I had a dream The Good People carried me here

It was the strangest feeling to be able to walk across water, but far and away I did.

©Kay Stephens

I had no concept of time, and only realized it was dawn, when I found myself stumbling through the woods, past mossy rocks and through a path that had long been obscured by fallen trees.

©Kay Stephens

I walked until I came to an island surrounded by a moat within the woods, and I'll tell you something now, it chilled my blood to see it, for I knew at once what it was.  My great grandmother, born in Cork, told my grandmother stories about this. It was a fort belonging to the sióga.

©Kay Stephens

"Personally , I never cut even as much as a thorn in that fort.  'Tis belongs to ...the unknown. I'll put it that way. The Good People.  'Tis there for generations, for longer than we're aware of , or know of. We don't know what the origin of it is, nor we don't know what them people are about. Just leave 'em alone."
-Drumline, 19 September 2001 excerpt from Meeting The Other Crowd by Eddie Lenihan (with Carolyn Green)Gill & MacMillan 2003)

©Kay Stephens

Something flew by by ear, a heavy whirring of wings like the sound of a hummingbird.  And his little thing, she flew right up to my face.

©Kay Stephens

"Child, you are far from home," she said in voice I can only describe as like hearing tree peepers at night, high and tiny like far off silver bells. I was so stunned I could only come up with a ridiculous reply. "I'm hardly a child. But, I shouldn't be here I know, please don't hurt me." The Others have their own way of collecting when they felt threatened. She hovered by my face and I got a good look at her as well. Her face was perfectly proportional, smaller than a doll's with a tiny crown of twigs atop her tightly coiled brown hair. Her dress, made of decayed leaves and brambles, blended right in with the bare trees in woods. "Stay," she said. "You are under my protection. Would you like to see where we live?"

I looked up. I looked around. I had no idea where I was, or how to get out of these woods. "It won't be for very long," she said. "Then I'll lead you back." I looked into her little face once again, into her wide brown eyes.  "Okay," I said. "but I need to be back soon."

Story to be continued...stay tuned to our Facebook page for more.