Danu

by T L Harty

  Our room door was unlocked, so I entered. Grammy wondered if it was me making all the racket downstairs to which I feigned ignorance. The napkin with her food was in one hand and the hand underneath concealed the crumpled paper. Walking over to my suitcase, with my back to Grammy, I put a pack of crackers and the paper in my bag.

  “What are you hiding, missy?” Grammy asked.

  I turned around and gave her the napkin. It had two buns and three packs of crackers in it. “I kept one of the cracker bags for me,” I said, bending down to retrieve it. I held out the pack of crackers and offered, “But, if you want all four, you are welcome to it.”

  “Thank you, but three is plenty,” she decided. The crackers were placed back in my bag, and I attempted to conceal the paper better.

  “I need to wash up for bed,” I said, making my way to the bathroom. “It has been a long day.” Grammy had just taken a bite of one of the buns, so she only nodded in agreement.

  Once in bed, sleep and that crumpled piece of paper vied for my attention. Blinking became a battle between the two. When my eyes were open, the crumpled piece of paper was just slightly visible. The thought of sneaking out of bed to read it had crossed my mind, but it wasn’t the right time. So, I kept my eyes closed and decided to get some rest. My attempt to acquire knowledge had left me exhausted.

  Chapter 11- Coventina the Water Nymph

  All was quiet around the castle except for my feet pounding the treadmill. December was upon us, which meant it was too cold to run outside. There was an expectation that the exercise would help me keep my mind off Bruce. It didn’t, but the beads of sweat on my upper lip made me feel like something was being accomplished.

  Tracy and Ann had decided to leave the castle a day after Bruce. There wasn’t a schedule of events, so there was no way to know what was happening next. It made me crazy. I wanted a schedule, some understanding and way more answers than I was getting.

  Seeing how Deidra was handling everything and the fact that we were here together, made the experience a little more tolerable, but barely. Every day, I floundered between being accepting of our current situation and wanting to pull my hair out. Having no control of the day to day was unacceptable…even excruciating.

  “Hello, hello,” Tina said, peeking her head into the gym. She entered the room, smiling. “You have me next!”

  “Oh, good,” I huffed, trying to catch my breath.

  “Anything planned for this afternoon?” I wondered.

  “Nothing planned,” she shared, “but after you shower, I’m going to take you and Deidra into town for lunch. A change of scenery never hurts.”

  “Great,” I responded. “I’ll meet you in the front hall at 1 p.m. I should be able to get myself together by then.”

  The town where we dined was quaint, with a lot of small shops and restaurants. Tina took us to a beautiful café where we ate on the second floor. There was a window right by our table with a great view of the town streets. It was easy to get lost in people-watching.

  I ordered the arctic char with a salad. There was no reason to negate this morning’s workout with a rich lunch. After we’d placed our order, Tina slid an index card across the table. It was folded in half.

  “My first lesson will be a little game,” Tina instructed. “I’d like both you and Deidra to read the card. Let’s see who can find her first.”

  I unfolded the card and held it between the two of us, so Deidra could read it at the same time. It was a poem: Roses are red, violets are blue…find the person in the restaurant that is most like you.

  Deidra looked at me, smiling. She immediately got up. “I’m going to use the restroom so I can have a look around,” Deidra announced. Off she went. Deidra’s head shot back and forth, scanning the restaurant as she crossed the top floor.

  “Well, you’ve done it now,” I told Tina, pointing to Deidra as she walked. “A little competition combined with that riddle will be too exciting for her to resist.”

  “What about you?” Tina asked. “Aren’t you excited or curious to find the person?”

  “I suppose,” I answered, “but I want Deidra to have a crack at it.”

  “To have a crack at it…” Tina repeated. “You already know who it is, don’t you? How is that possible?”

  “The knowledge didn’t come to me by way of any vision or sign,” I dispelled. “Watching people and their behavior is an old habit. Our waitress was a little too excited to serve us, and she paid particular attention to me the whole time we were ordering. She even slowed her speech down when asking for my order because she wanted to interact with me longer. At first, it seemed creepy, but when you gave us the card, it all made sense.”

  “She is a patron goddess of Ireland,” Tina confessed, “just like me. There are quite a few of us around. We’re not naturally gifted in the way you and Deidra are, but we have pledged our allegiance to the cause.”

  “So, what is a water nymph?” I asked.

  Tina smiled, and said, “It’s mostly a figment of men’s imaginations. Nymphs are half-naked women found in nature, wanting desperately to enjoy the company of any man that happens by. You can understand the allure.” Tina giggled, and added, “I am not a nymph in that regard, but water is my element.”

  Deidra had returned to the table, hearing half of Tina’s explanation. She sat down, quietly keeping an eye on a woman at a table across the room.

  “Don’t stare,” I said. “It’s impolite.”

  “Tracy told me about the elements,” Deidra shared, now looking at Tina. “What was the significance of the water element again?”

  “Don’t put too much stock in the elements,” Tina told Deidra. “Nowadays people tie them into astrology and all manner of craziness. Just know that water people are flexible, but we can also get depleted. One drop of liquid is not very powerful, but the strength behind a tidal wave is undeniable. We are also very devoted to a path. There is more to it, but it’s not important right now.”

  The waitress brought our food to the table. She was smiling excessively, looking at me when asking if there was anything else we needed. Tina answered for the whole table. Lunch was delicious. The fish tasted as though it was just plucked from a nearby lake this morning. Tina had ordered a side dish of something called poutine for the whole table, and insisted we try some.

  “It’s a Canadian thing,” Tina said. “When in Rome…”

  Poutine was a plate of french fries, topped with cheese curds and brown gravy. Being open to new things was becoming a necessity, so I indulged in a couple of bites. It was salty, greasy goodness. However, a stroke or heart attack was not a new experience I desired, so I refrained from eating much more.

  “I am going to order a plate of beaver tail for us to share,” Tina said. “Deidra, you are welcome to keep looking around.” Tina nodded her head slightly toward the rest of the restaurant, encouraging her to try.

  “No,” Deidra replied, a bit deflated. “Mom hasn’t gotten up once to look, which means she already knows who it is. The only person we’ve had contact with is the waitress. It must be her.” Deidra quickly changed the subject, addressing Tina, “And, I don’t mind eating those fries, but I’m not having a beaver’s tail! That’s just disgusting.”

  Tina laughed. When the beaver tail came out of the kitchen, Deidra changed her mind. It was hand-stretched dough in the shape of a beaver tail, topped with chocolate and bananas. Apparently, it could be topped with whatever you like. We asked to have most of it wrapped up so we could take it with us.

  After lunch, we walked around, visiting different shops. The only thing that I was tempted to buy was a t-shirt that had the name of the town on it. However, Grammy’s voice invaded my thoughts, reminding me about secrecy. She would always tell me that if people don’t know where you’ve been or where you plan to go- it will be more difficult to locate where you are. That kernel of advice is just as confusing for me today as it was when I first heard it.

  This was the first time we
had ventured out since Deidra and I arrived in Canada, so it really struck me how odd that we were returning to “the castle.” If we had been staying anywhere else, we would’ve had cabin fever from being cooped up. But the castle had every necessity and nicety available, including plenty of space. If only my mind could avoid Bruce, all would be well.

  “Why don’t we all change into comfortable clothing and meet in the library,” Tina said, “It’s my favorite room.”

  “I’ve never been there,” I said.

  “It’s right by Bruce’s apartment,” Tina informed.

  Feeling slightly insulted, I sneered, “I don’t know where that is either.”

  “Oh,” she said, surprised. “In that case, let’s meet back here in thirty minutes.” Tina smiled apologetically, realizing she had struck a chord. “Deidra, can I meet with your mother alone tonight?”

  “Sure!” Deidra yelped. “I’m going to put this beaver tail in the fridge and go swimming.”

  “There’s a pool here?” I asked Deidra.

  She shot me a look of disbelief, before remarking, “I’ll give you a tour tomorrow so you know your way around.” In a flash, Deidra was off to the kitchen, and Tina had left to change.

  The library was a magnificent room. It was past the greenhouse and up the stairs. One of the windows in the library looked out on the small road that led up to Danu. The sun was barely visible as it hid beyond the mountains. It made me think how all these acres of beauty would be covered in darkness soon.

  The library wasn’t huge, but it was well-stocked and the woodwork was enviable. There were a few comfortable-looking chairs staged about, with a large table in the middle of the room in case people wanted to meet together. We pushed a couple of the overstuffed chairs together, flopping in them like a couple of school girls.

  “What was the name of the town we ate in today?” I whispered. “I forgot.”

  “You don’t have to whisper,” Tina said, loudly- to prove her point. “I know it takes a while to get used to, but I don’t want to strain to hear you. We ate in Magog. It’s a nice little town.”

  “And where is this castle?” I asked.

  Tina looked uncomfortable, like she had shared too much already. “We are somewhere north of Omerville.”

  “Before we start talking or training,” I started, “you must tell me where we met before. That has been rattling around in the back of my mind for a while.”

  “Well, you met me as Paige,” she told me.

  I searched my memory for any trace of the name Paige, but nothing was ringing any bells. Tina grinned, certain that was the only clue necessary to jog my memory, but I was drawing a blank. Tina’s grin faded as she could see me struggle to remember.

  “You met me in Ireland,” she announced. “I was the one who gave you the tour in the library at Trinity College.”

  “What!” I exclaimed. “I would have never guessed. I mean, you look pretty much the same, but I like you so much better now. You were a raging know-it-all back then.”

  Tina’s mouth fell agape, as if no one had ever told her such a thing. “I was delightful,” she defended.

  “No. You were a twat,” I argued. “You thought you were better than me and I found it annoying.” Tina started to say something else, so I raised my hand to stop her. “If you continue to argue with me about my opinion,” I warned her, “the name-calling is just going to get worse.”

  “Fine,” she relented. “I’d still like to ask you some questions about our conversation years ago. There was a point in that library when I knew every word you spoke was true! But, your grandmother whisked you away before I could ask anything further.”

  It made me smile to think of Grammy leading me out of that library. She was such a force to be reckoned with, especially when she felt I was misbehaving.

  “Go ahead and ask,” I invited.

  “It’s about the Proclamation of the Irish Republic,” she began. “There was always a debate as to who would be the leader of the Irish people if an uprising was successful. Do you know why the first name signed on the document was Thomas Clarke’s? Was it because he was supposed to be in charge? Did they all just sign it in no particular order? Why was James Connolly’s name so far down the list?”

  “Slow down,” I said. “There was great thought put into the way the names were ordered on the document. The men decided, after much deliberation, that they would sign from top to bottom based on what they had already contributed to the Republic. Thomas Clarke had served fifteen years in prison for a botched plan to blow up the London Bridge. He was also the eldest, meaning he had been in the Irish Republican Brotherhood the longest.”

  Tina was ruminating on these ideas. “That’s so interesting,” she commented. “Clarke was born to Irish parents, but in England. You would think that would disqualify him. James Connolly seemed like he should have been the leader of Ireland.”

  It had been a long time since these visions were viewed, so I tried to concentrate on retrieving them. It was simple and they came to me in a way that would answer all of Tina’s questions. Apart from the historical visions, it became apparent that Tina was playing a little game with me. A vision showed her written plan for my training this week, which included this test.

  “Were you having a vision just now?” Tina asked.

  “Yes,” I responded. “But, wasn’t that your plan all along? This staged conversation is all to see if I would be able to access visions on a whim.”

  Tina turned red because she had been found out. We sat there in silence for a while. The truth was that passing her test thrilled me. To know that I was capable of just thinking about something and it would play out in my head like a movie. It was difficult to fake my irritation with Tina, but I managed.

  “If it’s any consolation,” Tina spoke, “I really would like to know what you saw.”

  “Well, you already know that James Connolly was born in Edinburgh, Scotland to Irish parents,” I said. “That was your clever test because I would not have known that unless I had another vision.”

  “I’m sorry,” Tina apologized. “They asked me to do this part since we had met before and I could draw on a previous vision.”

  “It’s no big deal,” I assured her. “Anyway, James Connolly was extremely active in Irish politics, but he spoke with a Scottish accent his whole life. He was also in the company of female secretaries and labor representatives quite often. There were rumors floating around about his fidelity. They had him sign the document, but didn’t feel it would be right to put him front and center for all those reasons.”

  “You are amazing,” Tina admired. “Remember when you noticed that there were no female busts in the library?” Tina asked. I nodded my head. “Well, there still isn’t one. I’m just so thankful to George Salmon. He was the provost at Trinity College when it was decided that women could be admitted there.”

  “You should be thankful to Constance Markievicz,” I countered.

  “She was an amazing woman, but what does she have to do with women being admitted at Trinity?” Tina wondered. “Did you have another vision?”

  “No. I still remember this vision from the library, when I was in Ireland,” I said. “It was too interesting to forget. First of all, George Salmon was extremely conservative, and never wanted to see women admitted to Trinity in his lifetime.”

  “But he didn’t veto the school board’s decision in 1901, which allowed women to attend,” Tina argued.

  I ignored her comment and continued, “When Constance was younger she longed to study art. However, she had to go to London to do so because there was only one school in all of Dublin that accepted women. On a trip to Dublin in the late 1800’s, Constance was introduced to George. When she learned of his position at Trinity, a heated discussion between the two of them ensued, regarding female admission.”

  “Mr. Salmon attempted to end the conversation by basically telling Constance that women were inferior,” I explained.

  Tina in
haled in disgust. She was completely enthralled by the tale, and asked, “What happened next?”

  “Constance would not be so easily dismissed,” I said. “She told Mr. Salmon that she would challenge him to anything of his choosing. If she won, he would let the school board decide if women could become students at Trinity. If he won, she would stop all her work in women’s suffrage.”

  “Of course, he chose chess,” I informed. “He was known for some pretty thrilling victories…as thrilling as chess can be, anyway.”

  “Oh, yes,” Tina agreed. “He was in the university chess club, President of the Dublin chess club for a time, and was known for his talents on the board. He even wrote a book about the church, using chess terms to help illustrate theological principles.”

  “Then you won’t be surprised to learn that he was ridiculously prideful when it came to his chess game,” I commented. “Mr. Salmon invited Constance to the school’s chess room the following day. He was so confident of victory, in fact, that he scheduled a meeting only half an hour after their agreed upon start time. Only one chess referee was present. There is a fancy term for the referee. I forgot what the position is called.”

  Tina strained to think of it. “I know,” she finally announced, “the ref is called an adjudicator.” We both nodded.

  “To make a long story short, she beat him pretty badly,” I finished. “He masterfully procrastinated making any changes at the college, until Constance threatened that she would challenge him to a public re-match if he didn’t adhere to the terms of their wager.”

  “Wow. What a story. Did you know that Mr. Salmon never did see women attend the university?” Tina asked. “He died the same year women were to be admitted.”

  “Hmm,” I pondered, “that could be coincidence or, perhaps, Mr. Salmon got his wish after all.”

  Tina was scribbling things on her notepad. “I’m not sure what we’re going to do for the next few days,” Tina contemplated. “Today, you have completed both of the tasks assigned to me.”