The Legends

by Robert E. Connolly

  Cathal opened the first of the bundles and when the contents spilled out, he stood in shocked amazement. What he saw was to him even more surprising than the sudden discovery of a newborn infant in the middle of a field.

  Wrapped in the rough blanket was an assortment of the most amazing Celtic design artifacts that he had ever encountered. The collection included bracelets, broaches, disks, torques, rings and two goblets. The specimens were predominately gold or bronze plated in gold and each was in pristine condition. As a professor of Celtic studies, Cathal had vast experience in studying Celtic treasures that occasionally turned up in Irish bog lands but as incredible as those finds were, they could not hold a candle to what laid in the blanket.

  Cathal quickly unwrapped the second bundle disclosing only one additional item, a long sword and leather scabbard, again in pristine condition. From the markings on the handle and scabbard, Cathal knew that the sword was also decorated in a Celtic style and, if authentic, would have dated from a time well before the birth of Christ. Cathal slowly bent and plunked himself on a flat rock, shaking his head in disbelief.

  “Darling,” he finally said to his wife. “If you have a moment to spare from Molly’s baby, perhaps you could have a look at this.”

  Evelyn turned and made the short climb to where Cathal sat and stared at the collection laying on the ground.

  “Oh my,” Evelyn explained not nearly as taken aback as had been her husband. “What a remarkable collection. There must be a fortune in gold or gold leaf on that blanket. I wonder who crafted them.”

  Cathal replied, “I thought that maybe you might have some idea. You would know nearly everyone in the country who works with gold.”

  Evelyn agreed, picking up an intricately patterned disk about a foot in diameter. “…At least everyone who appears at markets and shows. Although, I have never seen anything like this. The detail and designs are perfect replicas of the authentic article. They couldn’t be real, could they?”

  “Of course not,” Cathal responded. “The leather scabbard could not have survived three thousand years and there is no way the gold would be in such perfect condition. But they undoubtedly are amazing replicas.”

  As Cathal carefully rewrapped the collection, he looked up at his wife and the baby and said, “Before I saw these bundles I was asking myself how in the world the child arrived here in such clean and perfect condition when we haven’t seen a living soul all morning. And now this. There has got to be a connection between the baby and this collection but what could it possibly be?”

  Evelyn shook her head, obviously as baffled as her husband. She looked to the baby and then to the disk and as she did so the baby reached over and wrapped his fingers around the edge of the artifact. “Now then,” she said smiling at the baby, “this wouldn’t be yours, would it?”

  The little fellow’s expression was suddenly more serious and he looked straight into Evelyn’s eyes and seemed to nod his head.

  “Oh my God,” Evelyn replied, “Oh my God…. Cathal, did you see that?”

  “See what?” was the reply.

  “I just asked the child if the treasure was his… joking like…. as if he could answer. And he gave me a very serious look and nodded his head.”

  “Ah, love,” her husband replied, “will you go way out of that. Sure the child’s only an infant and he doesn’t have clue what you are saying, never mind responding.”

  Evelyn looked back at the child who rewarded her with a big smile and she in turn kissed his cheek. “I wouldn’t be too sure about that,” she replied.

  Cathal returned to his packing. “Just give me the disk and I’ll finished wrapping these up. Then we can get back home and sort the whole thing out. We will have to leave the crib but I don’t think it will be going anywhere soon.”

  Evelyn attempted to hand the disk to Cathal, but the small matter of the baby’s grip interfered. Evelyn looked at the baby in shock. No month old infant should have been able to grip such a large item so tightly. The baby smiled at Evelyn, but did not let go.

  After an impasse of several seconds, Evelyn spoke, “Alright, my powerful little fellow, would you please give me your disk so that Cathal can wrap it up and bring it home?”

  To Evelyn’s surprise, the baby released his hold and the disk was packed with the other items. To Cathal, she said, “So he doesn’t understand a word we say…. right.”

  Little could the O’Sullivans have imagined, when they set out on their morning walk only a few hours earlier that Molly would lead them home with their remarkable bundles. Considering everything that happened, there was little conversation as they retraced their morning route. Cathal was lost in his own thoughts trying to find some logic to the abandonment of the child in the middle of a field and the discovery of the gold. Evelyn was clearly bonding with the infant she held in her arms and wishing the somehow, someway, the child would be hers. Molly marched proudly ahead, checking back now and then as if to assert her continuing interest in the child.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  Eventually the party reached the O’Sullivan’s home. Not unlike Margaret O’Neill’s house, the couple lived in a farm bungalow that was at least one hundred years old. Unlike Margaret’s house, the whitewashed structure had been extended on at least a couple of occasions over the years as modern kitchens and plumbing replaced the old ways. The result was a haphazard collection of rooms, added with little apparent consideration for the overall design of the home. Fortunately for the O’Sullivans the rambling nature of the home suited them perfectly.

  The low split front door, painted a bright blue, led into the middle of a large living room. In an earlier time the massive fireplace opposite the front door had undoubtedly been used to cook the family meals because the castiron potholder was still suspended just below the flue opening. On both sides of the front door were smallish leaded glass windows and under each a table held family photographs and a cut glass vase, which always displayed fresh flowers. Two oversized chairs, each with a hassock, side table and reading lamp, occupied either side of the fireplace. The collection of open books, notepads and sketchbooks in the vicinity of the chairs made it clear that the O’Sullivans spent many evenings enjoying each other’s company in this cozy room. And, of course, the old-fashioned rag rug in front of the fire meant that Molly was never far from her charges.

  On the right side of the living room was a door that led into what was once a smallish parlor but was now converted into a study. This room was Cathal’s office and although he might have been methodical in his academic pursuits the study looked like it had been hit by a windstorm. Books and papers covered nearly every inch of his desk and worktable as well as a substantial part of the floor. Bookshelves on two walls were stacked in the most haphazard manner with his substantial library while the other walls were adorned with pictures, prints and maps.

  Cathal insisted that he knew the location of everything in his office and his strict instructions were that nothing was to be touched for fear something might be misplaced. As a result, the only one who ventured into the office, apart from Cathal himself, was Molly because one corner was equipped with a stuffed mattress so that the great wolfhound could keep him company if she so chose.

  On the left side of the living room were two further doors that led into original bedrooms. The O’Sullivans seldom used these rooms except for storage and on an odd occasion if someone was staying the night. To the left of the fireplace in the corner nearest the bedrooms, a door led into a bathroom and toilet, added when the plumbing was moved indoors. To the right of the great fireplace another door originally led into the back garden but now provided access to many of the rooms that had been added from time to time.

  The first addition was a scullery built behind the sitting room, which had ultimately been expanded into a modern kitchen. The centerpiece of the room was a large Aga stove built into the wall that backed onto the fireplace keeping the room so warm that in the winter the couple spent as much time in the ki
tchen as they did in the living room. In the middle of kitchen a large light oak table with six chairs provided for their normal dining requirements and opposite the Aga were several old-fashioned cupboards and presses.

  Off the kitchen and behind Cathal’s study a door opened into the O’Sullivan’s addition to the home, a large master bedroom with en suite toilet and bath. Another doorway at the back left corner of the kitchen now led to a hallway off of which a new pantry and laundry room were located. The end of the hallway opened into another large room that Evelyn claimed as her studio.

  Unlike her husband’s office, Evelyn’s room was well organized and very tidy. Her design books were neatly lined up on a bookshelf, her tools were in a series of boxes designed for them and her supplies were in distinctly marked drawers. While Cathal’s office was dark, this room was brightly lit with a pair of velux windows in the ceiling and French doors that led out into a large sun porch at the back of the house. Like Cathal’s office, dog mattresses made Molly a welcome companion in each of the rooms.

  When the O’Sullivans returned from their eventful morning stroll they entered the warm sun porch leaving their muddy boots at the door. “So what do we do now?” Cathal asked as he carefully placed his bundle on a couch.

  Evelyn sat down on a cushioned chair and examined the baby, “Well, first things first,” she said. “What do we call the child?”

  Cathal looked warily at his wife, “I should think that would be up to the child’s parents, who will undoubtedly be located when we hand the child over to the proper authorities.”

  “Perhaps,” Evelyn said in all innocence, “but we can’t just say “hey you” until we do that. I propose that we call him Brian because he is certainly strong. Yes, that’s it Brian Boru O’Sullivan.”

  “I have no problem with the Brian, even the Brian Boru,” Cathal replied shaking his head, “but don’t you think that the O’Sullivan is a bit precipitous.”

  “Possibly,” his wife replied, “but if you think I am going to turn this child over to just anyone, as if he were an animal heading for the shelter, you have another thing coming. All they would do is send him off to a foster home while they search for the parents and we could be as good as any foster home. I am not going to hand him over to anyone until I am certain we are doing the right thing.”

  “I must insist my dear,” Cathal replied. “This is not our child and we cannot pretend that he is. The sooner we get to the bottom of this, the less heartache it will cause everyone.”

  Evelyn ignored her husband and held the baby close to her chest breathing in that wonderful “baby smell” from the top of his head. Nothing in her life had ever felt quite as perfect as holding Brian in her arms. Deep down she knew that Cathal was probably right but she saw nothing wrong with holding on a little longer. After all, they did not steal the baby from his rightful parents, they found him abandoned in the middle of a field.”

  “Evelyn,” Cathal repeated, “I must insist.”

  After another moment, Evelyn looked up at her husband. “All right, call my brother Paddy. Since he’s the Inspector at the Drogheda Police Station he is without a doubt the proper authorities, as you so callously put it, so we will see what he has to say.”

  Cathal knew that Paddy would do anything for his little sister but he assumed that his brother-in-law’s police training would not allow him to agree to any scheme she might be plotting to hang on to the baby so he agreed to make the call.

  It took a couple calls to locate Inspector Paddy Rice who would ordinarily have been home but, as it happened, chose to clean up some paperwork at the station. “Rice,” he announced into the telephone.

  In response Cathal spoke, “Paddy, Cathal here. We have a bit of a situation over here at the house and we would appreciate it if you would give us a bit of advice.”

  After listening to the response, Cathal said, “Oh no, nothing at all is wrong, everyone is fine. It’s just that… ah… well… I think it would be better if you could come over here and see for yourself. It is a little hard to explain.”

  “Later this afternoon… Yes that would be perfect.”

  “Of course I will give your love to Evie. We’ll see you this afternoon.”

  After hanging up the telephone Cathal turned to his wife and said, “Well, there you have it. Paddy will call out later this afternoon, so I guess we wait for him.”

  “Not exactly” Evelyn said with a smile. “We are not equipped to entertain a baby regardless of how short or long we may have to keep him. It seems to me that we have a couple of choices. You can go into the city and pick up diapers, formula, a bit of clothing – well you know, all the things a baby needs while I look after our young Brian. Or, you could look after Brian while I head off into Drogheda.”

  Cathal sighed, “That’s quite a choice. I’m not sure that I am able for either job.”

  “Yes, I suppose that isn’t on the curriculum at Trinity or UCD,” Evelyn replied with a mischievous grin. “Well I can hardly do both, particularly since we have nothing to dress him in and no car seat or any way to transport him.”

  Cathal looked down at the baby who was happily settled in his wife’s arms. “I suppose no harm would come of me looking after him, as long as you make the trip quickly. Why don’t you just go down to the shops? They should have everything we need for the few hours we will have him.”

  “Two reasons,” Evelyn responded as she rose from her chair. “The first is how do you propose that I explain my shopping list to Mrs. Nolan down at the shop. You know she will ask and even if she doesn’t everyone for miles around will be trying to figure it out within a couple of hours.”

  “And the second?” he asked.

  “There is no guaranty that we will only have him for a couple of hours,” she answered evenly, handing her husband the baby and heading for the bedroom to retrieve a pair of shoes, her purse and keys to the car.”

  Cathal followed her into the bedroom. “And what is that supposed to mean?” he asked.

  Evelyn smiled kissing the baby as she went past her husband, “As I told you, I am not just handing this child over to anyone and we will just have to wait to see what my big brother has to say.” With that Evelyn went out the front door and started the car.

  Cathal meanwhile settled into the chair recently vacated by his wife. Molly stretched out beside the chair and dozed in the warm sunshine. Cathal looked at the little child he held in his arms. “You do have the most remarkable blue eyes,” he said. “I can see why my wife would become attached to you, but you do understand that there are laws and rules that must be obeyed don’t you?”

  The baby smiled happily as Cathal shook his head and wondered why he had actually expressed his thoughts out loud to a child who arguably could not understand what he said. As he did so, he suddenly felt unnatural warmth spreading over the left side of his stomach and down his legs. “I suppose you have been holding that for just such an occasion,” he said to the baby. The little fellow seemed to giggle as a few bubbles formed on his lips. Cathal closed his eyes, shook his head and laughed.

  Cathal looked around helplessly half expecting his wife to appear and relieve him of his wet burden but then he realized that he would have to fend for himself. Removing the child’s robe, he took him to the kitchen sink and rinsed the little fellow’s lower half with warm water. He then retrieved a bath towel from the linen closet and wrapped the child. Removing his own damp trousers, Cathal donned a dressing robe and returned to his chair to await the return of his wife.

  In time Evelyn returned from her shopping, arriving at the same time as her brother, Paddy. Cathal eyed the two suspiciously as they entered the sun porch wondering if his wife already had a word with the police inspector. It wouldn’t have been the first time that pair cooked something up without a word to Cathal, until the matter was already settled. His concerns were obviously misplaced because Paddy was quite surprised to see the infant in his brother-in-law’s arms.

  “Good to see you P
addy,” Cathal said in greeting, “Pardon me if I don’t get up but I have a bit of a bundle.”

  “So I see,” Paddy replied looking curiously at the child.

  “What happened to the two of you?” Evelyn asked as she relieved her husband of the baby.

  “A bit of an accident,” her husband answered. “After several hours I suppose it was to be expected.”

  Cuddling the baby, Evelyn said, “Oh did you piddle all over Daddy, you poor thing you?”

  Paddy, looking even more confused than ever, finally had enough, “All right, will one of you please tell me what is going on?”

  “Yes, of course,” Cathal replied as he directed Paddy to a seat. “The long and the short of it was that we were out walking along a hillside overlooking the Boyne, when we, or should I say Molly, found this baby, obviously abandoned.”

  Paddy replied, “I see. So you want me to make a report and take the baby to the hospital.”

  Evelyn quickly interrupted, “Well it is a little more complicated than that. The baby is obviously as healthy as a horse so there is no need to rush him to a hospital. And then, even though he was apparently abandoned, the place where we found him, the crib that he was left in, and a few things that were left behind are so amazing they… well… they defy belief.”

  “In what way?” the Inspector asked. “It seems quite straightforward to me.”

  “Let me start from the beginning,” Cathal said, “and see what you think.”

  With that Cathal described the morning’s occurrences from the time the couple left the house until they returned. He also described his observations, from the condition of the child, the size of the crib and the state of the long wet grasses around the site. Cathal then explained that he concluded it was highly unlikely that anyone had been at the site for at least several hours before they arrived and yet, the child was found in bright sunshine without a whisper of sun blush. When he finished, Cathal showed Paddy the gold that had been found in the bushes nearby.