Find Me: Faeries Lost

by Grace Brannigan

  ***

  Drew rubbed his forehead, staring at the computer screen. He glanced at the time. Ten-forty. He'd immersed himself in faerie tales and folklore, surfing the internet for information, anything that might give him a clue about the world Pandimora inhabited. He'd found a plethora of information, probably ninety-eight percent of it fiction and he'd come to the conclusion sifting through it all for facts would be a nearly impossible task. And when he'd come to the goblin information, his blood chilled. The descriptions were all similar; mischievous, evil and malevolent. They were considered the darker side of the faerie kingdom and from the little he'd seen he could well believe it.

  He pulled out the file on Rick Martin, aka Irfin, staring at the photos of the man. Leprechaun and sorcerer in the faerie realm, human persona on earth. It just all felt too crazy and impossible to be real.

  And now Irfin might be helping the elder Lukais toward world domination or whatever it was the elder had planned. If he had as much power as Pandimora claimed, and wanted more, it was feasible he'd try to hide his actions to keep everyone fooled.

  Drew rubbed his eyes as they burned. Pandimora would be leaving soon and maybe this time he wouldn't see her again. She didn't seem to need help to find her family. And yet he'd sensed her vulnerability even if only for a minute or so earlier when she'd talked about the wrong done to her loved ones. Drew couldn't imagine his own family being ripped apart as hers had been.

  He'd left voice messages for his parents. His brother Grey was on vacation this week, and his phone had remained busy: no doubt the lines were down due to the increasing ferocity of the weather. Sara's cell went straight to voicemail. It was like she'd dropped off the face of the earth. She had proven well able to take care of herself, but he worried about her. He hoped she was holed up somewhere on a case and hadn't been caught in any of this mess.

  How would he explain the missing week? That he'd spent it with a faerie who had lost her family and slipped in and out of dimensions that humans can't see or access?

  Drew glanced at his phone as it began to vibrate. An out of state number, perhaps the crystal expert whose name had cropped up in his research and whom he'd called earlier.

  "Drew here."

  "Julie Matters returning your call. I hope it's not too late. Your message sounded kind of urgent."

  "I'm glad you called. I'm a private investigator doing some research on crystals and their history in relation to a case."

  "Well, I'll try to help you. What is it you need to know?"

  "Have you ever experienced crystals having some kind of power?"

  "In holistic medicine crystals and stones are used for healing. Some practitioners swear by this type of healing, while others say it's more of a placebo type effect. The simple answer is that gemstones and crystals have different frequencies that correspond to and can possibly heal different parts of the body."

  "Okay, then what about them having powers outside of healing?"

  "Can you be more specific?"

  He took a deep breath. "Crystals that have the ability to upset weather patterns or they can be harnessed to control magnetic fields, such as some kind of super energy source connecting to power grids." He cleared his throat. "I know this sounds kind of out there."

  She hesitated then said, "You're delving into theories by those who believe in Atlantis and the supposedly enormous crystal power they harnessed and aligned on a grid with pyramids. In fact the theory is they grew their own crystals and the very same crystals lie beneath the ground, waiting to be once more activated in various places around the globe. That, by the way, was put forth by Edgar Cayce, a psychic who gave predictions while in a trancelike sleep."

  "I came across Cayce in my research. Have you ever heard of holograms being created with a crystal?"

  "No, but the idea is intriguing."

  "Do you think it's possible?"

  "I'm not taking an easy way out here, but I do believe there's a lot we don't know."

  "What about crystals so powerful they have the potential to do great damage worldwide?"

  "Based on the theory of Atlantis, it's believed power could be wielded with ancient crystals. If you look at Plato's writing, there is plenty of mention of large and powerful crystals which were supposedly in use, again at the time of Atlantis, and we're talking tens of thousands of years ago." She paused. "Do I believe it's possible to harness incredible power with a large enough crystal? Yes. But then I happen to agree with Plato that Atlantis really did exist. It sounds like you're involved in a really intriguing case," she added.

  "That's one way of looking at it," Drew said ruefully. "Quite frankly this case is outside my realm of experience."

  "If it helps at all, I can attest to the effectiveness of crystal healing, since I've experienced it myself. I've studied crystals and their properties for many years and I really can't discount there is a certain power they wield. However, if the legends about Atlantis are true, the crystals were misused and that's one of the reasons the continent of Atlantis was destroyed. It's thought it was swept away through a tsunami or some cataclysmic event."

  "One last question. Do you know of any research linking faeries and crystals?"

  "I have personally seen faeries but I don't know anything about them utilizing crystals."

  "You've seen them?" Drew asked, surprised.

  "A long time ago certainly. I grew up in Iceland. There we call them the hidden people and it's rather taken for granted they live there among us. Even our roads and new construction make way for known homes or mounds of the hidden people. It's not to say everyone fully believes in them, but the majority don't discount them either."

  "Thanks again for your input," he said.

  "I hope I've helped in some regard. Call again if other questions arise. And one more thing Drew."

  "Yes?"

  "Since this has been an extraordinary conversation anyway, I want to leave you with a word of caution: unless you're prepared for havoc in your life, don't anger the faeries."

  "Thanks." Too late, he thought.