The Gathering

by S L Dearing

  "No, Kaley, I asked you how your music studies were coming and you looked up from your drink and said 'fine' and then looked down at your drink again. I asked you about any new instruments you've been studying and you said ‘mandolin.’ You asked me how my grandmother was and I told you in long and complete sentences. Are you completely nuts?"

  Kaley laughed.

  "Well, that would be convenient for you, wouldn't it?"

  Ian shook his head.

  "No, Kaley. No, it wouldn't. Cause you see, to be completely honest, and I think this conversation will either make or break us; the truth is that I've been in love with you since you were twelve. The day you beat the hell out of Ben Keller for pulling your hair, remember? I looked at you and thought 'Wow, she's amazing' and every time I've seen you since, you have become more and more amazing."

  Kaley was now staring at Ian with a look of absolute surprise.

  "So no, it would not be convenient for the woman I happened to be in love with to be nuts. No. Unfortunately, I'm seeing that pattern emerge and it's disturbing, really."

  Kaley stood silent before him and glared.

  Did he say “in love?” Yes, he said “in love.”

  She stared at him. She was crazy. He just wanted to dance to make her feel more relaxed. She realized she had been terrified to say the wrong thing. She had a made a horrible fool of herself and in front of the one person she was trying desperately not to.

  Now she didn't know what to do and that made her angrier. She threw her arms in the air and walked off.

  Ian looked around and then yelled after her.

  "Hey!"

  The tone in his voice made her stop. He walked up to her and grabbed her arm, spinning her around to face him, where he grabbed her other arm. She looked at the ground ashamed to meet his eyes, trying to fight off the tears.

  "Look at me."

  She would not. His voice softened.

  "Look at me."

  She raised her face and looked into his eyes, as a tear ran down her cheek. His eyes were blue like his father's, clear and shining. He looked at her and wiped the tear off her face.

  "I'm sorry," she said. "I don't know why I did that. I think I’m just…"

  He took her face in his hands and lifted her eyes to his.

  "…Scared," he said.

  The tears started to come and she nodded.

  "That's why I wanted to dance,” he said. “To get rid of the last six months of distance and get you to a place where you were comfortable with me like the last Gathering. You know, on the way here, all I could think about was what if she doesn’t feel about me the way I feel about her? But then I realized it didn't matter. I love you."

  "You keep saying that."

  "Yeah, I do and I don't expect you to say it back. I just want us to get to a place where you can talk, like now."

  "I know... I didn't realize I was doing that."

  She wiped her face and Ian smiled and kissed her forehead. Kaley could feel only how she belonged there. Why was she so afraid? She thought about him all the time, even though she didn't want to admit it.

  Ian made her look up at him.

  "Look, I'm not going anywhere. I love you. It's that simple, try not to complicate it."

  Ian turned and started to walk away.

  "Where are you going?"

  Ian stopped and looked back around at Kaley.

  "I'm going to get a couple of ales. Then I would like to dance with you, if you don’t mind?"

  Kaley smiled and shook her head.

  "No, I don’t mind."

  "Good. Stop being crazy so we can have a good time."

  Ian turned and started to walk, when he stopped again and turned back around. Kaley looked like a little girl waiting to be invited to the party. Ian smiled and held out his hand. Kaley walked over and it.

  "I'm sorry."

  "I know, stop apologizing, please."

  Ian kissed the back of her hand and then looked at her.

  "Besides if I get you to fall in love with me then I figure I better get used to it, right?"

  Kaley smiled slightly as Ian led them back to Donagan's. She already knew the answer to that question. He would get used to it.

  26

  Brian Stark ran through the Fail streets with Joe Levine and Jerry and Liam Turner. Grant Turner's brother Bill and his wife had stayed behind to look over those who had chosen to stay at St. Paul's, but they didn't think the boys should have to stay, so Grant had brought them along.

  All evening, the four boys had managed to acquire cakes and drink without paying a cent. They were currently chasing a soccer ball through the streets, when Brian jumped up for a header and ran right into Justin Roberts.

  The collision caused Brian to fall to the ground and the other boys to stop dead in their tracks.

  "My goodness, Mr. Stark! Such foolhardy behavior could lead to quite an accident."

  Justin held out his hand to help Brian up.

  "Sorry, Mr. Roberts."

  Brian looked over at Clara Roberts and quickly glanced away when she smiled at him.

  Joe wandered off to see where the ball had gone and the Turner boys followed. They all sensed a lecture coming.

  "Perhaps you should come along with us, Brian? We were going to the cake competition."

  Brian's mind darted in all directions. What kind of excuse could he use? His mother would kill him if he offended any of the dignitaries. His mind was a blank. He could feel the tide of resignation sweep over him and he was about to agree.

  "There you are, Young Man!"

  Helen came up behind him with Amanda in tow.

  "Do you have any idea what time it is?"

  Brian was stunned. He had two hours left, what could she possibly be talking about?

  He looked up at her and was about to shake his head, when he saw her eyebrows rise and he then understood the game. He shook his head.

  "No, I forgot to check the clock."

  "Well, it's time for you to help me gather your young siblings. I have Miss Amanda, but we appear to have lost Brandon and Lisa, so a little assistance if you don't mind?"

  Brian turned back around to Justin and Clara and shrugged his shoulders.

  "Thanks for invitation, but I have to help Helen find the kids. Good luck."

  Justin nodded and Clara's face dropped as they walked on towards the cake competition. Brian watched them walk away and then turned back to Helen.

  "Thanks, Helen."

  "You're welcome. Watch where you're going from now on, but if you do see the twins, let them know they have no time left. This one is on her way to bed."

  Amanda was pulling on Helen's iron grip.

  "I'm not tired."

  "I'm sure."

  Helen watched her stomp her foot and begin to yawn, her big eyes growing ever smaller.

  Brian laughed and looked around Helen to see the Turners calling Brian over to them. Brian turned back to Helen. She raised her hand.

  "Go on, just don't make me come looking for you later, got it?"

  "Yes, Ma'am! Thanks again!"

  Brian smiled and ran off to join the Turners, as Helen picked up Amanda who still protested that she was not tired as she rubbed her eyes and laid her head on Helen's shoulder.

  Jerry Turner bade Brian follow him.

  "Dude, you're not gonna believe what we found."

  "What?"

  "C'mon," Liam said.

  Brian followed them through the streets to a small alcove near the north end of the village. Brian had been all over the village, but didn't remember this alcove.

  "Where's Joe?"

  Suddenly a hand came out of the darkness and grabbed his foot. Brian screamed and fell backwards.

  "What the hell?"

  Joe Levine came out of the darkness laughing.

  "Sorry, Man. It was too easy."

  Brian got up and dusted himself off. Jerry leaned in.

  "Hey, Brian, what is this place?"

  Brian walke
d into the alcove, shaking his head.

  "I don't know. I've never seen it before."

  Liam sat by the opening.

  "What do you mean you've never seen it? You live here, right?"

  Brian looked at him.

  "Shut up."

  He then turned to Joe.

  "How far does it go in?"

  Joe shrugged.

  "I just went in a little ways to get the ball, but it looks like it goes real deep into the wall."

  Brian smiled and turned towards the other boys.

  "Let's see where it goes."

  The other boys all looked at one another. Joe shrugged his shoulders.

  "Sure."

  Jerry got up to go, but Liam wasn’t as sure as his brother and remained seated.

  "What if it's somewhere we're not supposed to be?"

  Brian walked over and offered Liam his hand.

  "We'll just go a little way. It might be too dark to see much, so then we'll come back."

  Liam was chewing on his bottom lip, staring into the blackness, but he eventually took Brian's hand and got up, then the four of them disappeared into the black.

  The rock walls were damp and the light from the streets illuminated a turn to the right as they moved along. Liam was clutching Jerry's shirt. Jerry in turn was pushing it away.

  "Cut it out, you're choking me, Baby!"

  "I’m not a baby!"

  "Then stop acting like it."

  Joe was leading the way and he estimated they were about fifty feet from their start. They had made another left and then another right.

  "Why would anyone make a tunnel like this in a wall?"

  Brian shrugged.

  "Can't we go back now?" Liam asked.

  "Shut up!" the other boys hissed.

  A noise came from behind them.

  "Did you hear that?" Liam asked.

  "Hear what?" Jerry replied.

  "Hey, check it out" Joe stated, which caused Liam to look forward.

  Before them was the end of their journey. A wrought iron gate stood about six feet tall and led directly to the outside. Joe had his hands on his hips.

  "Why do you think this is here?"

  Brian shrugged.

  "I don't know."

  "Too bad it's locked," piped in Jerry.

  "Locked?" Joe said. "It wouldn't open period. Look."

  The wrought iron of the gate entered the stone on all sides and even sunk into the earth below. There was no way to open the barrier. Brian was inspecting the gate again, when the same noise alerted Liam.

  "There it is! That noise!"

  The four boys slowly moved back down the tunnel all bunched together, looking in all directions. They were about halfway back to the alcove entrance when…

  "AAAIIGGGGG!"

  All four boys screamed and fell backwards, scrambling over one another, until they heard the laughter.

  "You should have seen your faces."

  Brandon and Lisa were laughing and pointing at Brian and his friends.

  "You're dead!"

  Brandon and Lisa stopped suddenly and took off to the entrance of the Alcove, being chased by the older boys, when they ran into Patsy and Carol, the other nannies.

  "There you are! I distinctly remember your mother telling you that you needed to come back for bed by eleven."

  From around the corner, Brian, Joe and the Turners skidded to a stop.

  Patsy held up her hand.

  "And you lot, you have less then two hours, Brian."

  "Yes, Ma'am."

  "Joe Levine, your mother was looking for you. Ok, let's go, Twins, bedtime."

  Patsy took Brandon's wrist and Carol took Lisa's hand. They walked away from the alcove, but the twins turned and in unison stuck their tongue out at their older brother. Jerry Turner lunged, but Brian caught him.

  "Forget it, Man."

  Jerry nodded.

  "What about this place?" Liam asked.

  Brian shrugged.

  "What about it? It's not like we can get outside through there."

  Joe agreed.

  "Yeah, besides I have to find out what my mom wants."

  He took off towards Donagan’s, followed by Brian and Liam. Jerry stood there for a moment and then turned and ran back into the tunnel. He followed the corners back to the strange gate. Once there he shook it a few times to see if it would budge. He reached through the open bars to see if he could feel any handles on the outside, but there were none.

  He was just about to bring his arm back in when something grabbed it. It was pulling and yanking and Jerry felt little sharp pricks along his arm.

  "Arrgghh, let go!"

  It was so strong that he felt his face being pressed against the cold iron gate. His arm was beginning to go numb, so with a deep breath he braced his feet against the gate and with this other arm, pushed back with all his strength.

  He flew back against the cold stone wall and hit his head. He slumped down and tried to clear his vision, shaking his head. He tried to stand up and then he felt the breeze. It was freezing cold. Then he felt the pain in his head. It was excruciating. He grabbed the back of his head with both hands and began to rock, while he gritted his teeth and yelled for help, but no one could hear him above the night's festivities. He must have hit his head harder than he thought. He wanted his mother and thought about her face. The way she always took care of him and Liam. The hot tears were running down his cheeks.

  Suddenly the pain began to subside to a dull thud. He opened his eyes and saw a blurry gate. He rubbed his eyes, wiping away the tears and the gate came into focus, at least he wasn't suffering from double vision. He rubbed the back of his head and started to stand up. He found his bearings and started to walk back to the front of the tunnel.

  When he was at the entrance of the tunnel, he heard that same noise behind him and spun around. He reached to his neck and looked back. Just as he was about to take a step back in, a hand was on his shoulder.

  He jumped and spun around to see Molly and Jones behind him. Molly leaned over and got in Jerry's face.

  "You don't belong in there, do you?"

  Jerry's eyes were the size of saucers and he shook his head, feeling the stone wall behind him, he stayed close against it until his path was clear and then took off running in the direction he had seen the others go.

  Molly stood upright again and looked at Jones, who was eating a turkey leg.

  "Do you remember this alcove being here?"

  Jones shrugged and chewed.

  "Weird. Still hungry?"

  Jones smiled and chewed.

  Molly laughed and they moved on towards the cakes. As they walked on, a shadow stepped from the darkness and slipped into the tunnel unseen.

  27

  Sam and Coeli walked through the village streets as they talked. Coeli felt as if she could float. They stopped by the Pasadena pastry booth.

  Sam looked at the booth and then at Coeli.

  “Have you ever had a real éclair?”

  “As opposed to a fake one?”

  Sam laughed.

  “No, I mean, my grandmother is Romany French and they make her recipe here. They’re really amazing.”

  Coeli smiled and put her hands behind her back.

  “Then no, I’ve never had a real éclair.”

  Sam turned and walked over to the booth. He asked the lady for two éclairs and handed her the money. He handed one to Coeli and then realized he had forgotten something and handed her the other. She waited patiently with a slight smile on her lips while he went back to the stand. She looked around at the tables until Sam came back holding a glass of milk.

  “I hope you don’t mind sharing, I didn’t bring enough…”

  “No, I don’t mind.”

  He smiled at her. She handed him his éclair and licked her thumb. He stared at her for a minute, feeling slightly lightheaded as she licked the chocolate off her thumb. He set down the glass and then as she reached for her chair, he slipped his
arm in and grabbed it before she could, gently pulling it out for her. Her stomach leapt and she blushed.

  “Thank you.”

  Coeli sat down and felt the slight brush of Sam’s arm against her back as he walked to the other chair. Every hair on her body was standing on end. She looked over at him and as he was scooting in his chair, his long red hair fell against his face and he shook his head to get it out of his eyes. Her heart began to pound in her chest. He leaned forward and looked her directly in the eyes and then raised his eyebrows.

  “You are going to eat that, right?”

  “Yeah, it’s an éclair. No one has to force me to eat an éclair.”

  He laughed.

  “Just checking. A lot of girls say they want something sweet, but then they won’t eat it, you know?”

  “It's got sugar in it. In my family, that's a food group.”

  “Go ahead then."

  Sam motioned for her to try the éclair.

  He watched as she lifted the confection to her mouth and waited anxiously as she slowly took a bite. He felt his breathing get faster as he watched her mouth close around the delicacy.

  Coeli bit into the éclair. The dough was light and fluffy and the chocolate was thick and sticky dark, but the magic happened when the filling burst into her mouth. It was some kind of combination of heavy custard and whipped cream. She closed her eyes and let it slide down her throat.

  “Mmm, this is so good. I think this is the most amazing thing I’ve ever tasted.”

  “I speak the truth, do I not?”

  “Totally.”

  They smiled and Sam bit into his éclair, as Coeli took another bite. They sat smiling and eating for a moment when Coeli reached for the milk and Sam, trying to anticipate, put his hand around the glass to push it forward. His fingers closed around hers and they stopped and looked at one another with little smiles on their lips as Sam gently pushed the milk to Coeli.

  She smiled and took a drink, handing it back to him. He took the glass and once again, their fingers caressed, wet with condensation during the transfer.

  Coeli watched him drink and as he put the glass down, he noticed that she was still watching him.