The Storyteller - Chapter 6

 

The Storyteller

 A Novel 

By Paul McCann

Chapter  6

Children Of The Castle Keep

 

On the Blarney Road facing north , a strong wind was at his back pushing him along and he thought to himself , that’s a strange wind , seems to be in a hurry to get where it’s going . As he approached the castle ruins , the rain started to fall .

He headed into the old ruins for some shelter . Inside what once was the main hall of the castle he sat down by the wall where an old fireplace had once been he thought about what it must have been like in the castle in days gone by .

As he sat there in the still of the evening, he started to drift off to sleep but was awoke with the sound of a child screaming out  . He stood up and looked around but there was sign of anyone there . Then he heard the voice again screaming out

“Help please help . Is anybody there ?”

The voice echoed all around the Castle walls. The storyteller called out in a deep voice .

“I’m here to help , tell me child ,where are you ?”

“We’re over here in the tower . Please help us “

The storyteller walked around the perimeter of the Castle but couldn’t see the tower .

Then a pillar of light shone down from the sky and the amulet around his neck started to glow indicating that the doorway between dimensions was about to open.

The tall figure of a spiritual guide emerged from the pillar of light and walked over to where he was standing  . He looked into the storyteller’s heart and spoke softly with words that sang to his soul .

“It’s so nice to see you again storyteller . Come . listen to me because it’s almost time for you to go now as you have been called by the great one who lives beyond time and space to journey into a time past . When you get there, you are to help the  children who were locked inside the Castle keep for their protection . There was a battle for ownership of the Castle and the surrounding land and unfortunately everyone apart from the children were killed .  No one was able to rescue the children in that time so now we need you to return to that place in time and bring the children out from the Castle Keep and them take them to Blue Moon Lake where a boat is waiting to take them to Tir Na Oge .Trust in the power of your amulet to guide you to the place you have to go  .  The children are very gifted with music and poetry and they are to live happily there in the land of eternal youth .

As a result, their presence in Tir Na Oge will bring gifts of music and song for the  bards and musicians all over the land for generations to come . Come away with me and let us go now storyteller into the pillar of light .

They both walked into a doorway within the pillar of light . On the other side of the doorway the storyteller walked out alone into a battlefield where Black crows flew around the fields counting the dead . In the distance the storyteller saw the Castle Tower and made his way there .  Not a sound could be heard anywhere except for the black birds cawing and clawing around the bodies of the dead warriors who lay scattered all over the battlefield . The shadow of death hovered over the ground and banshees were crying in the wind .

He arrived at the tower and was unable to open the door . The keyhole was small and the lock itself was large and the door was made of cast iron , The emulate around on his neck started to vibrate and at the same time a beam of light shine from the centre emerald stone in the necklace and penetrated the keyhole of the lock that immediately opened up the door . He climbed up the winding stairs to the top of the tower and then he called out .

“Do not fear I am here to rescue you . We are to travel to a place called Blue Moon Lake . Trust me I mean you no harm “

There was no response so he sat down there on a chair and began to tell a story .

“ Beyond the mists of time on the Isle of Mystic there lived a young child called Pan who was able to ride the flying horses that lived there on the Isle.

There in that place flying horses could talk and sing songs as did all the other  creatures who lived on the Island .

The he took from the pouch on his belt  , a tin whistle , then he started played a little tune before singing the words of the song known as The Travellers .

At that very moment a trapdoor in the floor opened up and one by one the children emerged from a hidden room that had been built underneath the floorboards .

The tune was also known to the children and they all joined in singing the song .

When the song had finished one of the children spoke .

“That song was taught to us by the fiddle player from the Fianna Hills and he told us that we were the only ones that might ever hear it ”

The storyteller replied

 “Sure, didn’t I share that tune with Old Oisin the Bow fiddler and wasn’t it I who  spent many’s a long night with him in the small hut there by the silent stream between the Fianna Hills  and Spillane Mountain.”

Oner of the children spoke .

“Then can you tell us of the ancient place where we have to go ?”

He smiled and replied ,

“Come away with me now with your music and songs to the Blue Moon Lake .

Then from there you will be taken to Tir Na Oge on the mystical pathway that goes ahead through the gateways of the Hanging Gardens and into fields of dreams where interdimensional travel is allowed . There you will meet other guides who will take you to a place beyond space and time to meet the King Of The  Land Of Eternal Youth and that is where you will remain forever playing your music and songs.”

Another one of the children spoke .

“Now we know you speak the truth as this has already been told to us long before , You are the one we have been waiting for. Let us go on our way .“

They left the Castle and the emulate suddenly was transformed into a compass directing which way they had to go. The journey was long but enjoyable as they all shared music and song on the way . When they came to Lough Ern , the compass pointed them towards the underground caves around the lough . In the caves a maze of pathways made their way in many directions for miles into the unknown places in the granite lands .

The emulate continued to guide their way through the caves and along the  pathways until they arrived on back on the surface at Blue Moon Lake .

At the edge of the lake there was a boat  that was waiting to take them across to the final stage of their journey . The boatman waved and called to the children to come...

The children all looked into the storyteller’s eyes and spoke softly to him in the heart space of his soul . He smiled and wished them happiness in their new home .

A pillar of light came down from the sky and landed nearby .

“ Go now ”

They said to him .

He waved goodbye to the children and then made his way to the pilar of light where a door opened up for him .He walked into the doorway and the pillar of light disappeared .

 

Without a word spoken, the spiritual guide said to him .  .

“Well done storyteller , many generations in the future will now have songs to sing and new music to play because of what you have done today”

When he walked out of the doorway, he was back in the third dimension inside the ruins of the old Castle again .

In the still of the evening the wind whispered a welcome home  to the storyteller who continued his journey along the Blarney Road to a little hut there on the Banks of the River Shannon .

End Chapter 6

 

The Storyteller

Link to chapter 7

https://www.abctales.com/story/mcscraic/storyteller-chapter-7

By Paul McCann