Scotia's Grave

by T L Harty

  “We may have time to make it all that way there and back. Either way, this will be a beautiful drive. We can stop at shops or farm stands, if you like. I’ve visited British Columbia before, never this part of Canada.”

  The ride was filled with all manner of laughter, conversation and overdue bonding time. The main focus of the ride: be Deidra’s mom. I missed that and didn’t realize how many intrusive expectations had taken that away.

  Almost a half hour outside of Quebec City, emotions began to overwhelm me. A lump in my throat became a precursor for ever-increasing tears. At one point, the sobbing impaired my vision, forcing me to pull the car over. I’d spent so much time today crying, but this was different. My heart mourned lives cut short and dreams unfulfilled. Not my own, but who’s?

  “You need to turn around, Mom,” Deidra said, calmly. “It’s much too soon to travel here. I can drive, if you need me to. Macy has been teaching me.”

  Not being capable to do much of anything, I exited the car and went around to the passenger side. The depth of my suffering so overwhelming that I had to take pause, thinking I may vomit before getting in the car. Deidra was already in the driver’s seat. Once I got in, she executed a skillful U-turn and we were heading back.

  This feeling dove deeper than mere sorrow…it felt as though someone was strangling my soul. A moan escaped me. Deidra put her hand on my leg and tapped it three times. My tears stopped flowing and regular breathing returned instead of the gasps of sorrow. My heart slowly returned to a normal pace of function.

  Opening my eyes, I watched my daughter drive confidently behind the wheel. When her time came to become queen she would handle it like a pro.

  She glanced over quickly. “Are you OK now?”

  “Yes,” I replied. “I apologize for ruining our day. It was the oddest thing.”

  Deidra pulled over to the side of the road. “I know how to drive, but without a license, I really shouldn’t be doing this. Switch?”

  “It might be too dangerous. What if that happens again?”

  “You’ll be fine on the way back,” Deidra assured.

  I believed her. We switched seats once again. The agony had left me, but the memory of it would stain my day.

  “How do you know I’ll make it from here?” I said, merging onto an empty road.

  “Quebec City is where Grosse Isle is located. Thousands of our people died on that island, trying to migrate here from the motherland and escape starvation. People caught fevers on the trip or died on the way. Sometimes, authorities wouldn’t let ships dock if they feared sickness. After a while, they would set up quarantine stations and Grosse Isle was one of those stations, but it’s hard to survive without proper food and water.”

  “I didn’t know so many Irish came here. I always thought the French ruled the roost,” I said.

  “You really should hang out with Tracy more,” Deidra suggested. “If all our people hadn’t died, Canada might have been more of an Irish area. Miramichi, on the eastern coast, is called Canada’s Irish capitol. It rivals Boston as a town known for its Irish roots. And at the turn of the century, the Montreal Shamrocks even won a few Stanley Cups!”

  “Aren’t you little Ms. History-in-the-making!”

  We drove in silence for a while, as I monitored my emotional progress.

  “The one thing I don’t understand is why you didn’t get as upset as I did?” I wondered.

  “You’re complete. You have all three.”

  I glanced over at her, confused.

  “Mom,” Deidra started. “Remember how Tracy explained the number three to us in the beginning? She showed us pictures of ancient stones that were carved with three faces. Celtic tribes practically worshipped the number three.”

  There was a vague memory of that from our history lessons, so I nodded.

  “You come from the line of Ellowee, you have known great love and you have suffered great loss. You’re complete. A Celtic priestess…a Druidess, and because of your line- Danu. The number three whirls around you!” Deidra said.

  “I need to talk to you about something.”

  My abrupt change of subject silenced Deidra.

  “Owen is not the right choice.” The sentence wasn’t spoken with as much care as it required. After blurting it out, I realized the error.

  “That’s not true,” she argued. “He’s perfect.”

  “He has hemochromatosis, also known as the Celtic blood curse. There is a possibility it will be passed down to your children, which doesn’t make him a good match. If you want to accept the responsibility of being the next queen, this is all part of it.”

  The rest of the drive was silent, but we arrived at the castle soon enough. Half the council ran out the front door as we passed by on our way to the newly discovered parking lot. The other half came out the kitchen door. They were all in a tizzy about the way we took off without telling anyone.

  Once the car door opened, their voices melded together into an incomprehensible din. I had neither the patience nor the time for such things, so I made my way through the small group to the kitchen. I threw the keys to the chef, thanking him for the use of the car.

  After getting upstairs, a knock on my door sounded a short two minutes after I entered.

  “Go away.”

  “Muriel, we must talk about tonight,” Clio said.

  “I’ll be there. No more talking, Clio. Not right now. Could you please have dinner sent up?” I asked. “I’ll go take a sauna for the sweat required and come see you before the ceremony.”

  The footsteps retreated and as Deidra came to me in a vision, I threw myself on the bed. She was telling a surprised Owen that they weren’t a good match. This gave me hope that Deidra would accept the responsibilities to come.

  Clio sent up dinner on a tray, which included a huge pitcher of water. A note attached to a small vial, reminded me to hydrate before the sauna. I ate a few bites of food, but drank as much water as possible before my bladder felt as though it would burst.

  The ceremony began at 9pm and it was now 6pm, so I had plenty of time to spare. Instead of asking for directions to the sauna, I sat down in the chair, attempting to envision its location. I’m not sure what I expected…a detailed map or a big red star that notated “the sauna is here,” but I gave it a whirl and concentrated on my destination.

  After a short while, when all other thoughts had left me, I saw the hallway outside my bedroom. As though floating, the image carried me downstairs to the long hallway. It was so familiar, passing the apartments on the right. Just before the patio and the glass, sliding doors, a puff of steam shot out from the left. No sign hung on the door, but that must be it.

  I changed into a tank top, grabbed the little vial and off I went…on a mission to collect some sweat. The castle hummed with activity, as people were milling around. They curtsied or bowed as I passed. All this life made the castle seem more like a home, but it also meant it would become harder to get time alone.

  The door to the steam room was located across from Ann’s apartment. I had never noticed it before because the paint for the door handle and the door boasted the same color grey. I assumed that side of the hall housed the mechanical rooms and storage space. The door was unlocked and the entrance served like a mud room, where disrobing or re-dressing took place. The door to the sauna had a lever that didn’t lock, so I locked the outer door, to the hallway, ensuring some solitude.

  I removed every stitch of clothing and grabbed a white towel in one of the mudroom cubbies. The controls for the sauna were inside the light-colored wood room. I expected white tile for some reason, but was pleasantly surprised by the wood that lined the walls and seating areas. The whole room measured about 12 feet by 12 feet. I switched on the steam and took a seat.

  I had been difficult lately and selfish, but dealing with so many emotions all at once had left me exhausted and a bit on edge. Running away would accomplish nothing. I learned that at the edge of a lake, when I was eighteen. At my age,
I thought I’d have more figured out and be whole, but life had taken away so many pieces of me that I treasured.

  Time passed and the tedious job of collecting sweat interrupted the solitary steam. When the vial couldn’t hold another drop, I capped it off. It would have been nice to jump in the pool, but a shower awaited me upstairs, either way.

  After starting my shower, I placed the vial on my dresser and started removing sweat-drenched clothing. A shiny object caught my eye on the bed. On a silver tray, lay an emerald-colored cloth with a note on top. This meant people were coming into my room when I wasn’t there, which annoyed me. I locked my bedroom door and went back to the tray.

  The note read:

  Danu, tonight’s ceremony is the second of three very important ceremonies. You’ve completed the first when we met as a council.

  This second ceremony will bond followers. Even though others can decide to bond themselves to your service later, this initial event serves as an announcement to the underground kingdom that your lineage has been proven…that you are, in fact, Danu, queen of the Celts.

  No one will know you possess the sweat spell for certain, but that may come out as your notoriety and favor spread.

  Please pick a crown from this tray to wear in tonight’s ceremony, choose a dress from the closet and make sure you are looking your best.

  The Council

  Chapter 15- Marine World

  “How did your interview go?” Dad asked, when I came through the door.

  “I got a job. A lot of it has to do with the fact that the high school kids aren’t out of school yet and I live so close, but it’s a great position. I’ll be working in the aquarium, as a guide. I have to learn all this.”

  I dropped a thick handbook on the kitchen table titled, “Local Sea Life.”

  Dad glanced at it. “Why do you have to learn this?”

  “I’ll be giving tours in the aquarium and they want me to know all about the sea life there. It’s way better than making popcorn or being a cashier and it pays more, too.”

  It had been a mere three days since I walked out on Rick in the restaurant, determined to go about my life with normality and reason…something Rick didn’t seem to possess. Marriage! Ha! But, I knew his pain was real…pain that I had caused. The thought of that needled at me.

  He would soon be in Paris, but already had traveled home to Vermont. He left me his number in Vermont and the number of the host family in France that would house him through his internship. He promised he would not call me, so that I’d get the space I wanted.

  There were moments, out of selfish loneliness; I’d pick up the phone. He’d drop everything to be with me, but I desired his company for half a day, at most. That wouldn’t be fair to Rick. Besides, how sorry can I feel for a guy who will be spending a summer in France? He’d be enjoying the finest foods and culture in a foreign land, while my summer would smell of fish...a couple of miles away.

  I studied the handbook over the next couple of days. Soon, the day came when I needed to attend training for the tour guides. There were about a dozen trainees that showed up on the first day. I didn’t recognize anyone, but a couple of the girls and one of the guys obviously knew each other. They high-fived, exclaiming how “awesome” this summer would be. It was then that I wished I’d have spent the summer at Grammy and Gramps again. The job market was slim pickings in their area, but Grammy or Gramps would have no problem getting me a job somewhere.

  After we practiced giving each other tours, the aquarium manager rewarded us with a lunch at a small restaurant in the theme park, called The Oasis. We took two big tables and stuck them together. We were the only ones there and quickly realized, just as we had been practicing the tours, we were the guinea pigs for a practice lunch run at the restaurant.

  The meals took forever to arrive at the table, but it gave everyone a chance to get to know one another better. They all seemed like very nice people. None of them grated on my nerves, but that could be a testimony to the hiring process.

  Looking around the table, there were seven girls, including me, and five boys. I studied them, not realizing the boy next to me, trying to get my attention.

  “Excuse me…excuse me,” he repeated. “What’s your name?”

  “Muriel,” I answered.

  The music had recently been turned up quite loud and we had to practically yell. He bobbed his head up and down to signal he had heard me.

  “I’m Delvin.”

  “Nice to meet you.”

  Trying to have a conversation with anyone proved fruitless until one of the high-fiving trio went to the counter and asked to have the volume lowered.

  Now that we could hear each other, someone suggested a few rounds of ice-breaker questions. These questions were posed to get to know people better- an apparently common practice among social people. Huh.

  We first shared what school we attended, where we were from, and how many brothers and sisters we had. This uncomfortable exchanging of personal information with people I’d recently met didn’t appeal to me. The fourth question annoyed me…do you have a boyfriend or girlfriend?

  This new experience now became an irritation because my relationship status wasn’t anyone’s business. The way we were seated, I’d be the fifth to answer. The girl before me went on and on about the guy she was dating until Delvin reminded her that the question could be answered with a simple yes or no, to which I gave a quick chuckle.

  On my turn, I quickly answered no and it went on down the line with various yes and no answers. I remembered Delvin’s answer and the girl who went on and on. Both yeses…good for them. May they live happily ever after, I thought to myself, in a very sarcastic inner voice. After that round of questions, the food started arriving, thankfully quieting most of the conversation.

  “Is there something wrong with you?” Delvin asked.

  “Excuse me?”

  “You seem normal enough,” he looked me up and down. “You’re quite attractive. Why don’t you have a boyfriend? Daddy issues?”

  “Wow.” It was the only word I could muster.

  “Seriously, you must have broken a couple of hearts or did you have your heart broken? Have you been unable to piece the wreckage back together?” He squinted when he asked questions.

  “We just met, right?” I asked, in disbelief at his boldness.

  “I’m curious. I study psychology at school and you seem like a catch, especially for a guy…guys are very visually driven, more focused on outward appearances.”

  Staring at him for a bit, I realized he was genuinely interested, so I bluntly answered. “I was deeply in love in high school. He died in a car accident. Now, someone is in love with me, but I’m not at his level yet. I broke up with him a week ago, right before the school year ended. He says he wants to get married. It’s too much, too fast.”

  “Is he insecure?”

  “No. As a matter of fact, he used to happily enjoy dating around…a lot. He once set me up with his best friend…this amazing guy. The next morning, he told his friend to stop seeing me because he loved me. Confessed his feelings for me in the student cafeteria.” I shook my head. “I hope he meets a nice girl in France during his internship.”

  “Ya, you definitely don’t love him. My girlfriend is in Florida studying marine biology over the summer and if she met another guy, I’d have to go down there and disembowel the young lad.”

  “Hmm. Well, at least you have a level head about it,” I grinned.

  “Oh sure,” he said, not joking in the least.

  “So, if you’re studying psychology, what brings you to Marine World?”

  He swallowed a bite of his club sandwich. “Two things. It’s close to my house and it impresses my girlfriend.”

  “Where do you live?”

  “You wouldn’t know it. It’s a couple of miles down the road, near a park, Trident Dr.”

  “No way! I live on Compass Circle, on the other side of the park you’re talking about.”

/>   “Perfect, you can give me a ride.”

  “I walked.”

  “Then, may I escort you home, my lady?”

  “But of course, fine sir.”

  After finishing our meal, we got up from the table and began the trek home. The winding path to our neighborhood went by a couple of lagoons and over a small bridge. The weather was beautiful, with low, fast-moving clouds bringing the sun in and out of sight.

  “So tell me about this boy you loved.”

  “His name was Jed. I still miss him. He’s the first person I’ve known to pass away. My dad cared for him like a son and he’s equally devastated.” I ran my hand over some tall grass beside the path while we walked, remembering Jed’s smile. “I’ve never known anyone to be that kind to me. He had this loyalty about him that I cherished and envied. When we were together, anything seemed possible.” I huffed. “Too cliché, right?”

  When I looked up at Delvin, he tried to wipe his eyes before I noticed them getting moist in the corners.

  “So, tell me about this other guy…the one you broke up with last week.”

  “Rick. I’m not sure how to describe him…Rick overdoes things. The best way to explain it is that it’s like a weird form of worship.” I bent over, picking up a rock and skipped it into the lagoon. Various birds took flight, squawking at the disturbance. “I mean, if I was on the same level as him, I suppose it would be perfect…all head-over-heels and pawing at each other like wild beasts.” I paused. “Tell me about your girlfriend.”

  “My girlfriend is a lot like you. A beautiful creature, not as in love with me as I am with her. She says I suffocate her and move too fast for my own good.” Delvin picked up a big rock, and in his frustration hurled it out of sight. “I need to know how to fix things because I can’t lose her. Do you have any ideas?”

  Poor Delvin was so eager to change his girlfriend’s mind that he trusted a practical stranger to give him advice.

  “Maybe she needs a little space to clear her head.”