamonn would intermittently take food from the kitchen while Aine cordially chatted with patrons in for a bite to eat.
The noise of galloping horses jolting to a halt grabbed everyone’s attention. Aine ran to the window and saw Fionn Mac Cumhail with some Fianna outside. “It’s Fionn, it’s Fionn,” she whispered turning to everyone. The room suddenly buzzed with chatter only to abruptly stop and fall silent as Fionn stepped through the door. Ena ducked behind some old books on the shelf; through the gaps he could still see down into the hall.
Eamonn rushed from the kitchen to greet their revered guests.
“Hello, Fionn, you and your men once again honor us with your presence, my wife is preparing your usual seat if you could kindly follow me.” Eamonn led them through the main dining hall to a smaller room in the back. Aine had rushed in already and was lighting a fire beneath the bronze cauldron that hung in the middle of the room. They were seated on benches surrounding this cauldron in a circle; as their food came to a boil they chatted amongst themselves. Ena saw his opportunity. With the men now distracted he jumped from his bookshelf and grabbed a ceiling support beam. Gripping with one hand he boldly flung himself into the small dining hall, landing ever so softly behind Fionn’s bench. He then crawled underneath and looked up.
“Something feels off, Oisin, I just can’t put my finger on it.”
“Everything seems okay to me, Father, if anything it’s a little disheartening to think that your cage worked but that little pixie has managed to elude capture again.”
“Don’t you think it’s strange that Bran and Sceolan could suddenly lose a scent like that? I’ve known them to not find one, but for one to suddenly go cold, that gives me pause.”
Oisin shrugged, gesturing with his hands.
“Perhaps, but they’ve not been able to lead us to him in the past either. Sometimes a trail can go cold, or maybe Ena realized while on the move to mask things a bit better.”
Fionn huffed in reply.
Ena had heard enough. Before leaving for good he bounced back up to the bookshelf to have one final look over things. Aine was standing by a work counter staring at a family eating. He could sense an emptiness, a lonely feeling deep inside. It seemed his illusion spell was indeed working and Tomas’s parents were safe for the moment but they had paid a dear price. This was not lost on Ena and his brow tightened as he watched Aine. He took one deep breath and disappeared as he exhaled.
Taiko – Part II
“O
f course, I will but only if you promise that when the time is right we'll go together and you can show me. It breaks my heart knowing that your torturing yourself.”
Ena hoped Taiko would consider living with Tomas and Ai. If she agreed to move into their home it would ensure they prospered and enjoyed a happy life. Although Aine and Eamonn might never come to learn of their son’s faith, he believed this would fulfil his promise.
Ena bowed in agreement.
Taiko used her thumb to wipe away her final tear and spoke to lift the mood. “I'm actually looking forward to meeting Tomas and Ai, they seem like a sweet couple, you're quite the match maker.”
Ena could tell that Taiko was flirting a little which lifted his mood. So much so that a mischievous glint returned to his eyes as he spoke.
“So, what's the plan here? How will you wake them up?” he asked, referring to Taro's parents.
Taiko sucked in a little air, thinking about her plan “Em, I guess a scream or maybe break that lamp over there. I didn't really think this part through.”
Ena grinned. “Taiko, Taiko, I've arrived just in time. You want to scare them for not believing Taro, right? Let's step it up a notch. How about visiting them in their dreams first, so that when they wake and see you in real life, I’m sure they’ll never doubt Taro again.”
Taiko giggled. “That's fantastic, can you do that?”
His grin widened as he shrugged his shoulders. “Yes, but I need to be touching them, let's sneak into their bedroom.”
“That’s amazing, you’ll have to show me how to do that someday.” She added.
Taro's parents were asleep, snoring on a thick futon, which lay in the middle of the tatami-floored portion of their bedroom. The other side was a wooden dining area with a table and a few chairs. Creeping in quietly, Ena noticed there was some empty sake bottles on the table. He gestured to them and pretended to drink. Taiko put her hand over her mouth holding back her laughter. As they approached the futon Ena took Taiko's hand and placed it on Taro's mother's shoulder. He then placed his own hand on Taro's father's shoulder.
Taiko silently mouthed towards Ena, “Now what?”
Ena completed the connection by holding Taiko’s other hand. As soon as they touched the room changed, as if carried into a different reality or time. They were standing opposite each other now at the bottom of the futon as Taro's parent slept.
“We're now in their dream,” Ena whispered, pointing to his bodhran and tipper that suddenly appeared on the floor. He picked it up and began to softly play a haunting Irish song. As he did so he faded, slowly turning invisible even from Taiko but his beat remained, setting a tone for Taiko to follow. She looked around and saw that a bamboo shakuhachi flute sat on the table. She grabbed it and began playing to Ena's beat.
The music grew louder and faster which caused Taro's parents to wake. Taiko was now fully immersed in
the melody, spinning, swaying, and dancing around the room, slowly making her way into the hallway. Taro's parents were enchanted by these foreign sounds and the bright red and gold colors spinning around the room. They followed Taiko as she entered the hallway and down into the guest bedroom. The music grew faster and faster as they walked only to abruptly stop, and the colors vanished.
They both began to wake.
Ena and Taiko crept quietly back to the guest room making sure her footprints could be seen clearly.
Taro's mother spoke first wiping beads of sweat from her brow. “I just had a crazy dream, something was in the room with us.”
“Me too, strange music and colors roamed the halls,” Taro's father replied as he stood up and lit a nearby lamp. Upon doing so he was startled by the soap powder scattered all over the floor.
“What is it? What is it?” his wife asked rushing to her husband. She too noticed the footsteps in the powder. They were leading out of the bedroom and down the hallway.
In the guest room, Taiko stood barefoot in a corner with the empty soap bottle in hand. The door opened just enough for Taro's parents to peek their heads through. She caught their gaze and stood quietly for a moment; although they were terrified, Taro's parent couldn't look away. After a few moments, Taiko spoke feigning a worried tone.
“Where’s Taro? I wanted to play with Taro.”
The soap powder again puffed in the air and Taiko was gone. Taro's mother screamed, his father grabbed her by both shoulders trying his best to calm her down.
“Taro wasn't lying! She...it...spoke, she spoke...That was a Zashiki Warashi, does she live here now?” his mother screamed. She shook free from her husband's grasp and ran back to the bedroom.
Ena and Taiko didn't go too far, they were looking in through the guest room window. They laughed and complemented each other's performance. Ena was grabbing his side, it had been a long time since he'd laughed so hard. “Awe I needed that....'Where's Taro?’ Ha-ha...the poor woman, she'll probably never go into that room again.”
Taiko took hold of Ena’s hand. “Let’s take a walk.”
After a short stroll, they found a quiet corner beside a nearby shrine and chatted for hours, losing all track of time until they noticed the sunrise.
“Will you leave soon?” Taiko asked.
She hoped he would stay a little longer, but when they touched previously she sensed his eagerness to go back to Ireland. Ena was surprised, however, at how much fun it was to see Taiko again, and thought to himself for a moment before replying.
“Perhaps...”
The Proof
A few days passed since Tomas placed the ring on his finger. Ai allowed him to live in a small house next door to her jewelry workshop, which lay on the outskirts of town. They were now walking to Ai's family home to explain everything that had happened. Ai’s father had died in battle long ago so her main concern was how her grandfather, who was especially protective, would react to this outsider arriving out of nowhere.
“He should be okay,” Ai said as they walked along the river leading to her village. Passers-by stopped and stared. Some were excited, others scared, but all gestured at Tomas’s tall frame.
“Perhaps he’ll be surprised by how tall you are,” Ai continued.
“That's funny of you to say, in Ireland people would also comment on my height. You see I'm a little small for my age. My friend, Dulta Og, was born just two months before me, yet he's much taller.” Tomas raised his hand showing how big his friend was in comparison.
“Really? That's amazing, I'd love to go there someday.”
Tomas thought about how great it would be to bring Ai back to Ireland and introduce her to his family, but Ena had made it very clear, removing the ring and traveling home was not a good idea. His stomach sank as his mind turned toward Fionn and how he may have reacted to Ena escaping the cage.
“I hope my parents will be okay. Ena promised he'd explain everything to them but I've no way of knowing if he did or not. You'd like them I think, and I know they'd love you. I pray they're okay and you'll get the chance to meet them in the future.”
“That would be nice.” Ai’s smile became a little forced, she had no way of knowing how her family would react to meeting Tomas.
“Do you drink much sake in Ireland?” she asked.
“Sake?” Tomas replied.
“It's a rice wine,” Ai explained, “that we drink at celebrations or family events. My grandfather loves sake and it's likely he'll want you to drink some also. It's strong so please just try a little first.”
“What's rice?” Tomas asked.
“No way, you don't have rice either?” she said laughing. “You know, the Japanese word for food is Gohan, which means rice. Every day we have Asa, Hiru and Ban Gohan. That’s breakfast rice, lunch rice, and dinner rice. It’s an important part of our day. You actually had some last night for dinner.”
Tomas laughed as Ai continued. “Well, there will be lots of rice for you to taste too.”
“Rice equals Gohan? I'll have to remember that.”
Tomas was shaking his head as they walked. Perhaps Ena couldn’t resist a little mischief after all. He wondered why the little prankster gifted Ai the ability to speak Irish and not the other way around. It had only been a few days but it was becoming clear, without learning Japanese, Tomas wasn't going to get very far on his adventure.
As they got closer Ai became a little unsettled. Tomas noticed she was getting nervous. He, on the other hand, wasn’t too worried. He'd never tasted sake before but had drunk Irish Whiskey and Ale many times. If the situation were to get uncomfortable then his plan was to help the alcohol flow. That would surely lighten the mood.
Ai's mother, Aoki, greeted them as they reached the house. She stood between two garden cherry trees that hung over the doorway and ushered them inside. Her somber expression set the tone as she escorted Tomas and Ai through the main entrance into a large tatami dining room. Ai couldn't help but feel a little underdressed; Aoki was wearing a formal kimono, white with elaborate pink blossoms and blue bird patterns on the front and back.
Tomas crouched into the room to avoid hitting his head on the low doorframe. The three men sitting cross legged on the floor behind a small table whispered amongst themselves as he entered. Ai's grandfather, Hiroshi, sat in the middle with her brother and uncle on either side. They were dressed less formally in dark-colored yukatas, which are like kimonos but made from lighter cotton fabrics. Although Tomas could hear their hushed mumblings he had no idea what they were saying. He did notice the sheathed swords which lay on the floor next to them, two swords each, one large and one small.
“Okay, let's try to get through this without those getting drawn,” he thought.
Aoki ushered Tomas and Ai to sit down on the opposite side of the table. Tomas waited to see what way Ai sat down, then did his best to follow her lead. Once seated, Aoki took her place next to her father.
Ai bowed and spoke for a few moments. Her grandfather sat stone-faced, lightly nodding as she spoke. Tomas had no idea what was being said, catching only a few words such as: “Tomas, Ireland, Ena”.
As she finished Ai's uncle, Miyamoto, spoke in a raised voice and pointed at Tomas. Ai seemed to intercede, only for her uncle to get even more aggravated. She turned to Tomas and spoke. “They don't believe that an Irish spirit or fairy sent you here, they're wondering how you really got to Japan and what you're after.”
Upon hearing Ai talk in this foreign language, Eiji, her brother, harped in also. However, this only served to anger her uncle even further; he whispered in his father’s ear and continued pointing at Tomas. The tension in the room was clear and Tomas looked at Ai. Tears welled in her eyes.
“Don't worry, please translate for me.”
She nodded, wiping her tears.
“Hello, my name is Tomas O’ Uaigneach and I come from a land called Ireland, which to the best of my knowledge is on the far side of the world. Please believe me when I t
ell you that I'm not here to make trouble, and I have no ill intentions towards your granddaughter.”
Hiroshi pointed to Tomas's hand and finally broke his silence.
“He asked if that was the ring that brought you here,” Ai said, “I told him yes.”
Tomas could see no other way to convince Hiroshi he was telling the truth.
“We are in love and my only desire is to provide a good life for Ai and our future family. I promise you that I’m telling the truth and I’ll do anything to convince you of this.”
Everyone went quiet. Ai grasped Tomas's hand. Tomas then stood from the table and brought his hands together in front of his chest. “It'll be okay,” he said, as he placed two fingers around the ring and began to twist and pull, sliding it down his middle finger. He paused for a moment as the ring reached the tip, and looked at everyone in the room. Then he was gone.
“Ehh!” Everyone gasped and looked around at one another.
In his final moment before removing the ring, Tomas's thoughts turned to his mother and he now stood opposite her at the doorway of the cookhouse back in Ireland. It was night time and Aine had just closed. Grabbing the final tray of bowls from a table, she turned towards the kitchen and was startled by the young man now standing in the doorway.
“Did Ena come and explain? I'm sorry I didn't tell you, is everything okay?” Tomas ran from the doorway towards his mother. She stepped backwards, frightened that he may be an intruder.
“Ena? Who is that? I’m sorry, we’re closed you need to leave.”
Tomas could see she was confused. “Don’t you recognize me? Where’s Father? Ena said he would come and explain everything.”
Aine was no longer frightened; this person didn’t appear threatening and strangely she began to sense something vaguely familiar about him. This seemed to make her even more flustered, unable to put together all the pieces. “Your…your father?” she replied.
Something was different and perhaps this was the reason why Ena warned Tomas against removing the ring. He motioned to put it back on his finger, but before doing so he spoke to his mother one more time.