The Twelve Stones (35 page)

“
What’s going on?” Siobhan cried out. “Where are we going?”

“
Shhh,” Seamus insisted, he set her down and let her trot alongside him. “It’s OK
.
W
e’ve
gotta get out of here is all.”

Confused, Siobhan began resisting her brother, pulling at his arm in the direction of their village. “But I want to eat and see
M
ummy
!” Siobhan cried.

Seamus swallowed. “Mum and
Da
will be joining us soon
.
I
can
promise
ye that
,
all right? We’re just gonna take a
bit of a
trip down the road now
...
”

Siobhan’s protests quieted a bit, but she was still crying a few hours later down the road. Seamus, who had been alternating between carrying her and letting her walk, set her down as they approached another village.

“
It’s only a few more miles to Shilago. We’ll stay the night there, and get some food
. Don’t you worry;
'
tis just another wee adventure, and I know how you love our adventures, don’t ya
,
little sis
?”

Siobhan nodded, her dirt
-
covered face streaked with tears.

As they crested the hill leading down into Shilago, Seamus grabbed his sister once again and shook his head, pointing at the hundreds of Englishmen camping around the city limits.

“
They’re everywhere,” Siobhan whispered in terror. She was eleven, not stupid. It had only taken Siobhan a few minutes to realize that they weren’t just on a little trip down the road. Her village was now gone, and the people she had loved probably slaughtered by the same sort of Englishmen below.

“
Regular army, which we shouldn’t worry about
.
T
hey’re
not looking for us
,
”
Seamus said calmly. “We’ll camp on the shore, in one of the caves down the way.”

She nodded, still frightened out of her wits. “And then what?”

Seamus swallowed, and decided not to
give her an
answer. He didn't have one yet.

After turning towards the shore, they were back on the rocky beach, looking for a decently sized cave where they might camp for the night.

Only a few miles down the shore, Siobhan called her brother when she found a cave that was perfect. Gathering some driftwood near the entrance, Seamus quickly built a fire, and for a moment, Siobhan felt safe.

Seamus rose, and moved to the edge of the cave. “I’m going to find some supplies for us
,
Siobhan. Whatever happens, don’t leave the cave
,
all right?” He grabbed her and looked into her pale green eyes.

“
Stay in the cave
,
”
h
e pleaded. “If I don’t come back, then head north for as long as you can and find some way to survive
.
D
o
you understand?”

She nodded, frightened for her older brother. He saw it on her face and smiled broadly
.
“Don’t you worry, little daisy
.
Your big brother will be back before you know it!
”

He rose and left the cave, striding purposefully down the beach. She watched him, his figure growing smaller and smaller, until she was left completely alone for the first time in her life.

Night came quickly, and Siobhan kept herself busy
by
tending the fire. As the hours
pas
sed
and the rumbling in her belly began to grow louder, Siobhan began to worry about her carefree older brother who had yet to return from the nearby village with food.

She lay down, staring at the fire as the warmth and the day’s long journey finally caught up to her. She stared at the flames licking up towards the ceiling, hoping to distract herself from the gnawing pain in her belly
, which reminded
her that she hadn’t eaten since breakfast. Despite her hunger, she
eventually
managed to
f
a
ll
asleep.

Dreams began to invade her subconscious
.
Siobhan dreamed about her brother, purchasing food and provisions as he walked through the village captured by the English.

She watched helplessly in her dream as a few of the English began to gather around her brother, taunting him and taking the food forcefully from his arms
.
H
e protested, begging for mercy, telling them the food was for his sister, and not him.

The English only laughed and wrenched the bag out of his hands. Siobhan saw her brother’s face turn red in rage as he attacked the six soldiers, knocking more than a few on their ass. His victory was short lived
,
however, as a cavalry soldier approached from behind, and used the butt of his sword to knock Seamus out.

She screamed so loud that she woke herself up.

It was then she noticed the fire had gone out
.
Seamus still hadn’t returned. The sun had set long ago, and the cave was becoming quite cold. Unfortunately, that wasn’t her biggest problem. While she had been sleeping, the tide had begun to come in, cutting the entrance to the cave off with a deep pool of freezing water. Siobhan wasn’t sure how long it would take, but she was certain that the cave would soon be filled with sea water, drowning her. She whimpered, scooting back as far as she could, as the water began to slowly rush in.

The tide crept
closer and closer to her
,
the water growing deeper and deeper. The last bit of coals in the fire
went out with a hiss
,
leaving her in near-
total darkness.

Siobhan sobbed and cried out for
Seamus
. She crouched down, wondering what it’d be like to die. Would things just turn off? Would she be in Heaven with her family? She hoped so.

Opening her eyes, she was surprised to see that the cave was no longer completely dark. A faint light had emerged from a large crack at the top of the cave. It wasn’t much
—
in fact, even the petite eleven year old would have trouble fitting through
—
but a weak light
emanated
from the other side of the wall
,
which meant she might yet still live. Siobhan stared at the light in wonder, wiped her tears away, and began scrambling towards the opposite side of the cave.

The water was filling the cave now, and it was nearly four feet deep. Siobhan plunged into the cold sea water, her breath leaving her instantly. She cried out as her body numbed. Ignoring the pain, Siobhan trudged through the thick seawater and made it to the other side of the cave. Holding in her stomach deep, she began wiggling her tiny body through the crack in the wall. Another large wave crashed at the entrance, and the water
rushed in
, nearly drowning her.

The wave retreated
,
and she gasped for air. Caught in between the two rooms, Siobhan
knew she didn’t
have much time.

Siobhan prayed quickly and pushed her body through the small crack, her clothing tearing on the sharp rocks and scraping her delicate flesh. She ignored the blood seeping through her clothing as she struggled to fit between the jagged rocks. After a bit of effort
,
and nearly drowning as the water poured over her head, she made it. She was safe.

The crack
le
d
into another
,
much larger cave. Siobhan looked for the light, which had rescued her from the near drowning.

She watched the water crash through the slim opening and drain towards the bottom of the room she now found herself in, disappearing through some cracks in the floor. Looking for the light that had beckoned her through, she saw the source of it from around a corner, still faint. And, if she wasn’t mistaken, wasn’t that music?

She held tight to the slimy cave walls as she made her way towards more solid footing and the rear of the cave. There was no mistaking it as she drew nearer
;
that was music, the strings and beats echoing happily through her cave. The music filled her soul
,
and soon, she forgot the chill of the sea water and began running towards the light.

Rounding a corner, she found the most amazing party she had ever seen. Her whole family, friends from the village, and more were having a rousing good time. It was the sort of celebration they saved for a marriage or the annual fall harvest.

She walked closer to the dancing people, who seemed to take no notice of her. She grasped at people’s arms,
but everyone
only ignored her and continued dancing and carousing loudly.

She began to talk to everyone, asking for help, looking at their faces, but none of them looked at her. She may as well have been invisible for all the good it did.

Finally giving up, she sat, in a daze, wondering if she was dead.

“
You aren’t dead
,
you know
,
”
a
voice said.

Siobhan jumped. The voice belonged to a kindly looking older man who held a cane.

“
You can see me?” Siobhan asked, her voice quivering.

“
I can.” He smiled and waved behind him. “You must be starving
.
Y
ou
should eat something.”

Looking around, she was surprised to see a buffet table filled with every imaginable delight in the world appear before her. Her eyes, wide as saucers, took in the vast feast
,
wasting no time as she jumped towards it and began gorging herself. Everything tasted incredible. The meat was so tender it fell off the bone, the biscuits were light and fluffy, and the milk
was
so cold and creamy, it instantly soothed her dry and scratchy throat. The old man chuckled
and
removed his frameless glasses, polishing them with a corner of his shirt.

“
Take it easy
,
young one
.
T
here’s
plenty for you
,
and it’s not going anywhere.”

Siobhan paused and offered the drumstick to the older man. He laughed again and shook his head no. Walking around the table, he sat opposite her
,
smiling.

“
You’re quite the survivor
,
”
h
e
commented. “I wasn’t sure if you could make it through the crack in the cave.”

“
You saw that?” Siobhan asked, her eyebrow rising quizzically. “I was alone.”

The Old Man smiled
.
“I’ve got a few tricks up my sleeve.”

“
Like what?” Siobhan asked.

“
Well!” the Old Man said with great relish. “Have you ever looked up at the stars at night and wish you could visit them?”

Siobhan nodded.

“
I’ve been there!”
h
e
said proudly.

“
You have not!”
s
he
protested.

“
Oh
,
I have, and I can do lots of other things.”

“
Like what?” Siobhan challenged.

The Old Man waved around the room. “Why
,
all this
,
for instance
.
N
one of it is real.”

“
They look real! It tastes real!” Siobhan replied through a mouthful of butter cream.

“
Looking real and being real
aren’t
the same
.
I
n
fact…” he clapped his hands, and suddenly the party disappeared, and it was just the two of them sitting in a large and lavish banquet hall.

Siobhan screamed and dropped the food she was eating. “You’re the Devil!”
s
he
screamed
,
crossing herself as she fell away from the table, looking in fear at her new surroundings.

The Old Man chuckled and shook his head. “No, no, I’m not the Devil
,
young lady.”

Siobhan glanced around again nervously
.
“Are you God?”