Even in a small community like Rundimahair, it seemed extremely unlikely that every single person was of Irish ancestry. Even if that were possible, how had they maintained the pleasant, strong accents over the generations. It was true that some had less accent than others, but they all had Irish accents.
These, and many other questions, were piling up in Sean’s mind. There were so many strange and seemingly unexplainable incongruences surrounding the odd but beautiful Rundimahair.
Sean’s train of thought was interrupted when he drove over a hill and saw a man and woman trying to rescue a cow from a muddy quagmire at the bottom of the hill. The dirt road was dry for as far as he could see in both directions. Somehow the valley at the bottom of two hills was a muddy quagmire.
Sean drove down the hill within about fifty feet of the muddy mess in the base of the valley. When the man sitting on an old horse-drawn wagon turned to look at Sean’s Cadillac, Sean could see he was quite old. Ancient was the word that came to mind. This was a scene right out of an old black and white western.
The woman he’d seen sitting in the back of the old buckboard now appeared to be more of a girl- perhaps seventeen or eighteen. She had dark auburn hair and fair skin. Like many of the females he’d seen during his visit so far, this girl was unusually beautiful.
“Hello,” Sean called out as he walked down the hill. “Can I be of any help?”
The old man didn’t appear to be unfriendly, but it was safe to say his expression was guarded. The teenage girl’s attitude was completely opposite, as she jumped out of the rugged old wagon and smiled brightly.
“It would be a kind and generous fellow who would offer us a helping hand. As you can clearly see, we sure and truly require assistance,” she said, as she walked toward him.
The old fellow climbed down off the wagon seat with slow, methodical movements. He stared at Sean approaching but didn’t say a word. Sean wondered if he kept a rifle under the wagon seat, like he’d seen in so many old movies.
The pretty young girl ran up to meet Sean before he was halfway down the hill. Instead of offering a hand to shake, she embraced him warmly and said, “My name is Ailbe and you must be the ever so handsome stranger in town. Your name is Sean, is it not?” she asked when she let him go.
Sean couldn’t help but smile at the girl’s outgoing, confident nature. Yes, my name is Sean. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Ailbe.”
“Well Sean, the pleasure is all ours. As you can plainly see, one of our cows got through the fence and into a spot of trouble. Our irrigation ditch sprang a leak, so it did. most of the water ran into this hollow and made a muddy mess of things.”
“He looks to be pretty well bogged down all right,” Sean agreed, as they approached the bottom of the hill. “Sean Quinn’s the name, he added, offering his hand to the old fellow.
The old man looked Sean over carefully before finally shaking his hand. “I go by Aengus,” he said in a slow Irish accented drawl. “We don’t get many strangers ‘round here. We heard about you sure enough, but didn’t expect to make your acquaintance. We don’t get into town all that much.”
Aengus still held Sean’s hand in a surprisingly firm shake. He might be older than the hills, but he still had a fair grip. Sean finally pulled his hand free and said, “Are you going to pull him out with that wagon?”
“Tried that with very little success,” Aengus said calmly. He didn’t appear frustrated or angry, despite the messy situation he was in.
“That’s because you wouldn’t let me lend a hand, dear Daideo, Ailbe said with a smile.
Sean saw a sharp glance pass from Aengus to the girl. “That will be enough of that talk, dearest.”
Ailbe turned and rolled her eyes at Sean. He smiled and said, “It sounded like you called him Dadyo. Is he your Dad?”
She laughed heartily before saying, “does he look young enough to be my Da? No, I called him Daideo, which is an affectionate term for grandfather in these parts.”
“In the Irish language you mean?” Sean asked.
“What else would I mean, Sean?”
Sean started to offer a sarcastic response, but he thought better of it when he saw the tense look on Aengus’ face.
Instead he said, “Irish does seem to be the official language around here.”
“My Daideo’s wagon only has two horsepower, as you can surely see,” Ailbe said, pointing to the two horses pulling the wagon. “I’d venture a guess that your shiny new car has a wee bit more horses under the hood–would I be right?”
Sean couldn’t resist her charming smile and chuckled, as he said, “Indeed it does, Ailbe. If you two could untie the rope from the wagon, I’ll back the Cadillac down the hill. We’ll tie the rope onto the trailer hitch and see if we can coax that big fellow out of the quagmire.”
“A good and fine idea if I’ve ever heard one, Sean. “Will you be willing to let me ride along with you while we pull Gertie out of the muck?”
Sean was wise enough to look at Aengus for approval before he responded. The old gentleman gave him a tiny smile and nodded his approval.
“Come along then, Sean said to Ailbe.
“That I will!” she shouted, as she ran up the hill with surprising speed.
“That girl has the energy of a dozen good men, Sean. You’d best hurry along if you don’t want her trying to start your fine car for you.”
Sean turned and hurried up the hill behind Ailbe. When he got to the Cadillac, he wasn’t too surprised to see her sitting behind the wheel. He was glad he’d put the keys in his pocket before leaving the vehicle earlier.
“It’s the finest car I’ve ever laid eyes on, Sean,” she said enthusiastically. “I’d bet my last dollar she’ll fly down the road fast enough to take a girl’s breath away.” Ailbe turned and stared at Sean while giving him a ‘come hither’ smile. “I’d wager you know a thing or two about taking a girl’s breath away. Am I right, Sean?”
While he might only be six or seven years older than Ailbe, he wasn’t about to get into a flirting match with her. “No wonder your grandfather’s hair is gray. I’d guess your Da’s hair is the same from raising a wild young girl like you.” He smiled to soften his words, but he wanted her to know he wasn’t going to play her games. “Scoot over to the passenger’s seat and we’ll go rescue Gertie before she disappears from sight.”
She gave him a pretty pout, but to her credit, she quickly smiled and moved lithely into the passenger’s seat. Sean reckoned she would be a heartbreaker in a few years, if she wasn’t already.
While he drove slowly down the dusty hill, Ailbe turned on the radio. Sean had been listening to a Carrie Underwood CD and her song: Temporary Home, filled the car with her powerful but often tender voice.
“I love her music so much,” Ailbe said enthusiastically. “I didn’t know older guys liked her too.”
Sean laughed and said, “I’m only twenty-four. It’s not like I grew up in the sixties.”
“I’ll be eighteen in six months,” she said, giving Sean a hopeful smile.
He glanced at her and said, “Ailbe, you’re going to make some lucky young man a very happy guy. In the meantime, try to stay out of trouble.”
She stared at him for a moment before breaking into a smile and saying, “I’ve got so many kinfolks watching over me that I couldn’t get into trouble if I wanted to.”
“Something tells me it’s going to take all of them to keep you in line,” he said, as they circled around and backed up to the mud hole.
Her cheerful laugh followed him as he climbed out of the car. By the time he got to the back of the car, Aengus nearly had the knot tied around the trailer hitch. “Slow and easy it goes, young fella,” he said with his easy drawl.
When he put the SUV in gear and began moving slowly up the hill, he felt the resistance when the rope became taut. He continued to apply a little more gas until he felt movement behind them.
“Give it the gas!” he heard Aengus shout.
Sean pushed on the
gas and after a brief hesitation, he felt the massive cow come free. He continued slowly up the rise until Gertie was walking on dry ground.
Gertie greeted him with an annoyed moo when he shut down the engine and walked to the back of the car. She looked very annoyed, but at least she was safe.
“Well and finely done, Sean,” Aengus said, before giving him a firm pat on the back.
“Glad I could help,” he said. “I’ll be heading back to town to meet Ashling and Eamon for lunch. Good luck with wandering, Gertie,” he added, as he opened the driver’s side door and climbed inside.
Albie tapped on the glass and motioned for him to open the window. When Sean hit the button to lower the window, Albie leaned in close and said, with a mischievous grin, “I see how it is, Sean.”
“And what is that supposed to mean?” he asked, smiling.
“Ashling is a rare beauty, if you like older women,” she said with a twinkle in her eye.
“She’s no more than my own age–not that it matters,” he said.
“Are you sure about that?” Ailbe asked grinning, as she added, “Is it her green eyes that make you go weak in the knees?”
“The only thing that might have me a little weak in the knees is the ill effects from my accident,” Sean said, returning her smile.
“Still and all, if it’s green eyes you have a hankering for, then all you have to do is say so,” Ailbe said, leaning in until their faces were only inches apart.
Sean couldn’t hold back a gasp of surprise when Ailbe’s lovely brown eyes suddenly appeared to turn a sparkling shade of emerald green.
Ailbe stared at him intently for another few moments, and then her eyes slowly returned to her natural caramel brown color. “Whatever you like, Sean. Whatever you like,” she said with a flirtatious smile, as she slowly stepped back from his car.
“That will be enough of your shameless flirting, young lady,” Aengus said mildly. He was smiling, but Sean thought he detected a hidden warning in his tone.
Ailbe seemed to pick up on her grandfather’s tone also, as her smile faded a bit. “Please plan to join us for a meal before you return to your real world,” she said.
Though still a bit shaken, Sean smiled and said, “I’m not sure how long I’ll be in town, but I will if I can.”
While he was driving back to town, the image of her beautiful brown eyes changing to emerald green and then back to brown played over and over in his mind. He also wondered what she meant by “his real world”. He finally tried to laugh it off as more of her teenage silliness and his own overactive imagination.
Instead of Ailbe’s eyes, Sean tried to focus on the beautiful countryside he’d seen. During his tour of Rundimahair and the surrounding area, the property developer in him had selected several fine locations that would be perfect for development of a medium-sized strip mall. He could anchor it with a major-chain grocery store, since he hadn’t seen one in town.
It was part of what he found charming, but also a little strange about Rundimahair. It was set up much like an Irish village from two or three-hundred years ago. Of course, they had modern conveniences such as electricity, telephones, and indoor plumbing, but it all seemed to be added on instead of built into the building’s original floor plan. There wasn’t a building of modern design anywhere in town.
Aengus riding around in a wagon right out of the old west was part of the strangeness he felt. Why wouldn’t he be using a tractor, or some other motor driven vehicle, to rescue Gertie? He wondered if some folks in the outskirts of town might be like the Amish who disdained the use of modern conveniences. Rundimahair was definitely a charming but somewhat mysterious place.
* * *
The following morning, Ashling had been home when he came down for breakfast. He’d gladly accepted Ashling’s offer to accompany her as she ran errands throughout the morning. It turned out to be a pleasant time, filled with agreeable conversation, as he got to know more residents and store owners in town.
Ashling had kept their personal conversation neutral and continued avoiding in-depth answers to his questions. Eventually, he gave up on seeking answers and just enjoyed her company.
One question he would really like an answer to was why everyone in town seemed to have an Irish accent. This continued to baffle him each time he thought of it. The older folks in town had the strongest accent, but even the younger adults and all the children spoke with an Irish lilt. It appeared that only Irish families settled down in the strange little town of Rundimahair.
When they’d returned to the walkway in front of Ashling’s home, Sean thought he noticed some movement in the hedge that ran along the side yard. When he glanced at Ashling, he realized she’d seen it too and appeared tense or even angry.
“Did you see–” was all Sean could say before Ashling cut him off.
“Wait right here,” she said forcefully, and hurried into the house without further explanation.
Sean was surprised by her sudden change in demeanor. She went from a friendly, sometimes teasing young woman to deadly serious in a matter of seconds.
His surprise continued when he saw a blur of motion rushing from the side hedge into the back yard. Either his eyes were playing tricks on him, or something had just rushed into the back yard quicker than his eye could follow. He wondered whether he should investigate what he’d seen or just stay where he was.
A sudden crashing noise and the distinct sound of breaking glass spurred Sean into motion. He rushed up to the front door only to find it locked. He ran around to the back door and saw that it was not only open but barely hanging on its hinges. The door’s glass lite had been shattered as though something hit it with tremendous force.
“Ashling, are you all right?” he shouted, as he ran through the ruined doorway.
He turned and stepped through the café doors into the kitchen where all the noise was coming from. It was like stepping into a war zone. The refrigerator was open with much of the contents strewn about on the floor. Several of the upper cabinets had been torn from the wall, and others appeared to have been singed black by fire. The old wood stove was lying in pieces in the middle of the kitchen floor. Water was spraying out of the hole where the sink had been, and the sink was sitting on top of the dining room table.
“Ashling, where are you?” he shouted.
“Get out of here now, Sean!”
Sean heard her warning and turned toward the open door to the pantry. It sounded like her voice came from inside, but he had difficulty seeing anything clearly. The entire kitchen was filling with a mixture of blue-gray smoke that smelled faintly of burnt almonds.
Before he could enter the pantry, there was a fierce rush of hot air and smoke that bellowed out at him. Something fast and strong crashed into him, and he was knocked off his feet and sent sprawling into the cabinets on the other side of the kitchen. His head cracked hard against the edge of the countertop and he collapsed to the floor, as unconsciousness came flooding in on him.
Sean thought he heard Ashling urgently calling his name and struggled to open his eyes. What he saw wasn’t Ashling; it was a grotesque, bird-like creature coming directly at him. The creature had long, razor- sharp teeth on display, as it closed in on him with its beak wide open. Just before it reached him, the creature was struck by what appeared to be a whirling ball of gas. The terrifying creature was blown to bits in an explosion of searing hot red and blue lights.
Sean had closed his eyes. When he opened his eyes again, the terrifying creature was nowhere in sight. The kitchen was a disaster area, although he could barely see anything through the smoky haze still lingering in the air following the explosion.
“Sean, are you all right,” Ashling cried out as she knelt beside him.
He looked up to see her lovely face come into view, as the smoke quickly began to clear. Her hair was a mess, and her face was covered with dirt smudges. There also appeared to be several cuts on her face and one large gash on her forehead. Sean tried to lift his hand
to the bloody gash but found he didn’t have the strength.
“This is…the strangest dream I’ve ever…” Sean started to say, but lost track of his thoughts. “Such a lovely woman-even after slaying a dragon. I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a…” Sean stopped mumbling as his consciousness was quickly slipping away.
“It’s all right, Sean. Everything is going to be all right,” she said soothingly, as she touched her hands to each of his temples.
He tried to respond, but as soon as she touched his temples, his pain and discomfort suddenly vanished. All he had time for was a quick smile before he sank into sweet oblivion.
* * *
Darkness had descended when Sean opened his eyes again. He was back in his pajamas and lying in bed. His inner clock was telling him something wasn’t quite right about this, but he couldn’t reason out what might be wrong.
Even though he was feeling dizzy and weak, he tried to sit up on the edge of his bed. The first attempt was a failure, and he slumped back against his pillow. The second try was only marginally better, but he did manage to achieve an upright, sitting position.
The past few days seemed to be a murky quagmire in his memory, as he struggled to clear his mind. Only brief flashes were revealed that didn’t seem to have any connection to each other. There was something about being attacked by a large animal—some kind of bird?
He could recall the accident that had brought him here and knew he was staying at the home of Eamon and Ashling Cahir. There was also a vague recollection of meeting Ailbe and Aengus, while rescuing their cow, Gertie. Had that been today or the day before?
The harder he tried to recall, the murkier his memory became. He finally gave up completely because the effort was giving him a splitting headache. It was time to head for the kitchen and a little midnight snack. His hunger pangs were almost as acute as the headache. Sean reasoned that food might cure both ailments.
He struggled to a standing position and realized he ached all over. Was he still this beat up from the accident? Again, it didn’t seem right, but he couldn’t come up with any other explanation.
Rundimahair: A new hero for a new adventure Page 5