The Celtic Symbol

by V M Jones

  That night, the children refused to sleep in their own beds and piled into bed with Patrick and Ansley.

  “No kicking please,” said Patrick a bit irritated. “Off to sleep.”

  After several minutes of children moving around the bed to get comfortable, the family fell asleep.

  The next morning, they heard a scream from Siobhan. She had gone to her room to get her cell phone to text her friends. Patrick jumped out of bed and ran to the playroom where he found her kneeling in front of Ansley’s painting. Ansley and the two boys had quickly followed.

  “What’s wrong,” asked Ansley in a frightened voice.

  Siobhan was pointing to the painting without speaking. To their amazement, the painting had changed back to its original state with the mound and without the eerie red glow or cross.

  “What’s going on?” asked Patrick out loud. “Maybe we’re just imagining things.”

  He left the room and returned a few moments later with his cell phone in hand. He flipped through the pictures until he came across the one he had taken earlier. The image confirmed what they had seen the day before.

  “Look at the photo from yesterday,” he said to Ansley as he gave her the phone.

  “Something’s very wrong here,” she said with a worried look.

  Patrick and Ansley went downstairs to the kitchen and quietly discussed what they should do next. They didn’t know who to contact to help them understand what they had experienced. Nothing made sense. They decided to not contact anyone. No one would believe them.

  They spent the rest of the day doing their usual chores. They were all afraid to come near the painting so they stayed away from the playroom. As soon as the chores were done, the kids went outside to play.

  4 disappearance

  The following week around noon, the family was sitting at the table having just eaten a nice lunch of potatoes, cabbage, and corned beef.

  “What a lovely meal,” said Patrick with a satisfied look on his face. “My favorite.”

  “I’m glad you enjoyed it. You get to supervise the kids doing the dishes,” said Ansley with a playful smile.

  “I can do that,” he said rubbing his belly. “We’ll get to that in a few minutes. Let’s enjoy the afternoon,” he said looking out the kitchen window.

  The family put their plates in the sink and went outside to relax. Patrick read the latest news off the internet on his tablet while Ansley enjoyed reading a novel. The children were playing hide and seek around the grounds.

  While Siobhan counted to 50 leaning against the back door, Tevan and Declan raced to find their hiding places behind the house.

  “25, 26, 27,” counted Siobhan as she covered her eyes with her arm.

  Declan ran over behind the shed and peered around the corner at Siobhan. Tevan had chosen to hide on the tall mound of dirt. He ran around to the side away from Siobhan and climbed up the steep slope and onto the top of the mound. He tried to lay flat on top of the dirt under some of the foliage but could still be partially seen as the surface was uneven.

  After finishing her count, Siobhan began searching for the two boys.

  “I see you Tevan,” Siobhan shouted out as she discovered someone lying on top of the dirt mound.

  Tevan saw her coming and pushed himself up. He slid down alongside the mound and jumped down to the ground in front of it.

  Suddenly, a loud noise erupted near where Tevan stood.

  Startled, each of the family turned towards the mound to see what was happening.

  Tevan stood still and didn’t move as if he were frozen, not knowing what to do. A bright, blue spot began to glow next to him.

  “What’s this?” he asked himself rather confused.

  He reached out to touch the glowing spot. Suddenly the blue light increased in size until it encompassed the entire dirt mound including Tevan.

  As the family watched in horror, the blue light that had engulfed Tevan and the surrounding area seemed to be sucked into the dirt mound. The family could hear a low rumble as Tevan and the blue light disappeared.

  “Tevan! Tevan!” shouted Patrick frantically as he dropped his tablet on the ground.

  Ansley jumped up and ran as quickly as she could with Patrick right behind her. “Tevan! Where are you?” said Ansley fearfully looking around the spot where he had been.

  Declan ran over to Siobhan who put her arm around him as they watched their parents run back and forth from either side of the dirt mound.

  “Where did Tevan go?” asked Declan to Siobhan fearfully.

  “I don’t know,” she said as tears began to well up in her eyes.

  Patrick and Ansley started digging frantically into the mound of hard dirt in search of Tevan.

  “He’s got to be in here somewhere,” said Patrick with a worried look on his face.

  “I can’t find any opening,” said Ansley as she moved her hands around the dirt mound where Tevan disappeared.

  As Patrick clawed at the dirt, his hand hit something hard. He brushed away the dirt to discover a smooth stone. He followed it down until he found another stone that joined just below. It was obvious that the stones were part of a larger structure.

  “I found a stone wall,” he yelled out to Ansley.

  “Then there must be an opening somewhere,” said Ansley hopeful that they would soon find Tevan.

  Together they clawed through some more dirt about knee high to reveal a slit in the wall.

  “It looks like some kind of small cross opening,” said Patrick excitedly. He tried digging the dirt out of the slit but it seemed to be hard clay.

  “Tevan certainly couldn’t have fit through such a small opening. There has to be another,” exclaimed Patrick feeling helpless.

  They spent the next half hour trying to find any opening. Ansley dropped to the ground and began sobbing into her hands. Patrick leaned down and gently put his arm around her. He looked down at the ground and noticed something shiny.

  He reached down and picked up a piece of metal that had been lying in the dirt. He turned it over as he examined it closely.

  “This must be the metal object Declan pried off with a knife,” said Patrick out loud.

  Ansley looked up at the metal piece and nodded in agreement.

  Concerned with the loss of his son, he quickly lost interest in the artifact and put it in his pocket. He reached down for Ansley’s hands lifting her to her feet and put his arm around her. She leaned into him as they began making their way towards the house. Siobhan and Declan followed close behind.

  The family slowly entered the house and sat down at the table.

  “We will find Tevan,” said Patrick as he slammed his fist on the table.

  “Please call the Gardaí,” begged Ansley wiping away her tears.

  Patrick pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and quickly dialed 999.

  “Hello? My son has gone missing. No, he was next to us when he disappeared. Please come immediately,” he said pleading with the operator and glancing at Ansley.

  He provided the address then set the phone down on the table.

  Inspector Nua O’Leary arrived in less than an hour with Garda Thomas Bracken. They were assigned to the Cahir station of the An Garda Síochána, the national police of Ireland. Patrick met them at the front door and invited them into the house.

  “I’m not sure how to explain my son’s disappearance other than he disappeared into a large dirt mound with a flash of blue light behind the house,” Patrick told the Inspector.

  “Disappeared into the dirt with a blue light?” repeated Inspector O’Leary trying to comprehend what she was being told.

  Patrick nodded then went on to explain the events of the afternoon leading up to Tevan’s disappearance.

  “You want me to believe that some blue light sucked him into a dirt mound and he hasn’t come back?” asked Inspector O’Leary suspiciously as she cocked her head to one side.

  “It’s the truth!” replied Patrick emphatically as his e
yebrows narrowed.

  “You know how unbelievable that sounds?” asked Inspector O’Leary shaking her head.

  “I know it’s hard to believe. I can’t believe it myself except that’s what I saw,” Patrick said looking into the Inspector’s face.

  He led the Gardaí, followed by the rest of the family, to the back of the house where the dirt mound was. The Inspector carefully recorded everything in her small black notebook, and then walked over to the mound.

  “Maybe he fell into a sink hole,” she suggested looking around her.

  She inspected the ground and stomped around with her foot as if to find a weak spot in the earth. There were no cracks in the ground. The grasses and overgrowth covering the ground were still intact indicating that there had been no shift in ground level. She then turned her attention to the mound itself. She noticed the exposed stone that had been cleared by Patrick and Ansley. She tried scratching into the clay in the small slit in the stone wall but found it too hard to scrape off with her finger.

  “I can’t find any opening in the mound,” she said out loud without looking at anyone. She then turned to Patrick with a suspicious look.

  “How long has he been gone?” she asked for clarification.

  “About an hour and a half,” said Patrick with a sigh.

  “Mrs. Murphy,” asked the inspector as she turned to Ansley. “Did you see what happened to your son?”

  “He was playing with the other children near the mound when we heard a noise and he disappeared into a blue light,” she said as tears began filling her eyes again.

  Inspector O’Leary didn’t seem convinced and neither did Garda Bracken. In her experience missing children cases almost always involved a family member.

  “May I speak with your children, alone?” asked the inspector looking at him suspiciously.

  “Of course,” said Patrick in a soft voice.

  “Please come with me,” she said to Siobhan and Declan motioning to them.

  They looked at Patrick for approval who nodded back at them. They went into the house followed by the inspector. Garda Bracken stayed in the back of the house with Patrick and Ansley.

  After about fifteen minutes, Inspector O’Leary returned.

  “I would like to interview each of you separately,” she said to Patrick and Ansley, still suspicious of their explanations.

  She then asked Patrick to wait in the house with the children. After about ten minutes, Ansley came into the house crying.

  “The Inspector would like to talk to you outside,” she said to Patrick as she slowly made her way to the table chair.

  He walked out to the back of the house. Inspector O’Leary asked him to sit in the lounge chair. “Please, tell me again everything you can remember,” she said to Patrick as she tapped her pen on her notebook.

  He again told the policewoman all the details of the events leading up to and including Tevan’s disappearance. Inspector O’Leary opened her black notebook and began writing down everything Patrick told her. She then asked the rest of the family to join them. Patrick opened the back door and asked the family to come outside.

  “Are you going to send for more help?” asked Ansley anxiously hoping to get answers and help to find Tevan.

  “There’s nothing more I can do here,” she told the family. “I’ll keep in touch. Please call us if the lad returns.”

  Patrick and Ansley both felt crushed. They had counted on the Gardaí finding Tevan and bringing him safely home. Now they were being left on their own.

  The Gardaí walked around the house and back to their car.

  Inspector O’Leary was perplexed. She had asked each member of the family what had happened. Each family member was so explicit in the details of the events of Tevan’s disappearance with matching details that she had no hope of naming any member of the family as a suspect.

  “Inspector, what do you make of the whole thing?” asked Thomas as he closed his door.

  “I can’t find any physical evidence to explain his disappearance. Their story is so unbelievable, yet they actually believe what they told us,” she said with a confused look. “Both parents were clear on the details of the events. It was also apparent they were grieving the loss of their son. Even the children told me exactly the same thing. I couldn’t get anyone to change their story. I don’t know what happened to the lad but I am going to file a missing person’s report. I hope he just went for a walk and comes back soon.”

  “I hope so,” said Thomas nodding in agreement.

  Inspector O’Leary started up the car and drove away.

  It was now dusk. Patrick, Ansley, Siobhan, and Declan were dazed and confused about the events of the past few hours. Tevan was gone and there was no explanation for his disappearance. The police had not been able to help.

  “What do we do now?” whispered Ansley as she gently held onto Patrick’s arm.

  “I don’t know,” replied Patrick quietly, “I thought the Gardaí would help but I guess there’s nothing they can do.”

  “I don’t think they believe us,” said Ansley as she looked into Patrick’s eyes with fear.

  “I think you’re right,” said Patrick softly, nodding his head.

  Ansley kept looking through the back window expecting to see Tevan running back to the house. It was now late.

  “Everyone to bed,” said Patrick looking into the sad, tired faces of his family.

  They slowly walked upstairs to the master bedroom. Declan and Siobhan refused to sleep alone and huddled next to their parents in bed.

  “I can’t believe he’s gone,” said Ansley as she began to sob again.

  Siobhan and Declan also began to cry. It was going to be a long night.

  As the room began to fill with morning light, Patrick noticed that Siobhan and Declan had fallen asleep. He carefully crawled out of bed. Ansley followed him.

  Ansley took Patrick’s arm as they slowly made their way down the stairs to the kitchen being careful not to disturb the children.

  5 the call for help

  Patrick sat down at the kitchen table with Ansley standing behind him with her arms around his neck. She laid her head on top of his head.

  “What do we do now?” asked Ansley her eyes red from crying.

  “The Gardaí can’t help us,” he responded as he stood up. “I don’t know where else to turn. This obviously isn’t something they have dealt with,” he said showing his frustration.

  He sat down again at the table and put his head on his arms. He ran everything over and over in his mind to see if he had forgotten any details of the afternoon’s events. He couldn’t think of any reasonable explanation for Tevan’s disappearance. He finally came to a conclusion and sat up.

  “There is no other logical explanation for Tevan’s disappearance. It had to be something from the unseen world that took him,” he said looking at Ansley waiting for her reaction.

  “You mean something paranormal?” asked Ansley as she sat down.

  “Aye. I think we should at least check out the possibility,” he replied in a tired voice.

  “Who do we talk to about that? People will think we’re crazy but I’m willing to do whatever it takes,” said Ansley anxiously as she began shaking.

  Desperate for help, Patrick and Ansley started researching paranormal experts in the UK on the internet. They found several sites of people claiming to be experts. They all described ghost hunting and recorded ghost sightings, however, they seemed more interested in entertainment. This was somewhat depressing for Patrick and Ansley as they weren’t interested in hunting ghosts. They just wanted to know what happened to Tevan and how to get him back. The more they read the more discouraged they became. The last thing they wanted was to be part of a TV show. Just as they were about to give up, they came across a website that seemed professional and emphasized the science of the paranormal rather than entertainment.

  It was a group called the Irish Paranormal Pinkertons or IPP. They were funded by a few universiti
es which gave them more credibility. The information provided by their website seemed to be genuine and informative. They provided guidelines on what to look for in choosing a paranormal investigative group.

  The team consisted of Liam McNamara, Aine Sheehan, and Brody Gillihan. All three had degrees and seemed genuinely interested in researching paranormal activity, not just to exploit it.

  Hesitantly, Patrick picked up his cell phone and dialed the number provided by the website.

  “Hello. My name is Patrick Murphy. I don’t know if you can help me, but my son has vanished. We called the Gardaí but they can’t help.”

  The voice at the other end of the call seemed calm and confident.

  “I’m sorry to hear that. What can you tell me about his disappearance?”

  Patrick briefly recounted the events around his son’s disappearance of the previous day.

  Dr. McNamara, the lead investigator for the IPP, responded to Patrick, “You did the right thing calling us. We’ll do everything we can to find out what happened to him.”

  “Thank you,” said Patrick quietly. “But we just want him back.”

  “I understand,” said Dr. McNamara sympathetically. “We’ll help you get him back as well.”

  Patrick provided Dr. McNamara with his address and contact information.

  “We’ll be at your house this afternoon,” promised Dr. McNamara.

  “Can they help?” asked Ansley anxiously as Patrick terminated the call.

  “I think we did the right thing calling them,” said Patrick with a slight smile.

  The call gave both Patrick and Ansley hope that Tevan would soon come home.

  Dr. McNamara set down his cell phone and turned to both Aine and Brody, “That was a frantic father who just lost his son to what seems to be a paranormal event. This is the type of investigation that best suits us. Not only can we investigate and record paranormal activity but we can re-unite a family.”

  “What happened to him?” asked Aine inquisitively sitting in her chair.